Mills County

A low-budget slasher film I wrote for an ex-friend of mine. The project eventually fell through, but I think that I'd like to come back to it someday. It's basically an homage to Psycho, Zodiac, and The Last Broadcast.

 

MILLS COUNTY

 

 

On the morning of Wednesday, June 20, 2007, an anonymous call was made to the Mills County Police stating that a murder had been committed.  Upon arriving on the scene, the police found Rachel Madsen stabbed to death in her bathtub.

 

FADE OUT.

 

Three days later, the prime suspect was apprehended and charged with her murder.

 

FADE OUT.

 

In the early hours of Sunday, July 1, another anonymous call was made to the Mills County Police stating that more murders had occurred in Wingfield Memorial Park.  A full search of the park yielded the bodies of five teenaged campers; all killed in the same manner as Madsen.

 

FADE OUT.

 

A video camera was also found; it was used by the victims, who were on their summer vacation, to document their trip.  The footage is the only lead that police have of the events that occurred.

 

FADE OUT.

 

The following is a fictional account of what happened.

 

FADE OUT.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: HOUSE – MID-MORNING

 

An iHome’s alarm goes off, and starts to play a pop-punk song. 

 

Rachel Madsen (18), gives a few sighs of discontent, and stretches in her bed.

 

Then there’s a rustle of bed sheets as she gets out of bed.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: HALLWAY

 

Rachel walks out of her room and to the kitchen.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: KITCHEN

 

Rachel walks into the kitchen, and gets a glass from her cabinet.  Then she goes over to the fridge and gets out some orange juice. 

 

She pours herself a glass and drinks it.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: HALLWAY

 

Rachel as she walks outs of the kitchen and follows her down the hall into the bathroom

 

She closes the door on the camera.

 

CUT TO:

INT: BATHROOM

 

She walks into the bathroom, turns on the shower, and goes to the mirror to inspect her face.

 

She walks over to the water and feels the temperature; then she turns on the shower.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: BATHROOM – RACHEL’S FEET

 

Her clothes start to fall into frame.

 

She walks into the shower.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: HALLWAY

 

Camera is the killer’s perspective.

 

The killer silently walks towards the bathroom door. 

 

His hand, covered with a leather glove, comes into frame and opens the door, without a sound.

 

He walks slowly over to the shower curtain.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: SHOWER

 

There is a pause as Rachel is taking a shower.

 

The shower curtain is torn violently open.

 

Rachel turns to see what has just caused the curtain to open.

 

 

CUT TO:

BLACKOUT

 

Cut happens simultaneously with Rachel’s scream.

 

Then nothing is heard except for the sounds of Rachel being stabbed, and her screaming for help.

 

The shower is turned off.

 

 

FADE IN.

 

INT: TUB – DRAIN

 

The killer’s hand comes into frame.  He stops the drain, and blood begins to fill up around it.

 

FADE OUT.

 

 

FADE IN.

 

A good amount of blood has filled up in the bathtub. 

 

The killer dips his gloved hand into it.

 

FADE OUT.

 

 

FADE IN.

 

INT: TUB – WALL

 

The killer’s blood-soaked hand writes something on the wall.

 

FADE OUT.

 

During the blackout, there is a slight pause and then the bathtub is heard draining.

 

 

FADE IN.

 

INT: HALLWAY

 

The camera is a very low angle, focused on the bathroom door, which is about a yard, or so away.

 

The killer’s feet come into frame, and then he walks down the hall, away from the camera.

 

When he is out of frame, the camera slowly pushes in down the hallway towards the bathroom door.

 

The camera turns to reveal the lower part of the bathroom.

 

The bathroom is immaculate, except for the bathtub, which has Rachel’s leg hanging over the side and some blood running down the side of it.

 

 

Emergency Personnel Voice

911. What’s your emergency?

 

The camera starts to push into the bathroom, towards the tub.

 

  Emergency Personnel Voice

Hello?...What’s your emergency?

 

The camera keeps pushing in towards the tub, until the very last possible point that Rachel’s body is not visible.  Then it starts to rise.

 

Emergency Personnel Voice

Hello?

 

The camera reveals a symbol that was written by the killer:

 

 

[[I can't paste the symbol into the editor, so you have to settle for a description:  An inverted triangle with three lines intersecting a vertex and its respective side.]] 
 

VOICE

(low, guttural, and calm)

I’d like to report a murder.

 

 

CUT TO:

BLACKOUT

 

THREE DAYS LATER

 

 

FADE IN.

 

INT: KEVIN’S HOUSE) – NIGHT

 

Two young men are sitting on a couch watching TV. They are Alex Dunn (18) and Kevin Johnson (17).

 

 KEVIN

So what did you do after that?

 

ALEX

Oh yea, he just pissed me off so much I mother-fucked him.

 

Kevin looks at him with a blank look on his face.

 

KEVIN

You what?  What does that mean?

 

ALEX

You know...mother-f**k.

(musingly) 

To express extreme anger towards...You know...mother-f**k.

 

 

KEVIN

Really?  Because it sounds like you were so mad at him that you fucked his mom.

 

ALEX

What? No. Have you ever seen his mom?  She looks like one of those house elves from Harry Potter. Ughh.

 

Alex gives a little shiver.

 

KEVIN

I don’t know.  Mother-f**k, to me, sounds like you were like “Enough is enough!”  And you went and seduced his mother.

 

ALEX

No way, man.  Mother-f**k...You curse someone out.

 

KEVIN

So why not just say that?

 

ALEX

Because “mother-f**k” sounds way cooler.

 

Kevin thinks about it for a second.

 

KEVIN 

Touché.

 Kevin’s brother, Andy (18), walks in.

 

ANDY

So guess what The Dick just said?

 

KEVIN

I really wish you wouldn’t call him that

 

ANDY

Hey, if Grandma and Grandpa didn’t want jokes to be made at his expense, they wouldn’t have named him Richard Peter Johnson.  And knowing he had that name, he shouldn’t have become a detective.  I mean, Jesus, that’s just a treasure chest of jokes.

 

Kevin scoffs.

 

ANDY

Anyway, he just found out that they caught the guy that filleted that chick in Bay Grove.

 

KEVIN

(shocked)

“Filleted”? Do you have any respect?

 

ANDY

Do you know me?

 

ALEX

Who did it?

 

ANDY

I have no idea.

 

ALEX

Your dad didn’t tell you?

 

ANDY

No. Not yet, anyway.  He had to run off pretty quickly.  He probably thinks that I’ll just go run my mouth to everyone.

 

KEVIN

(sarcastically)

Gee...I wonder why he’d ever think that.

 

ANDY

(menacingly to Kevin)

I know where you sleep.

(to Alex)

But you know what this means right?

 

ALEX

What?

 

ANDY

We can do up that camping trip, now.

 

ALEX

Really? You still want to do that?

 

ANDY

Um...Yes...the only reason we couldn’t go is because we were afraid some maniac with a knife was holed up in the woods, and that he’d go all Deliverance on us.  But now he’s been caught, so what the f**k? Why aren’t we there right now?

 

ALEX

Alright, alright.

 

ANDY

Awesome.  Call your mothers.  Call the girls.  Call the...I don’t know something.  We’ll go tomorrow night.

 

ALEX

No, man, we’ll go Friday.

 

ANDY

 (sarcastically)

Whatever you want, oh, fearless leader.  Friday you say, and Friday it shall be.

 

KEVIN

I don’t think we should go.  I mean it just happened Wednesday.  And what if they don’t have the right guy?

 

 

 

ANDY

C’mon, brother, don’t be a pansy.  Don’t turn this into a bad horror movie.

 

ANDY

(cont’d)(mocking)

“I have a bad feeling about this, guys.  Whenhh, whenhh, Whenhh.” When has Dad ever been wrong on a case?

 

ALEX

That’s true, Kev.

 

ANDY

Exactly. And don’t you want to finally knock the bottom out with Sarah?

 

Alex laughs. Kevin looks disgusted.

 

KEVIN

Why do you have to talk like that?

 

Andy pinches Kevin’s cheeks.  

 

ANDY

(baby talk)

Because you’re so cute and innocent. Yes you are. Yes you are.

 

ALEX

C’mon, Kev.  It’ll be fine.

 

KEVIN

 (reluctantly)

Fine.

 

ANDY

Alright...I’ll see you guys later. 

 

KEVIN

Where are you going?

 

ANDY

Well, isn’t it obvious?  I must prepare for our epic journey into the Mills County wilderness.

 

He gets up to leave and begins to walk away.

 

Turns back around and bows to them.

 

ANDY

(Mockingly)

I bid you gentleman, adieu.

 

KEVIN

I have a bad feeling about this.

 

ALEX

Everything will be fine.

 

FADE OUT.

 

ONE WEEK LATER

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: DRIVEWAY – LATE MORNING

 

Megan and Amy are standing in the driveway, leaning against the car, looking frustrated.

 

AMY

I still don’t understand why I have to be here.

 

MEGHAN

Because you love me.

 

AMY

But seriously,

 

 

 

MEGAN

Where is Andy?

 

AMY

(with contempt)

I don’t know.  Probably something stupid.

 

MEGAN

Probably.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: ANDY’S HOUSE – LATE MORNING

 

**HANDHELD

 

Andy introduces himself, and acts as somewhat of a narrator, explaining what’s happening: the camping trip, why they’re camping, etc. etc.

 

He walks outside. Alex and Kevin are packing up the car for the camping trip.

 

Three girls are also packing up the car with Alex and Kevin.  They are Megan Zavala, (18) Alex’s girlfriend, Sara Ward, (17) Kevin’s girlfriend, and Amy Trisler (18), a friend of Meghan’s, whom Andy is desperately trying to hook-up with over the course of this trip.

 

Andy finally turns off the camera, after being guilted into helping.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: ANDY’S CAR – FRIDAY - LATE MORNING

 

Someone asks Andy why he has a camera.

 

Andy inquires to what everyone wants to do on the camping trip; then asks what the sleeping arrangements are going to be.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – FRIDAY - AFTERNOON

 

Everyone is setting up the campsite.

 

Andy explains to the camera the sleeping situation: Alex and Megan in one tent; Amy and Sara in another; Kevin and himself in the last one.

 

As he makes his way around the camp, people ask him why he’s not helping, to which he states that he is pulling double-duty by not only “supervising,” but also “documenting.”

 

After camp is set up, Andy has the camera facing the camp.

 

ANDY

Guys this is really incredible.  This was a barren, waste of space, and now – now it’s somewhat inhabitable.  You know, if you were really desperate, or something.

 

He pauses.

 

ANDY

So...what now?

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS

 

(((Here is where we can do anything we want.  Think of this part as just a place for like sketch comedy, and just the characters being idiots; having a good time.)))

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – NIGHT

 

Everyone is sitting around a campfire.

 

Andy hands the camera off to Kevin.

 

Kevin asks Alex, Megan, Amy, and Andy, what they plan on doing on now that they’re out of high school.

 

FADE OUT.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – KEVIN AND ANDY’S TENT – NIGHT

 

**THIRD PERSON

 

The rustling of a sleeping bag is heard, Andy walks out of the tent.  Soon after he walks away, Sara ducks into the tent.  A moment goes by, and then some more sleeping bag rustling is heard.

 

Andy walks back into frame; he opens the flap to the tent, looks in, and then immediately shuts it.  Then he walks away, from the same way Sara came.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – SARA AND AMY’S TENT – NIGHT

 

Andy walks into frame.

 

ANDY

(whispering)

Amy?...Amy?

 

AMY

(from inside the tent)

No, I will not make out with you!

 

ANDY

(whispering)

Kevin and Sara are in my tent.  Can I sleep here?

 

Amy pops her head out of the tent, and gives him a look dripping with disdain.

 

AMY

If you try anything I will kill you.

 

ANDY

Fair enough.

 

She retreats back into the tent, and Andy follows her.

 

(From Inside)

ANDY

Sooo...-

 

AMY

No.

 

ANDY

Right. Won’t ask again.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: SARA AND AMY’S TENT – EARLY MORNING

 

**HANDHELD

ANDY

(groggily)

So it’s Saturday.  It’s early. It’s about...

 

Looks at cell phone.

 

ANDY

Great – dead.  Awesome.  Amy what time is it?

 

AMY

F**k off.

 

ANDY

Wonderful.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – SATURDAY – MORNING

 

Andy, Alex, and Kevin have a short conversation about what happened last night.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – SATURDAY - AFTERNOON

 

Everyone is walking in the woods.  

 

Kevin feels as if something is following them. 

 

Alex explains that he is just paranoid, and that it’s probably a deer or something.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – SATURDAY – AFTERNOON

 

**THIRD PERSON

 

Camera then changes to the killer’s point of view, not using the handheld, and watches the six kids as they walk away.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – SATURDAY – NIGHT

 

**HANDHELD

 

Everyone around the campfire talking about what they want to do now that they’re out of high school (except for Kevin and Sara who still have a year left). 

 

Kevin says he’s going to get some water, from the stream.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – NIGHT

 

**Camera is in third person.

 

Kevin walks through the woods.

 

The sound of a branch breaking startles him, and he stops to look around.

 

He walks a little bit more. 

 

There is another sound of a branch breaking, he stops again.

 

KEVIN

(nervous)

Hello?...Hello?  Andy?  C’mon, Andy, this isn’t funny.

 

He turns around and the killer is standing right there in front of him.

 

Before he can scream, the killer stabs him in the stomach, and covers his mouth.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – NIGHT

 

**HANDHELD

 

Everyone starts to wonder when Kevin is, since at this point he’s been gone for a long time.

 

Amy and Andy go looking for him. There is some banter between them.

 

They find him laying down, already dead, completely bled out. 

 

They rush back to camp to tell everyone.

 

All six of them abandon everything they have and head for their car.

 

When they reach the car, Andy sees that the same symbol that was written on Rachel Madsen’s wall is on the windshield, again in blood.

Alex walks around the car.

 

ANDY

Oh F**k! That’s the symbol that was on that girl’s wall.

 

ALEX

(from the other side of the car)

The tire is flat.

 

SARA

What girl?

 

**All done in one take.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAR - NIGHT

 

**THIRD PERSON.

 

Meghan and Amy are frantic, wondering what to do.  Sara is completely frozen with fear, just standing on the brink of the woods, staring into space.  And Andy is staring dumbstruck, at the symbol on the windshield.

 

ANDY

The girl; the one that got – oh God!

 

Andy falls to the ground, sitting against the bumper of the car.  He stares blankly into space.

 

ANDY

(monotone)

Kevin’s dead.

 

He puts his head into his hands.

 

ANDY

(on the brink of crying)

Oh f**k, he’s dead.

 

Alex walks back to the front of the car, to where Meghan and Amy are.

 

MEGHAN

It’s flat?

 

ALEX

Yea.

 

AMY

Don’t you have a spare?

 

ALEX

No.

 

MEGHAN

F**k.

 

ALEX

Where’s your cell phone?

 

Meghan and Amy start to search their pockets fervently. They each take out their cell phones, and stare at the screens; their faces fall.

 

AMY

No service.

 

MEGHAN

Me neither.

 

ALEX

F**k.

 

Alex starts to head for the trunk of the car.

 

ALEX

Mine’s back at camp.

 

 

MEGHAN

Should we go back?

 

They follow him to the back of the car

 

ALEX

We have to.

 

AMY

No, no, no.

 

ALEX

Well, what the f**k else are we going to do, Amy? Walk the three dark miles back to the parkway? No, we have to go back to camp and hope that the cell phones work.  We have to.  Otherwise we’re just stuck here.

 

 

AMY

But, what if they don’t work?

 

Alex looks at her, giving no answer, and turns to open the trunk.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAR – TRUNK SHOT – NIGHT

 

There is a pause as Alex rummages around in the trunk for something.

 

MEGHAN

(to Alex)

Is this really happening?

 

Alex pulls a bat from the trunk.

 

ALEX

I hope not.

 

He closes the trunk.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAR – BUMPER – NIGHT

 

Amy bends down into shot and puts her hands onto Andy’s shoulders.

 

AMY

(softly)

Andy, c’mon, we have to go back to camp.  You have to get up.

 

Andy looks up, there is no emotion on his face, much like Sara.

 

ANDY

(monotone)

OK.

 

She takes the camera from his hands and turns it off.

 

Meghan goes to Sara.

 

MEGHAN

C’mon, honey, we’re going back to the camp.

 

She nods in a very reflexive way.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – NIGHT

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: CAMPSITE – NIGHT

 

Alex walks out of the tent, with a sullen look on his face.  Amy & Meghan, who are standing just outside the tent’s opening look to him for some kind of hope.

 

AMY

Anything?

 

ALEX

It’s dead

 

MEGHAN

So, what are we going to do now?

 

ANDY

(off-screen)

Cut through the woods.

 

They look at him.  Andy & Sara are sitting next to each other, beside the now smoldering embers of the recently doused fire.

 

ALEX

What?

 

ANDY

The road we took to get here wraps around to the parkway, in a giant half-circle.  If we cut through the woods, it’ll be about half the distance.  And hopefully when we get to the road someone’ll be driving by, and we can get to the cops.

 

There is a pause by everyone.

 

ALEX

He’s right.

 

MEGHAN

So, we’re just going to run through the woods, while some psychopath with a knife is out there

 

There is another pause from everyone.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS - NIGHT

 

A wide shot of everyone running. (Alex, Meghan, Sara, Andy, Amy)

 

Amy’s death:

While everyone is running through the woods, Amy is bringing up the pack, and the killer sideswipes from behind a tree, taking her down.  She fights him off her, and runs back in the opposite direction, away from where everyone else is running.  He chases her. While running she keeps looking back to see if he’s there.  After a few cuts showing that he is there; the next cut shows he’s not there. Amy has to stop to catch her breath. She starts to run again, and then the killer sideswipes her again. They fall out of frame (the camera doesn’t follow) and we hear the sound of the killer stabbing Amy.  The camera pulls back as the killer gets up, cleans off his knife and walks off.  The camera still pulls back as he walks out of frame, and reveals Amy’s bloodied body.  

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: WOODS – NIGHT

 

Alex runs past the camera, followed by Sara, then Annie, then Andy.  Annie trips and falls, then screams in pain.

 

ALEX

What happened?

 

MEGHAN

(grasping her leg, writhing in pain)

I don’t know; I think it’s broken

 

ALEX

What?

 

He crouches down next to her.

 

ANDY

Can you walk?

 

MEGHAN

I don’t think so.

 

ALEX

(worried)

Try. Please, Meg, try.

 

Meghan looks apprehensive, but starts to get up, looking kind of like a baby deer.  But when she stands on her bad leg, she cries out in pain, and falls back to the ground.

 

She looks back up at Alex.

 

MEGHAN

It hurts too much.

 

ALEX

What if I carry you?

 

He picks up her up. She whimpers a little bit.

 

ALEX

You OK?

 

She nods.  Alex starts to walk, getting gradually faster. As he speeds up, the pain on Meghan’s face becomes more noticeable.

 

MEGHAN

(in obvious pain)

Stop! You have to stop! It hurts too much.

 

Alex puts her down, and crouches next to her again.

 

MEGHAN

It hurts too much.  I can’t do it, I’m sorry.

 

ALEX

OK.  Andy, you have to go get help as quick as you can.  I’m going to stay with her.

 

MEGHAN

No, you -

 

ALEX

No, I’m staying.

(to Andy)

Go.

 

Andy nods, takes Sara by the hand and runs off.

 

 

Megan and Alex’s death:

Shows Andy and Sara running for a little bit. Cuts back to Meghan and Alex; Alex has Meghan in his arms as she cries, he is trying to comfort her as best he can. There is a noise of someone moving closer, Meghan stops sobbing and killer’s feet come into frame, and Meghan goes wide-eyed. Alex gets up to face the killer. Cuts back to Andy and Sara running, then Megan is heard screaming. 

 

Andy’s death:

Andy says that he’s going to lead the killer away from Sara so that she has a better chance of getting help.  He runs off, in the opposite direction, being very loud. After splitting up from Alex and Sarah, Andy puts his final thoughts onto the camera. Then he hears something, drops the camera and runs.  A figure comes into frame and tackles and stabs him.

 

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: ROAD – NIGHT

 

Sara finally gets to the road; she runs out into the middle of it waving her hands and arms, as a car comes down the road. It stops for her.

 

She walks over to the passenger window.

 

 

CUT TO:

INT: CAR- NIGHT

 

SARA

(half-crying)

Please, you have to help me.  I need to get to the police, please.

 

DRIVER

(eerily calm)

Yea, sure, I’ll drive you.

 

Sara gets into the car and the car starts to drive.

 

 

SARA

(rambling)

I don’t know what happened.  Kevin was dead, and then we went back to the car, and the guy that killed that girl.  It just happened.  I don’t know- 

(starts to cry)

Oh God! They’re all dead.  They’re all dead.

 

She composes herself after a few seconds.

 

SARA

I just feel like this shouldn’t happen. I feel like I’m going crazy.

 

DRIVER

We all go a little crazy sometimes.

 

DRIVER

I’m sorry the ride is going to be a bit bumpy.  My back tire is flat, and I don’t have a spare.

 

Sara starts to slowly realize that she’s in Alex’s car.

 

Then she starts to break down, once again.

 

SARA

(crying)

Oh no...no...please...no. Please God no.

 

The driver starts to chuckle.

 

 

CUT TO:

BLACKOUT

 

Sara keeps muttering and pleading, as the killer keeps chuckling.  The sound slowly fades out.

 

 

CUT TO:

EXT: ROAD - NIGHT

 

The car pulls over.

 

Emergency Personnel Voice

911. What’s your emergency?

 

The drive gets out, and walks over to the passenger’s side.

 

  Emergency Personnel Voice

Hello?...What’s your emergency?

                 

He dumps Sara’s body on the side of the road, and walks back to the driver’s side of the car.

 

 

Emergency Personnel Voice

Hello?

 

The car pulls away.

 

VOICE

(low, guttural, and calm)

I’d like to report a murder.

     

FADE OUT.

 

      Sara Ward’s body was found a day later.

 

FADE OUT.

 

As of yet, no one has been charged with any of the seven murders.

 

FADE OUT.

Author's Note

I'm only sharing this b/c I like the story and style, not so much for the dialogue. I know the dialogue isn't that well written. So if you're going to critique something, please stick to the plot and style.

I'm sorry for the errors with the indentations, the editor isn't working and won't center them.

Also, I hate the title, any others will be well received.