Vampire script

(As a lot of people on here who know me are already aware of, I am a freelance screenwriter where I live. I felt like sharing the summary for a film I am working on right now. Enjoy. Constructive criticism is welcome)

Carl Dunn is a criminal psychologist in his mid-thirties. We see him in the first scene with a convicted rapist and murderer, Sol. Sol had, the night before, assaulted another inmate in the prison he has been sent to. Sol is on death row and has the mentality of a child. He will not admit to his crimes or come to terms with the consequences. We can tell this is not the first difficult case for Carl. Carl UN-intentionally speaks harshly to Sol and Sol breaks down, demanding that Carl “fix” him. Carl shuts his folder and sighs as Sol is taken out of the room and back to his cell.

At a local middle school, during lunch break, We see young Greg Selvin. Greg is about 12 or 13. He is a quiet and skinny boy. He is being picked on by three bullies outside of the school. The lead bully punches Greg, giving him a black eye.

That night, Carl comes home to his house. He is despondent about the failure with Sol that day. He pours himself a glass of whiskey and sits down in his recliner. He starts to doze off. The glass falls from his hand and shatters on the floor. He doesn't care.

Also that night, after treating Greg's black eye (Which he lies about), his mother sends him to bed. It is revealed that Greg's father had died a few years before. Greg has been experiencing night terrors. He is initially afraid to be left alone. His mother thinks he needs to face his fears or the dreams will never go away and leaves him to go to bed. A few moments after she leaves, we hear Greg scream.

The next day, Carl wakes up in the recliner. He stumbles into the bathroom and washes his face. His cell phone rings. He answers it. It is Julie Atwood: a former colleague of his. She asks him how his career is going. The impression is that they had more than a professional relationship at one time. He lies to her, claiming that everything is kosher. She asks him to come to the hospital she works at to help her evaluate a new patient. He initially refuses. She asks him again. She says she is at a loss and doesn't know what to do. He asks her who the patient is. She says it is a young boy (Greg) and that Greg believes he was attacked in his bedroom and is turning into a vampire. Greg will not eat anything except for apples and oranges. His complexion is far too pale to be healthy. And he is starting to show signs of anemia. Carl agrees to come and talk to the boy and give Julie his opinion.

At the hospital, Carl meets with Greg in his room. Carl tries to relate to Greg but Greg refuses to call Carl by his name, simply calling him “Doctor”. Greg certainly seems haunted. There are two marks on his neck that could be attributed to a vampire bite. Carl asks Greg what happened to him. Greg tells him a story of the night in question. He describes a dark, shadowy figure that appeared in the corner of the room once Greg's mother had shut the door. The figure extended a long, bony finger at Greg and then rushed at him and fed on him. After Greg has told Carl what had happened, Carl asks why Greg will only eat apples and oranges at the hospital. Greg explains that the vampire had flown into his room through an open window in the form of a bat. A fruit bat.

Carl leaves the room and asks Julie if he can have dinner with her and discuss the case further. He refuses to put his work with Sol on hold, but will act as Greg's psychologist until they can figure out what is really wrong with him. Julie agrees.

At dinner, Carl and Julie begin to talk about Greg and what should be done. Carl doesn't want to admit that he is just as confused as Julie is. She is worried about bigger things as well as being worried about Greg. She says that the hospital is about to be closed within a year or so. The building is old and beyond repair. She asks more about Carl's work in the prison. Carl begins to tell her about Sol and the particulars of the case, but decides that it shouldn't be something they discuss. She doesn't need to know. He changes the topic of conversation to why they had broken up. We hear that they were in school together and that she did not approve of the route he wanted to take with his career. He had promised to work with her and had changed his mind, opting to open his own practice.

A couple weeks later, we see that Greg's mother has come to visit him. She tries to talk to him about his father. Greg becomes angry and yells at her, claiming that she cannot possibly understand the pain he feels. He jumps up form his bed and into the light coming in from the window. He quickly develops a second degree burn on his arm and he screams in agony, climbing back onto the bed while his mother breaks down, unable to help him.

Carl meets with Greg again soon after. The burn is starting to heal already. We hear that Greg has been moved to a room without windows until it can be determined what had happened to him. Greg seems annoyed that nobody believes him. He mentions to Carl that he feels like a young woman he knew during the Spanish inquisition. She had been accused of being a witch. She wasn't, and nobody would believe her. Greg goes on to explain in graphic detail the torture she suffered while the priest's attempted to force a confession from her. Carl interrupts Greg and asks what he is talking about. Greg explains that when he was bitten, along with the transfer of bodily fluids, the vampire was able to pass on his memories and his knowledge of the last several hundred years. Carl is still skeptical and tries to convince Greg that it's all in his head. He points out that the marks on Greg's neck have healed already so they couldn't have been a vampire bite. Greg quickly shoots back, stating that his arm is in the process of healing too. Only in the movies do vampire bites never seem to heal. The damage has still been done.

Carl meets again with Julie. They meet at a bar. They have a few drinks and their attraction to each other seems to rekindle. He goes home with her that night and they make out, falling asleep together in her bed.

They wake up the next day and have a conversation about how they need to keep their love life separate from their work. After this, Carl realizes he is running late. He kisses Julie and leaves.

Carl shows up at his appointment with Sol at the prison. Sol still will not admit to his crimes. Carl attempts to reach Sol, telling him that only when he confesses and face his crimes, will he be able to understand why he is to be executed. Sol angrily yells at Carl, saying that he as not done anything. Carl loses his temper and tells Sol that he will close his file if he will not communicate with him. Sol won't answer. Carl get's up and starts to leave. Sol begs him to come back and help him, but Carl leaves.

Carl has his next meeting with Greg. Greg is becoming less healthy in his appearance. Greg opens up a little more to Carl, but still will only address him as “Doctor”. Greg asks to see a priest. Carl asks why he would want to see a priest, citing the inquisition story Greg had told him. Greg says he is afraid. He doesn't know if he would have it in him to feed on a human. He doesn't know if he would be able to kill to survive. Hearing this from the 13 year old boy is almost too much for Carl to handle after the treatment failure with Sol. Greg senses Carl's discomfort and rudely states that Carl should probably find a different profession, or at least “Fuck Dr. Atwood more often”. Carl is taken aback. Greg smiles and states that he has developed the ability to read minds.

While reviewing security tapes from his sessions with Greg, Carl is terrified to discover that when outraged or intimidated, Greg's voice over the recording seems to take on that of an older man. The voice turns deeper and with a slight English accent.

Carl receives a visit from Greg's mother. Carl explains that it is not proper procedure for her to come to his home. She begs him to agree to sign a form to send Greg to another hospital. Carl refuses.

Carl continues to see Julie but refuses to tell her what he really thinks about Greg: That the boy might actually be telling the truth. She tells him that the voice on the recording could have just been distortion, but he doesn't believe her.

At the hospital one day, before a planned session with Greg, Carl receives a call from one of his contacts at the prison. Sol has escaped. Carl goes into his session with Greg. The conversation has hardly begun when Greg becomes fearful. Greg tells Carl that he must leave and go home immediately. Something bad is going to happen. Carl disregards Greg. Greg screams at him to go home, begging Carl to believe that he truly does have these new abilities. That he is not lying. That he is a vampire. That something terrible will happen to Julie if Carl doesn't get there and stop it. Carl leaves the building in a hurry and races back to his house. He calls the police on the way, fearful that Greg is telling the truth.

Once at the house, Carl walks in to find that Sol is there with Julie. Julie is tied to a chair and gagged. Sol has a handgun, and threatens to kill Julie if Carl won't “fix” him. Carl tries desperately to reach Sol. All three are in tears. Sol because he is desperate, and Carl and Julie because they both know that Sol has it in him to kill her. Carl finally convinces Sol to admit his crimes. Sol tells the story of how he raped and murdered the young woman. He seems to calm down, but then becomes UN-managable. He says that he feels no better having faced what he did. In fact, he feels worse. Two police officers enter the house. They see Sol. They aim their weapons. Sol shoots Julie in the head and the cops, in turn, shoot Sol dead.

There is a funeral and without Julie's support, the hospital is to be torn down within a month.

Carl has another session with Greg. Greg turns the tables on Carl, playing therapist for him. Carl breaks down, sobbing in front of his patient. Carl admits to the child that he wants to die. He begs Greg, that if he really is a vampire, to bite him and end his life. Greg refuses. He says he cannot bring himself to take the life of another.

Carl begins to grow more and more depressed the following weeks. We see him at a bar, drinking himself to death. The same bar he took Julie to. He looks at the empty seat drinks more, trying not to cry.

3 weeks later.

Carl is at the hospital. He is told that Greg's condition has improved. He is eating. He shows no more signs of anemia. And he is no longer pale. Carl has a session with him. Greg thanks Carl for helping him see the truth. Carl realizes that even though, he couldn't help Sol face his crimes, he has helped Greg finally face his fears. Greg even says that the night terrors have stopped.

Carl decides to move to work in a hospital in another state. He tells Greg that he will be releases in 2 weeks. The two part as friends, with Greg finally acknowledging Carl as a man and not just a doctor.

Carl moves. His first day at the new hospital, he gets a letter at the office. It is from Greg sent from the hospital 3 days before his release. Carl reads the letter. While he reads, we see Greg's mother come and walk him out of his room. The letter says that Greg believes that he and Carl have truly saved each other's souls and that no matter what happens, he is greatful for it.

Once Greg is out of the room, an orderly walks in to prep the room for another patient. The bed is moved and the orderly discovers a hole in the wall. Inside the wall are the bodies of several rats who had infested the building in it's dilapidation.

Greg walks outside with his mother. The sunlight hits him and he erupts into ash.