An American Werewolf in Paris

amy

I don't know... Surprise me.

He thinks a moment, then puts his arm around her and whispers in her ear. She squeals with delight.

amy

Are you kidding?! I LOVE Jim Morisson!!

Inspector Marcel, who's eavesdropping from around a nearby corner, rolls his eyes to heaven. Oh brother. The Doors' "Backdoor Man" kicks loud as we

cut to:

EXT. PERE LACHAISE - NIGHT

Marcel is hiding behind a grave, spying. His passion for police work has been reborn, judging from his rapt, totally absorbed stare. He's watching...

ANDY AND AMY

having extremely hot and primal sex on Jim Morrison's grave, lit by dozens of flickering candles people have "left for Jim". He pours red wine into their mouths. Sweat and wine drip off their naked bodies. The sex heats up to an intense, screaming clim ax. Amy squeals with ecstasy.

amy

My God! You're an animal!

But Andy's still accelerating- transported to another plane. Sweat pours from his brow. His face contorts with each groan, but now it's hard to tell if it's from pleasure or pain. His body jerks violently and his skin suddenly blushes bright red. Amy w inces.

amy

Ahh! Jesus! You're burning hot! What the hell-

andy

AHHHHHHH!

Marcel is a little disconcerted.

MARCEL

(French, to himself)

Alright already, you passed the audition for God's sakes.

Andy's skin literally glows red, turning his sweat to steam. He leaps off Amy and disappears into the sprawling cemetery, screaming in agony. Amy watches him go.

amy

Hey, where are you going!?

Marcel starts off after Andy, taking the wide route around Amy. Andy's scream echoes through the cemetery. Amy pulls her dress on.

AMY

Creep.

ANDY

red hot (literally), weaves through the tombs, screaming. He comes to a small courtyard with an ORNATE FOUNTAIN. He dives into the brackish water. Clouds of steam rise off the water as he thrashes about under the marble goddess in the center of the fou ntain.

AMY

searches through the graveyard. She's got Andy's clothes.

amy

I don't know what's wrong with you, man, but I got your pants, so we better talk.

THE FOUNTAIN

Andy's gurgling screams are changing, becoming less human. We catch glimpses of body parts as they surface from the churning froth- GROTESQUE, FLAILING LIMBS somewhere in mid-transformation between human and beast.

MARCEL

steps cautiously through the ancient, ornate tombs and mausoleums, listening to the distant splashing and sporadic inhuman screams. He draws his gun and loads a cartridge. Suddenly a horrible grunt and loud SMASH pierce the air. Marcel wheels around an d smacks nose first into a gravestone.

marcel

Merde!

AMY

in another part of the graveyard, stops in her tracks, listening. Another SMASH followed by crumbling, and rushing water.

amy

(to herself)

He's gone psycho ballistic. This is bad.

Amy feels something and looks down. There's a stream of water flowing around her feet. She follows it towards its source and steps into

THE COURTYARD

The fountain has been smashed- the stone rim cracked into bits and the center statue fallen to the ground. There's no sign of Andy. Amy walks up to the fountain.

AMY

Oh my God...

She notices something on the ground. It's the STONE GODDESS, smashed into several pieces. We hear a low growl. Amy looks up, terrified. She scans the GRAVES around the perimeter of the courtyard. She takes a few tentative steps backward.

Suddenly a MASSIVE TOMBSTONE is wrenched off its base (most of the ancient stone markers are eroded and crumbling- many already fallen over). It falls like a tree, revealing the familiar pair of piercing yellow eyes behind it, framed by the dim outline of a massive beast. Amy emits an odd, primitive whine.

amy

Unnnhh...

She runs away from the beast, across the courtyard and disappears into the graves.

In the DENSE FOREST OF TALL TOMBSTONES, Amy zigs and zags through narrow spaces, barely wide enough for her slender body to fit through. The camera CRANES UP.

HIGH ANGLE

Thirty paces behind Amy, pairs of tombstones split apart like jungle vegetation, crashing thunderously to the ground. The unseen beast's path is slowed by the monuments, but still follows Amy.

Amy looks back as she runs. She sees the tops of tombstones fall behind her. She comes to a railing at the top of a fifteen foot wall separating a LOWER LEVEL of the cemetery. She hangs over the edge and quietly drops.

She runs down a path comes to an intersection where six paths converge. She looks down each of them, but can't see the outer walls of the cemetery- just an endless landscape of graves. She sprints down a path and ducks behind A LARGE CRYPT.

Up on the higher level, the beast howls. She looks up and sees its silhouette sniffing the air, the full moon looming behind it. She looks up at the iron door on the crypt. Then she reaches into her purse...

THE BEAST'S POV

Its HEAVY BREATH dominates the soundtrack. It scans the sprawl of graves from its perch on the hill, sniffing. It locks it's stare on the large crypt. It sniffs again. With a growl, it leaps over the railing (we stay with its POV) and hits the ground r unning. It runs up a twisting path, closing in on THE CRYPT. It arrives at the back of the crypt and circles it, sniffing. It stops in front of the door.

THE BEAST'S EYES

Narrow and glow with intense predatory focus.

INSIDE THE CRYPT

We're looking at the door. CRASH! It flies open, revealing the snarling beast, backlit by the moon. It lunges in and stops.

THE BEAST'S POV

Scans back and forth- the crypt is empty. The beast sniffs again and growls with rage.

AMY

somewhere else in the graveyard, sprays a long blast of perfume into another crypt, and sneaks into the endless maze of tombs. We hear the enraged beast smash into another crypt a hundred yards away.

Amy comes to ANOTHER FOUNTAIN and slips into the water, quietly rinsing herself.

THE BEAST'S POV

smashes into another crypt. Nothing's inside. It backs up and runs to another crypt. SMASH! Nothing. The growls grow more furious. It crashes down another door. Nothing.

Amy, dripping wet, pads down a row of ancient family mausoleums. She pauses as the beast lets loose a horrible howl and topples a monument some distance away. She tries the heavy iron door on a SMALL GOTHIC MAUSOLEUM. It opens. She slips inside.

IN THE MAUSOLEUM

Amy crouches under the small portal and STAIN GLASS WINDOW, which depicts the Virgin Mary. She struggles to quiet her breathing, and listens...

She hears only the trickling water from the nearby fountain. Then... some crackling twigs...then a SNIFF...another SNIFF, closer. Trembling, Amy quietly raises herself, peers out the portal and sees

MARCEL

Standing a few paces away, SNIFFING and trying to stem the flow from his bloody nose.

marcel

Merde...

Amy breaths a sigh of relief. Then-

THE BEAST springs out of the darkness behind Marcel- a blur of eyes, claws, and teeth- and tackles him to the ground.

IN THE MAUSOLEUM

Amy drops down to the floor, huddled in terror. A GUN SHOT hits the STAIN GLASS above Amy's head, shattering the Holy Virgin. Another GUN SHOT followed by a ROAR OF PAIN from the beast. But the pained roar quickly becomes VICIOUS SNARLING again. There are no more shots, just horrible snarls, screams, and ripping flesh. BLOOD splatters through the portal and drips down Amy's face. She hunkers down. Then, the sound of steps going away, and at last...silence.

Amy waits. We hear only the fountain and another, closer DRIPPING. It's Amy's wet clothes, still dripping into A PUDDLE on the floor, which is dripping UNDER THE IRON DOOR, into a small STREAM flowing on the otherwise dry STONE WALKWAY, away from the M ausoleum.

In the mausoleum, Amy listens a bit more. Satisfied the coast is clear, she quietly turns to the iron door, grasps the handle and slowly turns it. But before it clicks open-

RRRIIP!! The iron door is wrenched out of Amy's hand and

off it's hinges, revealing

THE BEAST, up close and in clear view for the first time- it's truly awesome- a huge leering mouth full of razor sharp teeth, a hulking body built like a wolf but as massive as a bear, and vaguely humanoid paws with big hook claws. There's a bloody FLE SH WOUND in its right shoulder.

It snarls savagely at Amy. She chokes out a little cry. The beast lunges.

OUTSIDE THE MAUSOLEUM - HIGH ANGLE

The beast's powerful hind section sticks out of the mausoleum, kicking a bit as it rips into its prey. The graveyard sprawls endlessly under the big moon, which hangs low in the sky.

FADE TO BLACK.

EXT. TERRENCE'S APT. BUILDING COURTYARD - MORNING

We hear Lulu the poodle's bell jingling behind a bush. Madame Chretein pokes her head out her door and whistles for Lulu. The bell keeps jingling, but Lulu doesn't come. She calls its name. It still won't come. She steps out into the courtyard in her b athrobe and walks towards the bush, calling for the dog, annoyed as its disobedience. She looks behind the bush and sees- A CROW picking at the scant remains of Lulu, ringing the collar bell with its beak. She SCREAMS.

INT. TERRENCE'S APT. - SAME TIME

Andy wakes up in a cold sweat, naked on his Uncle's couch. The phone is ringing. He looks disoriented, confused. We hear Madame Chretien screaming in the background.

andy

Jesus...

He sits up to get the phone and becomes dizzy- he grabs his head. He reaches for the phone and winces- there's a crusted over FLESH WOUND on his right shoulder. He picks up the phone.

andy

Hello?

serafine (O.S.)

(anxious, concerned)

Are you okay?

ANDY

No, I don't think so... I was having a nightmare. Wait a second...

serafine (o.s.)

Where did you go last night? What did you do?

ANDY

I don't... I... I can't remember...

serafine (O.S.)

Listen, I'm coming over. Don't go anywhere. Stay right there.

She hangs up. Andy is very confused. He sees the front door- it's ajar and the door frame has been splintered where the deadbolt sits. Stunned, he stands up, only to double over with a wave of nausea. He covers his mouth and runs stooped over to the ba throom.

He leans over the toilet and vomits. After a few heaves his body relaxes and he catches his breath. He opens his eyes and looks down in the bowl- horror and disbelief sweep over his face as he focuses on:

A HUMAN EYEBALL

staring back at him from the bloody water. The iris is a familiar shade of sparkling blue...

ANDY

Oh no...no...

The doorbell rings. He leaps up, flushes the toilet and runs out of the bathroom, still naked, to find himself in full view of Leduc and two UNIFORMED COPS standing in the open door. One of the cops is examining the splintered door frame.

Leduc looks to be in an even worse mood than usual. His English is rough, but firm.

LEDUC

Get dressed.

cut to:

INT. POLICE MORGUE - MORNING

We're close on a metal body drawer. A TECHNICIAN pulls it open, revealing a severed human foot, nothing else.

Leduc, Andy, and the technician stand by the drawer in this dreary room. Leduc never takes his eyes off Andy's face.

leduc

You recognize her?

andy

What?!

Leduc looks down, sees the foot, and barks at the technician.

leduc

(French)

That's the wrong one!

The technician checks his clipboard and tries another drawer. It contains a rotting ARM. Leduc curses under his breath. He and the technician start opening drawers at random, peeking in, then slamming them shut.

andy

(nervous)

You, uh, you want to tell me what this is about?

Leduc ignores him, continuing to open drawers. The technician appears to have found the right one at the far end.

technician

Inspector! C'est le voici.

A little exasperated, Leduc and Andy go over to see what the technician has found. Once again, Leduc gives him the nod. He opens the drawer to reveal

AMY'S MANGLED CORPSE

It's badly lacerated. Parts of her throat and midriff are missing, and she has only one eye. Andy gasps in horror.

leduc

We know you were with her.

andy

Oh shit... No...

leduc

That's not all...

(he reaches for another drawer above Amy's)

Marcel- Officer Boulard was

following you.

andy

Oh no... no....

He pulls open the drawer to reveal MARCEL'S MANGLED CORPSE. There's a gaping hole in his midsection.

leduc

He was a good man. Now his wife is a widow.

andy

(overcome)

This is.. it's like a sick joke, I-

Leduc grabs Andy by the collar and slams him against the wall

leduc

This is not a joke! Not a dream! These people are dead and--

TAP TAP... Through the small window in the door he sees CHIEF PICARD, his superior, trying to get his attention.

leduc

Merde... Wait here. When I return you tell me about last night, huh?