Ghostbusters: The Stuff of Nightmares

by Knight Writer 95

Children are disappearing from their beds in the middle of the night as a new Ghostbusters unit is established in the California Central Valley. The only problem is these new recruits are college students lacking proper training. Can these rookie 'busters find out the who, where, and why or will they end up taking the fall? Please R&R.

Ghostbusters

The Stuff of Nightmares

By

David Harder

And

Jay Powell

OPENING SCENE

EXTERIOR WIDE SHOT OF HOUSE AT THE BACK OF A CUL-DE-SAC. NIGHT. SLOWLY ZOOM IN.

CUT TO A KID'S BEDROOM

MID SHOT OF MAN IN THE DOORWAY

Mr. B (from door): Good night Micah.

Micah (from bed): Dad, wait! Aren't you going to check the closet for monsters?

Mr. B: Micah, I'm sure there are no monsters in your closet.

Micah: Will you check anyway? Please? (Worried expression)

Mr. B (Shakes head and sighs): All right, I'll check. (Crosses to closet and opens door) There. You see? No monsters. Now go to sleep. You've got school tomorrow.

Micah: What about under the bed?

Mr. B: I'm very sure there are no monsters under your bed.

Micah: But what if there are?

Mr. B: Then hit them with a bat.

Micah: But… (Gets cut off by his dad)

Mr. B: There are no monsters in the closet or under the bed. Now go to sleep. It's late enough already.

Micah (hesitantly): Good night dad.

Mr. B: Good night Micah. And remember; hit the monsters with a bat. (Leaves and closes door behind him.)

MID SHOT FROM CRACK IN CLOSET DOOR AS THE BEDROOM DOOR CLOSES. SOUND OF BREATHING IS HEARD.

MICAH LAYS HIS HEAD DOWN ON THE PILLOW AND TURNS TO FACE THE CLOSET. A LIGHT APPEARS FROM UNDERNEATH THE CLOSET DOOR.

Micah (frightened, quiet voice): Dad? (Nothing happens) Great! I bet all the monsters are in the closet.

MICAH REACHES FOR A BASE BALL BAT BESIDE HIS BED AND PREPARES TO SWING AT THE MONSTER IN THE CLOSET. CLOSET DOOR FLIES OPEN AND HAUNTING LAUGHTER IS HEARD. ZOOM IN ON MICAH AS HE DROPS HIS BAT AND SCREAMS.

EXTERIOR SHOT OF BEDROOM DOOR AS LIGHT FADES.

INTERIOR SHOT OF ROOM. FOCUS ON THE CLOSET AS THE LIGHT FADES FROM THE NOW CLOSED CLOSET DOOR CRACKS. FOCUS BACK TO THE BAT ON THE FLOOR AS VOICES ARE HEARD FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR. DOOR SWINGS OPEN AND LIGHT FLOODS IN ILLUMINATING THE BAT.

FADE TO GHOST DESIGN AND OPENING CREDITS. GHOSTBUSTERS THEME.

MELT TO THE SIGN OUTSIDE CSU STANISLAUS. DAVID WALKS ACROSS THE CAMERA FRAME AS HE LEAVES THE COLLEGE. DAVID'S CELL PHONE RINGS AS HE'S CROSSING THE BRIDGE. DAVID ANSWERS THE PHONE.

David (annoyed voice): What is it Jay? I just got out of a very long and boring calculus class. My brain feels like it's going to crash and all I want to do right now is go home, crash on the sofa, and watch Doctor Who until I slip into a coma.

Jay (other end of line): I was just calling to remind you that all of us that were picked out to be the new Turlock Ghostbusters are going to meet up at the HQ later today.

David: Oh shoot! Is that really today?

SHIFT TO JAY AT HIS HOUSE

Jay: Yes, it is. (Voice takes on an edge) Did you forget?

SHIFT TO DAVID

David: Don't blame me, it's calculus.

Jay: Right.

David: It could have been worse. I hear we're reading Jane Austen in English next. Somebody give me a paper shredder or a match.

Jay: It can't be that bad.

David: Yes it can. Do you remember when we read John Grisham Sophomore year?

Jay: Yes.

David: Well take Grisham and cube him. That's how boring Jane Austen is. You're lucky! You didn't take AP Lit Senior year. I did. It was horrible. At least A Painted House managed to barely maintain my interest for the entire length. My mind kept wandering during Pride and Prejudice. Now we're reading Sense and Sensibility. Maybe my dog would like it for breakfast.

SHIFT TO JAY

Jay: You won't really do that will you?

David: I might. Besides, Cesar will probably get more out of it than I would.

Jay: So are you going to be able to attend the meeting or should we reschedule?

David: I'll be there. Just let me catch up on my beauty rest first. I'll set an alarm.

Jay: If you're not there on time I'm coming to your house, letting your dog in, and have him cold nose you.

SHIFT TO DAVID

David: Now that's cruel even for you.

Jay: I blame the latte I had earlier today.

David: Lattes again? I thought you were giving those up.

SHIFT TO JAY

Jay: I can't. They're just too good. (Takes sip of latte)

SHIFT TO DAVID

David: Well I'd better get going or I'm going to fall asleep standing up. I'll see you at the meeting.

FADE TO EXTERIOR OF TURLOCK GHOSTBUSTERS HQ

CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT OF JAY TINKERING WITH A PROTON PACK

Jay (to David as he walks in): Oh, hey. You made it on time.

David (as he sits down at the table Jay's working at): Yeah, you threatening to have Cesar wet nose me in bed was a good motivator.

Jay: It better be a good motivator, David! You don't know what else I got planned for you if you don't comply with my requests. (Gets in David's face) Because I can!

David: Yeah, right. Where's the other recruit?

Jay: Not here yet. David? We have a problem.

David: What's that?

Jay: I'm left handed.

David: So?

Jay: I'm left handed.

David: What's your point?

Jay (Getting really annoyed): My point is that I'm left handed.

David: What are you getting at?

Jay: I shoot stuff with my left hand, David.

David: Yeah, so?

Jay: So how am I supposed to shoot with these proton guns?

David: Wait, what?

Jay (Indicating where the neutrona wand is): The gun is right here. I need to draw it with this hand (Raises his left hand to emphasize).

David: Oh. That's what you meant.

Jay: God, David. I'm going to slap you on the back of the head (Gets up and approaches David). And then I'm going to fool you by hitting you in the chest when you think I'm going to hit the back of your head.

David: And you really shouldn't tell me what you're going to do.

Jay: Exactly. (Slaps David on the back of the head)

Ashley (As she walks in): Hi, is this the Turlock Ghostbusters HQ?

Jay (With one hand around right side of mouth): That depends on who's asking. And I find it very rude that you just walked in here. Why would you do that?

Ashley: Because I'm one of the new Ghostbusters. And are you going to talk like that the entire time?

Jay: Yes. It is very cool.

David: Ignore him. He's like that all the time.

Jay: He is right. I am like this all the time.

Ashley: Is he going to keep his hand like that all the time?

Jay: Probably.

Ashley (Casts wary glance at Jay): I'm Ashley Miller.

David: I'm David Harder and this is my friend, Jay Powell. And Jay, like I said—

JAY INTERRUPTS

Jay: I am like this all the time.

David: What he said.

Jay: You know that I am like this all the time. It's my job and this is life. Don't judge me. I like words. (Grabs Nerf gun from table and shoots at light overhead. Dart sticks) Yes! Victory! (Raises hands in victory) Oh. Shoot. I moved my hand away from my face. Well then. I will have to destroy David. (Points Nerf gun at David. David raises hand to block dart. Gun fires and the dart hits David's hand and the dart stays in the gun barrel. Jay and David look at dart just hanging out of the tip and burst into laughter.)

Ashley: Is it like this all the time?

David: Yeah, pretty much.

JAY RAISES NERF GUN AND FIRES. DART HITS DAVID IN THE FACE.

David: Ouch! What was that for?

Jay: For speaking words. Only I am aloud to speak words first. You may only speak when I tell you I can speak. You may speak.

David: Like I said, he's like this almost all the time. He's a bit more…Jay, for lack of a better term right now. But trust me, it could be worse. You don't want to see him—

JAY INTERRUPTS DAVID

Jay: You are no longer allowed to speak David. That privilege has now been taken from you.

David: (Rolls eyes) Yeah, as you can see—

JAY SHOOTS DAVID IN THE FACE WITH NERF GUN

David: OW! Stop that!

Jay: What did I just say? You are now allowed to speak again.

David: Trust me. You don't want to see him when he's just had a latte.

Ashley: Ok…?

Jay: I just had a latte ten minutes ago.

David: There, you see? That's why he's like this. He's normally much more docile than this.

JAY SHOOTS DAVID WITH NERF GUN AGAIN.

David: Ow! Again?

Jay: You are no longer allowed to speak words.

SCREEN FADES TO BLACK

Jay: OK. I feel rudely interrupted now.

SOUND OF NERF GUN BEING FIRED IS HEARD

David: OW!

---

A/N: So there you have it, the first part of a script for a fan film I plan to make. What do you think? I hope you found it good and humorous. Things will get better as the script progresses. And the part where Jay is saying all those kind of weird things, his real life counterpart actually said those while we were working on the script. They were too perfect to not put in the script. And yes, he really is like that in real life when he's had a latte or is just tired. After five years of knowing him, I've gotten used to it. R&R.

Coming Soon to YouTube.

Knight Writer 95