Below Zero (2011) Movie Script

1
- Hey, you're Jack?
- Yes, you are Penny?
Yeah... Jesus! In these clothes
Jack, you must be freezing.
You certainly dress
like you're from California.
Thank you.
- How was your flight?
- Interesting.
Sorry we're late.
- What is your name?
- Don't mind Cole.
He has just never seen a
real life screenwriter before.
Well, you know, no one ever knows
who we are anyway.
Well, unless you've been a stripper.
You wrote your first movie
what... 3 years ago?
No, actually four.
Did you see it?
Yeah, yeah, sure did.
Well, that bad huh?
What I'm trying on this
one it will be good.
So uh, did they not have
freezers out there in California?
What do you mean?
You certainly came a long
way just to hang our mind.
Well you've heard of method-acting, right?
It's kind of like... methic writing.
Really? Because your agent told me
that there were a writer's block.
He send me this whole list
of things that you needed.
Also said that if you don't have
a script by the end of the week...
He's gonna drop you.
It says it right there,
at the end of the fax.
Well...
So why did he call you "Jack the Hack"
Well let's just say he has
a really odd sense of humor
He thought I was insane
for moving back here.
But... Well you know,
there just aren't that many roles...
for knocked up undiscovered actresses...
if you know what I mean.
So what's this one about other
then a guy locked in a freezer?
Well...
Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out.
You know what they say when
you're writing about monsters...
You got to be careful,
not to become one.
Did you read that on the
bathroom wall or something?
No!
Just... You know, I always thought that...
I would like to try my hand at writing.
Doesn't seem like it'd be that hard.
Oh Really?
So do you ever get scared when you're
writing the monster movies?
Who Me? No!
I don't get scared of anything.
Everybody okay?
Sorry about that.
So, let me get this right,
I'm supposed to lock you up.
Yeah
So don't let me out,
until I have the script done.
Nothing is scarier than
a blank page, right?
- Well, this here is it.
- This is it?
Come on, go, get in here.
Well... Welcome to Camp Slaughterhouse...
at least, after what it was
when it was up and running.
Okay...
This here is the sausage-making room.
What is this? What are you doing?
Do you want me to help?
No?
Here you go.
Goodbye!
He's a good kid, you know he's just...
he's just different.
Probably was his father was so... Well...
Let's just say he didn't deal
with different all that well.
No... No.
This is Jason.
Man I haven't seen him like, three years.
I guess you're not up for...
"Father Of The Year" then huh?
Cole just needs a good role
model, that's all I think.
You know, I got this idea
for a movie script.
And I thought maybe you
can help me out with it.
I call it " The Fear Factory"
it's about this crazy woman...
who lucks up a writer and tortures him...
into writing terrifying stories for her.
O don't worry thought, I'll
publish it under a pen name.
No one will know it would be you.
Cole!
Cole! What have I told you
about propping this door open?
Come on!
Let's go!
It's a safety thing.
Dad locked himself in there
and pretty near froze to death.
- Thank you.
- What happened to the phone?
It broke.
Then if you just want to follow me in here,
this here is the killing room.
Yeah, watch yourself you
don't want to take out an eye.
Or an intestine.
So what did you guys kill here?
Chickens? Cows?
Pretty near just about everything you know,
hang them up.. gut them.. bleed them out..
And that there is the skinning cradle.
Just take out the bleed
and reel them high right up
God...
I hope for the animal they're dead first.
What do you mean?
Of course!
You know, there's this strange thing...
after a while the
killing kind of gets to you.
Yep...
A lot of ghosts...
A lot of ghosts.
- So what happened to Frank?
- Frank?
Well...
We ate him.
We turned him into "Frankfurters".
- Get it? Frankfurters?
- I get it.
Yes, yes... you can make
just about anything good...
with ketchup..
Just not a marriage.
Right...
Whoa there I don't think
you want to be doing that.
You see this thub here? That switch there
activates the electric current.
It's how we kill the chickens.
I'm sorry, I'm still a person.
O you bet, don't think you want to go touch in
that, you'd be in for the shock of your life.
You could just put your coat
over there, if you want.
And I'm sure you're just
dying to see this place.
What you're doing? Will you look at that!
You drew a picture of the writer-man,
I guess that's for you.
Allright... Thank you,
that's... that's very pretty.
I think that we got pretty near
everything that you wanted.
We got coffee over here, your
agent was very specific.
And I do mean very specific...
Oh right! Don't plug too many
things into the outlet at once...
because you're gonna blow a fuse.
You don't want Penny allright?
You're right and you're smart.
That's a killer combo!
And eh..
I hope you don't mind, I pretty near
red every screenwriting book that you sent.
- I didn't even do that.
- Well you know... I took the liberty of...
Well, putting this in and...
It's a manuscript that I wrote.
And you know, if you get bored and you never know
if you want to read it or whatever... Anyway...
- I'll just... set it right there.
- I'll take a look at it.
Okay.
O, I almost forgot, don't
worry about flushing cause it..
Well, it doesn't.
Yeah... What's with the
big rotting pig here?
Oh no no, he ain't
rotten, he's a sweetheart!
What about Internet?
- Okay, I guess not.
- Your agent never said anything about the Internet.
And everything is exactly how he wanted it.
You know... I think Cole likes you...
Yeah...
He doesn't even like me.
You know what?
Sorry, if things aren't what you expected.
Actually you know what? I changed my mind.
Penny! Open the door.
Come on!
No can do, I promised your agent.
- Promised what?
- I promised that I keep you in there for 5 days.
No matter what, no distractions.
Come on, this isn't funny.
Open the door! Hey
kid, you let me out?
Penny! Hey can you open the door?
Wave goodbye.
Writer-man.
Oh...
There is a present for you underneath
the bed, from your Agent.
Good luck fighting your monsters.
I don't want the present.
No, no, no! Come on
No, no, do not go! Penny!
Fuck!
Fuck.
What a douche!
What if...
What if...
Someone...
Was... accidentally...
locked in a meat freezer...
by a serial killer...
who didn't know...
he was in there?
Big Toe, this is little
Toe, Big Toe come in.
Big Toe, this is little Toe.
Big Toe come in .
Dick here
Did you find that guy in the ditch?
No... just tracks, must
have get out on his own.
I haven't seen anyone for miles.
It's been pretty dead
down here at the shop too.
Allright, well I'll go
pick up the beers and...
you get whatever you want on the pizza.
I'm on my way.
Over.
Shit.
Oh shit!
Hello?
Is there anyone here?
Hello?
Listen, I've been in an accident.
I just need to use your phone.
Please!
Hello?
Is there anybody here?
Hello?
O Goddamned! This is nasty!
Hey! Listen, I've
been in an accident.
Is your mom or dad around?
Is anybody around?
Hey! Hey!
It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you
No, wait.
Hey! Can you stop that?
Fuck!
Shit!
Hey! I can't think with all that noise.
Hey!
Stop typing!
Fuck!
Hahaha, that's funny.
Make all the noise you want.
Allright, allright, allright, allright.
Who's on the phone?
What if...
Please leave a message...
After the tone.
Oh, great!
Marty, it's me.
I've been in an accident, I'm hurt.
I think I'm okay thought
Come, you got to come get me man, the truck
is stuck in a ditch...
On the forestry road.
I'm in a butcher shop, somewhere.
Anyway, just call me back at this number.
Goddamned woman I do not eat meat!
Damn!
Very fucking funny!
Write it in your little story.
I'm sure it'll suck.
We are closed!
No, no, I'm calling for
my buddy Frank, is he there?
No, wrong number.
- What!
- Just hang on a minute...
- I'm calling for my buddy Frank.
- I told you you were a wrong number.
But he just called me from there.
- From where?
- He had an accident.
It sounded like he was hurt.
He said he needed me to
come and get him.
There's no one here.
There's no one here.
What the fuck?
Goddamned!
Hey!
Hey, wait a minute
Is this a joke?
Where is my computer?!
There was one survivor named Jack.
That was really more of a hack.
Locked up to freeze...
Until his fingers turned black.
Well...
How about... There was once, a
bitch named Penny...
Who thought she was funny...
Then she locked up this dude,
and then she was sued...
Because she's a fucking lunatic.
Shit!
Fuck! I'm so sorry.
Oh my God!
Shit! Put some clothes.
Put some clothes! I'm so sorry.
Oh my God! Are you okay?
Paige?
How the hell did you get in here?
The boy.
- The kid?
- No, no.
Are you a social worker?
We came to see the boy.
Who is that lady?
Mrs. Hatcher
Oh my God, I'm so sorry.
Paige.
We must work together okay?
We can do this okay?
Allright.
Shit!
Dammit!
A tons of metal and they don't
have a frickin' off switch?
Penny!
Turn this off!
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Oh my God! Make it stop!
Get over here, help me!
Help me out!
Okay.
We gotta get out of here.
I'm claustrophobic.
We gotta get out of here.
- We gotta get out of here!
- Shut the fuck up!
Allright! Calm down.
Okay, it's okay!
Please...
Breathe, okay...
I know, I know.
You're a smoker, right?
Yeah, why?
Give me your lighter.
- What the fuck are you doing?
- We have to.
No! We will suffocate by gas!
Shit! You're crazy!
Put it down! Step on it.
Fuck. Dammit move out of the way.
Shit!
- Sorry
- What the fuck is wrong with you?
Sorry! It's just so cold...
Oh my God! What the
fuck, what have you done?
Does it hurt?
I can't feel anything.
- Here...
- What are you doing?
Looks bad doesn't it?
Yeah...
Oh God, it's so cold.
I know...
I hate that we're here.
I'm also glad that I'm not alone.
Yeah, me too.
That's Cole, his kid.
Hey Cole, hey listen...
Me and this nice lady,
we're locked in here.
Okay?
- Can you please open the door?
- Cole...
- It's locked.
- Please.
- Please let us out.
- Please we're gonna die.
- Okay?
- Come on Cole, just...
Just turn the latch.
Cole!
What the fuck is wrong with this child?
I don't know, he doesn't talk.
- I'll tell you what the fuck is wrong, he's a freak.
- Open the door!
Hey! Open the fucking door!
Open the door, you fucking freak!
Open the fucking door!
Please!
No, what are you doing?
Why are you doing this?
If you're dead he's not
coming back for you.
So I'm the fucking bait?
Shut up or he's gonna hear it.
Why are you doing this?
He doesn't know I'm in here.
Oh no, no man,
that thing is leaking.
Hello?
Hi! I called earlier,
I'm looking for my friend.
I'm kind of worried about
him, his truck is...
stuck in a ditch a couple of miles back.
Your place is the only place for miles.
If you see him can you get him to call me?
Morty's like a brother to me.
He's gonna know something is wrong.
We get out of here.
What the hell is going on here?
Who is that?
It's my wife.
We had a fight.
Yeah, I'm sure that's what's going on.
I'm sorry.
Oh shit! Penny!
Penny?
Hey, hey! Goddamned just calm down!
Where is my son?!
Where is my son?
Calm down.
I don't know what kind of games you're playing,
I don't know wether you're goddamned kidding!
All I know is you've been out there,
typing God knows what...
And I've been sitting
here, going fucking crazy.
- Allright?
- The fuck you're talking about, I haven't been typing!
Oh please!, Come on!
What's with the meat in the fridge?
Turning this
place into an ice box?
Your Agent had me do it.
Paid me extra.
Okay, so how
did you get in here?
I came back for you.
I was worried about you,
I came back to make sure you're okay.
- There was a man here.
- A man?
Yeah, typing.
- Don't fucking touch me!
- Come on, hold still.
I'm just untying.
Cole! Cole!
Cole where are you?!
Cole, you out there!?
- Don't fucking touch me!
- Hey! Listen!
I don't know anything about this and
I don't know where he is.
I promise, okay?
What the...
That's him.
- Who?
- That's the guy who attacked me and took Cole.
You're crazy, that's my agent.
Goddamn you!
- Where is my son!
- I don't know!
Did you put this there?
Jack the Fake.
What does that mean?
What did you fake?
No one knows.
No one knows what?
You... You know...
William Sanity.
Yeah...
You didn't write it?
You know... The only thing more useless
than a writer, is a fake writer.
How am I supposed to believe
anything that you say?
Allright goddammit I'm a fucking idiot!
But we're gonna have to trust each other.
Because the only way
we're getting out of here...
is if we do.
- Hey! Hey!
- Hey!
- Let us out!
- Cole!
Your time gets shorter, the longer
you wait, your child would die...
if your pages are late,
every hour you write...
The temperature will drop,
don't even think about writing a flop.
Your agent's a worse writer than you are.
The clock is running,
Your story is lame.
To save your child,
you must play this game
What the hell is this?
There's two days left on your deadline.
Alright.
We're gonna get your kid back.
How?
You don't know what to do.
Don't you want to get your son back?
- Alright.
- Where did you leave off?
There was an attack.
If you don't let me out...
I'm not letting you in.
Fuck you!
Back up!
Put the knife down.
Don't hurt him.
Go over that hook.
Go over there!
- You don't know what you are doing!
- Do it now!
You don't understand, I do this for my son.
I'd do anything for him.
Next time, try a bicycle.
Where is the girl?
Where is she?!
Do you know where the girl is?
Did your daddy do something bad to her?
Come on.
Can you take me to her?
Please.
Oh God!
Cole!
I can stop the killing.
It was the kid.
All along.
Wasn't even the butcher.
The butcher, all he was trying to do...
was cover up the evidence.
So the kid doesn't get caught.
That is fucked up!
It's the same as every
other movie out there.
I know dude...
- It rocks!
- God I hate horror movies!
This isn't a horror movie.
It's a terrifying thriller.
No! You know what it is?
It's a bosh.
- A bosh?
- Yep.
B.unch - O.f - S.hit - H.appens.
I think it's fine.
Well, it's fine ain't good enough
it's has got to be better than fine.
It has to be great, it's not...
your kid's life is on the line.
Look...
What do you call this script?
Below zero.
Why?
Because it's really, really cold.
But Jack, what are you
trying to say with the story?
What am I trying to say?
I'm not trying to say anything.
I'm sorry, maybe, I just
wanna rip my characters dead. Now...
what's the problem with that?
I'm the one with everything at
risk. What do you got to lose huh?
I've lost everything okay?
I lost a son.
You know what, you have your kid.
I never got to raise mine.
You can't have everything,
That's how it works.
And when you focus everything
you have on one thing...
You lose the things you do have.
Okay.
You call your script "Below Zero".
Why?
Let's see...
I never raised my kid.
I plagiarized my first script.
And I have been writing this
fucking thing for the last year.
That's..
Pretty... "Below Zero".
Okay...
So, you're frozen.
Underachieving, not even an average.
You've been frozen in your life.
Here's your thing.
There's your title.
You know what?
This is exactly
why I write alone.
Okay.
Why don't we try this?
Cole!
Cole now, open the door!
I think it's good.
Yeah, yeah, you mean when your
mother writes it it's good.
What's wrong with it?
No... You know...
Some people think they can spell, so
they think they can write a script.
Why don't you take
your jealousy somewhere else
okay?
What if...
What if the girl in the
freezer, works here.
What if she... what if
if...
She... doesn't exist.
She is a figment of his imagination.
Yes! Yes!
- No, no...
- Yes! Yes! What's wrong with it?!
- It's not gonna work!
- It makes it better.
If she works here, if
she... is already here...
in this place, because she
works here, but then...
- It's all in his imagination.
- Penny shut the fuck up!
Honestly, shut up, please I'm sorry,
just go to sleep okay?
Just go, just sleep
You really need to sleep, okay?
You need to sleep.
No!
I just want my son back.
I know.
I know, I do too.
I want him back.
Frank...
Frank!
O shit, Morty!
Morty!
Hey!
- Frank!
- This is Paige, it's okay.
I ate all the pizza.
Sorry.
Hang in there, and then we get out of here.
Alright?
What is he doing?
He's looking for me.
Great.
Did he ever see you in here?
Right, he doesn't know you're in here.
I was hiding.
That's when he was hanging from that hook.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
Yeah...
And I was injured.
And uhm..
And knew I couldn't defeat him.
So... I stayed and hide alright?
You were gonna be brave.
Of course.
So there was no struggle.
You just came here,
you dumped Morty and then you left.
He knows I'm here somehow.
But this is the last place
he would suspect you to be.
Anyway, he still knows I'm here.
- That works, that works.
- How does that work? It doesn't work.
Where are you?
You like hide and seek?
Do you like this game?
Come out!
I got an idea.
Come out wherever you are.
Oh shit!
What do we do about him?
He doesn't even have any lines.
Yeah...
He maybe should be written out.
I agree!
That's it? We just walk home?
Sorry, Melba...
Melba?
Your fish.
Guess she's toast.
That sucks.
How much time do we have?
6 hours.
6 hours...
Yeah...
It doesn't matter.
What do you mean?
I did it!
What?
What's the matter?
Hey, hey!
We finished!
Give me back my son!
Please!
When do you think the plane
will be on the ground?
I don't know, it's cold.
Must be below zero.
So you never get scared when
you're writing the monster movies?
Who Me? No!
I don't get scared of anything.
What the fuck?!
Shit!
No!
No! No! No!
Fuck!
Fuck!
Wakey, wakey.
Hands off snakey!
O geez, you're already up.
Well look at you morning bird, I made you
a fresh cup of coffee.
- Thank you.
- So how did it all go?
Very good.
Did you... you didn't get a chance
to read my manuscript, did you?
Yes, I did actually.
You are a hell of a writer.
Well, thanks.
So where is yours? Because
I'm dying to read it.
O don't worry Penny, you'll get plenty of
chance to read it.
Where are you...?
Okay who is the joker now?
Okay... Very funny, what are you
writing a comedy now?
Look...
What? You need me to print it out for you?
Well...
I didn't write it.
What do you mean, I found
you're work and you're quite talented.
Oh... well thanks.
I'll tell you sometimes is a one good idea.
And you know what? I've got one.
Well, why don't you let me out of
here and you can tell me all about it.
You know what it's called? It's
called Fear Factory.
And it's all about this crazy guy,
who locks up this chick...
Makes her write all these
terrifying stories for him...
Nice right?
No, no, no Cole, let mommy out.
- Cole?
- No worries about your son.
I've grown quite fond of him actually.
I'll take good care of him.
Kind of reminds me of me.
No! No!
Hey Cole, you know when the deadline is?
No!
Goodbye!
THE END