Eight Legged Freaks Page #5

CHRIS:

Oh, great.

WADE (V.O.)

Thanks, Harlan. As I was saying,

Chemical Technologies has been

looking for viable storage sites.

And Prosperity is lucky enough to

be on that list.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Lucky? I think most of us are

insulted that some outsiders think

our town is a perfect place to

dump toxic waste.

CHRIS:

Right on.

EXT. MAIN STREET (TOWN) -DAY

Chris’s pickup approaches... The entire town is not much

bigger than a few football fields. The kind of place

where everybody has known each other since childhood.

Some buildings date back to the 1880’s gold rush.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Isn’t this just your latest get-

rich quick scheme?

At one end is the Prosperity Mall. A huge windowless

rectangle in the sand. Permanent signs tout the many

outlet stores inside: Victoria’s Secret, Home and Garden

Supplies, Sport Chalet, etc. Hand-painted signs reveal:

"GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE. EVERYTHING MUST GO. FINAL

CLOSE OUT." On the roof of the mall is a very tall radio

antenna.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Your mall has more employees than

customers.

INT. PICKUP TRUCK (TOWN, MAIN STREET) -DAY

Chris smiles as he listens to the RADIO.

(CONTINUED)

14.

CONTINUED:

WADE (V.O.)

I may have overestimated the need

for 100,000 square feet of outlet

shopping.

EXT. BEVERLY’S HOUSE -DAY

BEVERLY (40’s) is tending to her garden as she listens to

a transistor radio.

HARLAN (V.O.)

And your ostrich ranch?

WADE (V.O.)

If the government subsidies hadn’t

dried up, I’d still be rolling in

cash.

EXT. HARLAN’S TRAILER (MAIN STREET, TOWN) -DAY

An airstream at the far end of town. Signs identify it

as:
"FREEDOM RADIO." A brand new humvee is parked out

front.

INT. HARLAN’S TRAILER -DAY

Walls decorated with clippings about aliens, monsters,

and conspiracies. Two men sit at a home built

transmitter.

HARLAN GRIFFITH (40s) wears an "Aliens Go Home!" T-

shirt. He eats from a box of Frosted Flakes and drinks

Jolt cola.

WADE HALE (40s) is the mayor of Prosperity. A slick-

haired dandy who looks more like a Vegas lounge singer

than a Mayor.

WADE:

With one phone call I could put

together a deal that would make us

all very rich.

HARLAN:

They say money doesn’t buy

happiness.

WADE:

They probably don’t have any.

15.

INT. POLICE CAR (HIGHWAY) -DAY

Sam and her kids listen to the radio.

WADE (V.O.)

Money pays for kids to go to

college. It pays the mortgage.

INT. DINER (MAIN STREET, TOWN) -DAY

An attractive waitress on roller-skates. A harried CHEF.

Locals chow down. The RADIO BLARES in the b.g.

WADE (V.O.)

It puts food on the table.

Haven’t the people of this town

lived hand-to-mouth for long

enough?

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