"JASON VS. FREDDY" Written by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore (c) 1997(?) New Line Cinema NOTE: New Line passed on this draft. Minor typographical errors have been corrected. This script provided for educational purposes only. FADE IN: EXT. CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE - DAY A beautiful mountain landscape. Pine trees, snow-capped mountains and a clear blue, lovely lake nestled amidst it all. CAMERA PANS down to reveal an old wooden sign that says "CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE." VOICE (O.S.) The first thing we're gonna do is change that fucking name. MOVE TO REVEAL a man and a woman. The man is KEN BILLER -- early forties, slick clothing, a lot of money. The woman, JANET DAVENPORT, is in her twenties and wears a chic business suit. She's a Realtor and is holding an armful of papers and documents. She looks dubious at Biller's idea. JANET I don't think the people who live around here would like that very much... BILLER Do you think they like the fact that tourism has dropped ninety-eight percent in the last ten years? JANET No, but... BILLER And do you think they like the fact that half the country thinks Crystal Lake is filled with corpses? JANET That's not true... BILLER We're not talking about truth, we're talking about perception. And the perception is that Crystal Lake means inbred psychopaths running around the hills with axes and hockey masks chopping up teenagers. (beat) That, my dear, is what we call an _image problem_. The woman can't argue with this -- it's a familiar story. Biller starts strolling down the dirt road. BILLER You're lucky I'm up here at all. Most of my investors think I'm crazy. As she moves to catch up to him... CUT TO: EXT. FOREST - DAY Biller and Janet walking through the deep woods. She's checking the map, trying to keep track of where they are, while Biller strides forth confidently. BILLER Beautiful trees... sturdy trunks... lots of branches... (beat) We can do some great logging up here. JANET Logging? We'll need an environmental impact study for that... BILLER I don't think you're getting in the spirit of things, Janet. We'll buy whatever studies we need -- Suddenly a DEER bolts from the brush and takes off in the forest. It's a jarring moment and Biller nearly jumps out of his shoes. BILLER Jesus Christ! JANET Just a deer, Mister Biller. Part of the local wildlife. BILLER (stern) Get rid of them. Janet looks dubious -- isn't sure what to say. Biller glances around. BILLER I've seen enough. It's getting dark... let's head back. Janet looks at the map with a little anxiety... she's not quite sure where they are but doesn't want to admit it. JANET Okay... well... I think it's this way... BILLER Great. He takes off and she follows... CUT TO: EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST - DUSK It's now nearly DARK. Biller is striding through the forest, Janet trying to consult the map in the fading light. BILLER You people wouldn't have this image problem if you didn't let all those Hollywood types come up here and film slasher movies. (beat) Homicidal maniacs may sell movie tickets, but they don't sell vacation getaways. Janet finally stops. JANET Mister Biller? BILLER Yeah? JANET I think we're lost. BILLER You have a map. JANET I know... but we left the main trail... and I can't find any landmarks around here... I've been trying to figure it out but... Biller seems unfazed by this. BILLER Why don't we ask _them_? He points to something over Janet's shoulder. She turns to follow his gaze, and in the distance we can see what looks like an old, run-down HOUSE. It's covered with vines, bushes, tall grass -- the building is only barely discernable through the forest. Janet frowns at the sight. JANET I didn't think there were any houses up here... BILLER You learn something new every day. Let's go. They head toward the house... CUT TO: EXT. JASON'S HOUSE - DUSK The house was obviously nice at one time, but has been abandoned for many years. The forest has crept in on the grounds and has almost reclaimed the house itself -- trees, shrubs, weeds are everywhere. Biller and Janet walk up to the front porch. Janet looks over the house with some concern. JANET Doesn't look like anyone's lived here for years... Biller turns around and glances back at the way they came. BILLER Wow... look at that view. ANGLE ON LAKE revealing that from this vantage, a vista of Crystal Lake is visible with the setting sun glistening across it. RESUME BILLER AND JANET BILLER This is prime real estate. I want it. Who owns the house? Janet is shuffling papers. JANET I don't know... there's no listing of a private residence in this area. Biller is inspecting the house with interest. BILLER Structure might be salvageable... let's see what the interior looks like. JANET Mister Biller... now that we can see the lake, I think we should follow the shoreline to -- BILLER Help me with this. Biller is trying to pull off one of the boards that's nailed across the front door. Janet reluctantly helps him, and the two of them wrench the board off with a great effort. Biller tries the door -- it's unlocked but the door is swollen with age. He kicks at it to force it open... INT. JASON'S HOUSE The front door crashes OPEN, letting in the soft, golden light of dusk. Biller and Janet enter and peer around what was once the living room of the house. The windows are all boarded shut, letting in only a few random streams of light from outside. The only pieces of furniture visible are a single upholstered CHAIR sitting in the middle of the room. Both are covered with grime and dirt. BILLER Whew! What's that smell? Biller walks up to a wall, thumps it soundly. BILLER Walls are in good shape. Janet hesitates at the doorway, not wanting to come inside. BILLER There doesn't seem to be any water damage. Kind of cozy, actually. JANET I really think we should go back... BILLER I want to look at the rest of the house. Biller moves off into another room. Janet pushes her fears aside and walks slowly into the living room, almost afraid to touch anything. She swipes a finger across the mantle, leaving a trail through a thick layer of dust. She glances down at the chair... there is an IMPRINT of a person in the layer of dust, as though someone was recently sitting there. Janet frowns, curious... then walks into a nearby HALLWAY... INT. KITCHEN Biller is looking around the room. It's dirty, and obviously hasn't been used in a long time, but on one countertop we see a large WHITESTONE -- a sharpening stone for knives. He eyes it curiously... reaches up and opens a large cupboard directly above the countertop. Inside is a vast collection of KNIVES, which gleam brightly in the dim light -- everything from bowie knives to steaks knives to machetes. BILLER Wow. He carefully takes out a large BUTCHER KNIFE. The blade is pristine and razor sharp. He eyes it and is about to test the sharpness of the edge with his thumb, when suddenly there is a loud CHIRPING SOUND. Biller is startled and slices the ball of his thumb on the edge. BILLER _Shit_! Biller quickly realizes it's just his CELLULAR PHONE ringing. He sucks on his thumb and jams the knife down into a butcher block. Biller then pulls the cell phone out of his jacket pocket. BILLER (into phone) Hello? BRUCE'S VOICE Ken, it's Bruce. Listen, we've got a nibble on the Pendleton financing. BILLER Really? How much? Over this dialogue, Biller continues to look around the kitchen. He opens a walk-in closet -- inside is a collection of MEAT HOOKS, all neatly arranged. BRUCE'S VOICE Fifty. BILLER Fifty? We need seventy-five. BRUCE'S VOICE Ken, we've been through this... Biller slides out a large cutting board that's inset into the counter. It's stained with a deep, dark reddish color -- what might be blood. Biller barely notices, slides it shut. INT. BEDROOM Janet enters and looks around the eerie room. Everything has been perfectly preserved -- the bed is neatly made, photographs are neatly arranged on tabletops, etc. The DUST all over is thick -- it doesn't look like anything's been touched for years. She walks up to a night table next to the bed... sees an old black-and-white photograph sitting there. She picks it up... CLOSE ON PHOTO It shows a YOUNG BOY, about eleven years-old, sitting on the front steps of the house. The boy is staring directly into the camera with a vacant, haunted look. JANET who for reasons she cannot name is a little disturbed by the photo. She sets it down and turns away... She continues to walk around the room... stops at a dresser, which is cluttered with junk and things that look like they've been shoved aside. As she cautiously starts to sort through the clutter... INT. KITCHEN As before, Biller snooping around, on the cell phone. BILLER (into phone) You tell them if they come up to seventy five, I'll cut them in on the Crystal Lake package. BRUCE'S VOICE Don't tell me you're still thinking of buying Casa de Psycho... BILLER Hey, smart-ass, I'm up here right now in a... luxury alpine retreat, with a two million dollar view of the lake. As he speaks, he opens the door to a broom closet, glances inside and closes it... then does a double-take and looks inside again. BILLER All we have to do is put in... There are FOUR CHAIN SAWS of various sizes hanging in the closet. He reacts. BILLER Chain saws. BRUCE'S VOICE You want to put in chain saws? BILLER No, no... listen, when I get back to New York we'll meet with the Board. He walks up to the door of a PANTRY... grabs hold of the handle... BILLER Tell Pendleton to wait until we've had the meeting. They'll give us seventy five... He opens the pantry door and steps inside... BILLER But I'm telling you, this lake is a gold mine waiting to -- Hanging on a wall hook is a dirty pair of coveralls... and a _HOCKEY MASK_. He reacts to the sight. BILLER -- happen. INT. BEDROOM Janet is poking through the junk on the dresser, when she sees a pile of yellowed newspaper clippings lying on the floor. She bends down to examine them... HEADLINES: "Boy Drowns at Crystal Lake." "Mother Blames Counselors for Death of Son." "Teenaged Counselors Murdered at Crystal Lake." "Hollywood Plans Movie About Crystal Lake Slayings - City Council Hopes for Economic Boom." Janet shuffles through the clippings for a few moments, then suddenly hears a series of loud THUMPS from somewhere in the house. She drops the clippings, stands up. JANET Mister Biller? Silence. Worried, she exits... INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT It's DARK now. Janet enters and looks around. JANET Mister Biller...? We hear a small, faint voice: VOICE (faint) Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello? She heads toward the kitchen... INT. KITCHEN Janet walks in, finds the source of the voice -- it's Biller's cell phone lying on the floor. BRUCE'S VOICE Is anybody there? She picks up the phone. JANET (into phone) Hello? BRUCE'S VOICE Who is this? What's going on? JANET This is Janet Davenport -- I'm the Realtor. BRUCE'S VOICE Where's Ken? Is he all right? Janet is definitely getting nervous now. She glances around the kitchen. JANET I don't know... BRUCE'S VOICE What about that other guy? JANET (freezes) Other guy? BRUCE'S VOICE Yeah. Ken said there was another guy there... _big_ guy... then he dropped the phone. What's going on? Her breath is coming faster now. She grabs the butcher knife seen earlier out of the butcher block for protection. JANET I don't know, but I'm outta here. She opens what she thinks is the back door, but it's actually the walk-in closet. She screams at what she sees inside -- Biller is HANGING FROM A MEAT HOOK -- DEAD. Janet bolts for the Living Room... INT. LIVING ROOM Janet races to the front door, which is now _closed_. She tries to open it but it's locked. She pounds, pulls on it with all her strength but it's no use. She turns around wild eyed, then freezes at something she sees. NEW ANGLE Sitting calmly in the chair in the middle of the living room is a large, hulking figure of a man. It's _JASON VOORHEES_. He's wearing the hockey mask and seems to be watching her in the dim light. Janet stares at him, frozen in shock. BRUCE'S VOICE Janet, are you okay? Are you there? JANET (barely able to talk) He... he's here... BRUCE'S VOICE Who's there? Janet lifts the knife as if to ward off Jason. JANET Oh my god... this is his house... _we're in his fucking house_... BRUCE'S VOICE Janet, goddamnit, what's going on? JANET Jas... Jason Voorhees... he's here... Jason calmly watches her. After a few seconds, he slowly and deliberately rises up out of the chair... and as he does, the following happens in the blink of an eye: -- Janet hurls the knife at Jason in desperation... -- The knife flashes through the air... -- Jason's hands whips up, plucks the knife out of the air and _flings it straight back at Janet in one single motion_. -- The knife flashes back across the room, the blade gleaming in the light. It PLUNGES deep into Janet's forehead and KNOCKS her off her feet. THE CELL PHONE hits the floor with a spray of blood. The impact closes the flip phone and it comes to a rest against the wall. The display screen says the word "END." But the phone is still active. A small, green light continues to blink on and off. As we PUSH IN on the tiny green light, we hear the sound of a TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, starting with the ringing of a phone. Someone picks up: OPERATOR'S VOICE Nine-One-One Emergency. How can I help you? BRUCE'S VOICE Uh, yeah... my name's Bruce Kelly. Listen, I think two people may have been killed up at Crystal Lake. OPERATOR'S VOICE What makes you say that, sir? CUT TO: INT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - NIGHT TIGHT ON a rack of shotguns. As we continue to listen to the VOICEOVERS, we see someone unlocking the weapons locker and DEPUTIES start grabbing shotguns two at a time... SHERIFF'S DISPATCH VOICE This is Nine-One-One dispatch to Crystal Lake Sheriff's Department. We have a Code Red in progress, location unknown. Recommend tracking cellular phone which we believe to be still active. Cell phone number is... NEW IMAGE - SHERIFF'S VAN Several DEPUTIES loading weapons, duffel bags, and assault equipment into the back of the van. FBI VOICE Hello? FBI Tactical Response Team. HAYES' VOICE Yeah, this is Sheriff Hayes up at Crystal Lake. I think you boys better get up here. We got him this time. EXT. JASON'S HOUSE - NIGHT All is quiet. No signs of activity. Suddenly, TEN MEN IN DARK CLOTHING carrying assault weapons appear out of the forest like phantoms and creep toward the house. Their moves are efficient, quick -- men trained in military tactics. We FOLLOW ONE AGENT all the way to the front door, where he pauses, listens to his radio earpiece for a moment, then touches his throat-mike. FBI AGENT This is Charlie-One. We've reached Center ice. He checks his weapon, glances to his teammates, who each give him a nod. HE KICKS OPEN THE DOOR -- HARD CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - CLOSE ON A TELEPHONE A standard phone, ringing loudly. A woman sits up in bed and grabs the phone out of its cradle. Her name is RUBY JARVIS -- mid-twenties, pretty, out on her own for the first time since law school. RUBY (groggy) I'm awake. The voice on the phone -- KEITH HARDING -- is excited, borderline hysterical, a torrent of words: HARDING'S VOICE Ruby, it's Keith Harding from the D.A.'s office. You have to get down here. We need a public defender right away. She glances at a clock nearby -- it says 3:07 am. RUBY What... now? HARDING'S VOICE Look, the Sheriff's department just brought him in ten minutes ago, and I want this one to go by the numbers. I don't want any Miranda problems on appeal. RUBY All right... all right. I'll be there in twenty minutes. HARDING'S VOICE Make it ten. Bye. Ruby stumbles out of bed. RUBY Wait a minute... who's the defendant? Who am I defending? A beat. HARDING'S VOICE _Jason Voorhees_. OFF Ruby's shocked reaction... CUT TO: EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - NIGHT A small-town Sheriff's Station that has become the scene of tremendous activity. A dozen squad cars in the parking lot... a van that says "FBI Tactical Response Team" on the side... some sheriff's deputies milling about in SWAT gear... an ambulance nearby. Some deputies with serious injuries are being attended to by medics. Ruby pulls up in her car just as a news van comes to a screeching halt nearby. A FEMALE REPORTER and a CAMERAMAN jump out -- the reporter also looks like she just got out of bed. REPORTER (to cameraman) Banks says we're going to CNN live in less than five minutes. We'll do a stand up here in front of the station... get the sat-link on-line... Ruby walks through the scene of chaos... at the front door there are TWO OFFICERS in SWAT gear guarding the door. They stop her. SWAT OFFICER #1 I'm sorry, Ma'am. RUBY I'm Ruby Jarvis. Counsel for the Defense. The officers exchange an amused look. SWAT OFFICER #1 _You_... are going to defend _him_? They chuckle. SWAT OFFICER #2 I hope you're good. Ruby brushes past them in annoyance and goes inside... CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT There's an air of excitement in the small office. Through a window partition, we can see Deputies in the b.g, typing out reports, talking on the phone, moving equipment and coordinating various tasks. In the office itself, SHERIFF HAYES is sitting behind his desk, facing an FBI AGENT and KEITH HARDING, the District Attorney. The mood is tense. HAYES (to FBI Agent) I don't care if he's on the FBI's most wanted list. I don't care if he's been on "America's Most Wanted." HARDING (to Agent) He's committed dozens of murders in this County, and we're going to prosecute him here first. AGENT PARSONS This is ridiculous. I can have a Federal writ down here by morning superseding all -- There's a knock at the door. They all turn as Ruby walks in. There is an easy familiarity around the room -- this is a small town and everyone here knows each other and works together often. RUBY (to Hayes) Hey, Bill. Hayes stands. HAYES Sorry to pull you out of bed, Ruby. Let me introduce Agent Parsons of the FBI... he'll be handling the Federal part of the case. Ruby shakes his hand. RUBY Ruby Jarvis -- Public Defender's Office. Keith Harding, the D.A. and her adversary in this case, smiles. HARDING She _is_ the office. She's the only P.D. within fifty miles. AGENT PARSONS Handled a murder case before? RUBY Two. HARDING (chuckles) I'm not sure I'd call them murder exactly. More like a couple of bar fights that got out of hand. RUBY I seem to recall arguing the same thing in court while you were trying to file murder-one charges. HARDING (shrugs) That's my job. The FBI Agent turns to Ruby. AGENT PARSONS Counselor, this case is going to be tried in _Federal_ Court. I'll have a writ here in the morning to that effect, so I wouldn't lose too much sleep worrying about your defense. The Federal court will appoint a Federal attorney for Mister Voorhees. Ruby smiles, smooth as silk. She's ready for this... hands him a legal document. RUBY Well, I was looking over your arrest warrant... and I noticed it was signed by Judge Gillan. AGENT PARSONS I guess... I didn't handle that. RUBY Maybe you should have. You see, Judge Gillan is the Superior Court Magistrate. This is a _Federal_ warrant. The FBI agent looks a little disturbed. RUBY (continuing) This arrest warrant is completely invalid. You'll have to get a new warrant signed by a Federal circuit court Judge. As the FBI Agent looks over the document, Harding moves over to Ruby. HARDING (to Ruby) I'd just like to point out that my arrest warrant is properly signed and dated... so Voorhees is _not_ walking free. The Agent looks up at Ruby. AGENT PARSONS Fine. Who's the circuit court judge for this district? RUBY That would be Judge Hobson. And he just left on a two week fishing trip. Ruby smiles at him pleasantly. The FBI Agent gets red-faced with anger and frustration. AGENT PARSONS Hot shot, huh? If you're so good, what are you doing here in Mayberry? HAYES (sarcastic) Same thing the rest of us are doing. Going down to Floyd's barber shop for a trim... fucking farm animals... the usual. The FBI Agent looks disgusted. AGENT PARSONS You haven't heard the last of this. He exits. Hayes and Harding smile at Ruby. HAYES That was fun to watch. HARDING Were you one of those girls that always had her homework done two days before the teacher asked for it? RUBY Three. (beat) Where's my client? HAYES Your... client is being booked right now. He'll be in cell five. RUBY What are the charges? HAYES Shit. We're still putting the victim list together. You'll need a forklift for the case file. I suggest you hire some help, and don't expect to get a lot of sleep for the next few months. (beat) You're about to defend the most notorious serial killer in American history. RUBY (lightly) I thought that was Ted Bundy. HAYES (smiles) Compared to this guy... amateur. CUT TO: INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT A small town jail facility with five cells total. Ruby and Sheriff Hayes are walking toward the end of the tiny cell block. At the very end of the hall there are TWO DEPUTIES armed with shotguns, wearing bullet-proof vests, standing nervously by a cell. Ruby is keeping a neutral, even expression on her face -- but it hides a genuine nervousness. RUBY A house? HAYES That's right. Wasn't on any of the maps... we could barely see it through the underbrush. Place must've been abandoned for twenty years. They come to the cell at the end of the hall, and Ruby gets her first glimpse of her client. ANGLE ON JASON who is sitting on a prison bed, wearing jail house clothes. His arms and legs have been shackled and he looks like he couldn't move even if he wanted to. Jason's head is bowed and he's staring at the floor, most of his features obscured by shadow, but we can tell that his head and face are disfigured by numerous scars. (NOTE: This is _not_ the hideously deformed mutant seen in the other Jason movies, but a _real man_. He's no less frightening, however, and he bears the scars of countless fights and wounds.) RUBY takes in a breath, a little disturbed just by being this close to him. Hayes takes note of her reaction, but keeps his eyes on Jason. HAYES Yeah... everyone feels that way when they see him... something's not right about this guy. Ruby gives him a sharp look. RUBY He's just a man, Sheriff. A man that needs to talk to his attorney... alone. The Deputies exchange a look -- is she crazy? HAYES Ruby... this guy almost took out an entire Tactical Response Team. You can't expect me to just leave you -- RUBY He doesn't look like he's going anywhere, Bill. And if necessary, I can get a judicial order reaffirming the right of my client to speak to his attorney in private. Hayes gives her a disgusted look. HAYES Fine. Have a pleasant conversation... but I wouldn't get too close if I were you. Hayes nods to the Deputies, who open the jail cell door for Ruby. She takes a confident step inside and then they SLAM the door closed behind her. HAYES (dry) Scream if you need anything. Hayes and the Deputies go down the hall and exit to the Sheriff's Station, leaving Ruby alone. Once they are gone, some of the bravado leaves her countenance. She's standing four feet away from the one and only _Jason_. There's a tense beat and then she opens her file folder and tries to proceed normally. RUBY Mister Voorhees... my name is Ruby Jarvis. I've been appointed by the court to act as your defense counsel. Is that acceptable to you? Jason never even stirs. Throughout the scene he remains motionless, staring down at the floor. Ruby is frightened of this man... repelled by his appearance and his chilling demeanor. She tries to do her job, but it isn't easy. RUBY Unless you object, I'm going to take that as a yes. (beat) All right. Mister Voorhees, you're going to be charged with multiple homicides, which under laws of this state make you eligible for the death penalty. Do you understand? No response. She takes a beat, then sits across from him on the cot, and takes another tack. RUBY Look... there's a lot of evidence against you... and there's a lot of people who would like to see you get the chair. But I'm not one of them. My job is to help you. That means, right now, I'm your only friend. (beat) It's going to be very hard to defend you if you won't talk to me. Jason just sits there. Ruby takes a nervous breath -- this clearly isn't getting anywhere. RUBY There will be an arraignment in three days. You'll have to enter a plea. Guilty or not guilty. (beat) Unless you object... I'm going to enter a plea on your behalf. After the arraignment, we'll have to plan our -- Jason suddenly MOVES his arm and the chains RATTLE loudly. Ruby bolts up off the bed in terror and leans up against the bars. RUBY Guard! An anxious beat... then we see that Jason was only lifting his arm to scratch his other hand. The two Deputies come racing in with shotguns at-the-ready. Ruby stands there for a moment, heart pounding... then she picks up her files as if nothing's wrong and turns toward the door. RUBY (trying to sound calm) I'm... ready to leave. One of the Deputies looks at her, not sure what happened but satisfied that Jason isn't doing anything at the moment. He unlocks the door. As Ruby exits... CUT TO: INT. RUBY'S OFFICE - NIGHT A small office overflowing with paperwork, files, the general clutter of an overworked civil servant. Ruby is pacing while her assistant, DANNY KWAN, an eager man in his early 20's, with a ponytail, furiously scribbles notes on a yellow legal pad as Ruby talks. RUBY I want to file a motion for a change of venue, and sequestration of the jury. And I want to try _habeas corpus_. I know we don't have much of a chance for that, but let's give it a shot anyway. Kwan scribbles a few notes. KWAN Are you going to plead insanity? RUBY I think it's our best bet. They're taking apart his house right now... they found weapons, blood, a mountain of evidence. We can't say he was framed. She thinks furiously. It's obvious that this is an impossible case to defend. KWAH This is kind of a nightmare case, isn't it? If there's anyone who deserves to get the chair, it's Jason. She whirls on him, her voice suddenly harsh. Kwan has accidently struck an emotional chord in Ruby. RUBY (hard) Don't say that around me ever again. We're his attorneys. We have a duty to defend him -- not judge him. Remember that, Danny, or you won't be on this case much longer. Kwan is taken aback... he didn't expect this kind of reaction. KWAN Sorry. RUBY (softening a little) It's all right. (beat) Now... we're going to need a really good head-doctor for this. Someone who can get up on the stand and tell the jury that our client is mentally insane and has been for years... (beat) We'll go through a dozen doctors before we find one who's willing to testify for us. She gets a thought. RUBY (continuing) Maybe... we should call Joe Sena. Kwan gives her a look. RUBY Yeah, I know... he's a little wacky, but he's the best psycho-neurologist in the state. (beat) Get him down here by morning. I want him to interview Jason tomorrow afternoon. Kwan nods, flips the page on his notepad to a clean one. Ruby glances at her watch. RUBY Now... I think the video store's open for another couple of hours. Let's go. KWAN Video store? OFF his puzzled look... CUT TO: EXT. VIDEO STORE - NIGHT A local place. Ruby's car is parked out front. CUT TO: INT. VIDEO STORE - NIGHT Ruby and Kwan enter the store at a brisk pace. RUBY We have to argue every possible defense in this case. Insanity... incompetence... and the fact that Jason can't get a fair trial anywhere in the country, much less this state. (beat) Where's the horror section? Kwan points and they head in that direction... NEW ANGLE as they round the corner and head into the Horror section. RUBY So... why can't Jason get a fair trial? KWAN Because everyone knows he's guilty... RUBY Wrong. Jason can't get a fair trial because of _these_. She indicates the wall of videotapes boxes. The covers are all lurid -- lots of images of killers with knives, axes and chain saws chasing scantily-clad women. RUBY For the past fifteen years, Jason Voorhees has been portrayed as a brutal, remorseless killer. People have a preconceived notion of his guilt based on these movies. (beat) So I intend to enter these films into evidence... and argue that media saturation has prejudiced my client's right to a fair trial. Kwan gives her a sidelong look. KWAN You think that's going to work? RUBY I don't know if anything's going to work in this case. Therefore, we have to try everything. She eyes the countless movies. RUBY I don't even know where to begin... Kwan pipes in, revealing himself to be the quintessential horror film buff. KWAN Well, I'd start with "Friday The Thirteenth." 1980. Director: Sean Cunningham. A breakthrough picture that set the standard for the movies to follow. The gore and high body count made this slasher film an instant classic. Ruby looks at him. RUBY You watch this garbage? KWAN This is a legitimate cinematic genre. Just like Westerns, Comedies, Film Noir, Science Fiction... She picks out a title at random, reads it: RUBY "Zombie Sluts From Beyond the Grave." KWAN A seminal film. First ever depiction of a fully nude triple impalement. Ruby sighs, starts grabbing tapes off the shelf... CUT TO: EXT. RUBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT A modest house on a tree-lined suburban street. INT. RUBY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT CLOSE ON A TELEVISION SCREEN which is showing a horror movie. A young TEENAGE GIRL wearing a transparent negligee is walking down a staircase in a dark, spooky house. She looks frightened. TEENAGE GIRL Johnny... Johnny, is that you? No answer. She walks into the living room... INCLUDE RUBY who is lying in bed wearing a bathrobe, legal documents scattered on the bed and stacks of videos nearby. She's trying to take notes on a legal pad, but she's having trouble getting into these movies. RUBY (to TV) No, it's not Johnny. It's Jason, and he's going to put a fucking axe in your skull, so turn on the fucking _lights_. On the TV, we see the girl reach the bottom of the stairs... look around the darkened living room... TEENAGE GIRL Where is everybody? Johnny, this isn't funny... She hears a NOISE from behind a closet door. She heads toward it. Ruby looks exasperated. RUBY Don't go in there. Why are you going in there? The girl slowly opens the creaky door... suddenly a CAT jumps out! It startles the girl, who screams. But then she realizes it was only the cat. TEENAGE GIRL Fluffy! RUBY (predicting, bored) He's behind the door... The girl onscreen relaxes, smiles, nothing to worry about. She swings the door closed and behind the door is a huge man in a hockey mask. Jason! He swings a giant axe toward the girl. Ruby grabs the remote control and fast-forwards through the action -- Jason chopping up the girl at triple speed. RUBY Yeah, yeah... he chops you up... but you know what? You deserved it. She ejects the movie, tosses it aside and grabs another title. She pops it in the VCR and hits play. On the TV, we see the title of the movie appear -- "Friday the Thirteenth, Part 10 -- Jason's Greatest Hits and Chops." Ruby shakes her head, leans back on the bed and begins writing on the pad... We hear a THUMP somewhere in the house. Ruby pauses and looks up... did she imagine it? Silence. There's a second THUMP. This time she sits up -- that was definitely something. She hits pause on the remote, stands up and walks out of the bedroom into... INT. RUBY'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Ruby walks into the shadowy room. RUBY Hello... is somebody there? She walks through the house a moment... play the tension for a few beats... and suddenly the PHONE RINGS. Ruby almost jumps out of her skin. She snaps up the phone. RUBY Hello? On the other end, we hear a panicked Sheriff Hayes. HAYES' VOICE Ruby, he's gone. He got out. RUBY What... who? HAYES' VOICE Jason. Jason's gone. He broke out of jail about an hour ago. Ruby reacts. RUBY Well... what are you going to do? HAYES' VOICE I've got deputies combing the area. But he was last seen heading in your general direction. I want you to -- The phone clicks off and goes dead. RUBY Hello... Sheriff? Hello? She starts punching buttons on the phone -- no effect. Suddenly there's another THUMP! somewhere in the room. Ruby backs up and drops the phone, breathing faster now. She steels herself, then takes a quiet step towards the closet... RUBY Who's there? A rattle... RUBY Danny, goddamnit, if this is your idea of a joke... She slowly moves towards the closet... opens the door... There's a loud MEOW. A CAT is sitting on the floor in the closet. Ruby takes a breath of relief, picks up the cat. RUBY Fluffy. She hesitates... then frowns. RUBY Wait a minute... _I don't have a cat_. We hear the TAP, TAP, TAP of a walking stick on cobblestones. Ruby turns -- NEW ANGLE Ruby's living room is now filled with FOG. Surreal moonlight filters in. In the distance we can hear the deep CHIMING of a clock tower; and an old, gaslamp street light is sitting in the middle of the room. It almost looks like old LONDON. Her furniture is still present, but instead of carpet there are cobblestones on the floor. The cat HISSES at something off camera and runs away. Ruby watches in astonishment as the figure of a MAN wearing a hat and cloak appears out of the mist. He has a walking CANE, which he taps on the stones as he approaches... She watches him as he steps into the street lamp's glow. His face is ghastly pale, eyes dark and murderous. We should recognize him as JACK THE RIPPER. JACK (British accent) Hello, my dear. How about a tumble with old Jack? He whips off the top of the cane, revealing a razor- sharp stiletto blade hidden inside. He jumps toward her and she recoils. She stumbles backward, goes through the door to the bathroom, slams it behind her -- INT. BATHROOM/PRISON CELL The room is a bizarre cross between a bathroom and a bleak cement PRISON CELL. There's a BUZZING SOUND. Ruby looks down to see a MAN etching a Swastika onto her shin with an electric tattoo gun. The man looks up at her, and we can see from his long, stringy hair, beard and distinctive Swastika in the middle of his forehead, that this must be CHARLES MANSON. He smiles up at her. She pulls away. He comes at her, laughing that maniacal laugh. She turns, and as she does... CUT TO: INT. RUBY'S KITCHEN - NIGHT She's standing in front of her own stove. There's something bubbling in a large pot. She lifts the lid to find HUMAN BODY PARTS boiling in the cauldron -- a hand, an eye, a foot. She drops the lid in horror. A MAN GRABS her from behind. He's a tall, lanky man with short blonde hair and wire-frame glasses. It's JEFFREY DAHMER. He has a butcher knife in his hand. She pulls away -- runs right into ANOTHER MAN. This one is dressed as a CIRCUS CLOWN. JOHN WAYNE GACEY. He gives her a hideous smile, grabs her by the arms and throws her down onto the kitchen counter. He leans over her... RUBY'S POV Dahmer, the Ripper, Gacey, Manson all closing in on her. Suddenly they stop, turn... look behind them... and part to allow someone else to step forward... JASON VOORHEES steps directly towards Ruby, wearing the hockey mask, carrying a machete. RUBY watches in terror. RUBY Jason, no... please... NO! Jason pulls the hockey mask away, revealing the shocking face of _FREDDY KRUEGER_. She freezes at the sight of him, surprised. FREDDY Jason? (sneers) _Amateur_. He raises his hand, which now has the familiar finger blades on it... The blades gleam in the moonlight, and as his hand swoops toward her face we... CUT TO: INT. RUBY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT As Ruby _wakes up_ with a scream on her couch. The legal pad is still in her lap... the first movie still playing on the TV. It shows Jason stalking a young victim. She looks startled and frightened by the nightmare. After a beat, she picks up the remote and turns off the TV. As she lays back on the bed, catching her breath... CUT TO: EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE COURTHOUSE - DAY A couple of days later. Crowds have gathered... media vans and satellite dishes in place... sheriff's deputies trying to keep the crowd contained... people with signs proclaiming, "Jason Must Die!"... others that say, "Free Jason!"... Journalists and camera crews jockeying for position. A few people selling tee-shirts. It's the Trial of the Century. INT. COURTROOM - DAY In contrast to the pandemonium outside, the courtroom is relatively subdued. The visitor's gallery is packed, but everyone is keeping their voices low, speaking in hushed tones. Ruby and Kwan are at the Defense table, going over her legal briefs, as Harding enters through a side door. He's dressed like something out of GQ -- very snappy. He moves to the prosecutor's table, puts his briefcase down, then moves over to have a few words with Ruby. HARDING (sotto) CNN... all five networks... Court TV... two Japanese networks... three from the UK... and one guy who swears he's from Zimbabwe. Ruby gives an absent nod, concentrates on the file in front of her. RUBY Quite a circus. HARDING And we're in the center ring. (beat) You sure you want to wear that blazer? She looks up. RUBY What? HARDING You're about to be a media darling -- you might want to dress the part. She rolls her eyes at him. Harding goes over to his side of the table. A man comes through the crowd and sits himself on the edge of the table in front of Ruby. This is JOE SENA, the psychiatrist/neurologist. Early 30's, good-looking, smart and he knows it. His complete confidence in himself is sometimes perceived as arrogance. Ruby looks up, and we can tell she knows him -- and is a little wary of him. RUBY Doctor Sena... did you complete your examination of Jason? Sena nods. RUBY Well? SENA (matter-of-fact) He's fucking nuts. RUBY Great. Is that what you're going to say when I put you on the stand? SENA No. When you put me on the stand, I'll say your client is catatonic and exhibits classic symptoms of a schizophrenic, sociopathic personality. (beat) And he doesn't sleep. RUBY Doesn't sleep? SENA Insomnia. Not unusual for someone in his situation. (beat) Not to mention he's a bed-wetter. RUBY He wets the bed? SENA I always throw that in. It makes the jury feel sorry for the defendant. Ruby looks annoyed. KWAN Can we prove any of this? SENA Prove it? Come on, the guy's an avocado. He doesn't say a word, he doesn't move, he doesn't respond to any external stimuli... You can say anything you want about him, but you can't prove it one way or another. (beat) But the outlook's not entirely grim. RUBY Oh? SENA One of the deputies is pretty cute. I think she likes me. Ruby ignores this -- she's familiar with Sena's escapades. She sits back in the chair, a little frustrated. RUBY This is bad, Joe. The Prosecution is already putting together a team of psychiatric specialists. They'll argue exactly the opposite. They'll say he's just pretending to be catatonic and he's completely sane. SENA (shrugs) Great. Battling head doctors. We'll confuse the jury enough to create a reasonable doubt. Hung jury. RUBY This is Jason Voorhees. They'll be looking for an excuse to send him to the chair. (beat) If we're going to argue insanity, we're going to need something a little more concrete. Sena thinks. SENA Well... we can look for earlier evidence of psychotic or sociopathic behavior in his childhood, but I'll need access to his medical-- Suddenly there's a gasp that goes around the room and everyone stops talking. Ruby looks up to see so being led in by six deputies, heavily armed. Jason is shackled and shuffles across the courtroom, finally being seated at the defense table. In the harsh light of day, Jason's scarred and twisted features are shocking -- it looks like he's been through a meat-grinder. Again, Jason seems passive, staring off into middle-distance, completely disconnected from the world around him. BAILIFF All rise. The Superior Court for the city and county of Crystal Lake is now in session. Honorable Judge Gillan presiding. Everyone stands as the JUDGE enters. JUDGE Be seated. Everyone sits down. BAILIFF Only one case on the docket, Your Honor. "The People versus Jason Voorhees." JUDGE Will the defendant please rise during the reading of the charges. Ruby stands and hesitates, afraid to touch Jason, who isn't moving a muscle. RUBY Your Honor, my client... prefers to remain seated. The Judge peers at Jason in curiosity, then decides not to press the matter. JUDGE Very well. (to Harding) Are the People ready to proceed? Harding stands, holding a thick legal document the size of a phone book. HARDING Yes, Your Honor. The People make the following charges against the defendant Jason no-middle-initial Voorhees... (reads) On Friday, May thirteenth, 1980, the defendant did with malice and forethought murder Annie Wolfe with a bowie knife. The People further charge on that same date, defendant did murder Dorothy Dartland with an axe. On the following morning, the defendant murdered Jack Hayes with a bow and arrow... As Harding continues to talk, reading off what seems an endless series of victims, we... DISSOLVE TO: INT. COURTROOM - DAY Later. Harding still reading from the endless victims list, people shifting a little restlessly in their seats. HARDING Defendant did then murder Robert Smith with a tent pole on February twelfth, 1984... defendant is further charged with the murder of Lynn Kaplan with a pitchfork... DISSOLVE TO: INT. COURTROOM - DAY Much later, Harding finishes up the list. HARDING And finally, most recently Federal Agent Sam McNulty, a law enforcement officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, strangled by the defendant while resisting arrest. Harding closes the massive file. Relief around the courtroom. HARDING That concludes the State's charges, Your Honor. The Judge takes a long breath... looks to Ruby. JUDGE Is the Defense ready to enter a plea? RUBY We are, Your Honor. (beat) The Defense pleads... _not guilty_. Reactions of disbelief around the courtroom, snickers and outright laughter, it sounds so ridiculous. The Judge raps his gavel with disapproval. JUDGE Order... order. RUBY The Defense would like to move for a change of venue. We feel that it will be impossible to find an impartial jury in Crystal Lake County or -- Suddenly a MAN stands up in the courtroom -- his face contorted with rage and anger. ANGRY MAN You killed my sister, you son of a bitch! You _fucking monster_! He pulls out a handgun and FIRES at Jason. People dive for cover. ANGLE ON JASON as the BULLETS catch him full in the chest, knocking him out of his chair. The spectators are screaming and crying. The Judge ducks behind his bench. Sheriff's deputies finally wrestle the man to the ground. Ruby crawls over to Jason, who is lying motionless on the floor, blood pooling nearby. He's conscious, his eyes staring around the room with a stunned look. RUBY We need an ambulance, _now_! CUT TO: INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY A swirl of activity as an ER DOCTOR and NURSES wheel the bloody form of Jason into the room. Two nurses rip open Jason's shirt, revealing five ghastly BULLET WOUNDS to his chest. ER DOCTOR Vitals! Get me four units of O-neg blood and start IV infusion! Nurses start hooking Jason to IV tubes. The doctor examines Jason's bloody chest. ER DOCTOR We need chest, spine and abdominal X-rays -- now! NURSE (off instruments) Blood pressure -- ninety over sixty and falling! ER DOCTOR Okay... get an arterial line going... and set up a dopamine drip -- four hundred milligrams. This guy's going to surgery. CUT TO: INT. SURGERY - DAY A short time later. Jason on the operating table, a SURGEON, an ASSISTANT, an ANESTHESIOLOGIST and various NURSES are working furiously. Jason is still hooked to IV-tubes. SURGEON (looking over Jason) I can't believe this guy's still breathing. Multiple gunshot wounds to the upper thorax... massive tissue injury... (to anesthesiologist) Let's put him under. The anesthesiologist takes a syringe full of fluid and INJECTS it into a port in the IV tubing. ANESTHESIOLOGIST (to Jason) It's okay, Buddy. Just start counting backwards from a hundred. One hundred... ninety-nine... ninety-eight... The surgeon is strapping on gloves... the assistant and nurse are wheeling in carts of scalpels, clamps, surgical gauze. The surgeon is ready to go -- but Jason's eyes are still open and he's wide awake, watching him. It's a creepy sight. SURGEON (to anesthesiologist) What's the matter? Get him under! The anesthesiologist looks baffled -- injects a _second dose_ of the fluid into Jason's IV. But Jason doesn't flinch. ANESTHESIOLOGIST I'm trying, Doctor... but if I give this guy any more barbiturates, it's gonna kill him. SURGEON If we don't go in now, he's going to bleed to death. Do what it takes. The anesthesiologist grabs a nearby GAS MASK and puts it over Jason's mouth. He spins the wheel on a tank labeled NITROUS OXIDE -- we see the level indicator on the tank rise... rise... all the way to a _hundred percent_. ANESTHESIOLOGIST (to Jason) Come on, damn you... close your eyes... _go to sleep_... As he says this, we CLOSE IN on Jason's face... and finally, his eyelids begin to droop... and slowly _close_. At that moment... FADE TO BLACK. Over the blackness of the screen, we hear the sound of THUNDER. A FLASH of LIGHTNING jolts across the blackness, and we realize that we're in -- JASON'S DREAM as a jagged bolt of LIGHTNING crashes across the angry heavens. CAMERA TILTS DOWN to find a YOUNG BOY, age eleven, running through a DARK FOREST in terror. THIS IS JASON VOORHEES AS A BOY. Something's chasing him, and he keeps glancing back. The boy is covered with bruises and nasty looking scratches on his face. He stumbles, falls, hits the ground hard. FLASHCUTS -- JASON'S MOTHER laughing, her face bathed in soft candlelight. -- A HAND massaging a woman's breast. THE BOY Stumbles to his feet in the forest, continues his flight. Tree branches and bushes slap at his face as he runs through the forest, scratching him, tearing at his clothes. FLASHCUTS -- A bedroom door slowly opening. -- Jason's mother's face looking up in surprise. THE BOY Leans up against a tree, tries to catch his breath. Suddenly we hear a deep and terrible VOICE calling out across the forest. FREDDY KRUEGER'S VOICE: FREDDY'S VOICE There are you, little man! The boy runs harder, loses his footing and falls down an embankment. As he falls through the air... FLASHCUTS -- The boy standing in a room as a man's hand reaches down for him. -- Jason's mother laughing. -- The boy being slammed against a wall. -- Lightening crashing against the sky. -- Lightening on the _unburned_ face of Freddy Krueger, smiling. THE BOY HITS the bottom of the embankment hard, knocking the wind out of him. He gets to his hands and knees, tries to draw in a breath, but it's impossible. Again Freddy's voice booms out: FREDDY'S VOICE You've been a very naughty boy! INT. SURGERY The operation is under way. Jason's chest is OPEN and the surgeon is removing a large caliber bullet with a pair of forceps. SURGEON (re: bullet) Looks like a .45 to me. He drops the bullet in a pan. SURGEON All right... this one's lodged near the spinal column... The Surgeon glances up at a FLUOROSCOPIC MONITOR which shows a black and white image of the surgeon's tools and the interior of Jason's chest -- it looks like a real-time X-ray image. SURGEON I need a clamp... retract the lung... On the monitor, we can see the progress as the forceps and clamps get closer to a bullet. The surgeon probes for the bullet... SURGEON (watching monitor) Easy... almost got it... The surgeon's concentrating... everyone's being very still... Jason's HAND flies up and grabs the doctor by the neck! Everyone reacts in shock. SURGEON _Jesus_! Jason's eyes are still closed, but he's stirring as though having a nightmare and trying to wake up. NURSE His heart rate's jumped to one-ninety nine! SURGEON (strangled) Sedative! A nurse injects Jason with a hypo. He stops struggling and his hand drops away from the doctor. JASON'S DREAM CRYSTAL LAKE. The sky is dark with storm clouds. The boy comes tearing out of the forest, scratched, bedraggled, terrified. He stops at the SHORE to the lake, looks around in desperation. He's trapped. FREDDY'S VOICE I'm coming! The boy spots a METAL CANOE a ways down the shoreline. He runs to it, jumps inside, shoves off onto the water and begins paddling like mad to get away from the beach. He glances back at the shore... nothing. It looks like he got away. He stops paddling for a moment, tries to catch his breath. There is the SLITHERING SCRAPE of metal under the boat. The boy freezes and looks around. _Something is under the boat_. The scratching gets LOUDER, as if someone were trying to claw their way through. Suddenly, it stops. Silence. The CANOE CAPSIZES -- the boy is thrown into the cold water. He flails in panic... he can't swim... tries to clutch onto the overturned boat... finally manages to hang on and keep himself from going under. But then, without warning... something PULLS HIM DOWN. UNDERWATER The boy is thrashing to get back to the surface, but he just keeps going deeper... deeper into the murk... The boy looks up and reacts to something -- The sudden flash of. FREDDY'S METAL FINGER BLADES flies toward the boy's face. INT. SURGERY Jason starts to convulse on the table. The surgeon is in the middle of closing the wounds... Jason jumps a little and the Surgeon accidentally STABS his own hand with the needle. SURGEON Stabilize him, goddamnit! ANESTHESIOLOGIST Blood pressure rising! NURSE He's going into epileptic convulsions! Jason is thrashing on the table, knocking over equipment. He lashes out at a Nurse, connecting with her chest and sending her FLYING across the room. The doctors and nurses struggle to hold him down. Suddenly one of the nurses glancing up at the fluoroscopic monitor... ANGLE ON MONITOR The fluoroscopic scanner still shows the interior of Jason's chest, but for a moment the silhouette of _FREDDY'S FINGER BLADES_ pass across the screen as if moving through Jason's chest cavity. RESUME NURSE who reacts with stunned surprise. JASON his eyes fly OPEN and he's awake. At that moment, he stops struggling and simply lies calmly on the operating table. A long beat as everyone in the room stands back and watches him, not knowing what to expect next. Off the shocking moment... CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM - NIGHT Ruby, Sena, Kwan, Harding, and Sheriff Hayes are all waiting for word. The surgeon comes into the room with a shell shocked and bewildered look on his face. SURGEON He's... going to make a full recovery. Surprised looks go around the room. HARDING You're kidding. The guy took five shots. SURGEON It was touch and go there for a while. He suffered convulsions at one point... and then he went into cardiac arrest. (beat) Frankly, some things happened in that operating room that I just don't know how to explain. HAYES Like what? SURGEON Well, to start with the man has an incredible metabolism. His heart rate is about one-eighty -- and that seems to be normal for him. (beat) And I don't even want to talk about his EEG. It's so bizarre I'm thinking of sending it to Johns Hopkins for analysis. Sena points to the clipboard the surgeon's holding. SENA Is that his file? SURGEON Part of it. When I've completed my post op report, I'll add it to the rest of his file. RUBY What do you mean, the rest of his file? SURGEON According to our records, we have medical files on Jason... his mother... his whole family. (beat) They haven't been added to the computer database yet, but they're still down in the basement. As Ruby and Sena exchange a look... CUT TO: INT. MEDICAL RECORDS ROOM - NIGHT Ruby and Sena are walking through the rows and rows of shelves of medical records. An attractive NURSE is leading them to a specific shelf. NURSE Voorhees... Voorhees... right here. She pulls out three file folders. NURSE Pamela Voorhees... Elias Voorhees... here we are... _Jason_. (flipping through folder) There's not much. Birth Certificate... a few office visits. Nothing after 1967. RUBY Mind if I take a look? The nurse hands her the files, hands the other half to Sena. NURSE I'll be up front if you need me. Sena stares after the nurse with an appreciative leer. As they flip through the file folders... SENA Nurses. That's why I went into medicine. RUBY This sexual obsession of yours. Have you considered going into therapy yourself? SENA No need. I'm self-diagnosed. I have severe nympholepsy... (beat) And I'm a bed-wetter. RUBY Well, I definitely feel sorry for you. (reading from case file) August fourteenth, 1956... Jason was brought in by his mother, who said the boy hadn't slept for two weeks. Doctor prescribed Valium... She flips to another page. SENA (reading, shocked) I don't believe it. Jason's mother died of ovarian cancer in 1969. RUBY So? SENA I thought she was a killer, too. You know... that she chopped up a bunch of teenage camp counselors... before she was decapitated. Ruby is annoyed. RUBY That's the problem with this case. Everyone thinks they know Jason's life story. But they don't. What you're remembering is a _movie_. Fiction. In the movie, Jason's mother runs around, killing people after Jason drowns in Crystal Lake. SENA None of that's true? RUBY Well, Jason _was_ in a canoe accident in 1967 and presumed drowned. His mother died a few years later after a long bout with cancer. Some time in the early eighties, there were a string of murders out by Crystal Lake... (spooky voice) People started saying it was Jason... back from the dead. SENA So, what are you saying... that he didn't kill all those people? RUBY My job is not to determine his guilt or innocence. That's up to the jury. My job is defend him. Sena gives her a look. SENA That's a nice bit of lawyer-speak. Why don't you just say it -- your client's a psychotic killer who's murdered dozens of people, and you're trying to set him free. Right? She gives him a dirty look. SENA (continuing, casual) Don't get me wrong. I don't care. But the professional part of me is interested in how you rationalize what you do. RUBY I don't "rationalize" anything. I'm his lawyer -- he's my client. That's all. SENA That didn't sound very convincing. Ruby looks at him squarely. RUBY What do you want -- a tidy psychological profile? You want to hear that I was falsely accused of a crime I didn't commit... and that's driven me to defend others? Or maybe you want to me to get in touch with my feelings... talk about my childhood... SENA No. You've told me all I need to know. RUBY Oh? SENA You're obviously going through a critical moral dilemma. And you're putting up barriers against anyone who tries to probe your conscience. (beat) But it is heartening to know that you do have a conscience. There's a beat. She looks at him. RUBY Are you charging me your hourly rate right now? He smiles. SENA No. That was a freebie. She looks at the file again. RUBY Not much here. Jason was brought in a couple more times for insomnia... that's about it. SENA Wait a minute. Let me see that. She hands him the file. SENA (off file) The mother said the boy hadn't slept for over three _months_. A physical examination showed dilated pupils, temperature of one-oh-two, blood chemistry highly imbalanced... RUBY That's pretty weird. Is it possible for someone to not sleep for months? SENA It's rare... but there are cases where people go for years without sleep. (reads) They diagnosed Jason with simple insomnia... but that's not what it looks like to me. He has every indication of having _insomnolesence_. RUBY Insomnolesence... SENA It's a neurological disorder affecting the hypothalamus. The part of the brain that causes sleepiness is inactive. They didn't know about it back in the sixties. Even now, it's not understood very well. Ruby considers, intrigued by this new revelation. RUBY So Jason doesn't sleep... how does that help us? SENA Insomnolesence has been known to cause psychotic episodes... delusions... RUBY If we could prove that Jason suffers from this disorder... and that his homicidal behavior has been a direct result of a medical condition... SENA Not guilty by reason of insanity. Case closed. RUBY How do we prove it? SENA Simple. We sedate him, induce a somnolesent state, and study his REM patterns when he's unconscious. (beat) If he has the disorder, his REMS will be highly abnormal. Ruby smiles. RUBY Then I'd say it's bedtime for Jason. CUT TO: INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT Jason is lying on a bed, strapped down and shackled to the bed frame. Various pieces of medical equipment are nearby. An IV is hooked to Jason's arm. There are bars on the window and an armed DEPUTY stands by the door. Jason is conscious and staring at the ceiling with his usual stark gaze. Ruby and Kwan look on as Sena attaches sensor pads to Jason's forehead. The pads have long electrical cords which are connected in turn to a CONSOLE which has been wheeled into the room. The console has monitors and controls on it. Sena's assistant, LAYTON, is running various tests on the equipment. Sena puts the last sensor pad in place. SENA All right... that'll do it. All of the contacts are in place. (to Layton) Begin recording. Layton taps a few controls on the console, looks at a monitor which displays various GRAPHS and BRAIN PATTERN schematics. LAYTON (off console) Everything looks good. I'm getting EEG... encephalitic levels... neuro-electrical readings... (beat) Start recording-at twenty-thirty hours. He taps a control. RUBY How long will he need to be asleep? SENA We're going to need at least two full REM cycles to get a clear neurological profile. Three hours minimum, six hours ideal. Ruby moves to the bed, looks down at Jason. She's still nervous around him, her feelings mixed about this brutal serial killer. But she does her best to put on a professional face. RUBY Jason... we're going to put you to sleep now. We're going to run some tests. But it's going to be all right. Just trust me. No response from Jason. Ruby looks at Sena, nods. Sena takes a syringe from an adjacent table... then hooks it into the IV. Kwan is noting everything on a legal pad. KWAN For the record, what kind of sedative are you using? SENA Forty-seven CC's Valium. Sena's assistant looks up in surprise. LAYTON Forty-seven CC's? SENA Yeah, I know, but believe me -- this guy doesn't go under very easily. Sena injects the full syringe into the IV. They step back. SENA (to Ruby) Well, that's it. He'll be asleep in a few minutes, but his first REM-cycle probably won't kick in for another hour or so. (beat) Is there a place we can get something to eat in this town? RUBY There's a pizza place over on Market. SENA Cute waitresses? RUBY That's open to debate. SENA I'll take my chances. Come on, I'm buying. She shakes her head, pulls up a chair. SENA There's nothing to see here. He sleeps... we record it. That's all that happens. RUBY He's my client, and this is important. Enjoy your waitresses. Sena shrugs and then exits. RUBY (to Kwan) Take note of everything that happens, no matter how insignificant. I want a complete record of this for the court. Kwan nods, sits, taking his job very seriously. Layton looks over at them and yawns. LAYTON If we're lucky, maybe he'll fart in his sleep. Kwan smiles, but then sees Ruby isn't amused. She keeps her eyes on Jason. OFF the image of Jason's face -- his eyes are drooping and he's-starting to fall asleep... EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT A few cars in the parking lot, and some extra sheriff's deputies providing security -- but otherwise, all is quiet. INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT A while later. Layton is sitting at the console, watching the monitor with a bored look. Kwan is doodling on the legal pad. The Deputy is slouching against the wall. Jason is sleeping. Only Ruby seems still interested in Jason -- she watches him closely. A quiet moment, then Ruby looks up, catching something out of the corner of her eye... JASON'S HAND His finger twitches slightly. JASON'S EYES His eyes begin to move back and forth beneath his eyelids... RESUME Layton reacts as his console sends out a BEEP. LAYTON (off console) There he goes. REM sleep began at twenty two fifteen hours. (beat) Sweet dreams, you psycho. On the monitor, we see the distinctive EEG of REM SLEEP -- a single squiggly line. There's also a hard copy print-out being generated off to the side on a long, narrow sheet of paper piling up on the floor. JASON'S FACE Eyes shifting under closed lids -- Rapid Eye Movement. PUSH IN ON Jason's eyes... closer, until they fill the frame... Suddenly his eyes fly open, and we PULL BACK to reveal that we are actually looking at eyes of the YOUNG JASON seen in the earlier dream sequence. _WE ARE IN JASON'S DREAM_. The boy is lying wide awake on his bed, staring up at the bedroom ceiling, unable to sleep. The boy hears a distant screaming noise... the moans of a woman's voice. It sounds like she's in pain. The boy frowns, climbs off his bed and follows the sound into the nearby hallway... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - HALLWAY Instead of the dilapidated, abandoned house seen earlier, the house is in fine condition, filled with normal furniture and has a lived-in look. We're in Jason's house as it appeared over twenty years ago. The young boy, scared, worried, is walking toward the bedroom door at the end of the hall. The moans and screams grow louder. He finally reaches the door and slowly opens it... INT. MOTHER'S BEDROOM The bedroom seen earlier, but as it appeared over twenty years ago. A woman is tied to the bed with leather straps and she's screaming in ecstasy. A man is on top of her, fucking her hard enough to make the bed slam against the wall. Young Jason stands in the doorway, wide-eyed, not sure what to think. BOY Mommy? The woman looks over, sees him. MOTHER (angry) Jesus Christ, Jason... what are you doing? Get out of here! The man turns his head to the boy in anger -- it's FREDDY KRUEGER as he appeared when he was mortal -- no burns. He's naked but the distinctive fedora sits on a nearby chair. FREDDY (to mother) I didn't know you had a son... I just _love_ kids. Freddy gets up off the bed... moves toward the door. FREDDY Come here, little man... want to play with Freddy...? But the boy backs off at the sight of Freddy moving toward him and the boy takes off running... INT. LIVING ROOM The boy heads for the door... opens it but KRUEGER is standing in the doorway, fully clothed now in his distinctive garb and with _burns_ on his face -- this is the familiar nightmare image of Krueger. Freddy grabs the boy by the shirt, hoists him up to eye-level with one hand. FREDDY It's been a while, little man. I thought you were dead. He runs one of his finger-blades across the boy's cheek, not hard enough to draw any blood. FREDDY You got away once... but not this time. He spreads the blades wide... lifts his arm to strike... and as his hand flashes toward his face, the blades suddenly hit a _HOCKEY MASK_ which has appeared over young Jason's face. Freddy stops, confused. FREDDY What... He drops the boy, who falls heavily on the floor. And as Freddy watches in shock, the boy stands up... and as he gets to his feet, his body starts to TRANSFORM into ADULT JASON. An ARM, a LEG, TORSO, his HEAD -- FEATURES MORPHING incredibly one by one until the towering figure of JASON stands before him. Freddy's eyes narrow, forced to suddenly reevaluate the situation. FREDDY So.... all grown up, I see. A tense moment as the two circle each other warily. There is clearly a prior relationship between the two men -- and there is a deep hatred between them Jason edges towards the fireplace, where there is an AXE leaning against some firewood. He lunges, grabs the axe and swings it toward Freddy. It CONNECTS -- biting deep into Freddy's chest. Freddy roars in pain. Jason advances on him, chopping and hacking at Freddy, who staggers back at the vicious blows... INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT As before. The console starts beeping and Jason's REM pattern starts jumping erratically. LAYTON What the hell... Ruby moves to him. RUBY What's going on? LAYTON I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. On the bed, Jason's hand twitches more violently. His arm jumps slightly. LAYTON He must be having one hell of a dream. His REMS are all over the place. JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM (CONTINUOUS) Jason is literally HACKING Freddy to pieces. Blood spraying around the living room. Freddy's limbs have been severed -- arms and legs chopped clean off. Jason lifts the axe and DECAPITATES Freddy's head. The head rolls a few feet away. But Freddy isn't dead. The severed head _smiles_, and looks up at Jason. FREDDY Nice try. Without warning, Freddy's disembodied ARM grabs Jason by the ankle, pulling him off his feet. Jason CRASHES hard onto the floor. One of Freddy's dismembered LEGS kicks him in the side. Another LEG puts its foot on Jason's throat, pinning him to the ground. FREDDY'S HEAD rolls like ball onto his bloody torso, reconnects itself. The torso leaps up and in the flash of an eye his entire, body starts to REASSEMBLE itself. INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM Jason starts thrashing violently on the bed. Kwan is on his feet now, standing a safe distance away. LAYTON Something's wrong. I'm bringing him out. (to Deputy) Give me a hand. Layton and the Deputy move to Jason's bedside. Layton grabs a hypodermic off a medical tray, starts filling it with a solution. Kwan quickly takes notes, trying to capture every detail. The Deputy moves to the opposite side of the bed, tries to hold Jason still while Layton prepares the hypodermic. JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM Freddy is now whole again, and he is standing with his foot on Jason's throat, pinning the man to the ground. FREDDY I make the rules around here. And rule number one is: _Freddy Always Wins_. He plunges his FINGER BLADES straight down INTO Jason's chest. INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM The assistant pricks the needle into Jason's arm... he starts to press the plunger on the hypo... _FREDDY'S ENTIRE FOREARM BURSTS STRAIGHT OUT OF JASON'S CHEST_. There is no blood. It's an otherworldly effect -- as though Freddy is BREACHING INTO OUR REALITY. Everyone freezes in shock at the image. Freddy's hand moves like lightening and SLASHES the Deputy and Layton in one fluid move. They collapse, BLOOD SQUIRTING from the razor cuts in their necks. The syringe is still deep in Jason's arm -- but the drug has not yet been injected. JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM Freddy is digging his arm deeper into Jason's chest. Jason is writhing in pain, his hockey-clad face inches away from Freddy's now. Freddy frowns... digs his arm in _deeper_... FREDDY There's more to you than meets the eye. He plunges his arm yet DEEPER -- INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- where we see Freddy's entire arm and part of his shoulder BURSTING out of Jason. Freddy's hand whips around, searching for something to grab onto... blades scraping against the wall... ripping at bedsheets... Ruby opens the door and yells out -- RUBY We need help in here! NOW! Kwan turns to avoid the thrashing finger blades... but a BLADE SNAGS in Kwan's ponytail. He yells out... tries to untangle the blade but it's too late. Freddy knows he has somebody. The hand grabs hold and yanks him up onto the bed. Kwan struggles, but it's too late -- Freddy PULLS KWAN DOWN INTO JASON'S CHEST... JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM Freddy's pulls Kwan's head OUT OF JASON'S CHEST, INTO THE DREAM. Kwan blinks and looks around in abject terror. Freddy looks amazed at the sight. FREDDY You're not from around here, are you? (realizing) You're from the _other side_. INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM Where Ruby has grabbed onto Kwan, trying desperately to pull him out of Jason's chest. Jason thrashes, BREAKS an arm restraint. CLOSE ON JASON'S ARM As Ruby and Ewan struggle, Kwan's body presses up against the plunger on the syringe -- and inadvertently INJECTS Jason with the drug... JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM Freddy is laughing now. He RIPS at Kwan's face with the blades, then SHOVES Kwan's head straight down -- INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- Kwan is catapulted out of Jason's chest, knocking Ruby down and he SLAMS into the far wall. He slumps to the floor, covered in blood and gore, _dead_. Ruby sits up with a dazed look. JASON'S DREAM - LIVING ROOM Freddy smiles, leans down as though to enter Jason's body head-first... when suddenly the SCENE DRAINS OF COLOR. Freddy's head snaps up, looks around. FREDDY No... not yet! The ENTIRE SCENE DISTORTS and FRAGMENTS, Jason's dream breaking up. Finally DISSOLVING TO: INT. JASON'S HOSPITAL ROOM - CLOSE ON HIS FACE as his eyes fly open -- he's _awake_. WIDE ON THE ROOM A bloody mess. But everything is quiet. Ruby sits on the floor in shock. The doors burst open and a team of doctors and nurses rush in and react to the sight. OFF the moment... CUT TO: EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - DAY Ruby, escorted by two sheriff's deputies, is pushing her way through a media circus. Reporters thrusting microphones, cameras and tape recorders at her as she tries to make her way to the Sheriff's Station doors. VARIOUS REPORTERS (overlapping) Is it true Jason killed three more people? Your own assistant was murdered, how do you feel about that? Do you still intend to plead not guilty? How does this affect your defense strategy? etc. Ruby looks shell-shocked -- she's changed and cleaned- up, but she doesn't answer. CUT TO: INT. SHERIFF'S STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY Sheriff Hayes is questioning Ruby. There's a tape recorder on the table in front of them. A two-way mirror dominates the room. The D.A. Harding is there, with a skeptical look on his face. HAYES A hand? Ruby runs a hand through her hair, tries to talk calmly. RUBY That's right... it... it came right out of his chest... HAYES Whose chest? RUBY Jason's. It came out of his chest... a hand with long blades on the fingers... She tries to stay calm... RUBY (continuing) And this hand... it... it slashed Doctor Layton's throat... and the Deputy. Then it grabbed Danny by the head... (getting emotional) And it pulled his head right down into his chest... I couldn't... Hayes lays a hand his shoulder. HAYES Take it easy, Ruby... it's all right. (beat) Now, try to think clearly... don't you mean _Jason's_ hand... don't you mean he grabbed a scalpel and slashed Doctor Layton's throat? RUBY (a challenge) Did you find a scalpel? Did you find a murder weapon? An awkward beat. Harding reaches over and turns off the tape recorder. He's trying to help her. HARDING Ruby, come on. You witnessed a brutal triple murder and you're having trouble accepting it. (beat) Think about what you're saying. You really expect a jury to believe that Jason has a mystery killer living in his tummy? RUBY I know how this sounds, but that's what happened. Her voice is cracked slightly. It's clear she's having trouble dealing with all this. Harding and Hayes exchange a look. HAYES Look... Ruby... maybe you should hand this case over to someone else. Take a few weeks off. Ruby stands, adamant. RUBY I don't need time off. What we need to do is find out who killed those men. Where did that hand come from? A tense beat. HAYES We're still checking the crime scene... but I can almost guarantee we'll be filing three more murder charges against your client within a day. (beat) And we're moving him back to his jail cell... where he belongs. Harding and Hayes exit, leaving Ruby alone for a moment. She looks at her reflection in the two-way mirror, trying to get a hold of herself... CUT TO: INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT Security is noticeably tighter. Four Deputies stand outside the jail cell, shotguns at-the-ready. Jason has been manacled and shackled with even heavier irons. Ruby is standing outside the cell, watching her client. Jason is again staring off into middle-distance. RUBY What's going on in that head of yours, Jason? What are you thinking? (beat) I wish there was some way you could make me understand what I saw in that hospital room. A long moment. RUBY Well... at least I know you're innocent of something. As she turns to go... CUT TO: INT. RUBY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Ruby is sitting at a desk in front of her PERSONAL COMPUTER. She has case files all around her. She shuffles through the papers until she finds a POLICE SKETCH showing a drawing of a hand with the glove and blades. On the single sheet there are top, side and bottom views. And on the top we can see print that says "Artists Conception of Murder Weapon Based on Eyewitness Description." Ruby looks at the sketch for a moment, then reaches over and opens a small OPTICAL IMAGING SCANNER. She places the drawing in the scanner, closes the lid, then taps a few controls of the computer keypad. The scanners starts working... and on the computer screen we see a digitized image of the artist's drawing as it fills the frame. Ruby works the keypad -- on the screen the computer says "Save as: MURDER WEAPON." She reaches over turns on a MODEM. We hear the familiar dial tone. Ruby taps in a telephone number on the computer, and we hear the modem start dialing a number. We hear a computer tone answer on the other end. On the screen, a window appears which says "Welcome to FBI Bureau of Criminal Statistics. Enter Request." Ruby taps in "Homicide File Search." The computer answers back: "Choose Category: Victim, Suspect, Location, Method, Murder Weapon, Date, Investigators, etc." Ruby types in "MURDER WEAPON." The computer answers: "Search Murder Weapon by: Graphic or Text." Ruby types in "GRAPHIC." Computer: "Enter Graphic." Ruby taps another command, and we see the digitized picture of the FINGER BLADES appear again as the computer sends it to the FBI center. A window comes up on the computer that says: "Graphic received. Searching records..." A beat goes by... then the screen says "Match Found." Ruby types in "DISPLAY RECORD." The computer goes blank for a moment, then is filled with a police file. There's a fuzzy photo of Freddy Krueger (without burns) wearing his distinctive fedora hat... and there is a police photo of a glove with blades lying on the ground. The glove is singed and scorched. Ruby leans forward. RUBY There it is... The photo is labeled at the bottom: "Crime scene photo 147. Date: 1968. Suspect name: KRUEGER, FRED." RUBY (reads) Fred Krueger... She taps a few controls. The screen now fills with a case file -- City of Springwood Police department. Ruby reads the screen with growing excitement... RUBY (reads) Janitor at Springwood Junior High School. Suspected of multiple child murders. Was found burned to death in boiler room... Ruby thinks. She sees something on the screen and leans forward. At the very bottom of the page we can see the words: "SEE ALSO: UNSOLVED TEEN MURDERS, SPRINGWOOD, 1984." OFF her curious reaction... CUT TO: EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT A local place -- modest and a little run-down. INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Sena is sitting at a cheap plywood desk, with a bottle of scotch and a glass sitting in front of him. He's been drinking, and we can see on his face that he's been shocked by the recent events. The REM print-outs are spread in front of him, along with other papers. There's a knock at the door. Sena gets up, a little unsteady, opens the door. Ruby steps in carrying papers and computer print-outs -- she looks determined. RUBY I think I'm onto something, Joe. SENA Me too. I'm drunk. RUBY Well, I'm onto something more useful. (beat) You ever hear of a man named Fred Krueger? Sena sits down on the bed. SENA Krueger... doesn't ring a bell. RUBY He was a child killer in the late sixties... in a town called Springwood about eight miles from here. (beat) Guess what his murder weapon was? A glove with six-inch blades. SENA (dry) Fascinating. RUBY Now.... according to the file, Krueger was burned to death in a fire in 1968. But get this -- beginning in 1984, there was _another_ series of murders in Springwood. All teenagers... all killed in their sleep... all killed with finger blades just like Krueger's. Sena takes this in. SENA I thought you said Krueger burned to death. RUBY That's right. The murders in the eighties were never solved. (with import) But... there were teenaged witnesses who said Krueger had the ability to appear in your dreams... and that if he killed you in a dream, it would kill you in the real world. SENA Uh-huh... RUBY Don't you see? Jason was _asleep_. And he was dreaming -- the REM patterns prove that. And I saw finger blades just like Krueger's come out of Jason's chest. There has to be a connection. SENA Yeah... I think I understand... (beat) You're drunk, too. She throws the computer print-outs at him. RUBY It's all right here, damnit! She starts pacing the room, frustrated. SENA Look... I know how upset you are. I'm upset, too. Tom Layton was my assistant for five years. We both lost somebody in there. Ruby calms down a little. RUBY I'm sorry... but I know what I saw... She grabs the drawing of Krueger's finger blades. RUBY (re: drawing) And I saw this hand kill three people. I'm telling you... there's a connection between Jason and Freddy. Sena takes a deep breath, tries to clear his mind. SENA Okay... set that aside for a moment... because I have something, too, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it... He stands and moves to the desk, indicates the REM print outs. We can see the long computer strip has a squiggly line running down the center of it... but at one point a SECOND REM LINE appears above it and the two lines run parallel for most of the tape. Sena points to the print-out's second line. SENA See this? RUBY Yeah, what is it? SENA _It's a second REM pattern_. He points to the first squiggly line. SENA I know what this is... this is Jason's REM pattern. It runs through the entire record of the session. (re: second pattern) But this _second pattern_ appears out of nowhere and runs concurrent with Jason's for the last five minutes of his dream. Ruby studies the tape. SENA It's as though there were two people in that room... both of them asleep... both of them dreaming. RUBY That doesn't make sense. SENA Add it to the list. RUBY So what do we do? Sena considers. SENA I don't suppose I can go back to the University and chase young coeds again... pretend this whole thing never happened... RUBY Not yet. SENA Then I'd say we should put Jason under again... run another tape on him and see what happens. We'll get extra data this time. Video... infrared... the works. RUBY Great. When can you do it? SENA Tomorrow. If you can clear it with the Sheriff's department. RUBY I'll have to lean on them pretty hard after what happened last night... but I think I can do it. (beat) Let me know what happens. SENA You're not going to be there? RUBY I was there once... that was enough. Besides... I have to go out to Jason's house tomorrow. (grim) They're... digging up some new evidence. CUT TO: CLOSE ON THE GROUND as a shovel digs out a spade-full of dirt, then bites back into the ground, but this time instead of sinking into the dirt, the blade clanks against something solid. A hand reaches down, brushes aside some of the dirt to reveal the top of a HUMAN SKULL. WIDEN to include -- EXT. JASON'S HOUSE - DAY The man digging is a SHERIFF'S DEPUTY. We are on the hillside behind Jason's house. Scattered along the hill are a dozen or so deputies and forensics experts digging up the hillside, looking for bodies. DEPUTY (calls out) I got another one here! A forensics expert moves to him. Ruby, Sheriff Hayes and Harding stand off to one side, watching grimly. Hayes makes a note on a clipboard. HAYES Tag that one victim number forty- seven. Another team of deputies and forensics experts carry a body bag past them. The scene is depressing Ruby. Harding has a smirk on his face. HARDING (to Ruby) I can't wait to hear your opening argument. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury... the Defense will prove that Jason Voorhees did not kill all of these people. They, in fact, committed mass suicide and then buried themselves in his back yard..." RUBY Fuck you. She walks off. Hayes looks at Harding, annoyed with the man's casual attitude. HAYES That's a legal term. It means "fuck you." Hayes walks off. NEW ANGLE - JASON'S FRONT PORCH - DAY Ruby watches the parade of bodies being dug up, carried, tagged and loaded onto a flatbed truck. It's stacked high with BODY BAGS. It sickens her. She turns away from the scene, decides to go into the house. She ducks under the crime scene tape surrounding the house... walks up the creaky stairs to the front door... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS - DAY Ruby enters, looks around -- this is her first time in the house and she's curious. In contrast to the last time we saw the house, it is lit by various standing lights that the deputies have brought in. Furniture, possessions and artifacts have all been numbered and tagged as evidence. Otherwise, the house is largely intact. There is plastic matting on the floor. The harsh white light gives the house a cold, eerie quality. Ruby walks over to the lone upholstered chair... runs a hand over the top. She pulls her hand away and folds her arms around her chest, suddenly chilled. She walks to a wall and examines it... the wallpaper is old and torn... and there are dark blotches of what might be dried blood. Each blotch has been circled with marker pens and have identifying numbers next to them. Ruby glances at the nearby hallway, heads for it... INT. HALLWAY Ruby walking toward Jason's mother's bedroom. She enters... INT. MOTHER'S BEDROOM The room appears as it did at the top of the film -- everything in its place, covered with a layer of dust. Tags on everything. Ruby walks over to the night table seen earlier, where she examines the photograph of Jason as a boy. He stares back at her with that haunted look. She turns away from the photo, lets her eyes roam over the room... notices a closet. She moves to it, carefully opens the door... Inside we find clothes and artifacts that have not been disturbed in decades. Women's clothes circa 1960 hang neatly on the rack. Some are moth-eaten. Shoes, coats and other clothing are also there -- all women's. She moves to close the door, but stops when she notices that hanging on the inside of the door on a peg is a man's brown FEDORA HAT -- identical to the one she saw in the photo of Freddy Krueger. She reacts... takes the hat off of the peg, holds it in her hand... looks inside the hat brim. Embossed in gold inside the brim are the initials "_F.K._" RUBY Krueger... OFF her reaction as she realizes she's found an important connection... CUT TO: INT. JASON'S CELL - DAY Jason is lying on a gurney. TWO DEPUTIES are shackling him securely to the rails by the arms and legs. While they do this another two deputies stand in the cell with shotguns, keeping a close eye on him. But Jason, as always, is not struggling and is eerily still. Sena is outside the cell, making final adjustments to the console seen earlier -- his neural scanning equipment. The Deputies finish securing Jason. There is a thick of atmosphere of paranoia and hostility in the room. DEPUTY #1 That should hold him. DEPUTY #2 That's what they said the last time. And the son of a bitch got loose. The Deputies back out of the cell cautiously. Sena walks in with a flip, nonchalant attitude making a show of how unconcerned he is as he approaches Jason and attaches electrodes to his forehead. SENA Here we go, Jason... (beat) Would you like a bedtime story? Jason's eyes flick over to Sena for a moment, and it's enough to wipe the smile off Sena's face and send a chill through his body. Sena quickly heads for a tray where a syringe and a bottle of sedative are waiting. As he fills the syringe... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - MOTHER'S BEDROOM As before. Ruby is now rummaging through the closet, looking for other clues. She finally gives up -- nothing here. She turns and goes to a chest of drawers, starts opening the drawers... reacts in disgust at a drawer swarming with INSECTS and mold... keeps looking... INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR - DAY As before. The Deputies standing by, Sena sitting at the console, activating the equipment. There are also video cameras and other high-tech monitoring equipment -- whatever happens this time, it's going to be recorded. Jason is on the bed, his eyes closed. After a beat, we can see his eyes begin to move underneath his eyelids as he begins dreaming. On Sena's monitor, a computer message comes up: "REM SLEEP ESTABLISHED." Sena notes the time on his clipboard... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - MOTHER'S BEDROOM As before. Ruby is now on all fours, looking underneath the bed... INT. JASON'S CELL - CLOSE ON HIS FACE as his head twitches in his sleep -- he's obviously in the middle of a nightmare... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - MOTHER'S BEDROOM Ruby in part-way under the bed, rummaging through clothing and other debris... when suddenly there is a SQUEAK from the bed above her. She freezes... then it happens again. We see the springs of the bed EASE DOWN toward her, as if someone just sat down on the bed. RUBY Hello? No answer. She starts to crawl out from under the bed, when suddenly the bed starts to JUMP VIOLENTLY, as if someone were standing on the bed jumping up and down. Ruby is being pounded by the action of the springs... she struggles to get out... the metal springs scrape and tear at her, cutting her in places. She screams, panicked. RUBY Let me out! Let me out, stop it! She finally manages to free herself, stands and looks at the bed. There's no one there, but on the bed we can see the IMPRINT OF TWO BODIES which have disturbed the dust and are DISTORTING the sheets. It's as if two INVISIBLE PEOPLE are in the bed fucking violently. The bed jumps up and down under their unseen bodies. Ruby backs up in shock, terrified and confused. INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR Sena tenses, leans forward. Jason's REM pattern is getting highly erratic. On the bed, Jason is now thrashing in his sleep against the manacles. The Deputies are getting uneasy. One of them chambers a round into the shotgun, finger on the trigger... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - MOTHER'S BEDROOM The movement on the bed _stops_. Dead quiet. Ruby tries to catch her breath, runs a trembling hand through her hair. There is the creak of a door behind her. She turns, and is surprised to see -- A YOUNG BOY standing in the doorway (it's young Jason, the same boy seen in Jason's dreams). The boy is staring at the bed, not at Ruby. But before she can say anything, the door slams shut in the boy's face. RUBY Wait... wait! She rushes to the door, opens it -- there's no one there. INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR Sena watching in amazement as the readings on the monitors get more and more erratic. On the bed, Jason is now trembling violently. The Deputies shift nervously from foot to foot. Suddenly a SECOND REM PATTERN emerges on the monitor. Sena leans forward. SENA There it is... the second REM pattern... INT. JASON'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM Ruby looking around for the boy -- who is he? RUBY (calls out) Where are you? It's all right, I won't hurt you... what are you doing here? Nothing. Only silence. She glances out the window, sees the boy running through the forest. He looks afraid. She bolts for the front door... INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR Sena is tapping commands, trying to analyze the REM signals. SENA Where is this coming from? It doesn't make any sense. It's like there's someone else in there with him... Jason jolts violently. The lights FLICKER in the room. An ominous RUMBLING SOUND can be heard -- almost like an approaching freight train. The Deputies are definitely getting nervous at this point, glancing around, wondering what the hell is going on. EXT. FOREST - DAY Ruby running through the dense trees, trying to find the boy... but he's nowhere in sight. She comes up to the LAKESHORE, looks around. No one there. She's about to give up and go back to the house, when a flash of sunlight on metal can be seen nearby. She looks. There appears to be something metal hidden in the bushes about fifty yards away from her. She heads for it... INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR Sena working his console and equipment, trying desperately to figure out what's going on. Suddenly the monitors EXPLODE one by one in bursts of sparks and glass. Sena throws up his arms to protect himself and hits the floor. EXT. FOREST/LAKESHORE - DAY Ruby is pulling brush away from the metal object... and reveals the METAL CANOE we saw in Jason's dreams. The canoe is rusted and covered with dirt and grime. She pulls it over on its side and discovers FIVE LONG SLASHES on the metal bottom. OFF her reaction... INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR - DAY Sena is picking himself up off the floor... the room is quiet now, and the smoke from the crackling consoles is swirling about. SENA Fuck me... He approaches the open jail cell door, peers inside. SENA'S POV The smoke eddies through the cell... and we get a fleeting glimpse of Freddy Krueger standing on Jason's bed -- Krueger is just _pulling his left leg out of Jason's chest_. The smoke swirls about and quickly obscures the scene. SENA Reacts in shock. Blinks a couple of times -- did he really see that? SENA Who's that? Who's in there? A _figure_ steps forward out of the smoke... it's FREDDY KRUEGER. He looks exhilarated. Freddy has broken into our reality and it's a big moment for him. Sena eyes the man with shock. SENA Who are you? FREDDY Everyone's worst nightmare. Freddy steps forward to strike Sena but stops when he hears the sound of weapons being cocked. He turns to see... THE FOUR DEPUTIES who bring their weapons up, ready to pump Freddy full of shells. Freddy smiles at them. Suddenly their eyes lose focus as if seeing some other scene. Sena frowns, puzzled. The Deputies seem to be experiencing some kind of waking nightmare that only they can see -- some are sweating, trembling, muttering, frightened. Finally, the Deputies all turn their weapons _on themselves_, putting the barrels in their mouths and to their own temples. There's a quick beat. FREDDY Take a load off your mind, boys. The Deputies all pull the triggers and BLOW THEIR HEADS OFF. Blood splatters across the room. Sena recoils against the wall in horror. Freddy sniffs the air. FREDDY Ah... the smell of _real_ blood. It's been a long time. There are shouts from down the hall and the door to the Sheriff's Station swings open, revealing other deputies racing into the cell area, with their guns out. Freddy smiles at them in anticipation. EXT. JASON'S HOUSE - DUSK As Ruby comes running up through the darkening forest. The deputies are scrambling to their cars and roaring away, sirens wailing. Ruby runs up to Harding, who is heading for his own car. RUBY (to Harding) What's going on? HARDING Some kind of emergency back at the Sheriff's Station. Four deputies shot... some kind of explosion... I don't know what's going on, but they're panicking back there. Ruby jumps in the car with Harding and they take off to follow the Sheriff's deputies. CUT TO: EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE - NIGHT Ruby and Harding drive past the "Welcome to Crystal Lake" sign, and slow as they enter the MAIN STREET. The small thoroughfare seems deserted. But there are a dozen or so DEAD BODIES lying on the street. People on the sidewalks, on the street, in their cars, on park benches... it's as if a neutron bomb went off, killing everyone and leaving the buildings intact. Harding stops the car and they both get out, shocked at the scene of death. HARDING What the hell happened here...? Suddenly the sound of GUNFIRE draws their attention. They take off at a run down the street, turn the corner and stop in surprise at what they see... ANGLE A little street lined with shops. Sheriff Hayes and a five Deputies are engaged in a fierce FIREFIGHT -- with _nobody_. The Deputies are firing wildly at enemies only they can see. But Ruby and Harding can see no enemy. It's a bizarre sight as the Deputies fire at and retreat from nothing... ANGLE - HAYES as he retreats down the street, firing his pistol from the hip -- he's clearly terrified of something that only he can see advancing on him. HAYES (to Deputies) Fall back! Fall back! Hayes turns and tries to run, then is knocked to the ground by some unseen force and a SPRAY of BLOOD as his back is riddled and ripped apart by hundreds of INVISIBLE BULLETS. There is no sound of gunfire at all -- giving it an eerie, surreal quality. RUBY AND HARDING take in the strange sight. HARDING There's no one there... who are they fighting? Ruby watches in disbelief as the five Deputies are PUMPED FULL OF BULLETS that seem to come from out of thin air. RUBY They're seeing something that we don't... (beat) Let's get out of here. They take off running... CUT TO: EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - NIGHT Minutes later. It's a scene of death and destruction. The BODIES of reporters, pedestrians and sheriff's deputies are strewn across the Sheriff's Station lawn. Ruby and Harding pull up in Harding's car and get out. Harding puts a hand to his mouth, sickened by the sight. Ruby steadies him and they head toward the steps... but even Ruby can't avoid looking down at the bodies surrounding her. One of them is a female news reporter, and next to her a dead news cameraman. His VIDEO CAMERA is lying a few feet away. Ruby grimaces, is about to turn away when she notices the LIGHT on the camera is still flashing. RUBY It's still on. HARDING What? RUBY His camera... it's still recording. She bends down to the camera, picks it up and fiddles with the camera controls for a moment... hits "rewind" and starts rewinding the tape. Harding stares down at the cameraman -- he was obviously badly beaten before he died. HARDING Maybe we shouldn't be here... I mean, what if the people who did this are still around? Ruby grabs a small earphone out of the dead cameraman's ear... wipes the blood of it... puts it in her own ear... hits PLAY on the camera. She brings the VIEWFINDER to her eye watch the action... CAMERA IMAGE - RUBY'S POV A BLACK AND WHITE VIDEO IMAGE of the female reporter. She's standing in front of the Sheriff's Station with her microphone, beginning a routine stand-up piece. REPORTER (to camera) So far the Sheriff's Department have refused to give an exact count of the bodies found at Jason Voorhees's house. But inside sources have told Channel Nine News that the body count is currently at forty-seven and climbing. (beat) Judge Gillan will be hearing motions on -- She suddenly breaks off and turns around, as if hearing something behind her. During the following sequence, the reporter and cameraman will be reacting to scenes that _only they can see_, while the videotape clearly shows that _nothing is actually there_. REPORTER (shocked) We just heard gunshots coming from within the Sheriff's Station. I don't know what's going on but something's clearly wrong... (an aside, to camera) Jerry, keep me in frame, but shoot over my shoulder. The cameraman focuses on the front of the Sheriff's Station, keeping the reporter in frame. REPORTER More gunshots... there was a scream... and what sounds like voices shouting... But again, as the reporter narrates this action we see and hear _nothing_. The Sheriff's Station is peaceful. She reacts in shock. REPORTER Oh my God... it looks like a prison break... I'd say there are least fifty prisoners bursting out onto the Sheriff's Station lawn... The cameraman is moving the camera frantically, as if trying "capture the action" -- but there is no action to capture. The reporter is starting to panic. REPORTER I... I can't believe this... my God, they're attacking people... it's turned into a riot! The camera image is knocked around and FRITZES as the two run for cover. Suddenly the reporter _screams_. REPORTER No, no! Let me go, please! Don't hurt me! The cameraman instinctively whirls the camera onto her. She is writhing on the ground, screaming furiously, as if to throw off INVISIBLE ASSAILANTS. Her dress is RIPPED OPEN, her legs spread, her breasts exposed. She screams and wrestles, tries to get away -- she's being _RAPED BY UNSEEN FORCES_. We hear the cameraman breathing heavily, panicking. CAMERAMAN'S VOICE Oh my God... oh my God... no... no, please, leave me alone! NO! A strangled cry of agony and the camera image SMASHES to the ground. We hear the cameraman screaming in pain. And then the screams stop. There's a quiet beat... and then the camera is picked up off the ground and we see the face of FREDDY KRUEGER leering into the camera lens. FREDDY This is Freddy Krueger reporting! The image FRITZES TO BLACK. RUBY drops the camera in shock, as if there was a snake in her hand.. HARDING What happened? RUBY _Krueger_... HARDING Who? RUBY Come on. Harding hesitates -- he's scared. HARDING I've had enough. You're on your own, Ruby. Sorry. Harding heads for his car, gets in and drives off. As Ruby pounds up the steps of the Sheriff's Station... INT. JAIL CELL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT The hall leading to Jason's cell is littered with the bloodied and ravaged BODIES of several dead deputies. A smoky haze still hangs in the air. Jason's cell door is standing open as Ruby approaches. She steps into the cell... INT. JASON'S CELL Ruby enters and looks around. Jason can be seen _sleeping_ on his bed, still in shackles. The four deputies who shot themselves are all lying on the floor. Ruby moves toward Jason to check on him. SENA I wouldn't do that, if I were you. Ruby nearly jumps out of her shoes. She turns to see Sena, who is sitting calmly on the floor in a dark corner of the cell with his back against the wall. He looks shell shocked, his clothes slightly torn and a few scratches on his face. RUBY Joe... She rushes to him. RUBY Are you all right? What happened? He looks up at her dully, takes a moment for his eyes to focus on her. SENA I'm thinking of writing a paper... and I can't quite decide on a title... He trails off. Ruby shakes him. RUBY _Joe_. SERA How about "Mass Narcosis Induced by Transdimensional Paranormal Sociopathic Entity." (beat) Not very catchy, is it? RUBY Joe, listen to me... SENA (calm, analytical) It's all right. I'm simply in shock... this is what happens to people when they experience events they can't understand or comprehend. The mind shuts down temporarily and tries to shield itself from the horrific imagery it's been exposed to. (beat) I'm going to need a lot of therapy. RUBY It was Krueger, wasn't it? Sena looks up sharply. SENA You saw him? RUBY A cameraman caught him on videotape. Joe, I saw an entire sheriff's squad fighting and losing against an enemy that wasn't there... Joe nods gravely. SENA Fascinating, isn't it? Krueger has the ability to induce some sort of _Mass Narcosis_. People see things that aren't there... waking nightmares... and these nightmares can kill you. Ruby thinks, putting it all together. RUBY He's out. Krueger's crossed from the dreamworld into ours. And now... instead of just killing you in your sleep... he can kill you while you're _awake_. (beat) But how did he get here? Sena smiles, runs a hand through his hair. SENA He came out of Jason's dreams. He puts his hands to his temples as if trying to hold his brain together as he says these things aloud. SENA Actually, to be more precise, he came out of Jason's chest. He just... stepped right out of his body like stepping out of a doorway. Ruby looks over at the sleeping Jason, who has no damage to his chest. Sena's breath comes faster, he's almost hyperventilating. SENA In fact, I think that maybe an apt description of our friend Mister Voorhees. I think he's a doorway between our world and Krueger's. (beat) Either that... or I'm completely insane. His voice begins to tremble. Ruby grabs hold of him, shakes him hard. RUBY No... you're not insane. We've got to hold on to each other, Joe. If we can do that, maybe we find a way out of this. Sena slows his breathing... tries to calm himself.. his hands are shaking. SENA Okay... okay... Ruby looks at Jason with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Something catches her eye. She looks under the cot... and we see TWO FEET wearing tennis shoes under the cot. _There is someone huddled underneath the bed_. RUBY Holy shit... there's someone under here. Ruby and Sena get to their feet... and there is a tense moment as they look anxiously toward the cot. Ruby cautiously bends down to look under the cot... and is surprised to see the _young boy_ seen in Jason's dreams is now here. He is hiding under the bed in fear. Off Ruby's stunned reaction... CUT TO: EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT Harding's car zooming along the road. It passes a sign that says "INTERSTATE 77 - 1/4 mile." INT. HARDING'S CAR - NIGHT Harding behind the wheel. He breathes a sigh of relief -- he's starting to feel better. He turns the radio on, tunes it to a classical station. EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT A bustling, busy thoroughfare -- cars whizzing-back and forth. Harding's car merges into the traffic. INT. HARDING'S CAR - NIGHT As before. Harding is approaching an overpass directly ahead with a lighted billboard that displays mileage on it: "SPRINGWOOD - 8 MILES" Harding watches the road... then just as he passes underneath the overpass, he glances up again and sees -- HARDING'S POV _Freddy Krueger_ is standing in front of the billboard, the floodlights casting a large shadow on the board behind him. It now reads "_HELL - O MILES_." But the image is only fleeting, as the car zips under the overpass. HARDING The image was so quick he isn't even sure if he really saw it. The classical music STOPS. And Freddy's VOICE can be heard on the radio: FREDDY'S VOICE We interrupt this program to make an important announcement. INT. ANOTHER CAR A woman and her husband driving along the highway, reacting to the same voice. FREDDY'S VOICE (continuing) We regret to inform you that because of circumstances beyond our control... INT. ANOTHER CAR A family of four, two children, listening to the same announcement. FREDDY'S VOICE Interstate Seventy-Seven is about to reach... a _dead-end_. INT. HARDING'S CAR He's trying to change the radio channel, but Freddy's voice is on every station. FREDDY'S VOICE And now... a golden oldie. We suddenly hear the hauntingly familiar nursery rhyme sung by young girls coming over the radio. GIRLS' VOICES (singing) One, two -- Freddy's coming for you! Three, four -- Better lock your door! Five, six -- Get your Crucifix! Harding doesn't know what to make of it. Suddenly he sees something on the road ahead of him. HARDING What the hell... HARDING'S POV directly ahead of him on the freeway, a group of YOUNG GIRLS wearing white dresses are SKIPPING ROPE. It's a strange and oddly frightening sight here in the middle of the freeway. HARDING Reacts in surprise, then suddenly SWERVES to avoid hitting the girls. INT. ANOTHER CAR The woman and her husband, as before. They see the girls, too -- and swerve to miss them. INT. ANOTHER CAR The family of four reacting to the girls and hitting the BRAKES. EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Car after car PLOWING into each other -- causing a cascade effect: Dozens of cars SLAMMING together, rolling over, careening off the highway into light stanchions. _The girls skipping rope are nowhere in sight_. Some cars JUMP the barrier, CRASHING into cars driving in the opposite direction. IT'S A NIGHTMARE PILE-UP. CLOSE ON FREDDY who is standing on the freeway overpass next to the railing looking down. We MOVE TO REVEAL -- WIDE ANGLE - HIGHWAY All of the cars on the freeway have come to a dead stop... lights on... engines running. BUT NONE OF THE CARS ARE DAMAGED. It's like the cars have simply rolled to a stop. As far as the eye can see there are nothing but parked cars. INT. HARDING'S CAR Harding is lying twisted and mangled in the front seat, still strapped neatly behind the wheel. His neck is broken at an impossible angle, arms flung back and face shredded. The radio is on, playing classical music and the engine is running. A peaceful scene, except for the corpse. QUICK CUTS: -- The family of four dead, bloodied in a car that has been untouched. -- The woman and her husband, both dead. The man's head lying on the car seat next to his wife. The car is running, the radio playing. -- Inside a few other cars on the highway, all with similar images. Undamaged cars filled with broken bodies. ON FREDDY Looking out over the seemingly peaceful scene. FREDDY Next time remember... "Don't Dream and Drive." CUT TO: INT. JASON'S CELL - NIGHT Ruby and Sena have coaxed the young boy out from under the cot. The boy is sitting with his back to the cell bars, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around him. Sena is working at his damaged console, checking readings. Jason is still in a deep, troubled sleep. Ruby is kneeling next to the boy, trying to get though to him. RUBY I saw you up at the house. What were you doing there? The boy's voice is small and flat. There is something haunting about this boy. BOY I live there... with my mommy. RUBY Your mommy... where is she? The boy shakes his head -- doesn't know. Sena comes over, crouches down. He's holding two sensor pads with wire-leads in his hand. RUBY What are you doing? SENA Checking out a theory. Just keep talking to him. Ruby focuses on the boy. RUBY What's your name? BOY Jason. Ruby reacts in surprise. SENA I think he's telling the truth. Ruby looks over in surprise, and Sena motions her over to the console. He's looking over some neural patterns and technical read-outs on a monitor. There are TWO NEURAL PATTERNS on the monitor side by side, and they're identical. SENA (off monitor) This is Jason's REM pattern... and this is the boy's REM pattern. They're identical. RUBY How's that possible? SENA Jason's asleep... maybe he's dreaming of himself as a young boy... and that boy is sitting right here. (beat) I think he's some kind of projection from Jason's subconscious. She looks at the boy with renewed intent. RUBY So in essence... that boy _is_ Jason. Sena nods. Ruby moves to the boy, kneels down. RUBY Jason... do you know a man named Fred Krueger? The boy suddenly looks terrified, retreats against the cell bars. Ruby speaks gently. RUBY You do... and you're afraid of him. The boy nods. RUBY He tried to hurt you, didn't he? In the canoe... on the lake... The boy starts to panic at the memory. BOY (yells) Get away from me! Help me! Mommy! The boy cringes and cries out as FOUR LONG LACERATIONS appear on his forehead. FOUR MORE CUTS appear on his arms and TEAR at his clothes, then another set on his NECK. The boy is bleeding, crying. It's a terrifying sight. Jason is tossing and turning on the bed. Ruby isn't sure what to do next -- follows her instincts. RUBY (to boy) It's okay, Jason... he can't hurt you... I won't let him hurt you... She takes off her coat, tries to use it to staunch the flow of blood, but stops as the lacerations suddenly HEAL before her eyes and turn into nasty SCARS. The blood disappears. A breathless moment as the boy calms down... and a stricken look comes across his face. RUBY He attacked you in the canoe... you fell in the lake... and then what happened? The boy speaks in a flat voice. BOY I was under the water... the water came into my mouth... (beat) I couldn't breathe anymore... everything got dark. The boy's voice DEEPENS slightly -- older, more adult. It's an eerie moment. BOY I opened my eyes... and I was lying on the shore of the lake. And everything was... different. RUBY Different... how? BOY It was hard to think... pain... I was mad... The boy's voice DISTORTS and LOWERS into a frightening GROWL. BOY (deep growl) I was _very mad_. Suddenly he goes limp and stares blankly as we've seen adult Jason do previously. Ruby looks at him for a long moment, then stands and joins Sena. RUBY So Krueger thinks Jason's dead... leaves him in the lake... but the boy actually wakes up on the shore... crawls off into the woods... where he lives the rest of his life alone. SENA Alone... but with a murderous fury inside him... which led him to kill dozens of people. Ruby thinks. RUBY If I'm right, this happened before the Krueger murders in Springwood. (beat) That means that Jason might've been Krueger's first victim. SENA Except this victim got away. I wonder if -- Suddenly the boy leaps to his feet with a guttural yell and a murderous rage on his face. He grabs a NIGHTSTICK off the floor and with both hands and SWINGS it at Sena. Sena throws up both arms to protect his face and but his arm BREAKS with a sickening crunch. The boy hits him again in the shoulder and Sena crumples to the ground. The boy turns to Ruby, moves to attack. Ruby grabs both his arms, but it's difficult to hold on the wildly flailing boy who is growling and screaming like a crazed animal. RUBY Jason, no! We're not your enemies! Listen to me! _Listen_! On the bed, Jason struggles in his sleep, and one arm BREAKS a shackle, taking part of the bed railing with it. Ruby manages to pin the boy against the wall. The boy is still struggling, eyes-wide, spittle drooling out of his mouth. It's a terrifying moment, but Ruby holds firm. RUBY Jason, no! The man who hurt you is Fred Krueger. He's the one who did this to you. The boy stops screaming for a moment... looks at her with a look of disbelief and fear on his face. Ruby realizes she might be getting through to him. RUBY Krueger's still out there. He's killing innocent people... just like he tried to kill you. (beat) He's the one you want. Not us. Not anyone else. The boy looks uncertain, scared. Ruby can't help but feel sorry for this damaged little boy. RUBY (quiet) Come here, Jason. I'll take care of you. Everything's going to be all right. She holds out her arms... and after a long moment, the boy drops the baton, tears well up in his eyes. BOY Mommy... He moves into her arms holds on tight. She hugs him, strokes his hair for a moment. RUBY It's okay, Jason... it's okay... She holds him for a second, and then the boy slowly FADES AWAY until he's gone... and Ruby is holding nothing. JASON ON THE BED His eyes open and he sits straight up on the bed in one quick motion. A tense moment as Sena and Ruby wonder what he's going to do next. Jason BREAKS the remaining shackles one by one... swings his legs off the bed... stands up. He towers over Sena and Ruby, who look at him in fear. Jason's eyes flicker from Sena, then to Ruby. He stares at her with a neutral expression for a long moment. She returns his gaze, staring up at the horribly scarred face. Finally, Jason turns away from her and walks out of his cell with an even, deliberate gait. Sena and Ruby exchange a look. QUICK CUTS: -- Jason bursts into the Sheriff's Office. Deputies bodies all around. -- CLOSE ON a desk with plastic evidence bags strewn across it. Jason's hand grabs one of the bags -- inside is the familiar _hockey mask_. -- An emergency fire box with a fire extinguisher and a FIRE AXE inside it. Jason's arm SMASHES the glass and yanks out the axe. EXT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - NIGHT The front door is KICKED OPEN. Jason steps out into the night. He's wearing the hockey mask and he's got the axe in his hand. _Jason is back_. He stands there a moment, looks around, then runs off -- a hulking shadowy figure disappearing into the night. ANGLE - RUBY AND SENA step into the doorway. SENA Where's he going? RUBY I don't know... but I think he's pissed. SENA Great. Now there's _two_ serial killers on the loose. RUBY Krueger's the greater danger right now. We have to stop him. (beat) _Springwood_. That's where he'll go. That's where he's always gone. But Springwood's not like Crystal Lake. There's a couple hundred thousand people there. He could be anywhere. SERA You said Krueger kills teenagers... RUBY That's right. SENA So, where would you go to find a lot of teenagers? CUT TO: EXT. SHOPPING MALL - NIGHT A modern, three-story complex with underground parking structure. A sign over the entrance reads, "ELM STREET SHOPPING PLAZA." WIDEN TO REVEAL the darkened silhouette of FREDDY KRUEGER standing outside. He clicks his finger blades in anticipation, then begins walking toward the entrance... CUT TO: INT. CRYSTAL LAKE SHERIFF'S STATION - NIGHT Ruby is opening a rack of shotguns, choosing an appropriate weapon for herself. She cocks a shotgun and begins loading shells into it. Sena enters, his broken arm now in a sling. He's carrying a medical case seen earlier in the jail cell. SENA (re: shotgun) You know how to use one of those? RUBY I used to go hunting with my father when I was a kid. SENA Think it'll do any good? Ruby stuffed shells into her pocket. RUBY Krueger's in the real world... maybe he's mortal, like us. SENA And if he's not? RUBY Then we're all in a lot of trouble. Ruby comes over to Sena, puts a .45 automatic pistol on the table next to him. RUBY Here. Sena glances at it, then pulls a vial of a LIQUID DRUG out of the case. He looks at the label. RUBY What's that? SENA _Neurolar_. It's a stimulant -- it's also a serotonin inhibitor. It suppresses all electrical activity in the hippocampus... the part of the brain that controls dreaming. RUBY So you think it might counteract Krueger's ability to make us hallucinate? SENA Ten CC's of this shit and you won't be dreaming about anything. RUBY How long will the effect last? SENA About ten minutes. RUBY (worried) Ten minutes... SENA If I give you a bigger dose, it'll give you a heart attack. Ruby takes a deep breath. RUBY Then we'd better make those ten minutes count. She picks up her shotgun and Sena pockets the vial and two syringes. As they head for the door... CUT TO: INT. ELM STREET MALL - NIGHT A modern suburban shopping center, THREE STORIES TALL with an indoor atrium and courtyard reaching all the way to the ceiling. There's a GLASS ELEVATOR... a set of ESCALATORS... a KIDDIE PLAYLAND with jungle gym... a large decorative WATER FOUNTAIN with a deep pool at the base... plenty of OPEN STOREFRONTS. There is also a multi-screened CINEPLEX on the Third Level, as well as a FOOD COURT. The mall is bustling with lots of shoppers and TEENAGERS. SERIES OF SHOTS -- Teenagers of all ages shopping, socializing, trying on clothes, others just hanging out. One couple has found a private corner and is necking. A group of teenaged boys are rough-housing with each other. A group of girls are eyeing the boys, obviously flirting with them. -- A couple of nerdy boys are standing in a SWIM WEAR SHOP, trying to look casual as they eye the dressing rooms, where curvaceous young girls are trying on bikini-wear. -- A gaggle of pretty, teenaged GIRLS in a bathroom, primping in front of a large mirror -- putting on make- up, teasing their hair, gossiping, etc. -- A group of three GRUNGE-PUNKS are on the Third Level, dropping lit cigarette butts onto the crowd below, snickering to themselves. This is the slightly older, tattooed and pierced body-part crowd. They're here to have fun at the expense of everyone else. ANGLE IN GLASS ELEVATOR A couple of ADULT SHOPPERS in the moving elevator. It stops and the doors open... the group of three grunge-punks walk in. A GIRL and TWO GUYS. One of the boys has a leather vest with no shirt, exposing arms and chest covered with TATTOOS -- a snake, skulls, dagger, all sorts of grotesque imagery. The other boy has various PIERCINGS -- nose, ears, eyebrow, tongue, etc. The girl is smoking heavily. One of the teens hits "P3" and the elevator starts moving down to the parking level. SHOPPER (annoyed, re: cigarette) Do you mind? PUNK GIRL Oh. Sorry. She takes the cigarette out of her mouth and pretends to stub it out in a decorative flower pot in the corner, but as soon as the shopper turns his head away, the girl tosses the burning cigarette into the man's shopping bag. The other teens chuckle. At that moment, the doors open, revealing FREDDY KRUEGER on a lower parking level. The conversation in the elevator _stops_, everyone reacting to his bizarre appearance. The Adult Shoppers EXIT, leaving Freddy alone with the youths. Krueger looks at them for a moment, then calmly steps into the elevator, turns and looks at the floor indicator just like any other passenger. The grunge-punks get over their initial shock and start snickering to each other. TATTOO GUY Nice sweater. Laughter. Krueger slowly turns around to face them. The punks quiet down a bit, but wait fearlessly to see what he will do. FREDDY Nice tattoo. He looks at the Tattoo Guy's chest. The Tattoo Guy looks down, and is shocked to see that the SNAKE TATTOO COMES TO LIFE AND SLIPS UNDERNEATH HIS SKIN. TATTOO GUY What the fuck? He looks up at Freddy in surprise and pain. We can see the outline of the snake SLITHERING UNDER HIS SKIN TATTOO GUY (in pain) ) Ah, Jesus! Suddenly ALL OF THE TATTOOS ON HIS BODY BEGIN TO WRITHE AND MOVE. The tarantula skitters across his shoulder. The skulls bleed from their eye sockets. The dagger seems to SLICE HIS FLESH. The youth screams in agony and drops to his knees. The other two punks look down in surprise. Suddenly the pierced guy's nose ring, earrings, nipple rings, studs and other piercing ornaments SPROUT BARBED HOOKS AND LARGE JAGGED BLADES WHICH PLUNGE THEMSELVES INTO HIS BODY AND NECK. The girl backs up against the glass. She screams as the two male punks collapse in agony and blood. Freddy smiles. PUNK GIRL Don't hurt me... please... She COUGHS, SMOKE coming out of her mouth. But she's not smoking -- _the smoke is pouring out of her own lungs_. She gasps for air, but every time she exhales more and more smoke comes out, black and deadly. She collapses. Freddy smiles and taps the button labeled "MALL LEVEL." CUT TO: INT. MALL - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT A set of LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOWS that look out onto the street level. A group of shoppers heading for the double doors... but as they approach, a series of LARGE ROLL-UP SECURITY GATES come crashing down, cutting off the exits. QUICK CUTS: -- As all of the other SECURITY GATES come crashing down in front of the mall exits, trapping the people inside. -- People begin SHAKING the gates and yelling. CROWD (various) Open up... come on, let's go... what's going on... open the gates, etc. ANGLE - THIRD LEVEL Freddy is now standing at a rail with a view of the ENTIRE MALL. From his vantage, we can see that _there are no security gates in place_. People are grabbing at nothing. Freddy has induced another Mass Nightmare. He savors the moment. FREDDY Time to shop till you drop. CUT TO: INT. UNDERGROUND PARKING STRUCTURE - NIGHT As Ruby and Sena pull into a parking spot. As they get out, Ruby drapes a coat over her shotgun and Sena stuffs his pistol into his waistband. They run to the elevator, press a button. The buttons are dark, inactive. RUBY It's not working. Let's take the stairs. They head off... INT. MALL - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT Security Guards have come to the Main Entrance and are trying to unlock the (supposed) security gates. A large crowd has gathered, people wanting to get out. A GUARD struggling with the gate without success sees something outside the glass doors. A PAIR OF HEADLIGHTS is coming closer and closer at high speed. The Guard looks a little worried, then realizes that it's a SEMI-TRUCK, and it isn't going to stop. GUARD (yells) Look out! He turns but the crowd is blocking his way. GUARD Get out of the way! Go, go, go! Too late. The SEMI-TRUCK CRASHES THROUGH THE PLATE GLASS WINDOW, SMASHING THROUGH THE CROWD. Bodies go flying, glass showering across the mall. A horrific sight. NEW ANGLE - PET SHOP TWO GIRLS are standing at the pet shop windows, looking down at some puppies and eating frozen yogurt. They turn at the sound of SCREAMS. From their vantage, they have a perfect view of the main entrance. People are falling to the ground, screaming in agony, some are thrown through the air, others running away. But the doors are intact and _there is no semi truck_. It's another Mass Nightmare. The girls are puzzled. GIRL #1 What are they doing? There's a low GROWL. They turn to the pet shop window and see that the puppies have been replaced by several snarling, growling ROTTWEILERS. The dogs are poised to strike. GIRL #2 Nice... doggie... The Rottweilers CRASH through the window on top on the girls and begin TEARING THEM APART. CAMERA MOVES OFF the girls... PANS TO the two NERDY BOYS seen earlier. They are standing outside the beachwear shop. Directly behind them, flanking the storefront are two bald female MANIKINS wearing skimpy thong-type bikinis. The boys are reacting to the sight of the girls shrieking in front of the pet store. CAMERA MOVES BACK to reveal what the Boys see -- which is nothing more than the girls twisting on the ground, screaming. There are no dogs and the windows are intact. A pair of puppies is watching through the window, barking. CAMERA PANS back to the boys. BOY Chicks are weird, man. The MANIKINS standing behind them have _changed position_. Their arms are outstretched and their fingers inches from the boys' necks. As the CAMERA MOVES AWAY, we hear the Boys' anguished cries of strangulation... CAMERA CONTINUES SWEEPING DOWN THE PROMENADE. People are starting to react in concern. There is a growing sense of panic spreading through the mall. CAMERA MOVES PAST a series of Mass Nightmares in progress: -- A storefront with the name "Happy Tooth Dental Clinic." Inside, we can hear the sound of DRILLS and people screaming in agony. The noises of ghastly dental mishaps -- "Kiddie Playland." Parents watch in terror as the JUNGLE GYM BARS TWIST around their children like pythons, crushing them to death. In a pit filled with multi-colored plastic balls children are SUCKED BENEATH the surface, vanishing from sight. -- FOLLOW two girls into the BATHROOM, where the girls seen earlier are still putting on make-up and preening. One vain girl is popping a pimple... when suddenly a horde of white WORMS COME SLITHERING OUT OF THE PIMPLE. She screams. Another girl is putting aerosol hair spray on her "mall-do" -- when the can SPITS OUT A JET OF FLAME, CHARRING HER FACE AND HAIR. NEW ANGLE - BATHROOM DOOR The girl who has been burned comes running out, screaming, frantically clawing at her face and head -- but she looks perfectly fine, no burns at all. CAMERA MOVES to a crowded ESCALATOR, which is going up. FOLLOW the TEEN COUPLE who were necking. They are clutching onto to each other with worried looks, not sure what's going on around them. They reach the top of the escalator where there is a small sign reading "Watch Your Step." They look down to see a POOL OF BLOOD where the steps disappear into the floor. They react. They try to step over the pool of blood, but are shocked to find that their _feet are stuck to the metal step_, as if glued there. BOYFRIEND I can't move! I can't move! As their step reaches the top, THEIR FEET ARE PULLED DIRECTLY DOWN INTO THE MECHANISM, SHREDDING THEIR ANKLES AND LEGS. As their bodies are MUNCHED into the escalator... INT. MALL - FOOD COURT A group of shoppers are gathered around the rotisserie chicken restaurant. Chickens on large skewers roasting over a flaming pit. Suddenly the FLAMES BLAST OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE FOOD COURT -- engulfing tables and diners in a HELLISH BLAZE. People scream as they're burned alive. NEW ANGLE Showing people writhing on the ground, burning alive -- but _there are no flames_. One of the burn victims working behind the counter at the chicken place falls over in agony, and as he does so knocks over the rotisserie stand itself -- sending BURNING GREASE AND OIL ACROSS THE FLOOR. _A REAL FIRE NOW BREAKS OUT_. ANGLE ON CEILING As the automatic sprinkler system kicks in... CLOSE ON CIRCUIT BOX A large power box which supplies electricity to the entire building. Krueger's hand comes into frame and his blades slice the conduits, cutting off power to the building in a shower of SPARKS. EXT. ELM STREET MALL - STREET LEVEL - NIGHT Ruby and Sena come running up to Main Entrance and look through the plate glass windows just as lights and power inside the mall start GOING OUT. INT. MALL - NIGHT The sprinkler system SHUTS OFF along with the power. The FIRE continues to spread from the Food Court to other shops. (NOTE: This fire will continue to build through the rest of the mall sequence.) EXT. ELM STREET MALL - STREET LEVEL - NIGHT Ruby and Sena peering through the Main Entrance. From- their viewpoint, it's a bizarre sight. People are running, screaming, collapsing in pain. FIRE is spreading through the mall. But none of the nightmare imagery is visible. RUBY Krueger's here. She drops the jacket from her shotgun and chambers a round as Sena pulls out a syringe. He finds a vein in his arm and injects himself. He then takes Ruby's arm and uses the second syringe to inject her. She winces as the needle sinks into her flesh. SENA Remember -- ten minutes. Ruby grabs the door, swings it open and they enter... INT. MALL - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT As they rush inside the now darkened mall. SENA Everyone out! Get out! The doors are open, get out! People start making a mad dash for the doors, but some are still paralyzed by the nightmare imagery. (NOTE: From this point on, the mall will be essentially deserted unless specifically called for in the script.) RUBY Where is he? They start walking through the scene of madness. They have to step over bodies... dodge running shoppers in the throes of waking nightmare images. They enter the middle of the courtyard... glance around. Finally, Ruby sees something. RUBY'S POV Standing on the Third Level surveying his handiwork is FREDDY. RESUME RUBY She freezes, then quickly shoulders the shotgun and FIRES OFF a round -- The BLAST misses, hitting an espresso stand next to Freddy. Hot coffee SPRAYS all around, catching Freddy full in the face. He yells out as the scalding coffee burns him. He disappears into the shadows. Ruby and Sena run to the escalator and start making their way up it. At the top of the stairs they have to step over SEVERAL DEAD BODIES -- victims of the escalator nightmare. NEW ANGLE - THIRD LEVEL As Ruby and Sena reach the Third Level. They look through the dim light... smoke is hanging in the air from various fires. SENA (glances at watch) We're down to seven minutes. RUBY Let's split up. You take the left side, I'll take the right. We'll meet in front of the Cineplex. They split off and walk along opposite sides of the mall, the open-air courtyard separating the two of them. ON RUBY walking carefully past storefronts, searching... ON SENA doing the same. An eight-old GIRL staggers out of a toy store, scared out her wits. She stumbles, falls to the ground, struggling against an unseen attacker. Sena rushes to her aid, glances up at the toy store. The display window is filled with porcelain DOLLS, the emergency lights giving them an eerie appearance. The girl must think the dolls are attacking her. Sena grabs her by the shoulders. SENA It's not real! _It's not real_! We see tiny BITE MARKS appear on the girl's arms and neck -- as though from doll-sized teeth. The girl screams louder. Sena sets his pistol down, pulls out a syringe and fills it with the rest of the dream-inhibitor drug. He grabs the struggling girl and INJECTS her with a small amount of the drug. After a moment, she settles down. She glances at the dolls in the window, confused. SENA It's all right, honey. They can't hurt you now. FINGER BLADES SLASH into the scene, ripping into Sena's shoulder. The girl squeals and runs off as Sena collapses onto the ground. The syringe with the remaining dream-inhibitor falls from his grasp and TUMBLES off the edge and DOWN TWO LEVELS. It falls into the decorative water fountain with a splash. Sena tries to scramble for his pistol, but Freddy is standing on it. FREDDY Nurse -- this man needs attention! SENA'S POV Happy Tooth Dental Clinic. Out walks a gorgeous, buxom NURSE in a too-tight and too-short uniform. She steps toward Sena, unbuttoning her top. She leans down toward him, opens her shirt to reveal a healthy set of BREASTS. Sena is momentarily transfixed by the sight, until he sees that instead of nipples there are LITTLE MOUTHS WITH RAZOR SHARP TEETH IN THEM. The mouths snap ferociously, like piranhas. She grabs the back of his head and pulls his face toward the flashing teeth. Sena closes his eyes, shakes his head... and when he opens them the nurse FADES AWAY, VANISHING. The inhibitor is working. Freddy frowns in puzzlement. FREDDY I see I'll have to do this myself. He grabs Sena by the hair to expose his throat, raises his finger blades to strike -- _BLAM_! A shotgun blast CATCHES Freddy in the shoulder, knocks him off his feet. NEW ANGLE revealing Ruby standing across the open courtyard against the rail, aiming the shotgun. Freddy has fallen out of her view. Sena and Freddy are both on the floor. Freddy looks down in shock at his shoulder -- IT HAS A GAPING GUNSHOT WOUND. (NOTE: Freddy's wound will _not_ heal itself -- he can be hurt now that he's mortal.) SERA (ragged) Reality sucks, doesn't it? Freddy leaps to his feet. Another SHOTGUN BLAST hits the wall next to him. He runs off down the mall, toward the Cineplex. Sena is badly hurt, leans against the rail. RUBY (calls to Sena) Are you all right? SENA For the moment! You've only got about two minutes left! Hurry! Ruby takes off towards the Cineplex... INT. CINEPLEX - LOBBY - NIGHT Ruby enters the darkened lobby, stops. No one in sight. Freddy could be anywhere. She chambers a round into the shotgun... begins to carefully walk around... passes the concession stand, where a teenager for some reason is crammed INSIDE the popcorn machine, his eyes bulging, clearly dead. Ruby looks behind the counter -- no Freddy. She walks past the velvet rope that cordons off the theaters themselves... INT. CINEPLEX - HALL OF THEATERS Ruby walks into the long hallway. From this spot, we can see SIX DOORS, three on either side. Each door has a one-sheet poster next to it for the movie playing inside. There are a couple of dead ushers lying in the corridor. The red emergency lighting gives the hall a sinister, nightmarish quality. Ruby proceeds carefully.. kicks open the door to the first theater, looks inside... INSIDE THE THEATER are a couple of dead moviegoers sitting in their seats, no sign of Freddy. Ruby keeps moving down the hall... kicks open the second door... nothing. She glances down at her watch nervously, time is running out. She looks up and is shocked to see -- _Jason_ is standing not five feet away from her! She freezes, then relaxes. It's just a life-sized CARDBOARD STANDEE of Jason promoting the latest movie: "_Jason: 2010_." Jason is in a dramatic pose, with a futuristic weapon resembling a steel pipe raised high. This is a strange, robotic, Terminator-like Jason with a steel hockey mask and glowing electronic eyes. It's Robo-Jason. Ruby takes a breath, moves past the standee to the third door... She looks inside -- empty. She comes back into the hall, starts to cross the hall to the other set of doors... then stops, freezes, turns around and looks at the standee. The picture of Robo-Jason is _gone_, leaving only the background of the image. Ruby stares at this for a moment, then we hear the distant LAUGHTER of Freddy. Ruby tries to steady herself and locate the sound of the laughter... ...then at the end of the hall she sees ROBO-JASON dressed exactly as he was on the standee, holding the weapon. Robo-Jason taps a control in the weapon and an array of terrible BLADES and SPIKES jut out of the pipe -- the ultimate chopping machine. He starts walking toward her with that slow, deliberate walk, made more frightening by the whirr and click of his mechanized body. RUBY This isn't real... She closes her eyes, tries to shake off the image... opens her eyes again. The image of Robo-Jason FADES and WAVERS for a moment, as if it's going to disappear... But then the image SOLIDIFIES. RUBY Oh shit... it's wearing off... Robo-Jason is coming closer... she's cornered... there's no way out of this hallway. Robo-Jason raises the bladed weapon to strike. Ruby takes aim and FIRES at the nightmare image. The shotgun BLAST seems to pass right through his chest, not fazing him. Ruby continues backing up, terrified. RUBY No... Freddy steps out from behind a standee for a movie called "My Favorite Unicorn," a treacly children's classic. FREDDY (to Ruby) Counselor... I think your client's unhappy with his representation. Ruby turns, tries to level the shotgun at Freddy but it's too late. Robo-Jason is on top her. He SWINGS the weapon and she is barely able to deflect the blades with the barrel of the shotgun. She loses it in the process and the gun clatters to the floor. Robo-Jason swings at her again, catching her in the KNEE with a blade. She goes down, scrambles away on her back until she hits a wall. Robo-Jason continues to advance on her... Freddy watches with a smile on his face. His back is to the entrance to the hall which leads out to the lobby. FREDDY Verdict's in, bitch. You're guilty of fucking with the wrong guy. At this moment we see a SHAPE creeping up behind Freddy. He senses it and whirls around to see -- THE REAL JASON has arrived. He's holding the fire axe, and stops a few feet away. Freddy smiles. FREDDY Well, well... the little man in the mask is back for more. ANGLE ON RUBY The nightmare image of Robo-Jason FADES AWAY. She sits up, watching the two men face off. JASON AND FREDDY Jason watches Freddy for a moment, murderous rage in his eyes behind the hockey mask. His fist clenches around the axe handle. FREDDY What's wrong? Waiting for Mommy to tell you what to do? (beat) I'd like you to meet a friend of mine -- someone you're very familiar with. The NIGHTMARE IMAGE OF ROBO-JASON suddenly appears next to Freddy. The real Jason hesitates, looks at himself for a moment. Then Robo-Jason ATTACKS. Real Jason swings the axe at the image of himself, and for a bizarre moment the TWO JASONS FIGHT A VICIOUS AXE/FUTURISTIC WEAPON BATTLE in the hall. Clanking weapons, sparks flying -- real Jason collects a couple of wounds along the way. Ruby watches. From her point of view, Jason is struggling against nothing. She looks around, sees the shotgun nearby. She crawls over to it. Freddy's attention is on Jason. She picks up the shotgun, points it at Freddy and pulls the trigger -- Click. The gun is empty. Freddy turns at the sound. He holds up the finger blades, moves for Ruby. She takes the shotgun, swings it like a club, hits Freddy in the knees, taking him down. As he falls, Robo-Jason seems to falter and stumble in response. The real Jason PLANTS THE AXE directly in Robo-Jason's head, dropping him to the ground, _dead_. Freddy rolls off the carpet, and speeds out into the lobby and disappears into the mall before Jason can get to him. Jason looks over at Ruby. She's holding her bloodied leg in pain. Their eyes meet for a moment. Jason turns and runs out into the mall... INT. MALL - THIRD LEVEL - NIGHT Jason steps onto the darkened promenade, looks around. We hear Freddy's LAUGHTER. He turns., Freddy is standing at the far end of the mall across the open-air courtyard from Jason. He's also on the Third Level, standing on the-opposing rail. At this distance, we can only see his silhouette against firelight. Jason's eyes harden and he starts striding down the promenade towards Freddy, utterly determined to destroy him. But he stops. Lined along the promenade are literally FIFTY BODY BAGS which are standing up and leaning against the wall. Some are behind Jason too, trapping him in the middle. FREDDY Some old friends of yours would like to see you. The body bags start UNZIPPING by themselves one by one. And the CORPSES OF ALL OF JASON'S VICTIMS step out onto the promenade. It's a ghastly sight. Some are badly decomposed, others looks freshly mutilated. Among them we also see Biller and Janet from the beginning of the movie, both with gaping wounds from when they were killed. The victims turn toward Jason and start converging on him with vengeful expressions. FREDDY It's a regular family reunion. Jason is momentarily frozen to the spot. He's not sure what to do when confronted with these specters from his past. Biller is the first one to attack Jason -- he leaps at Jason with his bare hands. Jason THROWS him off. Then Janet's on top of him. He slams her to the ground. Then another victim... and another. Fifty of them swarming over Jason like ants... Jason is almost smothered by the crush of bodies. But Jason's strength is unbelievable -- he keeps pressing forward, HACKING AND FIGHTING his way through the crowd of frenzied victims trying to tear at his body. But the victims are taking their toll. He throws victims through plate-glass windows... hacking others to pieces... but they just keep coming. The fight is destroying the mall in the process -- merchandise crashing to the floor, windows shattering, columns of plaster crumbling. Jason has made it halfway to Freddy at this point, but it doesn't look like he'll make it all the way. The crowd is pressing him back against the railing and toward the steep drop below. There's no way out... it's a panicky moment... Jason manages to raise his axe and swings it down hard and CONNECTS with the rail itself. The rail is SPLIT IN TWO. The entire RAIL GIVES WAY and Jason and the crowd of victims FALL OVER THE EDGE! Jason's hand grabs a metal strut and he holds on as the victims PLUMMET to the First Level. BODIES smash and pile up on the ground below. Jason hangs there for a moment... then is forced to drop the axe and grab the edge of the promenade. He's about to pull himself back up when suddenly FINGER BLADES move into view. He looks up to see Freddy leaning down, finger blades pointed directly at his face. He scrapes the blades along the hockey mask, toying with him. The tip of two blades stop inches Jason's eyeballs. With the tiniest flick of his wrist, Freddy could put the blades into Jason's eyes. ANGLE ON RUBY who has dragged herself to the far railing, where she can see Jason and Freddy down the promenade... FREDDY AND JASON Freddy poised to kill his long-lost victim. FREDDY I should've finished you off a long time ago. But then again... maybe fate has brought us together. Freddy leans in close, face-to-face with Jason keeping the finger blades pointed at his eyes. FREDDY You're my creation, Jason. All that you are you owe to me. (beat) We're stronger together than we are apart. Join me. And this world will be ours. Jason's eyes never leave Freddy's. A long, tense beat... then Jason's eyes widen at something he sees: Freddy has become JASON'S MOTHER, still wearing the finger blades aimed at Jason. MOTHER (sweetly) Trust me, Jason. Momma's going to take care of you. Everything's going to be all right. She smiles gently at him. Jason drops his eyes slightly, as if considering... then in a lightning move he takes a hand off the ledge and GRABS Freddy's finger blades and STABS THEM INTO his mother's throat. NEW ANGLE as Freddy stands up, the blades buried deep in his neck, blood squirting from the deadly wound... he claws desperately at the blades... gurgling... and stumbles off down the promenade... JASON heaves himself up over the railing and onto the Third Level. Freddy is gone. He glances around, then Jason CRASHES his arm through the window of a sporting goods shop, grabs a BASEBALL BAT out of the hands of a manikin and begins looking for Freddy... RUBY watches Jason for a beat... thinks.. gets an idea... looks down to the First Level... HER POV: The syringe and the medicine bottle can be seen floating in the large water fountain. Ruby heads off... JASON is walking along the Promenade. Suddenly he hears Ruby's Voice coming from inside, the Dental Clinic. RUBY'S VOICE Jason, help me! Jason! Jason rushes inside the clinic. INT. DENTAL CLINIC The office is dark as Jason ENTERS. He peers into a treatment room, where Ruby has now been strapped to a dental chair, hoses in her mouth, and a dentist's drill buzzing inches away from her face. Jason moves to help her. The expression on Ruby's face changes... she smirks at him in contempt, and when she speaks, it's in Freddy's voice. RUBY (Freddy's voice) You're getting soft in your old age. Suddenly, Jason's grabbed from behind! Freddy POUNCES on him, knocking him against a wall. Freddy has a small, portable GAS CYLINDER -- on the side it says NITROUS OXIDE. He aims the tank at Jason's face, presses a nozzle and a BLAST OF GAS comes out. FREDDY Sweet dreams! Jason struggles, but it's a few seconds before he can get Freddy off of him and knock aside the gas tank. (The image of Ruby in the chair is now _gone_.) INT. MALL - THIRD LEVEL - NIGHT Jason stumbles out onto the promenade, trying to hold onto consciousness, but it's a losing battle. He took in too much gas. Freddy, who's bleeding profusely and is dying, stumbles after him... The FIRE has now consumed most of the ground floor, and is spreading to the Second and Third Levels, threatening.-to engulf the entire building. Freddy chases Jason down the promenade. Jason's steps are getting slower -- the effects of the gas taking its toll. He's seconds away from losing conscious. Finally, Freddy makes a desperate LUNGE at him, catching him off guard. The two men TUMBLE OVER THE RAIL -- -- and THROUGH THE AIR DOWN, DOWN INTO THE WATER FOUNTAIN, on the First Level, with a tremendous SPLASH. There's a beat. The bodies of the two men float in the water for a moment... then Freddy lifts his head and pulls the form of Jason over to him. Jason's eyes are fluttering... he's falling asleep. FREDDY Once I'm back in your dreams... I'll be whole again. Then you're mine... Jason's eyes close. He's _asleep_. Freddy takes a hand and PUSHES IT INTO JASON'S CHEST (the same effect seen before) -- HE'S ESCAPING BACK INTO THE DREAMWORLD. Freddy manages to get his arm... and then his shoulder into Jason's chest. He smiles -- victory is at hand. Suddenly, a HAND flies into frame from off camera and PLUNGES a needle into Jason's neck. It's _Ruby_. She INJECTS Jason with the dream inhibitor. RUBY Time to face reality, Krueger. Suddenly, Jason's eyes fly open. He's awake and Freddy's doorway between reality and the dreamworld has been _closed_, TRAPPING HIM IN-BETWEEN THE TWO REALITIES. The effect of this is startling: Freddy's arm, shoulder and part of his torso are HALF-IN, HALF-OUT OF JASON'S CHEST. THE TWO MEN HAVE BEEN FUSED TOGETHER IN A HORRIFIC IMAGE. Freddy roars in pain and outrage. Ruby recoils at the sight as the creature that is now FREDDY/JASON heaves itself up out of the water with a superhuman effort, carrying them out of the fountain and onto the floor. Jason and Freddy continue to struggle and claw at each other like wild animals. But the FLAMES in the mall are getting higher... support beams and material from the upper floors catching fire and CRASHING down below. Jason, in his agony, looks over at Ruby and for a moment their eyes meet. Jason speaks, his voice low and hoarse. JASON _Get out_. This surprising statement brings Ruby back to the reality of her situation. She heads off through the thickening smoke and flames, leaving Freddy/Jason struggling in the Hell-like cauldron of the burning mall. ON SENA who's collapsed near a stairwell, overcome by the smoke. Ruby, coughing and struggling, picks him up in a fireman's carry and heads off. EXT. ELM STREET MALL - NIGHT The mall is engulfed in flames. Fire trucks and police are everywhere, but the blaze is clearly out of control. RUBY comes staggering out of the mall with Sena. She drops him to the pavement as two paramedics rush up to help him. We see that many of the Shoppers in the Mall seen earlier are being tended to by rescue teams in the park parking lot in the b.g. Ruby tries to catch her breath and looks back up at the burning mall. INT. MALL - GROUND FLOOR - WIDE SHOT The building is now completely filled with flames. On the ground floor, we see the writhing form of Freddy/Jason. CLOSER ON FREDDY/JASON Jason tries to strangle the hideous form of Freddy, who is slashing at him in fury. FREDDY Let me go, you freak! Jason staggers a few more feet, falls into the entrance of a store called CAMPING WORLD. He glances off to the side... sees a stack of PROPANE TANKS, meant to fuel outdoor gas stoves. He takes his hand off Freddy's neck... reaches out for the tanks... Freddy STABS his finger blades again and again into Jason -- desperate to kill him. Jason gets his hand around one of the tanks... brings it close. Freddy's eyes widen as he realizes what Jason's about to do. FREDDY _NO_! With a quick move, Jason snaps off the safety nozzle. The tank lets out a JET STREAM of PROPANE from the tank -- THE TANK AND THE ADJACENT TANKS OF PROPANE _EXPLODE_. THE FLAMES RIP THROUGH FREDDY/JASON. THE TWO MEN ARE _SEVERED_ AND BLASTED TO SHREDS. EXT. ELM STREET MALL - NIGHT The Mall is ROCKED by a TITANIC EXPLOSION. Every window blowing out... people knocked off their feet... others diving for cover... RUBY covers her head from the blast, then cautiously looks up at the mall. She stares at the awesome sight. INCLUDE SENA He sits up, regaining conscious, coughing and groggy. A paramedic tries to put a mask on his face, but he pushes it away. He turns to Ruby. SENA What happened? Where's Jason? RUBY My client... is dead. (beat) But I think he's a free man. Off her face as she stares at the flaming building... DISSOLVE TO: EXT. JASON'S HOUSE - DAY The house is quiet... a crisp spring day at Crystal Lake. A "Condemned" sign hangs on the front door. We hear a MAN'S VOICE from O.S. MAN'S VOICE Okay, we're ready. Everyone stand clear. WIDER Revealing that the Man is part of a wrecking crew that is here to demolish the house. There are numerous construction workers with BULLDOZERS and other heavy equipment nearby. Someone STARTS UP a bulldozer... DISSOLVE TO: INT. MOTHER'S BEDROOM - DAY Exactly as we saw it last -- everything in its place. We can hear the SOUND of the. bulldozer getting closer. CAMERA MOVES to the dresser and PUSHES IN on the black and white photo of young Jason seen earlier. But the picture seems to have changed. Instead of the look on the boy's face being haunted... he's now _smiling_ with the carefree innocence of youth. The bulldozer blade CRASHES through the wall and as the building collapses, we... CUT TO BLACK. _THE END_ Friday the 13th : The Website http://www.fridaythe13thfilms.com -------------------------- Hosted by "Almost A Movie" http://www.maddogmovies.com/almost