Common script terms:
EXT = exterior shot
INT = interior shot
POV = point-of-view shot
VO = voice-over
OS = off screen

FADE IN:

1       EXT. HOUSE (NEW ORLEANS) - NIGHT

A figure stands atop a turreted roof of a French-style house, silhouetted against the moon like a large, black bird.

2       ANGLE ON FIGURE'S BOOTS

Nineteenth-century winkle-picker style, standing steadily on the roof's steep gable. We PAN UP the leg TO the figure's hand, holding a leather-bound journal.

VOICE (V.O.)
There comes a time for every
vampire when the idea of eternity
becomes momentarily unbearable.
The wounds suffered from love and
failed friendships don't heal like
a human's, but seem to only gape
larger. The longing to be mortal
returns, a longing for finiteness.

The hand drops the journal down the chimney.

3       EXT. LA FAYETTE CEMETERY (NEW ORLEANS) - NIGHT

An empty breeze blows across a deserted cemetery as the figure's boots come INTO FRAME, strolling past headstones.

The sound of a HORSE and CARRIAGE ECHO in the distance.

4       WIDER - FIGURE

enters an alabaster tomb and closes the door.

VOICE (V.O.)
In 1883 I suffered such a spell
and decided to cease feeding on
blood. Just lie in the earth and
let time return to its natural state...

As the WIND PICKS UP, the LEAVES of a fledgling vine growing up the side of the tomb begin to RATTLE FASTER and FASTER, until curiously, time seems to speed up. Night passes to day and back to night.

Shadows from the sun and moon drift across the tomb.

(CONTINUED)

2.

4       CONTINUED:

As days and months fly by, the vine winds and grows in circuitous patterns all around the tomb.

VOICE (V.O.)
I had hoped the sounds of the
passing eras would fade out, and a
kind of death might happen. A
kind of forgetting where I would
be healed from my wounds.

The CLIP-CLOP of HORSES and the SQUEAK of PERAMBULATORS DISSOLVE INTO the THUMP and SCRAPE of INDUSTRIAL ENGINES.

VOICE (V.O.)
But as I lay there, the sounds
didn't fade but grew with the
world.

The BUZZ of PROP ENGINES MELT INTO the sound of a JET STREAMING overhead. CARS, MACHINES, RADIO BROADCASTS MERGE INTO a medley of MUSIC from this century -- JACK BENNY, MUDDY WATERS, ELVIS, HENDRIX, SEX PISTOLS.

VOICE (V.O.)
A new fearless attitude had
possessed the world, brave and
Godless. I began to wonder if it
was not time to resurrect. But
the thing that eventually brought
me back -- the decisive thing
really -- came like a bolt out of
the blue.

GUITARS STRIKE, DRUMS CRACK and the MUSIC SLAMS OUT, raw and dark.

Slender hands with long, painted nails, Gothic rings, and a half-pound of silver bracelets play their instruments. Long hair, body-piercings, Celtic tattoos, and brightly-coloured nylons show a lot of pale, smooth flesh. In the confusion of glimpses, it's hard to tell who's a boy or girl, but they're all young, thin and beautiful.
Breaking in on the CACOPHONY of MUSIC COMES ONE GUITAR CLOSER and LOUDER than all the rest....

(CONTINUED)

3.

4       CONTINUED:  (2)

A SCRAPING ROAR, like a bandsaw being twisted into the most gorgeous, powerful chords, almost religious in its emotion

VOICE (V.O.)
A music so sublime, so deeply
vampiric, I had no doubt it could
be heard in Hades. I had no
choice.

An ULTRA-FAST TECHNO BEAT BEGINS and the FULL-SOUND of a BAND RUSHES IN, creating a sense of vertigo with its energy.

5       INSIDE TOMB

The BAND’S sounds ECHO about the stone chamber, thrumming a deep, life-giving pulse.

Suddenly, the LID of a sarcophagus SCRAPES and slides to one side.

6       EXT. LA FAYETTE CEMETERY (NEW ORLEANS) – NIGHT

The figure re-emerges from the crypt, his cape now in tatters -- posture bent. He creeps across the cemetery in unnatural, staccato movements as if hindered by the physics of distance and time.

All the while the SONG plays, drawing the figure toward it.

7       EXT. FRENCH QUARTERS - NIGHT

The figure moves through the shadows avoiding the spill of yellow light from the street lamps.

Stopping in a darkened alleyway, he gasps for air, exhausted by his movements. He listens again to the mesmeric tune of the band in the distance, when…

From down the alley, a voice…

DEALER (O.S.)
Hey… Need somethin’?

8       CLOSE ON FIGURE'S EYES

stare hungrily at…

4.

9       BACK TO SCENE

A DEALER proffering a little parcel wrapped in foil. His LOOKOUT stands by, watching for cops.

Pulling deeper into the shadows, the caped figure beckons the dealer over. As the two men approach, their faces twist in disgust.

DEALER
What’s that smell?

LOOKOUT
Damn! Somethin’ crawl inside you
and die?

With a wild animal cry the figure lunges like a phantom.

A flash of teeth…

The Dealer is on the ground, the figure set upon him.

OVER this scene the BAND’S SONG RUSHES IN LOUD again, reaching an incredible CRESCENDO as the violent frenzy continues -- the monster gnawing at the dealer’s neck.

The Lookout is frozen with fear, the knife in his hand trembling as he stabs…

A skeletal claw shoots out, grabs his hand. The Lookout screams -- pain turns to fright.

The caped figure lunges.

10       CLOSE ON FIGURE’S HAND

It's vein refilling with the flow of warm blood -- skin regaining a youthful tautness.

The dead Lookout’s body drops to the ground. PULL BACK to reveal…

11       VAMPIRE LESTAT

Twenty-five years old before he was made immortal – long, blonde locks, pale blue-grey eyes and perfect skin like a marble statue. He is now dressed in a hip, tight shirt, leather jeans and coat – youthful but expensive. He douses the corpses with gasoline, lights a match and watches the inferno, a boyish grin playing on his full lips.

5.

12        INT. NEW ORLEANS HOUSE - CLOSE ON TV - NIGHT

A ROCK VIDEO featuring the latest "Gothic Rap" craze -- hip-hop kids rapping over spooky heavy-metal rhythms. We PULL BACK to reveal the members of Satan's Night Out watching TV and getting high. JAMES (18), ALEX (20), LOUISA (20) and their lead singer/keyboard player MAUDY (17), lying over each other with a level of intimacy that would suggest they were all sleeping together, if they could be bothered.

JAMES
We're as good as these clowns...

ALEX
Forget those losers. If we could just
get a decent gig...

Maudy climbs up to change the channel...

MAUDY
Yeah yeah yeah... 'If we could
just get a decent gig, we'd rule
and everything'd be cool. Talk
talk talk talk...

Something causes her to freeze. Slowly, she rises to her feet.

JAMES
Maudy, move your ass...

Seeing Maudy's stunned face, Alex and James turn to see Lestat perched like a raven on top of the stack of speakers. He drops to the floor without a sound.

ALEX
Who the hell are you?

LESTAT
An admirer.

JAMES
How did you get in here?

LESTAT
The door, of course.

Alex and James look at the door on the other side of the attic -- they should have seen him.

Meanwhile, Maudy stares at Lestat, quite taken by the handsome vampire's looks.

Drinking Maudy in with his eyes...

(CONTINUED)

6.

12        CONTINUED:

LESTAT
Your music woke me from the
longest sleep. It's sublime. In
two hundred years I've never heard
anything quite like it.

JASON
Who the hell are you?

LESTAT (V.O.)
The question provoked an
irresistible urge...

LESTAT
I am the vampire Lestat.

As we REMAIN ON the stunned looks of the band's faces --

LESTAT (V.O.)
It just rolled out of my mouth.
With one simple sentence I had
betrayed everything about my kind.

ALEX
What the hell is this?

LESTAT
Your lucky day.

They spin around to see Lestat right behind them, smiling.

13        FLYING ACROSS NIGHT SKIES

as the distinctive dark sound of SATAN'S NIGHT OUT KICKS IN to join LESTAT'S SOARING VOCAL.

LESTAT (V.O.)
It was a bold move, I admit. It
took a little more convincing, but
from that moment on, or close to
that moment, they were my friends,
my children, my band. Together we
rode on the wave of my
preternatural ambition to super-
stardom, giving the world a new
god... me. Well, that's the way I
remember it. It all doesn't
matter now, only to say that I
don't regret what happened, not
one thing.

(CONTINUED)

7.

13        CONTINUED:

We COME ACROSS the city lights of L.A... smoldering in their yellow night haze.

Below, police cars section off a few blocks of Sunset Boulevard where a huge crowd has gathered.

SUPERIMPOSE: LOS ANGELES (6 MONTHS LATER)

Through the crowd a limousine snakes its way toward the Tower Records Building, where a video-clip of Lestat and his band plays on a huge outdoor screen.

14        INT. STRETCH LIMOUSINE - NIGHT

ROGER SMYTHE, their business manager (40s), sites oblivious to the "thump thump" of screaming fans pressing their breasts and necks up against the limousine, as he initials a few pages of the documents on his lap.

In the back of the limousine, Lestat sits, smiling devilishly, between two huge mastiff dogs as "thump, thump, thump," fan after female fan flings herself on the car.

Opposite Lestat, Alex and James in a drugged-out haze, ogle at the sight of nubile flesh as Maudy, totally jazzed by the whole scene, writhes in her seat, highly aroused.

Pressing his face right up against one of the windows, Lestat rolls his tongue out its full six inches and licks the window.

Outside, groupies scream with pure excitement.

LESTAT
I think I've got my pulse back.

The band laughs.

Waving the legal documents in his hand.

ROGER
(all business)
I need you guys to sign off on the
recording rights to the concert
this week. And I don't want this
interview to go on over ten minutes,
alright -- want to avoid any
personal questions.

In the back seat, Maudy points to a near-naked fan outside.

(CONTINUED)

8.

14       CONTINUED:

MAUDY
Check that out.

ROGER
(craning his neck around)
Is anybody listening to me.

As they pile out of the car...

LESTAT
Of course not.

The two MASTIFFS SNARL at Roger who gives them a snarl back.

15        EXT. TOWER RECORDS - NIGHT

Confusion of screams, security guards trying to hold the line of hysterical fans.

A very long, black limo pulls up and James, Alex, Louisa and Maudy climb out. Rows of fans dressed as Goths, ghouls and vampires scream out "Lestat! Lestat!" Hysteria in the air.

FANS
Where's Lestat? Where is he! Oh
God, I have to see him. Please!

The fans scream and moan.

FANS
I want him! I want his blood!

Maudy and James exchange looks -- this is all too weird and out of control even for them. Roger is by their side, hustling them through the crowd.

ROGER
Just buy your tickets for the
concert! Let's keep it moving...!

Finally, Lestat emerges from the limousine. A wave of hysteria hits the crowd.

16        LESTAT - SLOW MOTION

scans the crowd, smiles as FLASHBULB'S POP.

17        LESTAT'S POV - SEA OF ADORING FACES

mouthing his name, reaching out to touch him.

9.

18        BACK TO SCENE

Roger goes into action and hustles Lestat and the band through the crowd and up the stairs into Tower Records past the giant billboard with their own images written huge, Lestat's smiling face above them all, and the annonuncement -- LESTAT -- LIVE & UNDEAD -- OCTOBER 31, ALL HALLOW'S EVE, DEATH VALLEY. We PUSH IN RAPIDLY ON the GIANT SCREEN playing the latest "VAMPIRE LESTAT".

19        INT. TOWER RECORDS - SOON AFTER

The CD racks have been removed to make room for a podium, a long table and a giant promotional display in the background. They are faced by an audience of over fifty journalists and then another fifty photographers and TV cameras. Lestat sits in the center, flanked by Roger and the band. A straight CNN-type LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST is standing, in mid-question.

LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST
How do you account for your
popularity, because frankly, I
haven't seen anything like this...

LESTAT
I represent something to my fans
they can't get anywhere else.

LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST
What's that exactly?

LESTAT
Reality.

The journalists laugh.

LESTAT
No, I'm serious. I'm here to show
the world 'there are more things
in heaven and earth...'

A pretty FRENCH JOURNALIST stands.

FRENCH JOURNALIST
So, you are the real thing.

LESTAT
That's correct.

FRENCH JOURNALIST
(flirting)
You don't look that different.

(CONTINUED)

10.

19        CONTINUED:

LESTAT
I've been feeding -- it gives me a
rosy complexion, so I don't
frighten you all away.

FRENCH JOURNALIST
Could you prove it. You know,
give us a demonstration of you
powers.

Lestat gives her an evil smile.

LESTAT
If you like, I'll give you a
private demonstration in your
hotel room tonight.

The journalists laugh again. The French Journalist sits down, a little frightened/fascinated by Lestat's leer. A younger, hipper MUSIC MAGAZINE JOURNALIST pipes in...

MUSIC JOURNALIST
I was listening to your CD
before the show today and well,
it's very cool.

LESTAT
Thank you.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
Its sort defies all categories.
How would you describe your
influences?

MAUDY
Sex, blood and rock 'n' roll.

Laughter. Maudy and Lestat exchange smiles -- partners in PR.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
There are rumors flying 'round the
internet 'bout the hidden meanings
in your songs.

LESTAT
Only when you play them backwards.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
I was.

Laughing.

(CONTINUED)

11.

19        CONTINUED:   (2)

LESTAT
Everything is there for those who
can hear. My music is for
everyone, including other
vampires.

This time an older TABLOID JOURNALIST stands.

TABLOID JOURNALIST
Is it true you hung out with
Marilyn Manson?

LESTAT
We exchanged eyeliners once.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
Correct me if I'm wrong, but what
I remember about vampires, you
know from all the movies and
things, you guys usually keep
quiet about your identity.

LESTAT
I've hidden in the shadows for
centuries. Now, it's time to
share myself with the world.

LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST
Doesn't hurt the record sales,
huh?

LESTAT
Our label isn't complaining, no.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
Come out of the closet.

LESTAT
Out of the casket.

Laughter.

LESTAT
I'm like the Pied Piper. Ratting
them all out.

An appreciative laugh from the press core -- they're enjoying this performance although no one seems to be taking it very seriously.

(CONTINUED)

12.

19        CONTINUED:

TABLOID JOURNALIST
Any relationships you'd care to
share with the audience. I mean,
does the 'Vampire Lestat' have
a...

LESTAT
A girlfriend?

TABLOID JOURNALIST
Or boyfriend, we're open minded.

LESTAT
Anything with a heartbeat is the
general rule of thumb.

TABLOID JOURNALIST
(snickers)
You'd starve in New York then.

Laughter.

MUSIC JOURNALIST
These other vampires, aren't they
going to be pissed that you're,
you know, giving away their
secrets?

LESTAT
I imagine I am, yes.

LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST
Do you have anything to say to the
other vampires listening out
there?

LESTAT
Yes, as a matter of fact, I do...

Leaning slightly into the light, Lestat smiles at the TV camera.

MATCH CUT TO:

20        INT. BAR - TV

showing the same video.

LESTAT (V.O.)
Come and get me if you can.

CAMERA BOOMS DOWN to reveal...

13.

21        INT. HICK BAR (BAKERSFIELD) - NIGHT

We SETTLE ON a group of dangerous VAMPIRE BIKERS with face tattoos staring stony-faced up at the screen, their eyes glowing strangely in the ultra-violet light.

TATTOOED VAMPIRE #1
That fucker gonna get us all
killed.

TATTOOED VAMPIRE #2
I say, he gets on that stage, we
kill him, 'fore this shit gets
outta hand. Bleed him dry. You
know what I'm sayin'.

TATTOOED VAMPIRE #1
I'm with that. When I was up in
Seattle, they was sayin' the same
thing. They was sayin' they're
comin' from all over.

TATTOOED VAMPIRE #3
I dunno... if he's as old as they
say, he's gotta be pretty
strong...

TATTOOED VAMPIRE #1
Yeah... let's see how he handles a
hundred of us at once.

They get up from the bar, pick up their motorcycle helmets and exit as we REVEAL Lestat sitting in the corner, smiling.

CUT TO:

22        STARING EYE

PULL BACK to reveal a 19th-century porcelain doll, beautiful, perfect but with those staring unsettling eyes. We TRACK ACROSS rows and rows of dolls from different eras, all exquisitely detailed. TRACK PAST the billowing floor-to-ceiling curtains to reveal a five-year-old girl lying awake in bed, Jesse, green eyes and long red curls. LAUGHTER wafts in with the breeze. Everything seems big -- the bed, the door, the room - too big for a child.

23        INT. CORRIDOR

Jesse's bare feet pad down the endless corridor. The little girl is dwarfed by the stone pedestals, all lit with candles. LAUGHTER ECHOES through the halls.

14.

24        INT. GREAT HALL

Jesse moves past rough-hewn columns, watching with great curiosity.

25        JESSE'S POV

A grand party is in progress. There are about thirty vampires, all thin, pale and beautiful. An eclectic bunch, elegantly-dressed in Indian silks, Arabic veils, mixed with a few gaudy Versace outfits.

26        BACK TO SCENE

Jesse stands watching. Behind her, we GLIMPSE a giant mural of names cut into the stone walls. A family tree, extending up onto the ceiling and down to the floor.

27        JESSE'S POV

Guests lean into each others necks showing blood-red tongues and fangs.

28        BACK TO SCENE

A young VAMPIRE picks Jesse up and puts her on his knee.

VAMPIRE
When you're grown up, you can be
with us forever. You'll like
that, won't you?

WOMAN (O.S.)
(urgent)
Jesse!

VAMPIRE
Would you like that?

WOMAN (O.S.)
(more urgent)
Jesse!

29        INT. JESSE'S BEDROOM - PRESENT

JESSE sits up with a start. She is 18 -- a budding beauty with the same red locks and green eyes.

JESSE
Weird.

(CONTINUED)

15.

29        CONTINUED:

CAMERA FOLLOWS as Jesse heads for the john in her T-shirt and socks. She EXITS FRAME to reveal a wall devoted to the Vampire Lestat -- posters, magazine cutouts.

30        EXT. LONDON BUS - NEXT DAY

Lestat's image pasted on a red London double-decker bus. The bus CLEARS FRAME to reveal...

Jesse, her arms overflowing with books and magazines.

31        EXT. TALAMASCA HEADQUARTERS - SOON AFTER

Jesse runs in the driveway of an old Tudor manor.

JESSE (V.O.)
I don't have the complete picture
yet... and I'm going to need
approval for a field trip to
L.A... but...

32        INT. TALAMASCA HEADQUARTERS - TALBOT'S ROOM - SOON AFTER

Floor-to-ceiling books, Persian rugs and old leather couching. Jesse stands before the grand old desk, looking tired, nervous and excited.

JESSE
... I think that I might have
found a vampire.

Her audience is DAVID TALBOT (60's), distinguished, white-haired, handsome. Talbot sits in his old leather chair and examines the folder while Jesse continues her presentation.

JESSE
He calls himself the 'Vampire
Lestat,' and claims to be several
hundred years old...

Talbot looks up over his reading glasses.

TALBOT
You're talking about the rock 'n'
roll group?

(CONTINUED)

16.

32        CONTINUED:

JESSE
Yes, David, he's in a rock band.
It's not exactly 'rock', it's more
neo-Gothic metal, with a hip-hop
groove and a strong lyric
component...

Talbot gives Jesse a knowing, ironic look -- she knows he has no idea what she's talking about.

JESSE
... If you could study the lyrics,
you'll see that most of these
references could be derived from
years of research in the
Bibliotech de Paris, which seems
unlikely for a young rock star in
his early twenties, but...
(leans over table for emphasis)
... there are historical details
Lestat describes that don't exist
in any book, letter, parchment,
engraving or any of the major
library catalogues... except in
our library within the Talamasca.
As you can see, they refer to
'Marius, the great white lord' who
ruled over a group of islands off
the bay of Naples in the late
eighteenth century.

Talbot studies the photocopies in front of him.

TALBOT
Hmmm, yes... this is very good,
Jesse.

JESSE
There are several accounts of a
similar figure -- the 'Great
Master, Ruler of the Night,'
etcetera.

Jesse waits for Talbot to respond. Finally, he looks up, nods, is about to speak when...

... door opens and another TALAMASCA MEMBER comes in with a stack of files.

TALAMASCA MEMBER
The transcripts you asked for. We
have five different confirmations
of the poltergeist sightings...

(CONTINUED)

17.

32        CONTINUED:   (2)

Jesse rolls her eyes impatiently and sits down.

TALBOT
Thank you, just put them down.

Talbot waits for his underling to leave. As soon as the door shuts, Talbot stands.

TALBOT
Jesse...

Jesse looks up with distressed eyes.

JESSE
What...?

TALBOT
My dear, are you ill?

JESSE
No! No, I'm fine. I haven't been
sleeping. I guess I get a little
too wired.

Talbot stands, moves around to the front of the desk.

TALBOT
Is there something on your mind?

She shakes her head.

JESSE
I feel stupid talking about it...

Jesse takes a deep breath.

JESSE
When I can't sleep, I go out...
just walking around. I go
places...

TALBOT
Go on.

JESSE
I go to dangerous places. Bad
neighbourhood. Dark alleys. The
worse it is, then I have to go. I
can't help myself.

David considers, looks into Jesse's eyes.

(CONTINUED)

18.

32        CONTINUED:   (3)

DAVID
I think you're right. That is
a problem.

JESSE
... I feel this terrible sadness.
Like I don't belong here.

TALBOT
Well, that's not so unusual...

JESSE
There's something else.

Talbot waits.

JESSE
The reason I'm not sleeping...
(deep breath)
I keep having these... dreams. I
dream I'm a little girl, and I'm
living in this house with all
these... vampires.

TALBOT
Vampires...

JESSE
Real vampires. They're so real!
But they're so beautiful. And I
feel so happy when I'm with them.
In the dream, I love them.

Jesse looks up, afraid to see what Talbot might be thinking. Talbot comes to a decision, rises to his feet.

TALBOT
Jesse, when you came to apprentice
here three years ago, I felt badly
that you'd lost your parents. I
must admit I fell in love with
that precocious teenager
immediately. You demonstrated
such extraordinary instincts -- I
was proud as a peacock. But I
feel that I've done you a
disservice.

JESSE
David, please... I can handle it.
I love my work here.

Talbot pauses as the door opens again and Talbot's secretary comes in with a pile of old books.

(CONTINUED)

19.

32        CONTINUED:   (4)

TALBOT
(impatiently)
Yes, yes, just leave them there.

He sighs as his secretary beats a hasty retreat.

TALBOT
I don't know if I'm making a
mistake here. What will be will
be...

He crosses to the bookshelf, reaches deep inside, and the entire wall swivels to reveal a hidden door...

(Continued...)

33       INT. LESTAT'S MANSION - SOUND STUDIO - NIGHT

Lestat and his band rehearse one of their numbers. Music and voice melding into a grand, almost operatic harmony.

34       INSIDE CONTROL BOOTH

Two SOUND ENGINEERS work the board.

SOUND ENGINEER #1
When's the concert?

SOUND ENGINEER #2
Four days.

SOUND ENGINEER #1
These guys are gonna kill.

Behind them, Roger sits pensively watching. Surreptitiously, he glances down at a book on his lap -- its title Vampires -- The Occult Truth.

Looking back up he catches eyes with Lestat who stares at him intensely while he sings.

35       STUDIO

Lestat slides into a high 'C' leaning into the microphone catching his own reflection in the booth's window, and CRACK -- GLASS SPLINTERS.

Roger jumps out of his skin, stifling a cry.

SOUND ENGINEER #1
(dumbfounded)
Shit.

(CONTINUED)

20.

35       CONTINUED:

James, Alex, Louisa and Maudy "whoop" with excitement, thinking it was their music.

JAMES
We rock.

LESTAT
Yes, I'd say I'm down with that.

They all laugh.

Through the broken glass we see Roger slump into a chair, his nerves totally frayed.

ALEX
Think we can call that a night.

Unhooking their instruments, Alex, James and Louisa start to pack up as Maudy slowly approaches Lestat and nuzzles his neck.

Closing his eyes he shivers with temptation. Her hand moves down the front of his pants, when...

Lestat pulls her into his arms. Leaning into her neck he breathes in her scent...

Closes his eyes and...

Suddenly opens them right at Roger who looks on, extremely perturbed.

Smiling like the devil...

LESTAT
Oh, the sweet song of her blood.

Roger stares on terrified.

LESTAT
I'll hear it in my head all night.

Gently letting Maudy go...

LESTAT
Roger...

He goes directly to Roger, reaches into his open shirt, studies the crucifix around his neck.

LESTAT
I didn't know you were religious.

(CONTINUED)

21.

35       CONTINUED:    (2)

Lestat sniffs and reaches into Roger's pocket. Pulls out a string of garlic flowers.

LESTAT
(smiles)
Roger...

Roger has stopped breathing. Lestat puts the garlic back in his pocket and walks away, laughing to himself. Roger exhales with relief.

36       INT. TALAMASCA HEADQUARTERS - TALBOT'S PRIVATE CHAMBERS

The lights switch on and Jesse looks around -- the room is enormous, almost endless, stacked with paintings and ancient relics from every era going back to Babylon. Jesse is drawn to the first painting on the wall.

And eighteenth-century painting.

The interior of an enormous Italian villa, it's open terraces painted in with the spectacular view of the surrounding islands. The moon glitters on the black Mediterranean sea. There's a man in his forties with long white hair, back to us, but his face is reflected in a standing mirror.

TALBOT
What do you see?

JESSE
(entranced)
It's a nightmare.

TALBOT
What else?

JESSE
The detail...

Talbot smiles -- unable to contain his excitement in sharing his secret. Jesse moves to the next painting. A giant medieval tableaux, circa Brugel.

JESSE
This one too... it's amazing...

TALBOT
Look up at the battlements of that
castle.

(CONTINUED)

22.

36       CONTINUED:

SWISH ACROSS AND UP to detail standing on the battlements, impassively watching the bloodshed of gory battles and sacrifice of saints burned at the stake, is the same man with the long white hair.

Jesse moves to the next painting, then the next large authentic paintings, all set and painted in the style of different eras, all featuring a portrait of the same white-maned man.

TALBOT
I've carbon-tested the different
paint samples and they're
authentic. All painted at the
time of that particular style.

Jesse finally stops at a Marius self-portrait, Warhol style.

JESSE
Who is he.

TALBOT
His name is Marius. I believe
that he is not just the subject,
but the painter.

Jesse is almost demented with the discovery...

JESSE
He's a vampire, isn't he? You
found a real vampire! And he's
the one in Lestat's songs!

TALBOT
I've never set eyes on him...
although I'd like to think that
one time in Istanbul... the white-
haired man in the crowd...

Talbot shakes off the memory, rises, frustrated.

TALBOT
For all I know, these paintings
are as close as I'll ever come to
the Ancient Ones.

JESSE
The Ancient Ones?

Drawing Jesse's attention to a series of sketched portraits mounted on one of the office walls.

(CONTINUED)

23.

36       CONTINUED:    (2)

TALBOT
Vampires older than history. Just
names, legends long forgotten.

JESSE
I have to go to Los Angeles.

TALBOT
Jesse, listen to me. These
creatures are powerful and
dangerous beyond our
understanding.

Jesse rolls her eyes in frustration but David persists.

JESSE
What am I doing here if you're
just going to sit on every lead I
find? I have to be at that
concert.

TALBOT
The Talamasca has a West Coast
chapter, with members much more
experienced than yourself. Field
work requires refined mental
skills, the most important being
patience and self-control. You
have yet to develop either.
However, I do offer a consultation
prize...

Talbot goes to his desk and hands Jesse a folder with some photo copies, newspaper articles and old photographs.

TALBOT
... A field trip to New Orleans.

JESSE
Lestat's house?

TALBOT
Here's an old title on the house
you mention in your report this
dates back to the late 1800's.
The name on the title is the
Marquis Lestat D'Lioncourt.

Jesse sits down on the leather couch, frustration overtaken by wonder.

JESSE
You already know about Lestat...

(CONTINUED)

24.

36       CONTINUED:    (3)

Her head spins. There's more to this than she understood. Talbot sits beside her.

TALBOT
This is my personal area of
interest, and you, my bright
spark, have a lot to learn. I
would rather you live to learn it.
You may help me with my work, but
I'm not letting you within a
thousand miles of Lestat. And,
Jesse, please, no more wandering
around at night. Do we have an
understanding?

37       INT. JESSE'S BEDROOM - LATER

Jesse lays awake, unable to sleep as usual.

38       EXT. LONDON STREET - LATER THAT NIGHT

Fog floats in the yellow vapor lights. Jesse emerges from the tube station, and makes her way across the deserted intersection. The only movement at this time of night is the giant street-cleaner that pushes past her.

39       EXT. STREET

Jesse walks up the street and pauses at the intersection of a narrow alley. She hesitates then turns down the lane.

40       EXT. ALLEY

The CLOP of Jesse's chunky, trendy heels ECHO around the flagstones and corrugated back fences.

Jesse walks, the ambient light becoming darker and darker with every step.

41       EXT. ALLEY INTERSECTION

Jesse makes a left, going deeper into the labyrinth of allies. A BOTTLE SMASHES close by, causing her to start. She increases her pace; looking over her shoulder, she runs straight into a bulky figure. A primal scream rises from her stomach.

(CONTINUED)

25.

41       CONTINUED:

The figure is a homeless drunk who bellows back in her face, more frightened than she is. He scuttles off into the night.

Jesse presses her back against the wall and breathes. Something catches her eye.

These are figures moving in the distance through the fog.

Jesse squints, tries to get a better look. She moves along the wall in the shadows.

There's a man handing out cards. Another dark figure takes a card and... flits away at unnatural speed...

Jesse gasps. The man hears her and turns. His face is unnaturally pale and gaunt it almost glows in the darkness. His eyes shine with a strange reflective light, like a cat. A strange HISS seems to come from all directions.

Jesse, paralyzed TIME SLOWS to a crawl as her HEART POUNDS.

The man flies towards her. A flash of movement. Leather jacket catching the air by her cheek, as he passes...

Jesse jumps back against the corrugated iron with a bang.

Then there is nothing. No sign of life or movement. Did she imagine what she just saw? Something catches her eye.

On the ground, a business card has fallen. Jesse picks it up and reads...

"Private Club. 13 Crowley Lane. Invitations Only."

42       EXT. STREET - SOON AFTER

The sign reads "CROWLEY LANE." Jesse moves along the street with determination.

This neighbourhood is worse than the last. Darkened warehouses, junkyards, factories. The flicker of a fire looms in the distance.

Several bonfires line the lane, illuminating rows of prone bodies cardboard shelters, garbage, empty bottles. A city of the homeless.

The drunks look up at her with dead eyes.

(CONTINUED)

26.

42       CONTINUED:

Jesse pulls up the high collar of her coat, but there's no hiding her young legs beneath her short skirt.

13 Crowley Lane. There's a solitary door in the wall up ahead, with a dull blue light mounted above. Another figure flits to the door. Knocks. The door opens. The figure hands over the card and vanishes inside.

Jesse approaches, hears MUSIC and VOICES, must be some kind of nightclub. Jesse knocks.

The door opens, and a vampire peers out curiously.

43       VAMPIRE'S POV

Jesse holds up the card, face averted, her hand hidden by the cuff of her coat.

44       BACK TO SCENE

He takes the card and steps back. Jesse moves forward, the door shuts behind her.

45       INT. VAMPIRE NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT

The MUSIC is part blues, part Kurt Weil, part Gothic -- dark and ominous as if the pianist and electric guitar player on the small stage knew exactly the sort of trouble Jesse was in.

The bar is comprised of elaborately-carved Chinese dragons, a TV mounted incongruously in the corner showing a silent Vampire Lestat video.

The couple dance cheek to cheek, rotating like figures on a music box. Another couple are necking hot and heavy in the corner. The small tables are occupied by vampires, but no drinks or food anywhere.

Jesse moves through the tables, passing a mortal, a YUPPIE-TYPE sitting with a VAMPIRE GIRL he's obviously just met

YUPPIE
... This place is cool! You sure
you don't want a drink?

VAMPIRE GIRL
Soon.

(CONTINUED)

27.

45       CONTINUED:

Vampire Girl smiles, glances up at Jesse as she passes unnatural pale skin and a wicked knowing smile. Jesse looks away quickly, moves on...

The guitar player and pianist watch as she passes by also unnaturally pale...

The couple necking in the corner begin to get even more aroused. A mortal girl sips on her drink while her lover, a vampire, kisses her shoulder, her throat...

46       UNKNOWN POV

Unaware that she is being watched, Jesse completes her circuit.

47       BACK TO SCENE

as Jesse ends up back at the bar where THREE PUNK VAMPIRES slouch, looking up at Lestat on the video.

PUNK VAMPIRE #1
Breakaway's gonna start a whole
new inquisition.

PUNK VAMPIRE #2
Not if we can help it.

PUNK VAMPIRE #1
You going to L.A.?

48       UNKNOWN POV

We watch the Punk Vampires and hear every word they say as the other SOUNDS FADE AWAY.

PUNK VAMPIRE #3
'Course we are. Whole coven's
going. Wouldn't miss that show if
you drained me dry.

49       LESTAT

leans forward out of the shadows of the corner, smiling, loving the drama he is creating... But again his attention moves to this strange mortal girl...

28.

50       JESSE

moves past the Punk Vampires. They fall silent as she pauses at the bar.

PUNK VAMPIRE #1
Come here often?

Jesse turns and sees that Punk Vampire #1 is leaning towards her.

JESSE
Sure, all the time.

She is distracted by...

51       JESSE'S POV

The Yuppie Guy is being led into he bathroom by his vampire date, oblivious. They pass the necking couple...

...a brief glimpse of the tiny trickle of blood on the mortal girl's neck as she swoons...

...an even briefer flash as her vampire lover comes up for air, his lips and teeth shiny with blood...

52       JESSE

stares, horrified. Suddenly, she is brought back to her own predicament as the Punk Vampire pulls down her collar.

PUNK VAMPIRE #1
Don't see any marks.

JESSE
You haven't seen the rest of my
body.

PUNK VAMPIRE #2
Is that an invitation?

Jesse finds herself surrounded by the Three Vampires. She shakes her head, too frightened to get out a response.

PUNK VAMPIRE #3
So, where's your host?

JESSE
Host...

(CONTINUED)

29.

52       CONTINUED:

PUNK VAMPIRE #3
This is a special club. You have
to come with a member.

JESSE
I know that. He's here somewhere.

She peers into the darkness, looking for her host.

PUNK VAMPIRE #2
Silly boy to leave you alone.

She knows she's in serious trouble, start moving towards the door.

JESSE
You know, I think he went outside.
I'll just go check and see if he's
okay.

She turns and finds herself blocked by Punk Vampire #2, who has supernaturally moved around.

PUNK VAMPIRE #2
Your host. What's his name.

Jesse looks around, trying not to panic. Pale faces, pale eyes watch...

JESSE
Lestat...

53       LESTAT

hearing his name. He leans forward, listens, studies this strange mortal, fascinated.

PUNK VAMPIRE #2
(hisses)
Lestat...

The Punk Vampires laugh.

JESSE
You got a problem with that?

All around her, vampires are turning to look. The MUSIC DIES, leaving a frightening silence.

54       LESTAT'S POV

Jesse keeps up her defiant front. Slides between the two Vampires blocking her and makes it to the exit...

30.

55       EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

Jesse backs out and steps around the immobile doorman.

JESSE
'Scuse me...

She turns and starts up the alley. The Three Vampires from the bar have somehow gotten outside and are blocking her path.

Heart racing, Jesse turns, walks back past the doorman and into the darker part of the alley.

Figures flit past her at super-human speed.

56       EXT. ALLEY - T-SECTION - NIGHT

Jesse bolts, scrambling, as the Vampires land in front of her, beside her, behind her. They close in, smiling.

VAMPIRE #3
Don't worry, darlin'. This ain't
gonna hurt. You might even enjoy
it...

He runs her hand up and down her body. Jesse starts to shake. The others grin.

He picks her up by the throat. Jesse gags, chokes. Her legs flail in the air. Looks like this is it.

Suddenly the two Vampires turn and hiss like cats.

Jesse hits the flagstones hard with a grunt. She gasps for air, looks up. Can't believe her eyes.

The Vampires have gone but a new figure emerges from the fog.

Jesse squints, still woozy.

Is that Lestat standing, silhouetted by the orange vapour lights? Is that Lestat smiling? Or is she delirious from her brush with death? Finally, Lestat comes INTO FOCUS...

JESSE
Lestat...

Lestat moves closer, revealing himself in the light. He smiles, examines Jesse curiously.

LESTAT
Who are you?

Jesse stares, struggles to her feet. She looks down as she steadies herself, but when she looks up...

Lestat is gone.

57       INT. LESTAT'S MANSION - NIGHT (LATER)

The CAMERA TRACKS WITH TWO young GROUPIES as they walk THROUGH the over-scaled modern palace. Rows of white columns stretch in all directions. There's a living room area facing out onto a pool and the sparkling lights of Los Angeles.

GROUPIE #2
...I have a cousin who's
boyfriend was doing wiring on his
private recording studio, and he
said that Lestat only ever comes
by at night.

GROUPIE #1
I heard that, too. Like, he gets
clothing stores to open up at
three in the morning.

GROUPIE #2
You know what I heard. I heard
that he keeps all these girls
locked up in his cellar, and it's
really nice, and they give you
food and cable and weed.

GROUPIE #1
Oh, please...

GROUPIE #2
That's what I heard. But you have
to let him suck you on your neck
whenever he wants. Doesn't sound
too bad.

GROUPIE #1
You've done worse.

GROUPIE #2
Damn straight.

58       INT. LESTAT'S MANSION - STAIRS - MEANWHILE

Roger wears an expensive open shirt and blazer, but he still manages to look seedy as he comes up the stairs and enters through two oversized doors.

CAMERA FOLLOWS as...

32.

59       INT. LESTAT'S MANSION - SUITE - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Roger takes us on a walking tour of the grand bedroom, the grand bathroom/spa...

Lestat's dressing room stretches off into the distance, rows of beautiful suites made from the finest wools and silks. The gradation of colors is spectacular.

Lestat is reflected in rows of mirrors trying on different jackets.

ROGER
When did you get back?

Lestat ignores him, stands before an enormous mirror trying on different jackets.

ROGER
The... girls you asked for.
They're already downstairs.

LESTAT
Yes, I can hear.

Lestat moves off towards the door.

ROGER
Do you want me to take them home
later?

Lestat smiles at the clumsy attempt to protect the girls.

LESTAT
No, thank you, Roger. I'll make
sure they're taken care of.

Roger nods, trying to hide his nervousness. Lestat smiles...

60       INT. LESTAT'S MANSION - LIVING ROOM - SOON AFTER

CAMERA MOVES OUT INTO the large empty space of the living-room, TURNING DOWNWARDS TOWARDS the two girls who are now dreamy, floating with the effect of the joint they are smoking... BOOM DOWN to reveal Lestat as he approaches the girls.

GROUPIE #1
Oh my God...

GROUPIE #2
It's really you, isn't it?

(CONTINUED)

33.

60       CONTINUED:

LESTAT
Yes.

GROUPIE #1
Oh my God...

GROUPIE #2
No one's ever gonna believe this.
(offers her joint)
Want some?

Lestat calmly shakes his head.

GROUPIE #1
Want me?

Circling the couches.

LESTAT
Eventually.

BROOKE [GROUPIE #2 (?)]
You hungry?

LESTAT
I'm always hungry.

GROUPIE #1
We've got the munchies?

LESTAT
Minch-ies?

GROUPIE #2
(laughing)
You got any food?

LESTAT
Vampires don't eat... food.

They laugh nervously...

Lestat laughs dangerously...

Pacing across the room, he stands before the girls. He curls his finger around the first girl's hair.

LESTAT
Your hair is so fine... reminds me
of the time I danced with Marie
Antoinette at the Court of
Versailles.

(CONTINUED)

34.

60       CONTINUED:   (2)

GROUPIE #1
Who?

Lestat loses enthusiasm, walks away and drops himself into a couch.

GROUPIE #1
Is Marie one of your girlfriends?

With a clap of his hands, the TV SWITCHES ON. He silently watches one of his video clips.

LESTAT
Never mind. She was a spoiled,
dull woman until she lost her
head.

Groupie #2 coquettishly crawls over toward Lestat...

GROUPIE #2
Did someone say 'head'?

She starts putting her hands all over him, but he recoils at her touch and slides out of the armchair onto the floor with grace.

LESTAT
Don't do that.

Groupie #2 giggles.

GROUPIE #2
Are you ticklish?

LESTAT
(deadpan)
I'm very ticklish.

Groupie #1 giggles as well and at once they both start after Lestat on all fours to tickle him.

He smiles and laughs and gets down on...

All fours as well, as he leads them around the room in a childish game as they try to tickle him, but he stays just a few feet ahead of them the whole time.

The girls giggle and giggle as they persue...

Lestat crawling just ahead of them across the floor and...

Up the wall.

(CONTINUED)

35.

60       CONTINUED:    (3)

The teenagers keep giggling as they watch him ascend the wall like a spider, and then they begin to giggle and half-cry as they can't believe what they're seeing as...

Lestat reaches the wall's top and now crawls upside-down across the ceiling.

The girls sit open-mouthed with terror as they arch their necks all the way back to see...

Lestat swoops down from the ceiling onto one of them...

His teeth sink into the first young throat...

The Groupies scream over...

61       HOLLYWOOD SIGN - NIGHT

Below the Hollywood Sign is nestled Lestat's immodest little folly -- a sprawling mansion of modern white lines.

Lightning strikes. As the THUNDER RUMBLES...

CUT TO

62       CLOSE ON JESSE

She swings open the wrought iron gate and makes her way up the over-grown path towards the...

63       EXT. NEW ORLEANS HOUSE - DAY (SEVERAL DAYS LATER)

Jesse makes her way up to the front door which has now been sprayed with graffiti by obsessive fans. "Lestat Rules," "Lestat Livz Hear" (sic)... etc.

SUPERIMPOSE: NEW ORLEANS (TWO DAYS LATER)

64       INT. NEW ORLEANS HOUSE - ENTRY HALL

Jesse pushes open the door which is almost ajar. She takes a step forward -- the papery floorboards nearly give way. We FOLLOW as Jesse MOVES THROUGH the corridor INTO the...

65       LIVING ROOM

...which has been transformed into a shrine to Lestat.

(CONTINUED)

36.

65       CONTINUED:

Even though it's day outside, the windows are boarded up, allowing only the thinnest fingers of light to poke through the dusty air. It's still very gloomy.

The only sounds are the DISTANT STREETCARS of St. Charles Ave., and the SLOW CREAKING of Jesse's steps.

The walls are plastered with posters announcing the concert. In the center of the room are remnants of a small fire someone built from using old bits of furniture.

There are strange symbols and bits of writing that suggest rituals -- not exactly Satanic, but creepy none the less.

Jesse sighs, puts down her satchel -- takes off her coat and gets to work...

DISSOLVE TO:

66       UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR - HOURS LATER

Jesse searching the walls of the upstairs corridor...

DISSOLVE TO:

67       WALK-IN CLOSET - MORE HOURS PASS

Jesse, covered in dust, knocks and feels along the inside of a walk-in closet...

DISSOLVE TO:

69        SHADOWS

deepen as the darkness encroaches...

DISSOLVE TO:

37.

70       LIVING ROOM

Jesse returns to the living room defeated. There must be something... down at the fire on the floor... back at the surrounding room...

Jesse gets an idea.

JESSE
The fireplace. There must be a
fireplace.

She open her satchel and empties it on the floor -- a pocket camera, a flashlight.

Jesse taps along the walls.

DISSOLVE TO:

71       JESSE

taps along the other wall... tap, tap, tap, tap... there is a hollow base sound as she finds the false wall.

SMASH CUT TO:

72       JESSE

Rip! Jesse tears at the layers of posters. She pulls at the crumbling wallpaper behind. Layers and layers come away to reveal a plaster wall. Bingo. She taps harder and harder, then takes a good whack and the wall collapses into a cloud of plaster dust.

She steps back, coughing, trying to get the dust out of her eyes. She grabs her flashlight and looks in the fireplace. Jesse crouches as low as she can and looks in -- there's something lodged up there. Carefully, she reaches in and extracts a very old, very dusty book.

Jesse stares at the book, almost trembling with reverence. It sticks -- but with great gentleness she slowly pulls open the pages to reveal -- florid handwriting in thick black ink...

ZOOM IN RAPIDLY ON the first lines which read...

JESSE (O.S.)
(reading)
'Je suis le Vampire Lestat...'
(whispers)
Oh my God...

38.

73       FLASHBACK - EXT. MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND - FULL SHOT

A solitary paradise in a rough, nighttime sea.

LESTAT (V.O.)
It was the winter of 1788 and I
was brought to a Mediterranean
Island by the man who made me...

A lightning flash illuminates a sprawling 18th Century sea-front villa.

LESTAT (V.O.)
... If a man is what you'd call
him.

74       INT. MARIUS'S VILLA - NIGHT

A great round room encircled with candles, their reflections flickering in the great glass windows braving back the outside STORM. A Roman-style bed overflowing with exotic silks and cushions sits in the room's center and on it...

Lestat De Lioncourt lays feverish and fitful, dressed in a soft linen nightshirt. His neck wears a swollen bite. Another flash of lightning jolts him awake.

Lestat sits up as if escaping a nightmare and looks around the strange room to find himself in a new and perhaps darker dream. His hands feel the inflamed wound as his eyes mark the candles and...

An indistinct shape of a man dressed in draping red velvet, sitting asleep in a chair across the room. As easel stands before him, holding an unseen painting.

Lestat rises out of the bed and grabs his clothes from a nearby Louis IV chair. He makes for a door when...

Lestat stops. He looks back to see the painting that stands on the easel.

It's a portrait of himself in ancient Roman garb, like a Mars god, complete with his blond hair and fiery blue eyes. Unable to help himself, he approaches the painting and studies it, completely fascinated by his own image, when...

Suddenly, the sleeping man leaps up, grabs Lestat unmercifully and again plunges his teeth into the young man's neck. Young Lestat fights as best he can but his strength is no match as he's slowly drawn down to the floor. Finally...

(CONTINUED)

39.

74       CONTINUED:

The strange man lifts himself up from Lestat's neck to reveal the face of the vampire MARIUS (whom we remember from Talbot's studies). Wiping his bloodied mouth on his painter's cloth --

MARIUS
Lestat. That's a handsome name.

Weakened and helpless, Lestat drags himself back across the floor in terror.

LESTAT
Who are you?

The stranger just stares.

LESTAT
Do I know you?

MARIUS
I'm unknowable by nature.

Marius advances again on the young man...

MARIUS
But you may call me Marius.

Lestat is weakly dragging himself away.

LESTAT
My father is the Marquis
D'Lioncourt. They'll send men, an
army of men to look for me.

MARIUS
I doubt they'll find you, my
impetuous young nobleman. You're
a long way from home.

His strength leaving him, Lestat slumps flat on the floor.

MARIUS
You're weak... near passing. I
can barely hear your heart beat.

LESTAT
I'll kill you...!

Marius smiles, nods, impressed.

MARIUS
You really do fear nothing...

(CONTINUED)

40.

74       CONTINUED:   (2)

LESTAT
What do you want with me?

MARIUS
I have chosen you to receive a
great Dark Gift. Why you?
Because you are a rebel. The
future hastens -- an age of
revolution beyond my antique
reason. You will help me
understand the new world.

Bending down he strokes his victim gently with the back of his hand. Lestat flinches.

MARIUS
You've lost a great deal of blood.

LESTAT
(near tears)
I'm dying.

Suddenly Marius draws an ancient knife from a Roman sheath on his belt. With the last of his strength, Lestat grabs his attacker's wrist.

MARIUS
Then drink.

Guiding Lestat's hand with the knife, Marius smiles and cuts his own arm, opening his veins. Lestat stares in true terror... as Marius lets his blood drip onto Lestat's lip. Lestat pulls away as the blood slides into his mouth...

MARIUS
Good, is it not?

And indeed... it does taste good. That's the new terror that's gripping him. He crosses himself and stares up into Marius's gentle eyes. Marius bends down, cups Lestat's chin tenderly.

MARIUS
Drink and live. You've been brave
enough for one night.

Marius brings his open vein to Lestat's lips. Lestat hesitates, but then...

Feeds hungrily as Marius's face fills with the bond. He slowly sinks down to his knees as Lestat feeds and feeds.

As Lestat drinks, IMAGES flood his mind and ours...

41.

75       CLOSE UP - MARIUS

as a mortal Roman soldier getting drunk in a tavern talking to a...

Celtic man with a painted face.

76       BACK TO LESTAT

who keeps drinking.

77       BACK TO MORTAL MARIUS

in the woods, being hit over the head by the same Celtic man, before he soon finds himself...

Brought to a huge tree and thrown inside its hollow trunk.

78       LESTAT

keeps drinking and drinking, as...

79       MARIUS

suddenly finds himself facing...

A horribly BURNT MAN, who dwells in the tree and just stares at the dumbfounded Marius, who hears the ECHOING WORDS...

BURNT MAN
(in a strange tongue; subtitled)
...find out why this calamity has
befallen us...

80       LESTAT

keeps drinking, as we see...

81       CLOSE UP - BURNT MAN

Horrible, portentous.

BURNT MAN
Find those who must be kept...

The Burnt Man flashes fangs and attacks.

42.

82       VAMPIRE MARIUS

who gasps with the creation of his child.

83       BACK TO LESTAT

whose body grows stronger, his back arching up as he draws the "life" into him with full force, as... Marius begins to weaken, himself.

MARIUS
There... there ... that will do.

Lestat keeps feeding.

MARIUS
No... no more. De Lioncourt...
Lestat, no more!

With one great move Marius pulls Lestat off his arm and tosses him across the floor.

Marius reels back, clamping his open vain with his hand as Lestat curls on the ground, gasping ecstatically from the rush.

Slowly, Lestat starts to feel something... pain begins travelling through his body, consuming him until he screams.

Marius crosses to Lestat convulsing on the floor. He kneels and gently wipes his brow.

Lestat's body thrashes as he grabs his own limbs...

MARIUS
Don't be afraid. It's only your
body that dies...

DISSOLVE TO:

84       MARIUS

wiping Lestat brow as he dies.

DISSOLVE TO:

85       EXT. MARIUS'S VILLA - GARDEN - NIGHT

Below the brightest of summer night skies, Lestat wanders through a grove of fruit trees. He studies the color of the flowers, the texture of the leaves...

(CONTINUED)

43.

85       CONTINUED:

LESTAT (V.O.)
My senses ran amok, like a new
born child. Night after night, I
marveled at the texture of a
leaf, or the pungent smell of a
flower...

86       LESTAT'S POV (VAMPIRE VISION)

not like night at all really -- everything is very bright and shiny, all the colours saturated, fluorescent.

87       MACRO SHOTS

Giant flowers... insects crawling along leaves... their FOOTSTEPS THUD... their ANTENNAE CLICK and WHIR... a spider spinning its web... a bat whooping around.

88       INT. MARIUS'S VILLA - NIGHT

Lestat takes the stance of a gymnast -- he launches upwards... flies up into the air several feet... he lands laughing.

Marius reclines on a couch, watching his fledgling with amusement.

LESTAT (V.O.)
... and as for my new powers, I
was beside myself with the
pleasure of it all.

Lestat prepares himself again and this time leaps... but he doesn't know his own powers and tumbles through the air, collecting a few ancient vases and relics as he crashes to the ground.

Marius winces then laughs as Lestat emerges from behind the furniture, covered in bits of pottery, a small cut on his cheekbone.

DISSOLVE TO:

89       LESTAT

stares at himself in a mirror as he watches...

... the cut on his cheekbone vanish...

(CONTINUED)

44.

89       CONTINUED:

LESTAT (V.O.)
I had impressed my maker with my
thirst for things. He set out to
educate me in the unknown. Taught
me all about the world and its
hidden history... and about
myself.

90