FADE IN:
EXT. LONDON. NIGHT.
Various shots of the city at night.
DANTE
(V.O.)
Those of us who live in the dark have our music...
EXT. STREETS. NIGHT.
Various NIGHT PEOPLE, dressed in black, are making their way along an empty street.
DANTE
(V.O.)
...and sometimes we need to dance.
One of the Night People passes us, revealing glowing red eyes on otherwise human features.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, MAIN ROOM. NIGHT.
The main room of a large, old night club. We are standing behind DANTE, a tall, thin man in his late thirties. He is always smartly dressed, always in black and rarely smiles.
DANTE
(V.O.)
So I opened a nightclub over the heart of the city...
Dante flicks a light switch, plunging the room into darkness.
He then flicks another switch that turns on a dozen or so dim blue lights that provide minimal illumination.
EXT. THE DARK ROOM, ALLEYWAY. NIGHT.
A narrow, grubby alleyway off a busy street. There are stairs at the end of the alleyway leading down.
DANTE
(V.O.)
...A place where the shadows are dark enough to hide us from the world...
The Night People are gathering in the alleyway, now numbering a hundred at least, with more joining them.
There is something slightly odd about each of them - some have animal-like eyes, some have small horns, others have more outlandish mutations.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, STAGE. NIGHT.
An attractive young woman in her late twenties is onstage at a piano. She is wearing a ragged black dress, her hair is streaked with red and purple, and she has an intricately detailed tattoo running the length of her right arm. This is JENNY RINGO.
DANTE
(V.O.)
...and the music is loud enough to make us forget what's out there.
Jenny PLAYS a couple of notes on the piano, then waves her hands over the keys and the piano starts to PLAY itself.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, BAR. NIGHT.
Dante walks through the bar area.
DANTE
(V.O.)
We get complaints. Sometimes people like you come to shut us down.
The bartender, GABRIEL, is a tall, well-built viking of a man in his early forties with a mane of blonde but greying hair. He wears all black except for the large gold crucifix around his neck.
Gabriel nods to Dante as he walks past.
EXT. THE DARK ROOM, STEPS. NIGHT.
There is a door at the bottom of the steps with a queue of Night People waiting outside.
DANTE
But we have adequate signage - over the door it says 'enter at your own risk'.
Over the door it does indeed say 'Enter at your own risk'.
Dante opens the door and lets the eager Night People inside.
EXT. THE DARK ROOM, ALLEYWAY. NIGHT.
Dante walks into the alleyway as the last of the Night People disappear down the steps. He lights a cigarette and takes a look around.
DANTE
(V.O.)
As far as I'm concerned that absolves us of everything.
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING. NIGHT.
We are outside a large office building at night.
INT. OFFICE BUILDING, CAMILLA'S OFFICE. DAY.
A large, private office. CAMILLA, a smartly dressed, attractive woman in her late twenties, is sitting a desk.
The door opens and another office worker, JESSICA, steps in.
JESSICA
Are you coming or what?
Camilla switches off her computer.
CAMILLA
Where's Django?
JESSICA
You didn't invite him, did you?
INT. GENTS TOILET. NIGHT.
DJANGO is staring at his reflection in the mirror. He is in his mid-twenties and wears a shirt and tie but everything is a bit scruffy and slightly out of place.
CLOSE ON Django's reflection as the veins on his face begin to show through, only they are black and prominent.
The visible veins spread out across his cheeks as he stares. He seems to be concentrating fiercely, trying to force the veins back into hiding.
A door opens and a male office worker, RALPH, steps in.
RALPH
Hurry up, mate. They're all waiting!
Django turns around, his face suddenly normal.
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING. NIGHT.
Six office workers step out of the building.
The women are Jessica, Camilla and HELENA.
The men are Ralph, TOBY and Django.
They simultaneously retrieve cigarettes from shirt pockets/handbags and light up, except Camilla who plucks her cigarette from Django's mouth, which he doesn't seem to mind.
A dozen or so OFFICE-WORKERS swarm out of the doors behind them and head off along the road.
TOBY
Ten o'clock on a Friday night and those wankers can't wait to get home.
HELENA
It's two weeks til pay day, Toby.
Camilla produces a credit card from her purse.
CAMILLA
And they don't have the company credit card.
Camilla drops her cigarette down a drain.
We follow the cigarette down into the darkness.
INT. SEWER. NIGHT. - CONTINUOUS
Still following the cigarette we descend into a complex sewer system.
The cigarette is carried along by a stream of waste then disappears through a crack in the wall.
We follow.
INT. TUNNELS. NIGHT. - CONTINUOUS
The crack opens out into a tunnel into which a trickle of waste flows. The tunnel should be pitch black, but there is a moving light source coming from somewhere.
We focus on the cigarette as it comes to rest against a rock.
There is the sound of something MOVING. Behind that, there is a dull, continuous THUMP, like the beating of a heart.
A large, arachnid leg STAMPS on the cigarette. The SPIDER-LIKE CREATURE it belongs to scurries off into the dark before we can make out any features beyond the fact it is the size of a horse.
Then we come face to face with the lightsource - a bloated, SLUG-LIKE humanoid, with huge glowing eyes like those belonging to deep sea fish.
We move further through the tunnels, past more CREEPING THINGS in the dark. We hear them MOVING, we see their shadows, but thankfully rarely see them face to face.
Then we start to ascend. There is MUSIC in the distance that gets louder the closer we get to:
INT. THE DARK ROOM, BAR. NIGHT. - CONTINUOUS
We emerge through a crack in the floor into the bar area of an underground night club. The music increases SHARPLY in volume as we enter the room and come to rest in view of a large sign above the bar that reads:
'THE DARK ROOM'
Gabriel hands a couple of drinks to a YOUNG GIRL who winks at him as she walks away. Gabriel isn't paying attention, more concerned with two MEN at the other end of the bar who seem to be arguing.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, UPPER BAR. NIGHT.
Dante is sitting at a table overlooking the main floor of the club. There is another MAN next to him but he is in shadow.
DANTE
Sometimes regular people come in here. And sometimes they get into trouble. When they get into trouble we have to hide the bodies.
There is a flash of something silver moving between them.
DANTE
We have good hiding places.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, BAR. NIGHT.
A handsome, smartly dressed young man wearing a crimson suit walks behind the bar and grabs himself a drink. This is ERIC.
GABRIEL
You're not supposed to drink on duty.
ERIC
What are you going to do about it?
Gabriel turns away from the arguing Men at the bar for a moment to face Eric with a smile. He puts an arm around Eric's waist and pulls him in close.
GABRIEL
You'll have to wait until I get you home.
Gabriel and Eric kiss.
Eric pulls away suddenly, seeing something horrifying over Gabriel's shoulder. Gabriel turns to see the two Men have come to blows. But one of them isn't a man anymore.
The smaller of the two Men is being physically and bloodily ripped to pieces by a LARGE SPIKED CREATURE - the same Man that was there before, only now long, bone-like spikes have pushed through his flesh, which he uses to impale and dismember his SCREAMING victim.
GABRIEL
Get Dante.
ERIC
What are you going to do?
GABRIEL
Just go and get Dante, now!
Eric runs.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, UPPER BAR. NIGHT.
Eric steps into the upstairs room. It is dark and the tables are empty except for Dante's.
DANTE
I can't let you shut us down. These people need somewhere to go.
Eric COUGHS and Dante leans into the light to look at him.
DANTE
Is there a problem?
Eric takes a step forward, then notices Dante pulling something from the throat of the other Man.
There is a sudden, rapid spray of blood as Dante pulls out the knife.
ERIC
I'll go see Jenny.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, BACKSTAGE. NIGHT.
Jenny is standing at the stage door, peering through at the BAND coming to the end of an intro.
Eric runs over and grabs her.
ERIC
We've got trouble at the bar.
JENNY
Fuck off, I'm on in a minute.
ERIC
Gabriel's on his own over there!
JENNY
So get Dante.
Eric's face drops.
ERIC
Can't you just--
There is a loud CHEER from the CROWD.
Jenny blows into her hand then opens it, revealing a hovering, flaming ball of energy.
JENNY
Best I can do.
Jenny tosses the ball to Eric then steps through the door onto the stage.
Eric tries to catch the ball but it burns his hands and he ends up dropping it.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, STAGE. NIGHT.
Jenny picks up the mic and starts to SING along with the Band as the Crowd SCREAM their approval.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, UPPER BAR. NIGHT.
Returning upstairs, Eric shuffles gingerly over to Dante's table. Dante is watching Jenny perform on stage with the Band. We can hear her SINGING.
ERIC
Excuse me...Dante? There's a problem...downstairs.
DANTE
Gabriel can handle it.
ERIC
I'm not sure that he can...and anyway it's not his job.
Dante stands up suddenly, making Eric jump back a few paces.
DANTE
Do you think he'll die?
Eric nods, getting upset.
DANTE
Promise me something. Promise me a part of you.
ERIC
I...I don't know what you mean...
DANTE
A part. Like a finger. A hand maybe? Whatever you think he's worth.
Eric looks at Dante, terrified.
INT. THE DARK ROOM, BAR. NIGHT.
Dante and Eric enter to see an exhausted Gabriel beating the Spiked Creature's head in with a baseball bat. He is covered in bleeding gashes from the spikes.
DANTE
Looks like you get to keep it.
Eric just runs over to Gabriel and throws his arms around him.
Gabriel stands up slowly and glares at Dante, tossing the baseball bat to one side.
GABRIEL
We need more security.
INT. COCKTAIL BAR, TOILETS. NIGHT.
We are inside the spotless, stylish ladies toilets at a posh cocktail bar.
There are female GASPS of increasing volume coming from inside one of the cubicles.
We peer over the door. Camilla SCREAMS as Django SLAMS her up against the side of the cubicle, pushing himself further inside her.
Django's face is expressionless as Camilla thrashes around wildly, then stops, collapsing into his arms.
Django pulls himself out and pulls up his trousers while Camilla, out of breath, reaches for her handbag.
CAMILLA
Hold out your hand.
Django holds out his hand perfectly straight. Camilla taps a line of coke onto the palm and SNORTS it through a twenty-pound note.
CAMILLA
Don't fucking look at me like that. You wanted this.
DJANGO
I wanted a job.
CAMILLA
This is your job now. You do want to keep it, don't you?
Pause.
CAMILLA
I gave you everything you begged me for and I can take it all away. Just remember that.
Camilla does another line then licks Django's hand clean, before sliding it between her legs.
CAMILLA
It's not all that bad is it?
Camilla releases Django as she steps out of the cubicle to check her appearance in the mirror.
INT. COCKTAIL BAR. NIGHT.
Ralph, Helena, Toby and Jessica are sitting at a table downing cocktails. There is already an array of empties arranged in front of them.
RALPH
Where we going after this, then? The usual?
JESSICA
I'm not going to fucking Harpo's again, Ralph, I'm so fucking bored of that place.
TOBY
Where else is there?
Camilla arrives at that moment pulling Django along behind her by the hand.
CAMILLA
I heard of a place...
Camilla throws down a flier which reads 'The Dark Room'.
