Sneak Preview: If You Get Close to Her, Kiss Her Once for Me – Script

Coming this fall is a tale of romance, tragedy, and horror called “If You Get Close to Her, Kiss Her Once for Me.” In writing this, and a few other stories (notably Se Perdre), I’ve been toying with the notion that horror stories are often also tragedies. I hope this one gets that idea across.

“If You Get Close to Her…” is going to be drawn by Christine Larsen, who you may know from her work on Valentine with Alex De Campi or on Zuda’s LaMorte Sisters. The story should hit the site late this fall or in early winter.

Script excerpt after the jump.

Page 1

1/ In the fading afternoon light, a family huddles in front of their car. The car is a Jeep or SUV ? something suitable for living in the country and not getting into town too often. It’s parked in their driveway (in the country ? I’m thinking dirt driveway, large expanses of open land and grass around them) and they’re clustered next to it.

These are the STEVENSONS. MR. STEVENSON is a white man in his early 40s wearing business-casual attire and square glasses. MRS. STEVENSON is a tall, trim white woman. They’re clutching JILL, their nine-year-old daughter, to their waists in front of them.

They’re looking back at the audience (at their house, actually, but we can’t see it here) and look worried, even a little scared.

MR. STEVENSON: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? YOU’LL BE OK WHILE WE’RE GONE?

DIANA (OP): ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? IT’S THE SAFEST THING FOR ALL OF US, MR. STEVENSON.

MRS. STEVENSON: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?THEN WE’LL BE BACK IN TWO DAYS.

2/ We see who they’re talking to: DIANA. She’s a black woman in her 30s. She’s got a short haircut (think Angela Basset on the final season of ER) and an alert, smart face. She wears stylish jeans and a button-down shirt underneath a thigh-length corduroy jacket.

She’s standing in the doorway of a big country house ? think two floors, porch, giant yard. Off to one side of the house, in the back yard, is a small pond, surrounded by a tree or two.

She’s halfway closed the door, as if to push the Stevensons on their way.

DIANA: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? IT SHOULD BE TWO DAYS. BUT DON’T COME BACK UNTIL I CALL YOU.

3/ We’re inside the house now, in the large living room, which is decorated in a rustic, country style (heavy on exposed wood beams, furniture made from rough-hewn logs, big blankets draped over the couch, etc).

Amidst this country style, though, are a number of incongruous elements: Spread throughout the room are high-tech-looking boxes. They’re on nearly every surface. They’re monitors and cameras, boxes with blinking lights and antennae and sensors. The specifics of them don’t really matter too much ? they should just look very high-tech and very out of place in this room.

DIANA is hunched over one of them, adjusting a dial or setting.

4/ She waves a smoldering bundle of herbs and incense, which leaves a thick smoke in its wake, around the large, open doorway leading from the dining room to the room she’s in.

DIANA: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? THIS SHOULD WAKE YOU UP A BIT.

5/ We’re behind her now, in the dining room. She’s still in the living room, her back to us. She’s bending over one of her instruments, inspecting something that we can’t see.

DIANA: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? COME OUT, COME OUT —

6/ Reverse the shot. We’re right in her face now and can see some of the room behind her (though not everything). She’s in the same pose as last panel. Hearing something, she looks up. She’s not scared, but the sound has definitely got her attention. She’s focused, serious.

At the edge of the panel, there’s a hint of a shadow in the shape of a man, indicating a presence, but we can’t see details yet.

GARY (OP): ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? WHY CAN’T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?