The Nightmare Before Christmas Page #6

But nobody has. He doesn't bother to ask the Street Band set up

across the street.

The mayor's bravado face evaporates and the whiny one takes over.

MAYOR:

Where is he? We had an

appointment.

His blustery face back on, the Mayor shouts up to Jack's room at

the top of the tower.

MAYOR:

Jack?! I've got the plans for

next year! See?!

He holds up the blueprints and plans he carries.

MAYOR:

I need to go over them with you

so we can get started!

Halloween'll be here again in

no time! Three hundred and

sixty odd days fly by too fast!

The Mayor's faces alternate in progressively rapid succession as

panic sets in.

MAYOR:

(shouts desperately)

Jack! Please! I'm only an

elected official here! I can't

make decisions! Jack! Answer

me!

Ruined, the Mayor crumples.

The ACCORDION PLAYER of the Street Band says quietly from across

the street:

ACCORDION PLAYER

He can't.

The Mayor looks up.

MAYOR:

Why not?

ACCORDION PLAYER

He's not home.

MAYOR:

Where is he?

ACCORDION PLAYER

He hasn't been home all night.

The Mayor tries to rouse himself, but he's shorted out,

exhausted...

MAYOR:

(feebly)

Oh...

He drops again to the sidewalk.

CUT TO:

EXT. EVIL SCIENTIST'S HOUSE. DAY/LATER.

Sally peers out of an upper-storey window -- expression eager and

despairing at once.

CUT TO:

INT. FOREST. DUSK.

It is just before night. Jack strides forward toward a

DISTANT PUMPKIN SHAPE

that seems to be carved out of the dark and outlined by glowing

light.

Jack can't wait to find out what it means, but Zero, warier than

his master and far less enthusiastic about this adventure, lags

behind.

Arriving at the Pumpkin shape, Jack eagerly reaches out to it.

When he touches it, it gives -- CREAKING OPEN to more woods

beyond. It's a DOOR.

Zero hurries to catch up as Jack steps through the Pumpkin-shaped

Door and out into a

CLEARING:

in this next forest. Awed, Jack stops dead in the middle of the

clearing and gapes at what he sees -- there are

MORE DOORWAYS:

etched into the trunks of the trees that ring the clearing. To

us, these doorways make sense -- one is shaped like an EASTER

EGG, another like a FIRECRACKER, another like a VALENTINE,

another like a SHAMROCK, and another like a CHRISTMAS TREE. To

Jack, who's never heard of the other holidays, these doorways are

a total mystery.

He is especially TRANSFIXED by the

CHRISTMAS TREE-SHAPED DOOR.

It rattles invitingly on its hinges. Gusts of cold air blow out

from behind it. Snow oozes out beneath. The drama of it draws

Jack closer.

Zero hesitates in the Pumpkin-shaped doorway, uneasy about

crossing through it to the other side -- but the sight of Jack,

striding resolutely toward the Christmas Tree-shaped door, makes

him swoop quickly after.

Using all his strength, Jack wrenches open the Christmas Tree-

shaped door. There is a moment's delay -- darkness, stillness,

silence -- then the instantaneous fury of a

HOWLING BLIZZARD.

A quick blast of snow knocks Zero clear back through the Pumpkin-

shaped doorway.

The whipping winter wind curls around Jack's frail bones and

SUCKS HIM IN THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR. Jack disappears. The

Christmas Tree-shaped door SLAMS SHUT.

After a beat:

Zero pokes his head up over the lintel of the Pumpkin-shaped

doorway and sees that Jack has vanished. Panic-stricken, he

streaks across the clearing to the closed Christmas Tree door.

Crying, he scratches on the door, tries to squeeze under it (his

vaporous body is easy, but his head and jack o'lantern nose are

another matter), circles the tree, investigates for another

entrance (above, below, every which way). He tries everything in

his ghost-dog powers to get in -- but all in vain. He has no

choice but to wait. Ears cocked, he settles down to stare and

stare at the strange door that swallowed his master....

CUT TO:

THE WHIRLING, SNOW-SWIRLING TUNNEL OF BLACKNESS

through which Jack FALLS. The fall abruptly ends. BLACK.

CUT TO:

EXT. CHRISTMASTOWN. NIGHT.

Jack sits up in the snow bank where he has landed. He looks

excitedly around. He marvels first at the miracle of snow.

>>>>> WHAT'S THIS?

JACK:

What's this? What's this?

There's color everywhere... What's this?

There's white things in the air... What's this?

I can't believe my eyes I must be dreaming,

Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair... What's this?

He cavorts excitedly in the snow, slipping and sliding and

finally tumbling down a hill into the center of Christmastown.

He springs up, shakes himself off, and enthusiastically explores

the snow-blanketed village.

JACK (CONT'D)

What's this? What's this?

There's something very wrong... What's this?

There're people singing songs... What's this?

The streets are lined with

Little creatures laughing,

Everybody seems so happy,

Have I possibly gone daffy...?

What is this...? What's this?

There're children throwing snowballs

Here instead of throwing heads.

They're busy building toys

And absolutely no one's dead.

Here in Christmastown, every tree is a Christmas tree and each

house is shinier and more beautifully decorated than the next.

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