THE HOLIDAYS

Written by
Helio J Cordeiro

FBN/EDA #212.402

Helio J Cordeiro
The Writers Guild of Great Britain #3020

E-mail: hjcordeiro@hotmail.com
 "THE HOLIDAYS"

FADE IN:

EXT. EMPTY LOT - DAY

It is quiet. We just hear the blow of the wind on the bushes.
The teens, ROSS SPENCER and JEFFREY WOOD crawl under a fence
that separates the empty lot from an abandoned old house.
They head towards the house that has a big for sale sign.

INSERT THE SIGN: TO SALE

ROSS
I love FIONA, Jeff!
JEFFREY
I know.
ROSS
Would you die for someone?
JEFFREY
I dont know, man.
ROSS
I would.
(getting a stone throwing it
far)
Do you know, Jef, she is my
life!
JEFFREY
Hey, forget her for a while, uh?
Maybe she is with a boy now...
ROSS
(grabbing Jeffrey by his collar)
Shut up, stupid! Dont say that
again!
JEFFREY
Okay, calm down man! Look,
(pointing)
People say its a haunted
house...
ROSS
Bullshit!
JEFFREY
The family that used to live
here disappeared, one by one.
All of them except a boy...Did
you know the family?
 2
ROSS
No, I didnt.
Suddenly, Ross runs to the old house.
JEFFREY
Hey, Ross! Dont go inside, man.
It can be dangerous!
No answer.
Ross disappears inside the old house.
Jeffrey stays still thinking for a while and runs after him

INT. OLD HOUSE - DAY

It is wrecked with some holes in the roof, which allow the
sunlight in.
Ross heads on. A lot of pigeons fly up scaring him.
He looks for a place to hide.
Ross notices a misplaced plank on the wooden floor. It covers
a cavity where he fits in well.
He slips into it.

INT. CAVITY IN THE FLOOR - DAY

Ross puts the wood back into place. Just a beam of light
comes in from the crack.

INT. OLD HOUSE - DAY

Jeffrey heads in.
JEFFREY
Hey Ross, I'm going to find you,
man! Here we go!
He walks around carefully.
Jeffrey looks for Ross behind a door. It falls down raising a
large cloud of dust in front of Jeffrey, scaring him.

INT. CAVITY IN THE FLOOR - CONTINUE

Ross is quiet.
POV of Ross through the crack reveals Jeffrey coming in his
direction
Now Jeffrey is on the top of Ross. Jeffrey turns to look
around and moves away.
Relieved, Ross stays quiet.
Ross notices a small box near him. He grabs it and puts it
 3
under the beam in order to see it clearly.
Ross opens the box and inside there's something like a
instant camera.
An old sepia picture, maybe from the fifties falls out. Ross
doesn't notice it. He is amazed with the camera.
INSERT PICTURE: A FRIGHTENED COUPLE APPEARS IN THE PICTURE

INT. OLD HOUSE - DAY

Jeffrey continues looking for Ross in the house. Jeffrey is
tired, sweating a lot. He sits downs on the stair steps.
JEFFREY
Hey Ross! I give up, man! I'm
leaving now, okay?
Jeffrey looks around. Silence.
Jeffrey stands up and heads towards the front door.
JEFFREY (CONTINUING)
Off I go, man!

EXT. OLD HOUSE - DAY

Jeffrey leaves the house. He looks very upset.
As he walks, he looks back in order to see whether Ross
appears.
Ross leaves the house running towards Jeffrey.
ROSS
Hey, Jeff. Look at this!
JEFFREY
What?
ROSS
Look what I found in there.
JEFFREY
Cool, man! A Camera!
ROSS
Yeah! A camera, man! It was a
good find, wasn't it Jeff?
JEFFREY
Yeah, does it work?
ROSS
I don't know! Let's try?
JEFFREY
Yeah!
 4
Ross looks through the cameras viewfinder as Jeffrey walks
back.
ROSS
Stay there, Jeff. Don't move,
okay?
Jeffrey puts both his hands on his waist, like a super-hero.
ROSS
One...Two...Three! Here it goes!
Ross finger clicks the button.
The camera makes a mechanical noise and throws out a picture.
Ross doesnt get his eyes off the picture as he removes the
black paper from the picture. He smiles as the image comes.
Ross raises his head to look at his friend but Jeffrey has
vanished.
ROSS
Jeff? JEFFREY!
Ross looks around.

INSERT PICTURE: JEFFREY LOOKS SCARED IN IT LIKE THE COUPLE ON

THE OLD SEPIA PICTURE THAT WE SAW BEFORE INSIDE THE CAVITY.
ROSS
(muttering to himself)
Hey guy look at this. You look
like a super-man or maybe an
idiot!
ROSS
JEFFREY!
SILENCE.
Ross enters the house again.

EXT. OLD HOUSE - MINUTES LATER- DAY

Ross looks around once more and leaves the house. He goes
through the fence.

EXT. ROSS HOME GARDEN - DAY

Its a middle class home.
Ross plays basketball in front of the garage.
The phone is ringing inside the house.
WOMAN VOICE (OS)
Ross! Its FIONA FRASER...
 5
Ross throws the ball into the basket, runs and yells back.
ROSS
(stops playing)
Okay mom, Im coming...
Ross goes in the door.

INT. ROSS HOME LIVING ROOM - DAY

Ross rushes to the telephone.
ROSS
Hi, how are you doing? Im
fine...I was playing
basketball... How about you? Are
you at the beach? Good. I still
have to ask JOHN if I can go,
but I promise you I will...
Okay, bye.
He hangs up.
EMILE SPENCER, late 30s, approaches him.
EMILY
She is at the beach, isnt she?
ROSS
(in a hurry)
Uh-huh.
EMILY
Wait Ross...I need to talk to
you, son...
ROSS
(standing at the door)
After, mom.
EMILY
But, son its important...Your
stepfather...
Ross doesnt let her finish and leaves as the door closes
behind him. Emily leans against it.
EMILE
Oh god! How am I going to tell
him?

INT. ROSS HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Emily is in the kitchen.
Ross walks in.
 6
EMILY
Ross, we need to talk...
ROSS
What about?
EMILY
About our holidays...
The phone rings.
EMILY (CONT.)
Just a second.
She goes to answer it.
EMILY
Hello. Oh is it you. How are
you?
(looking at Ross)
Yes, he is here...
Oh my god!
ROSS (OS)
What mom?
EMILY
Its JUDY WOOD. Jeffrey still
hasnt come home... She wants to
talk with you.
ROSS
(on the telephone)
Hi, Mrs. Wood... No, Ive told
you... I dont know where he is.
We were playing and he just
disappeared... At the haunted
old house, you know? No...just
Jef and I...I didnt see
anybody...
Emily looks at Ross apprehensively.
ROSS
Okay, Mrs. Wood... Please let us
know when he comes back... We
are worried too. See you.
Ross hangs up.
Emily looks through the window wondering.
ROSS
Mom?
EMILY
(distracted)
What?
 7
ROSS
Mom, who was my father?
EMILY
What do you mean?
ROSS
Why was he raised in an
orphanage? What happened to his
parents?
EMILY
Look, dont think about it,
okay? Forget it. They were good
people... and your father was
too, thats it.
ROSS
I heard his parents disappeared,
is that true?
The telephone rings again. Emily rushes over to it, relieved.
EMILY
Hello...Oh, okay Judy we going
right now.
She hangs up
EMILY
Lets go to Judys. The police
want to talk with you.

EXT. JEFFREYS HOME - GARDEN - NIGHT

The police car is parked in front of the house.

INT. JEFFEY'S HOME - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Judy, late 30s, is crying. She is sitting on a sofa. Her
husband KARL WOOD, early 40s, is beside her.
Standing in the middle of the room PAUL BROWN, a homicide
detective is writing in a little notebook.
Emily and Ross sit down as Karl is trying to console his
wife. He gives her a tissue.
KARL
Its going to be all right...
Dont cry darling. Our Jeffrey
will appear soon. He is a very
smart boy... Come on Judy...
Dont worry honey. The detective
Brown from the homicide office
will take care of it, wont you,
 8
Mr. Brown?
DETECTIVE BROWN
Oh yes, I will, Mr. Wood...I
mean your boy is okay... Look,
dont worry Mrs. Wood I know how
you are feeling. Our people will
soon get some information about
your little Jeffrey.
JUDY
(crying)
I want my son... my baby...
Please, Karl, do something.
Emily and Ross look at him with pity.
KARL
Take it easy Judy. Just relax
honey.
The Detective Brown goes to Ross.
DETECTIVE BROWN
Son, where were you this
morning?
ROSS
We were at the old house. Near
by here.
DETECTIVE BROWN
Hmm... What did you do there?
ROSS
We were playing...
DETECTIVE BROWN
Did you see anything strange,
suspicious?
ROSS
I didnt Sir. Jef disappeared in
front of my eyes. I took a
picture of him right before...
Here it is.
The detective Brown takes the picture and looks at it
carefully.
DETECTIVE BROWN
He looks scared... What
happened?
ROSS
I dont know... When I saw he
just wasnt there anymore.
 9
Detective Brown looks at everyone worried.
DETECTIVE BROWN
You arent hiding something from
me, are you?
ROSS
(tense)
No, I swear. Jeffrey is my
friend.
Emily approaches detective Brown.
EMILY
Excuse me, detective, may I talk
to you in private?
DETECTIVE BROWN
Of course, madam.
The detective leaves the picture on the sofa to talk as Ross
takes the picture back.
EMILY
Its about something that
happened in that old house, a
long time ago...

INT. ROSS' HOME - KITCHEN DAY

Ross is having breakfast at the table.
John Spencer, early 50s, looks like a puffy fighter comes
into the kitchen holding a newspaper
Emily comes to the table holding a jar of juice and pours it
into the glass.
John sits down and opens the newspaper.
Emily starts to serve Ross some cereal. Her hands are
shaking. She looks apprehensive.
ROSS
Hey, mom. Somethings wrong?
She tries to hide that she is worried and shows him a pale
smile.
EMILY
(to Ross)
Oh, no, nothing is wrong,
really!
John is hidden behind his reading.
ROSS
(stops eating)
No mom, you are lying.
 10
Emily seems more nervous than she was before.
EMILY
John?
He doesn't answer.
EMILY (CONTINUING)
Hey, John, come on!
No answer.
EMILY (CONTINUING)
(yelling)
JOHN!
(desperate)
Please John, answer me!
Slowly, John moves the newspaper away from his face. He looks
at her then he looks at Ross.
JOHN
(quietly)
Look, both of you. I hate when
someone interrupts my reading,
uh?
ROSS
What?
John takes a long sip of juice and goes back to his reading.
EMILY
Okay, okay! I'll tell him.
ROSS
What happened with you?
EMILY
Im sorry son, I tried to tell
you this morning...Ross we
arent going to the beach
anymore. Do you hear me?
ROSS
WHAT?
EMILY
That's it! We'll stay at home in
order to redecorate the house.
No holidays for us this year!
ROSS
It isn't fair! Nobody told me
that...
EMILY
We've already decided, Ross.
 11
ROSS
(to John)
Why? Why are you buying her with
this shit?
EMILY
(worried)
Stop son!
ROSS
No! It is true! He is buying
you, mom. Just to stay here to
redecorate this house...
John lowers the newspaper and faces Ross impassively.
JOHN
I didnt hear you, asshole! What
did you say?
EMILY
Oh, my god! Easy John! Ross
didn't say anything
(to Ross)
Right, son?
ROSS
No, mom I did!
EMILY
Oh God!
JOHN
Look at me, boy.
(approaches Ross)
You are just a kid and kids
don't stick their noses in
adult's business.
(back to the newspaper)
Stop acting like a foolish
sissy, uh?
ROSS
I don't care! I can't understand
what my mother saw in you, man!
You aren't half of what my
father was!
EMILY
ROSS!
John HITS the table.
JOHN
Out of here, NOW! You, bloody
boy! You aren't going anywhere
do you hear me? NOWHERE!
 12
ROSS
I hate you John! I hate you!
Ross runs away.
EMILY
Hey, Ross, come here son!
Ross leaves the kitchen, slamming the door behind him

INT. ROSS HOME- GARAGE -DAY

John opens lots of boxes with things to do the renovation. He
gets ready to work.
Emily comes into the garage. She holds a tray, with a glass
of oranges juice.
EMILY
Hey, darling, here you are. I
brought you some orange juice.
John stops what he is doing and drinks it with pleasure.
JOHN
Hmm, that was delicious!
John approaches Emily and hugs her from behind.
EMILY
Stop John!
JOHN
(disappointed)
What?!
EMILY
Ross is furious. He wants to go
to the beach anyway...
JOHN
Forget it. That boy wants to be
punished...
EMILY
I think he misses his father.
Im afraid he might run away. I
think thats what Jeff did...
What do you think John?
JOHN
I dont think so. Oh! I almost
forgot. My sister Lucy is coming
tomorrow...
Emily looks surprised and disappointed. Emily gets the juice
jar and walks away.
 13
JOHN
What I said?
(beat)
Women!

EXT. ROSS HOME - BACK YARD - DAY

It is a beautiful sunny day. John is preparing some stuff for
a barbecue and Ross helps him with the hamburgers and some
hotdogs.
Emily gets things ready for John's sister and her family.
John walks away from the barbecue and walks into his house.
Seconds after, he comes back with a portable hi-fi that is
playing THE PLATTERS MY PRAYER.
Emily goes in and comes back carrying lots things for the
barbecue.
Suddenly, a car horn.
John and Emily look at each other
JOHN AND EMILY
It is them!
John goes to meet the guests.

EXT. ROSS HOME - GARDEN - DAY

LUCY, in a 30s and her family gets out of the car.
Her husband MARVIN, 40s, fat guy, is going to open the trunk
of the car. There, he keeps a box of Buds and some chips.
CHRISTINE is holding a cake and Lucy takes it from her.
MARVIN, JR holds a ball in his right arm and his dog in his
left. Ross stays at his side observing them.
John hugs his sister LUCY.
JOHN
So, how are things?
John shakes hands with Marvin.
LUCY
Where is Emily?
JOHN
She is in the back yard.
He pats Christine and Marvin Jrs heads.
JOHN
Whats up with you guys?
The Marvin Jrs pet dog barks at John.
 14
JOHN
Hey, what is that?
John starts to smile when he sees the little dog
MARVIN, JR
Stop MONSTER. Be quiet. Shut up!
JOHN
What is his name? You said
Monster? Oh, my God, Im
afraid...
Marvin Jrs pet barks a lot and tries to bite Johns leg.
Ross bursts out laughing.
Finally, all of them go into the house.

BACK YARD
They arrive in the back yard.
Marvin takes a Bud from the box and opens it. He offers it to
John.
MARVIN
Hey, buddy, this for you, take it... Wait,
wait... Hmmm... Smells good... What is it?
Marvin walks to the grill.
MARVIN
Whats this here?
Emily looks at Marvin and whispers to John.

EMILY
Look at that. When it comes to
food he goes crazy!
Marvin smells the barbecue. He licks his lips.
MARVIN
Hmm, it looks good. Is it ready to eat?
JOHN
Not yet, when its ready, I tell you.
MY PRAYER stops playing.
Christine approaches the hi-fi. She takes a tape from her
pocket and changes the music.
When the new song starts, JOHN looks at Christine puzzled.
A classic music starts to play as Christine starts to dance
Ballet.
Lucy looks at her with pride.
 15
Emily and John look at each other and start laughing.

EXT. ROSS HOME - BACK YARD LATER - DAY

Ross and Marvin Jr play soccer, as Monster smells something
near the fence.
Suddenly, Monster starts to bark a lot.
MARVIN JR
Hey, Monster whats wrong?
Something bites his snout and he runs into the house.
All people look at Monster and laugh.
Marvin Jr stops playing soccer.
MARVIN JR
Monster! Wait for me...
ROSS
Hey man, come on... Idiot!
Marvin Jr goes after his dog.

INT. ROSS HOME STAIRS/ROSS BEDROOM - DAY

Monster runs upstairs and enters Ross bedroom.

INT. ROSS HOME LIVINGROOM/ CORRIDOR - DAY

Marvin Jr is looking for Monster.
MARVIN JR
Monster!
We hear Monster growling upstairs. Marvin Jr runs to Ross
bedroom.

INT. ROSS HOME ROSSS BEDROOM DAY

Marvin Jr looks under the bed.
MARVIN, JR
Monster...Where are you? Come on
boy...

UNDER ROSS BED

Monster barks frightened.

INT. ROSS HOME - ROSS BEDROOM

Marvin gets Monster and sits on the bed. He puts Monster on
his lap.
Marvin Jr tries calming his dog. He looks around and...
 16
POV of Marvin, Jr shows a lot of pictures of a pretty teenage
girl and a big poster of her at school, the beach and in the
snow with Ross stuck on the wall.
There are phrases like I LOVE YOU written everywhere.
FIONA FRASERs colours name is stuck on the wall in different
sizes.
Marvin becomes astonished.
MARVIN JR
Oh shit! This guy is crazy!
Monster is fidgety. He jumps off his lap.
Marvin Jr opens Ross wardrobe. There, he messes around with
everything.
He finds the camera that Ross had found inside the old house.
MARVIN JR
Hmmm, it is an instant camera!
Will it work?
Marvin Jr decides to take a picture of his pet. He prepares
the camera.
MARVIN JR.
Sit down Monster. Sit, down...
Monster obeys him.
Marvin Jr gets the camera and takes his picture. He sits on
the bed and waits for the picture paper to come out.
While Marvin Jr waits for the picture he looks around. But he
doesnt see his pet anymore
Finally, the picture comes out.
INSERT PICTURE: MONSTER IS VERY ANGRY IN IT. HIS FANGS ARE
OUT.
Marvin Jr doesnt believe this. He decides to look for
Monster around the bedroom. He leaves the picture and the
camera on Ross bed.
MARVIN JR
Monster. Where are you?
Marvin Jr doesnt find him under the bed. Then he decides to
go downstairs.

CUTS OF DIFERENT PLACES THAT MARVIN HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR HIS
PET: COUPLES BEDROOM; LIVING ROOM, KITCHEN AND STUDIO.
Tired and disappointed, Marvin Jr finally gives up. He
doesnt find Monster.
 17
INT. ROSS HOME - BACK YARD - LATER AFTERNOON
Ross' relatives prepare to leave.
Marvin is drinking a can of Bud. He goes to get a piece of
cake.
Lucy looks at him with disappointment.
Christine decides to switch off the hi-fi.
JOHN
Good God! Finally! I thought
this shit would never stop!
Christine hears his comment.
John and Emily smiles at her but she doesnt think its
funny.
Marvin Jr decides to look for his pet one more time.
MARVIN JR
Monster, Come on boy...Monster
where are you?

INT. ROSS HOME LIVING ROOM - EARLY NIGHT

Marvin Jr is sitting on the sofa. He is sad.
Lucy comes near and tries to persuade him.
LUCY
Hey, hey. Come on, Junior...
Look, if that stupid dog shows
up we will tell you, okay? Now,
we are tired and is late!
Christine approaches them.
CRISTINE
Hey, I wont lose my favorite
program because of this stupid
dog. I'm going to watch TV...
Christine walks over to the TV and switches it on. John pets
Marvin Jrs head.
JOHN
Hey, Junior, come on, if the
Monster appears, let us take
care of him, okay? I believe
that he is around. When you come
back for Ross birthday Monster
will be here.
Emily comes between them.
EMILY
Come on Jr John is right.
 18
MARVIN JR
I cant believe it... my
Monster...has gone!
JOHN
See you at Ross birthday party,
okay guys?
As John and Emily follow them out, Ross goes to his bedroom.

INT. ROSS HOME ROSS BEDROOM - DAY

Ross arrives at his bedroom.
He looks around and he notices that all of his things are a
mess.
ROSS
That stupid boy!
Ross sees that the camera and Monsters picture are on his
bed.
Ross looks at the picture carefully. For a while he thinks
about what happened.
For a second Jeffreys picture, which was shown before,
appears in his mind.
INSERT PICTURE: JEFFREY SCARED
ROSS
OH MY GOD!
He keeps Monsters picture and goes to his wardrobe.
Ross keeps Jeffreys picture and compares both of them. They
seem terrified.
ROSS reflectively looks at the pictures and the camera and...
ROSS
Thats it!

INT. ROSS HOME - ROSS BEDROOM NIGHT

Ross is brushing his hair in front of the mirror.

INSERT: DAYS LATER

EMILY (OS)
Ross!
ROSS
Coming mom...!
Through the mirror he sees a reflection of Fionas poster
hanging on the wall.
 19
ROSS
(talking to his reflection in
the mirror)
Ross Spencer you are going to
the beach this year. Believe
me... You are!

INT. ROSS HOME - LIVING ROOM NIGHT

The house has a new look, all decorated and a lot of colored
balloons hanging on the chandelier.
Marvin walks over to the table, where the tarts and cookies
are. He eats some cookies with pleasure.
EMILY
(whispers to John) He looks like
a pig. Doesnt he?
JOHN
Come on Emily, shut up. Leave
Marvin alone.

INT. ROSS' HOME - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Lucy moves around. She observes the new wallpaper.
LUCY
Emily, this is beautiful
wallpaper. It matches your new
furniture. I like it, indeed.
Emily approaches her and touches the wallpaper proudly.
EMILY
You dont know how much it cost
me!
LUCY
Hey, what happened with your
neighbors son?
EMILY
Who, Judys boy?
LUCY
Thats him...
EMILY
Nobody knows. Jeffrey
disappeared like magic.
LUCY
Like Ross fathers family? Does
Ross know about his fathers
parents?
 20
EMILY
NO! Dont talk about this here,
okay?
LUCY
Okay, okay.
(looking around)
I dont see the Woods here...
EMILY
They moved.
LUCY
Heartbreaking!
John and Marvin get together.
MARVIN
So, did you sell that house?
JOHN
Yes, finally. We needed that
money to renovate this shity
house!
MARVIN
Emily had really wanted her
husbands house to be sold.
Ross appears in the living room calling everyones attention.
Marvin Jr joins the others holding his new pet: a Kitty.
Emily goes to the kitchen.

INT. ROSS HOME - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Emily finds Marvin eating a piece of the birthday cake.
EMILY
Excuse me!
She lights the candles and holds the cake.

INT. ROSS HOME - LIVING ROOM NIGHT

They start singing JOLLY GOOD FELLOW enthusiastically.
ALL TOGETHER
"Ross is a jolly good fellow, Ross is a
jolly good fellow...
They continue singing as Emily gets the cake from the
kitchen. Marvin comes in after her.
ROSS
Hey guys, before I blow out the candles...
Ross is holding the camera!
 21
ROSS (CONT.)
Let me take a picture of everyone.
EMILY
Sure, son...
ROSS
Could you stay close together,
please?
They all move around the table where the cake is. They smile.
ROSS
(looking through the cameras
viewfinder)
OK! Now, everyone say cheers.

THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER: THEY ARE HAPPY TOGETHER

ALL TOGETHER
CHEERS!
The FLASH lights their faces.

EXT. BEACH - DAY

Ross lies on the beach with his eyes closed. Ross is enjoying
himself as Fiona Fraser is beside him.
Close to him is his backpack. Part of the camera can be seen.
Ross hits the backpack, accidentally and the camera pops out
on the sand. He doesn't notice it.
Fiona wakes up and goes to the water.

EXT. BEACH DAY

A family is enjoying the sunny day near by Ross and Fiona.
The man is drinking as the woman is reading womens magazine.
Near by, a 10-year old boy throws sand on them and runs.
THE WOMAN
Denny! Come here, now! You
bastard!
DENNY
No.
We follow Denny until he approaches Ross. Ross has his eyes
closed.
Denny picks up Ross camera. He looks, curiously at it and
points it at Ross.
ROSS notices that.
 22
ROSS
Oh my! Give it to me now, you
asshole!!
Ross tries to get it back. Denny refuses to give it back.
They fight over it and...
FLASH!
ROSS
Nooooooo!

EXT. BEACH - DAY

A picture lies on the sand where Ross was lying down before.
INSERT PICTURE: ROSS APPEARS SCARED
Fiona finds Ross absence weird. She decides to leave as the
sand blows on the picture covering it.

INT. DENNY FAMILYS CAR LATER

Dennys father is driving drunk and his mother is kissing his
chest, drunk too. Denny is siting behind.
DENNY
Mom, Id like a new bike...You
promised me!
DENNYS MOTHER
Shut up!
DENNY
Mom...
DENNYS FATHER
Be quiet or Ill hit on you!
Denny holds Ross camera. He looks at it then looks out side
in deep thoughts.

FADE OUT