The Omega Man Page #6

NEVILLE:

No. you silly bastard, it doesn't begin this way, and two years alone is all right. The way it begins is asking yourself idiot questions. Now, let's find a drink before it's time to go home.

He stands up, stretches, looks refreshed.

DISSOLVE TO:

CLOSE SHOT - CANDLE GUTTERING IN HOLDER

CAMERA PULLS BACK, showing Neville in bar mirror. He drinks from glass, pours a little more from bottle, turns from-the bar. The room Is dark, light coming only from candle and from windows at front. The door is open. Neville, stun gun in left hand, drink in right, walks through tables, stands at door. Across the street is a federal court building. His eyes go up its height as CAMERA TURNS for LONG SHOT of BUILDING, Neville In RIGHT SIDE of FRAME.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE BACK INSIDE

He puts down empty glass, starts to pick 'up his equipment. Suddenly pauses as he HEARS a CRASH from a breaking bottle. His jaw tightens, he becomes tense and turns toward sound.

CLOSE SHOT - WINE KEG DISPLAY

Sign reads "Visit Our Wine Cellar -- For the Experience of a Lifetime"

MED. SHOT - NEVILLE

He squints at sigh, heads for the stairway with candle.

MED, SHOT - NEVILLE GOING DOWN STAIRS WITH CANDLE

MED. LONG SHOT - NEVILLE IN CELLAR

This should be a spooky and generally tense atmosphere. The cellar, like much contemporary commercial architecture is made to look like an "authentic" wine cellar, and two years' dust and cobwebs have improved on art. SHOT is from BEHIND wine rack, over bottles, showing Neville at foot of steps, looking about cautiously. He puts candle on hogshead for general lighting, pulls out flashlight to examine

MED. REVERSE SHOT - WINE RACKS, NEVILLE'S POINT OF VIEW

MED. LONG DOWN SHOT - NEVILLE LOOKING AT WINE RACKS

His flashlight probes here and there along walls. Stops on a. particular area of one of the racks.

VERY CLOSE SHOT SIDE VIEW OF WINE BOTTLES IN RACK

Neville's light falls on bottle. Behind rack we SEE another HAND at back. CAMERA HOLDS. The hand is still when light first strikes it, then it comes to life, moves, clenches.

MEDIUM SHOT - BEHIND RACK OF BOTTLES

We SEE a FAMILY MEMBER who has apparently been sleeping in cellar and has knocked wine bottle over in sleep. He comes awake fully as Neville enters cellar.

NEVILLE - CLOSE SHOT

From the shadows to his left rear. Also made from behind wine rack. CAMERA RISES from near floor level to five feet or so, following POINT OF VIEW of Family member.

MED. WIDE ANGLE SHOT - WINE RACK

From behind Neville. As he approaches rack, the entire Rack tilts and slowly falls toward him.

MED. SHOT - NEVILLE

throws himself back, trying to avoid the rack, but as he does so, he looks up.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - UP ANGLE - CREATURE ON TOP OF WINE RACK

hood flaring behind, arms outstretched

CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE'S REACTION

MED. SHOT - RACK FALLING ON NEVILLE

bottles falling out of rack and exploding on floor. Creature jumps free from top of rack,

MED. LONG SHOT - DOWN ANGLE FROM STAIRS

Three more of the creatures pile-out from behind barrels, wine racks, wherever they've been sleeping.

MED. SHOT NEVILLE UNCONSCIOUS UNDER WINE RACK

CLOSE SHOT CREATURE'S FACE

Shook as CAMERA SNAPS IN for very CLOSE SHOT: dead white face, Its mouth open, twisted with

hatred and anger, eyes still obscured by hood.

FADE OUT.

SLOW FADE IN:

As light begins to fill the SCREEN again, BLURRY, without FOCUS, WE HEAR, as from a great distance, TINY in sound, the VOICE of Matthias once more. He is preaching in away not much different from his last TV appearance in the credit montage. His voice has a peculiar mixture of the comforting and the sinister in it. As he goes on, his voice RISES, moves toward HYSTERIA.

MATTHIAS:

...and, oh, brothers and sisters, I ask you to look at him. Does he have the Marks? Do you see them?

(muffled answers of "no, no.")

You see him as we were before the Punishment, before we gained grace. You see lying there, the last of scientists and bankers and business- men...the users of the wheel! Do we use the tools of the wheel, as he does?

("no, not.")

Is he of The Family?

("no, not")

Is he of the Sacred Society?

(no, not.")

Then ... what is he?

(confused mumbling, anger)

CAMERA CLEARS VERY SLOWLY TO AN UP SHOT NEVILLE'S POINT OF VIEW

WE SEE the vague image of someone in robes in a high pulpit, behind a high bench. CAMERA MOVES SLOWLY, APPEARING TO SEEK FOCUS. THEN IT SNAPS INTO FOCUS IN ZOOM - VERY CLOSE SHOT of large reflective sunglasses. It is Matthias. His hood is pushed back, and the rooms illumination is quite low.

He seems to float in the darkness with candle-flames flickering around and behind him.

LONG DOWN SHOT - NEVILLE TIED ON FLOOR MATTHIAS POINT OF VIEW

Neville is regaining consciousness. CAMERA MOVES SLOWLY DOWN on him as Matthias talks.

MATTHIAS (O.S.)

He is part of the dead...he has no place here. He has the stink of oil and electric circuitry about him. He is obsolete...

( ...yes, yes.")

WIDE ANGIE SHOT CHAMBER IN FEDERAL COURT BUILDING

Its former function should still be evident, but it-now serves as the place where the Sacred Society governs the Family. It is courtroom, meetinghouse, church of the group. It is dark, hung with black cloth. The room is full of the hooded creatures that we have seen before. Only Matthias and perhaps half a dozen of his immediate followers do not wear hoods. Their hair and skin is dead white, their eyes are covered by an assortment of shields.

MATTHIAS:

And what shall we do with old machinery...?

ZOOM CLOSE SHOT - MATTHIAS - NEVILLE'S POINT OF VIEW

He points at Neville.

MATTHIAS:

... you are discarded. You are the rubbish of the past...

MED. CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE

His initial horror and fear past, he LAUGHS aloud.

NEVILLE:

This is a bloody Halloween party...

You’re all sick ... You need...

Those nearest, knock him back down, silence him.

MED. SHOT - MATTHIAS

He smiles, shakes his head. His voice becomes soft with false compassion. He leans down over his pulpit.

MATTHIAS:

How hard it is to admit the truth.

(beat)

Take him to the little room. For the Questioning...

MED. SHOT - CREATURES DRAGGING NEVILLE CAMERA FOLLOWS as they take Neville into a smaller room.

MED. LONG SHOT - THE LITTLE ROOM - MATTHIAS AND NEVILLE

This room resembles the small chambers in which private questioning took place during the Inquisition. The table is long and there are candles and books on it. The scene should be Gothic and just this side of a put-on. Taste here, as elsewhere, must be exquisite so as to tread the line between the grotesque, the demented, and the Camp.

MATTHIAS:

Well, now, Mr. Neville, we can talk for a little while. It's been a long time since you've talked -- except to yourself.

CLOSE SHOT - NEVILLE'S REACTION

Neville is surprised. He has assumed Matthias was truly and completely insane.

NEVILLE:

So you don’t rant all the time? Why bother with it at all?

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