Jim Pascoe - writing - Torn to Pieces

EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - NIGHT

The city of angels.

Pull back to reveal in the foreground: THE LOS ANGELES RIVER. Filthy. Empty.

Along the dry cement basin, two MOTORCYCLES speed by.

EXT. LOS ANGELES RIVER, ELYSIAN PARK GATEWAY - MINUTES LATER

A couple miles north of downtown, two BIKERS, in full MOTOCROSS gear, skid to a stop on the bike path. Engines off.

TOUGH BIKER
I don’t see nothing. I think you’re full of shit.

PARANOID BIKER
No, I’m tellin’ you, there’s SOMETHING in this river.
The Tough Biker picks up a STONE and throws it into the shallow water far in front of them, past the reach of their headlights. Splash.

TOUGH BIKER
Yeah, I heard the stories -- you spend too much time in the river, you hear the rattle, then ...

PARANOID BIKER
... you DIE! I’m tellin’ you, dude, two of my bros, they’re gone.

TOUGH BIKER
Look at you, all spooked to shit.
He shoves Paranoid Biker in the shoulder. He gets an idea.

TOUGH BIKER (cont’d)
Oh man, we gotta lay this trip on Alex and his bitches. Teach ‘em to be ungrateful to the Hawks’ offers.

Tough Guy starts his engine back up.

TOUGH BIKER (cont’d)
I’m out. This is gonna be good.

PARANOID BIKER
Ain’t gonna be nothing like that.

As his friend drives back toward downtown, Paranoid has trouble starting his bike. He struggles with his KEYS.

PARANOID BIKER (cont’d)
Dude! Wait up!
He drops his keys. Another splash from down below in the darkness. He looks all around for what made the splash. He sees nothing.

PARANOID BIKER (cont’d)
Don’t be playin’.
A couple more splashes like heavy footsteps in shallow water.

Paranoid Biker gets off his bike, grabs a loose CHAIN for a weapon, and heading down the sloped cement bank, starts looking for his keys.

EXT. RIVER’S EDGE - SAME TIME

Paranoid Biker tries to adjust his eyes to the darkness.

A RUSTLING in the shrubs behind him. He turns quickly and lashes out with the chain.

Something scurries close to the ground.

A possum.

PARANOID BIKER
Damn.
He moves to climb back up the cement incline.

Then he hears the RATTLE. Like a snake’s, but bigger, louder.

Panicked, he tries to scramble up, but loses his footing. He slips back and falls in the water.

The rattling stops. Dead silence. Paranoid Biker is frozen, waiting, listening. Nothing.

He slowly stands. Looks around.

Something GRABS him.

He screams.

It’s his buddy, Tough Biker. He doubles over with laughter, play-punching his paranoid friend.

TOUGH BIKER
Spooked to shit, man, I’m tellin’ ya!
The RATTLE SOUND starts then stops.

They both go silent.

PARANOID BIKER
You’re a dick, dude.
Tough Biker laughs. His friend walks away.

PARANOID BIKER (cont’d)
Go ‘head, laugh. Why don’t you grow up! You’re such a little...
He hears a choking sound. Tough Biker grasps at some dark shape around his neck. Something else wraps around his legs. He begins to shake like something is punching the small of his back.

Then his stomach explodes into a SPRAY OF BLOOD. His torso lifted off the stumps that were his legs. He’s ripped in two.

Paranoid Biker runs. Runs and runs until he’s out of breath.

He turns to look behind him. A large BEAST tackles him to the ground.

On his back in inch-deep water, the remaining biker begins to cry. Snakes surface through the water and surround his face. The thing that has pinned him down leans over him.

PARANOID BIKER (cont’d)
Who ... what ... the hell?
He hears a low, deep growling. Spittle drips onto his face. He reaches up to wipe it away.

In a flash the monster’s mass of teeth comes down on his arm and RIPS it from its socket.

A flock of birds erupts out of the trees.

His screams echo out into the dark concrete basin.

FADE TO BLACK.

Torn to Pieces
Jim Pascoe
feature screenplay

This is my love letter to the Los Angeles River: a horror movie featuring a gang of skate punks being terrorized by a monster in the river.

The opening scene introduces the rival biker gang to the dangers of L.A.