European_Son

[disc:fa7f9b010a]Contains bad language, in-jokes and youthful naivity[/disc:fa7f9b010a]

A brief history of Party of the Dead:

Sometime in 1999, my best friend Lee and I became totally zombie mad, due to Resident Evil and Evil Dead and, in particular, the original Dawn of the Dead (which is the main inspiration for this). Both being creative, and both having a love of horror films (and both being young and nieve), we decided to write a short script that we would one day film. The original Party of the Dead script was roughly 15 pages long, and the whole script was written with our friends and the locations we knew well in mind. As such, it was probably awful to anyone outside our social group, but we loved it! It was full of in-jokes and sly references, and seemed very funny to us at the time (we were 13, 14 years old).

Anyway, we never filmed it, and apart from recording an audio 'radio' play version (of which one copy *may* still exist), we forgot about the original script (of which two copies *may* still exist) for the next three or four years.

In the summer of 2003, I finally brought my own camcorder, and with my interest in zombie films back, Lee and I decided to re-write the script, updating it and making it understandable to an audience wider than our friends... anyway, I ended up taking control of it (I'm more of a writer than Lee is, he is more visually artistic), rewriting it almost until it was totally different from the original. We intended to film this, but due to lack of a budget and lack of willing actors, it never happened.

Some notes about this version of the script: You will notice that it is very unfinished. In fact, this script ends halfway through. It doesn't even get to the bit where there is more than one zombie (I wrote the second half there are scenes where zombies are everywhere and zombie mayhem has truly begun, but its so drafty, I'd better leave it out) There is a reason for this. The main reason is that I don't want to give the ending away. The secondary reason is the ending could change (it has done many times in the past). So that's why it just... finishes. I shall, however, type some random shorthand direction at the end of the script, to give you a hint to what happens next.

Even the bits you shall read aren't finished. This script could be improved so much, and it is still rather... local. If you know what I mean. All the direction and the locations mentioned are still entirely based around my house and surrounding area. Obviously, this isn't the best situation. And the characters are still very much based on people I know, and that isn't good either.

But, whatever. Enjoy! (if you can)
And comments welcome... i.e, even though its old and probably makes no sense and it's full of horrible cliquey in-jokes, should I bring it back from the dead?

__________________
the tea gods

European_Son

-PARTY OF THE DEAD-
A screenplay by Peter Benson and Lee Jordan

CAST:
Peter - Peter
Bruce - Alex
Steve - Sean?
Claire - Sarah
Matt - Simon? Dave?
Random narrator – Lee
Newsreader - Kieron (in a suit and tie and moustache)
Sniper - Kieron (in blood splattered overalls)
Zombies - everyone else

SCENE ONE: telephone scene
Location: kitchen, into hall and telephone, 10:30am

[ Peter is seen making a sandwich and a cup of tea as ‘classy’ intro credits roll. After long, stylish(?) credits finish, Peter moves into hall and he phones Matt, an acquaintance… ]

PETER: Hello, is Matt there?

[ oh so subtle shift to Matt, who is in his own house, on the phone]

MATT: This is Matt…

[ and back to Peter’s house and so on ]

PETER: Hey, what you upto today? Fancy coming round my house for a small party?

MATT: (reluctant) A small party? Well... Err… I dunno. I’ve… got… plans.

PETER: What plans? You never have plans. Oh, come on, man! It’ll be great! Bruce and Claire and St...

MATT: (interrupts, then sheepishly) Is Steve coming round?

PETER: Well, of course…

MATT: (groan)

PETER: Seriously, it’s going to be good, Steve won’t do a thing, you know that, everything’s been resolved now, just don’t worry about it. We’re just chill out and watch some films. Be round mine at one, I’m gonna press ‘PLAY’ at quarter past, no matter what.

MATT: (slight reassured) Okay, okay, sounds good, I’ll be there. What films are we going to watch?

PETER: (smiling to himself) I got some good films, you know me. Good films, just be round at one, okay?

MATT: Okay.

PETER: Cool. I’ll see you at one then.

[ Peter puts the phone down and walks over to a pile of zombie videos on a table. Also on the table is a zombie mask, which is so obviously cheap and crap ]

PETER: (a sly dark smile, leading to manic laughter)

[ Peter intends to scare Matt with this mask later…]

SCENE TWO: Arrival
Location: hall, stairs, 1pm

[ There is a knock at the front door. Peter wanders downstairs and opens the door to find Matt. Peter immediately walks upstairs, leaving Matt to close the door. Matt then follows. The conversation starts at the bottom of the stairs and continues upstairs ]

MATT: Where’s Bruce?

PETER: (attention span lacking) Dunno… He’ll be round in a bit. Same with Steve and Claire…

[ Matt’s face lights up when he hears Claire’s name. When Peter reaches the top of the stairs, he looks down at the front door, and points, expecting a knock. It doesn’t happen ]

PETER: Anyway, today should be pretty good. I got some new videos and DVDs, [ reaches on to the table and picks up pile of videos ] but I think we’ll watch one of the classics first… Dawn of the Dead!

MATT: You seem obsessed with those zombie films.

PETER: And why not? Zombie films are blatantly the best. I mean, think about it… Action, suspense, gore, death, violence, fear, what more do you want? Fuck all this romantic comedy bullshit, I want zombie apocalypse! I want people doing everything in their power to survive, then dying horribly! I want the undead; the living dead; diseased, mutilated, rotting corpses walking the earth, eating anyone and everyone! I don’t want some soppy love story shite, or some teeny American collage frat crap, I want death, and zombies, no remorse!

MATT: Err… right…

[ There’s a knock at the door… ]

PETER: Err… just go and sit down upstairs or something, I’ll go and answer the door.

[ Peter walks downstairs and opens the front door. It’s Steve and Claire, a couple... ]

PETER: Hello! Come in, come in, and welcome to the world of survival horror … good luck!

[Claire and Steve step in the house ]

STEVE: “Survival horror”, eh?

PETER: Yes… You are about to witness one of the greatest pieces of zombie carnage ever conceived… [gets cut off mid-sentence]

STEVE: Great. Where’s the food? And where’s Bruce?

PETER: He’ll be around later. The food’s upstairs. Matt’s up there too.

STEVE: (accusingly) Why’d you invite him?

PETER: Well, it’s someone to make up the numbers, isn’t it? And I got a little something planned for later… (laughs)

CLAIRE: Like what?

PETER: You’ll see, you’ll see…

STEVE: Well, just don’t expect me to get on with him. I will not forget about that night…

[ Claire looks away, embarrassed… ]

PETER: Get over it. Now, do you want a drink?

CLAIRE: Yes please.

[ Steve and Claire follow Peter into the kitchen… Meanwhile, upstairs, Matt is hypnotised by a news report…]

NEWSREADER: And back to our main story, where various sources from around the country are reporting a disturbing spate of murders in which seemingly random people are being mutilated and partially devoured. Initially, three counties, Kent, Warwickshire and Essex were claiming that marauding ‘gangs’ of people in a trance-like state were murdering, then biting or actually eating their victims. The bodies of the victims were then often disappearing from the scene of the crime. In the last hour, three more county councils; Sussex, Staffordshire and Shropshire have also reported murders of the same nature, and have called in local Army and TA units as a defensive precaution. Conflicting press releases have been published throughout the day, with the scientific community claiming only animals could be capable of such horrific acts, while the Government and the intelligence services are dismissing this theory, stating that a group of fanatical, religious terrorists maybe to blame. As a precaution, the public are being advised to remain calm, stay inside and find safety in numbers. Updates on this ongoing situation can be found on our 24 hour news channel… That’s all from me for now. Stay safe. [ newsroom ends in chaos as credits roll. Adverts follow. Do you want a cup of tea Cup-of-T Virus? ]

[ Peter leads the way upstairs, Claire and Steve following. Just before they open Peter’s bedroom door, Peter stops Steve …]

PETER: Look Steve, I know you hate Matt, but I don’t want no aggro tonight. I just want to sit down, have a smoke and watch zombies stagger up and down escalators. Okay?

STEVE: (unwillingly)… Okay.

[ Peter enters the room first. Matt is sitting in Peter’s armchair, so Peter gestures Matt out the chair. Matt stands up looking stressed, and immediately starts telling Peter about the news report he has just seen… ]

MATT: People are being murdered! They think it might be animals! All over the country!

PETER: Wow. People get murdered everyday.

MATT: But… The authorities are warning people to get safe, and stay together!

STEVE: Ha, well we’ll be all right then.

MATT: But I’m telling you, it’s serious! Something is…

PETER: For Christ’s sake, Matt, we’ve not even pressed PLAY yet, and you’re scared already.

CLAIRE: Sounds like paranoia to me. Have you had a smoke?

[ Claire gives Matt a death stare. Matt doesn’t know where to look and sits down in the corner. Steve and Claire then sit down together, ignoring Matt, and they begin to eat. Peter then picks up a copy of Dawn of the Dead, and stands in front of the television… ]

PETER: Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness one of the greatest pieces of zombie carnage ever committed to celluloid. Directed by the legend that is George A. Rom…

STEVE: Just get on with it!

PETER: ...I present to you, the viewing audience, THE DAWN… OF THE DEAD!

[ Peter pushes the DVD tray in, and dives to sit down, checks the time, and presses PLAY. We see the group watching the film for 20 seconds in a Resident Evil, corner-cam, until the camera angle changes and Steve turns to Peter… ]

STEVE: [ nodding towards MOTOR3 ] Get Motor going.

[ Time-lapse bit, from Resident Evil corner cam, showing the clock passing through the hours. ]

__________________
the tea gods

European_Son

SCENE THREE: Glimpse into the Tucker household
Location: from Tucker’s room, thru the wall, into Peter’s room, 6:50pm

[Camera moves from the Tucker household, through the wall, and into Peter’s room, where they are still watching zombie films. For the two or three seconds we are in the Tucker’s house, we see someone being devoured, screaming. Peter notices the screaming coming from his neighbours house, but chooses to ignore it, and continues to watch the film. Claire then hears the screaming… ]

CLAIRE: … I’m sure I can hear someone screaming. It sounds like it’s coming from next door.

PETER: (rather forcefully, and looking into Claire‘s eyes) It’s nothing. It’s just the film.

SCENE FOUR: Bruce enters the fray
Location: Peter‘s room, stairs, then backdoor, then back upto Peter’s room, 8pm

[ We see everyone still watching the film in the blatant Resident Evil corner-cam. Peter pours everyone a drink, not really looking what he is doing, as he is too engrossed in the film. Matt declines a drink, as does Claire, but Steve gets his drink filled to the top. Matt looks terrified, Steve doesn’t really look that interested in the films anymore. ]

PETER: This bit is great! ...Are you watching this?

NARRATOR (off camera... well, behind camera): There is a knock at the back door, like a banging, rather than a knock … [note: listen to the original tape version of Party of the Dead to get the right ‘feel’ ]

[There is constant banging coming from the backdoor]

PETER: That will be Bruce. Matt, go and answer the door will you, I’ve got a bad finger.

STEVE: Yeah, Matt, go get the door.

PETER: Haha, maybe it’s a zombie?

MATT: Oh, don’t say that…

PETER: If it’s a zombie, he’ll grab you UNEXPECTANTLY!

STEVE: You’d die in a second against one of those things (spiteful laugh)

MATT: Just shut up. Zombies aren’t real.

[ Everyone laughs. We then switch to a view of the alleyway. A zombie walks round and corner, and into view. The zombie begins to walk slowly up towards the camera. There is still a constant banging from the backdoor. We see Matt walking down the stairs, and head towards the front door, which he opens. He looks around, there is no one in sight. In fact it is strangely quiet and there is a certain atmosphere of slow death in the air. Matt then realises the banging is coming from the backdoor. We see the zombie now halfway up the alley. Matt carefully walks to the backdoor, and picking up a set of keys, he unlocks it, leaving the keys in the door. Matt puts his hand on the handle, pauses for a second, and then throws the door open. We see a quick shot of Peter looking rather evil, looking over towards the window. Matt pops his head out, and is grabbed by someone to the side of the door. This someone is Bruce, wearing a convincing, grotesque zombie mask , who mimics a zombie attack, and tries to bite Matt. Matt takes a step back, horrified, and trips up falling into the small side room near Peter’s backdoor. Bruce carries on his ‘attack’, as Matt scuttles further and further back into the small room. Just as Bruce and Matt are face to face, Bruce pulls out a digital camera from his pocket and quickly takes a snapshot of Matt’s terrified face. Bruce then reaches around and pulls the mask off his face, laughing, laughing in Matt’s face ]

BRUCE: (sarcastically) Br..ains..!

MATT: (angry) ARGH! Bruce? Bruce, you fucking twat, why’d you do that? You scared the shit out of me!

BRUCE: (laughing, defiant) Exactly! Hahahahaha, the expression on your face... priceless. Peter phoned me up earlier, told me that you’d be easy to scare. Hahahaha, did you really think I was a zombie? I mean, come on...

MATT: Shut up. With what’s been in the news today, you could have been anyone, you could have been one of those terrorist murderer people for all I knew.

BRUCE: What terrorist murderer people? Ah, stop making lame excuses... The bottom line is that I made you piss your pants, and all with a cheap zombie mask, hahahaha.

[ Bruce grabs Matt by the hand, and pulls him onto his feet. Bruce then closes the backdoor, but he doesn’t lock it ]

BRUCE: Come on, it was only a bit fun.

[ Bruce pats Matt on the back, Matt just scowls, you can see the anger and tension building inside of him ]

BRUCE: Let’s go and say hello to Peter.

[ They leave the small room, and as they leave the shot, we see, through the glass in the back door, a zombie stumbling past the gate, and this zombie heads further up the alley. We go back to the bedroom, where Peter is showing Steve and Claire his zombie mask ]

PETER: (excitable) When Matt walks back through this door, look at me in horror, and I’ll dive out at him in this mask, and pretend to attack him, zombie style, of course.

STEVE: Yeah, whatever.

[ We return to Matt and Bruce, who are walking upstairs, Bruce still with a sly smile on his face, Matt in a mood. Matt opens Peter’s bedroom door, and walks into the room. Steve does a very pisstakingly bad scared look, which triggers Peter to dive out at Matt, who trips and falls onto Steve. Steve gets his drink spilt onto him, and he stands up, towering over Matt, who is on the floor ]

STEVE: You fucking idiot, you spilt my drink! Look at my shirt, it’s ruined, BITCH!

[ Matt quickly gets to his feet, and backs away from Steve, defensively ]

MATT: Uhhh, I’m sorry.

STEVE: Fuck you.

[ Immediately after the “fuck you”, Steve jabs Matt straight on the nose, who flies back, smashing into the wall. He slouches down, and sits there, nose bleeding profusely. Steve starts to walk towards the dazed Matt, who is wiping his nose with his hand, and looking at the blood. Peter steps in the way between Steve and Matt ]

PETER: Hey, that’s enough now. Steve, go downstairs and clean yourself up.

STEVE: (mumbles an insult)

[ Steve stares at Matt for a second, Matt stares back. Peter grabs a nearby hoodie from a pile of clean washing, then turns Steve around, and points him in the direction of the door ]

PETER: Just go into the kitchen, and put that shirt in the sink with some hot water. You can wear this for awhile.

[ Steve grabs the hoodie and leaves the room, Claire follows, slightly seething at Steve’s aggression. Peter throws Matt a roll of toilet paper, who catches it and begins to wipe up the blood ]

MATT: He’s broken my nose, I’m fucking bleeding!

PETER: Shit, man, I didn’t think Steve would be so short tempered...

BRUCE: (finding it hard to control laughter, quizzical) Does it hurt?

MATT: (angry, at Bruce) Of course it fucking hurts! He just punched me in the fucking face!

PETER: Calm down, it’ll heal. Just clean yourself up. You can use the bathroom if you like.

MATT: (grunts)

[ Matt slinks off to the bathroom ]

BRUCE: (shouting at Matt who is leaving the room) Have a MOTOR3 to soothe the pain!

[ The camera then goes to the kitchen, Steve is standing near the sink, rinsing his shirt under the tap. Claire is just sitting on a chair, staring at Steve. There is a few moments of uneasy silence, until Steve opens his mouth and tries to talk. Claire, however, talks over him and speaks first...]

STEVE: (a certain aggressive look in his eyes) Th...

CLAIRE: Steve, outside, now. We need to have a word.

SCENE FIVE: the casual walk of the undead
Location: ext. backgarden, int. house 8:20pmish?

[ We are outside, it is night time. Steve and Claire are sitting on a bench in Peter’s backgarden, we can see them but not hear them, as the camera is in the alleyway, low to the ground, slowly panning out from Steve and Claire. When camera zooms fully out, is turns to face up the alley towards where we saw the zombie walk up earlier. The zombie is still up there and is slowly walking towards Peter’s gate again, sensing the presence of a meal. The zombie walks over the camera and out of shot in true Resident Evil style. We then switch to overhead camera angle, filmed with a fish eye, by someone on top of my shed. The camera is still. The zombie is now in the backgarden, and it walking quite slowly towards Steve and Claire, who have noticed it. They think the zombie must be Peter, so they continue to argue... ]

CLAIRE: (angrily shouting) There’s was absolutely no need to punch Matt.

STEVE: (seething, aggressive) He was fucking asking for it; he’s ruined my shirt!

CLAIRE: (occasionally looking at the incoming zombie) That’s not good enough! I’m getting seriously pissed off with your violent outbursts!

STEVE: (bitterly ignores all that Claire is saying to him, and now looking in a violent anger at the zombie)

CLAIRE: Steve, just ignore him, it’s just Peter trying to piss you off.

ZOMBIE: Uhhh... (and other various zombie noises)

STEVE: Fuck off, Peter!

ZOMBIE: Grrhhh...

[ Steve stands up as zombie approaches ]

STEVE: (shouting) Peter, I am not in the MOOD for this!

[ Zombie walks ever closer ]

STEVE: I fucking warned you!

[ Steve punches zombie. The zombies upper body flies back with force from the punch, but it regains balance in that stupid, zombie way. The zombie then quickly step forward and bites a chunk out of Steve’s arm. Steve steps back, looks at his bloody arm, then punches the zombie full-on in the face, and the zombie goes down. Steve and Claire panic and run into the house, not shutting the backdoor. They run upstairs, and into Peter’s room ]

__________________
the tea gods

European_Son

Ok, from here it goes (possibly)

original zombie enters house
locked in room
"there are more of them outside"
build weapons
peter and bruce clean up the house
preparations
plans
steve turns
the outside world
running and following
onto the bridge
sniper
background to the sniper
long views and the running
glassland
over the bridge
approach to ankerside and the castle grounds
running death
sniper returns
the carpark
the guitarist
sniper kills the guitarist
sniper plots
???????????????????????????????????????

__________________
the tea gods