The Ghoulies
 
 
 
written by
 
 
Eli Miller
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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EXT. OLD TOWN STREETS- NIGHT
We glide through foggy colonial district streets of an
American city, historic and modern buildings intercut. There
are jack-o-lanterns on porches, bat stickers on windows, fake
spiderwebs climbing houses. We rest on an old church that
stands as the entrance to a cemetery.
Wallace (60), pale and bald shakes the door to the church.
WALLACE
Hello?

Dejected, he cobbles down the church steps to the gate, as he

approaches the street, he is illuminated from behind.
He turns around and we follow his gaze to a rickety supply
shed peaking out from behind the church. A yellow light
flickers through the wood slats, Wallace walks towards it.

INT. REPAIR SHED - NIGHT

Wallace walks down the long hallway, illuminated by a single
flickering lightbulb hanging from a wire. The walls are
lined with junk- old trunks, electronics, and random machine
parts. As Wallace walks past, an old cracked tv flashes on
and then quickly back off. A creaky wheel spins. He reaches
the end of the hallway and pushes through the double doors to
enter the main room. The glass windows to that door fog up
behind him revealing small hand prints.
The room is lined with work benches and repair projects.
Electronics, engines, and carpentry. In the center of the
room is the body of an old pickup truck resting on
cinderblocks. The brights of the truck shine bright.
Wallace approaches the truck, opens the door and leans inside
to take the key out of the ignition. CRASH. He looks up, a
box has fallen, tools thrown across the floor. He looks back
down and takes the key from the ignition. The lights go out
and he hurries to the door. He pulls on the double doors he
entered through moments ago, but they’re locked. He shakes
them violently. He hears metal creaking in the dark room.
Then VRRM, the truck engine revs, the lights flash back on
silhouetting him against the doorway. He looks at the keys
in his hand then back at the truck. A grandfather clock
begins CHIMING, the hands twirl.
He shakes the door again, they don’t budge. Across the room
he see’s another door, he heads toward it. The room shakes
as if there is earthquake. Items fall off shelves blocking
his path. An old HAM radio turns on playing old eerie MUSIC.
 2.

Wallace climbs over the obstacles, a bottle falls and SMASHES

on the floor. The clear liquid ignites and a fire blazes
between Wallace and the door. He cowers in fright letting
out a pathetic WHIMPER.
The previously locked door opens, and an old African American
man, BUD (70), steps in. He wears an old work suit with
groundskeeper embroidered on the breast pocket.
BUD
What's going on in here? Fire?
Nah-ah! Not okay, fun’s over.
The shaking stops and so do the eerie noises. Bud stomps out
the fire with his boot.
BUD (CONT'D)
Lights up. Get out here.
The overhead lights turn on. A blue glowing ghost CHARLIE
(12), swirls out from hood of the truck, he is lanky,
outgrowing his clothes with a mop of blonde hair. As he
exits, the lights of the truck go out. Another ghost,
ROOSTER (11), swirls out from the inside of the grandfather
clock. Rooster, is Japanese and wears thick rimmed black
glasses, and sports an old sea captain hat. The ghosts look
like normal people, other than the eerie blue glow and slight
transparency.
BUD (CONT'D)
Virgil?

The two boys look around the room, avoiding eye contact.
BUD (CONT'D)
I'm going to count to three
CHARLIE
Oh come on, Bud! You don't think we
could pull this off just the two of
us?
Bud pauses and thinks for a moment.
BUD
You know what, you're right, he
probably wouldn't be any help
anyways.
ROOSTER
Yep! No help whatsoever!
A metal tin goes flying at Rooster, it goes right through his
head.
 3.

Rooster flies over to the lock in the door. He reaches into

the lock and pulls out a third ghost. They tug a war back
and forth.
ROOSTER (CONT'D)
Hey! We were covering for
you moron!
We were.. trying to.. cover for
you!
Rooster gives one last pull, and VIRGIL (9) the third ghost
comes tumbling out from the lock in the door. Virgil has
white wispy hair, and ears that stick out. He is followed by
ROCKY, the ghost of a border collie dog. Rocky doesn’t leave
Virgil’s side.
ROCKY
BARK BARK BARK
ROOSTER
You wouldn’t!
ROCKY
Bark!
Rooster gets ready to make a dive for Virgil. Charlie then
leans over to Wallace who watches everything from the ground,
shocked.
CHARLIE
This may be a little hard to
follow, but you see, Virgil doesn't
talk, never has. So Rocky speaks
for him, well, more like
interprets.
Wallace lets out a WELP, with a ghost up in his face. Bud
turns to see Wallace, having forgotten he was there.
BUD
Oh pardon me, I forgot you were
here sir. Boys, back up, give the
man some space
The three ghosts and dog whirl backwards, they then start
fading until they are no longer visible.
WALLACE
G-g-g-Ghosts! They're real!
Listen up, I don't know where I am,
or how I got here, but I want to go
home NOW, before the ghosts come
back, they could've killed me!
 4.

BUD
Ahhh, you see in order for someone
to kill you, you've got to be alive
first.
Wallace looks down at himself, pats himself up and down, puts
his hand to his head to check for a fever, then his fingers
to his wrist to check for a pulse. His eyes widen and his
mouth opens about to scream.

EXT. CEMETERY- NIGHT

BUD
I was hoping to break it to you the
easy way, but the ghoulies got here
first.
WALLACE
Wait, am I actually... dead?
BUD
Course you are! You ever met a
ghost who wasn't?
Wallace stares blankly back, while Bud waits for a laugh to
his joke. He sighs, dejected.
WALLACE
But I'm too young to die!
Charlie appears again out of the shadow.
CHARLIE
Sad sad, big bummer, BUT, the great
news is that you have just started
the best part of your entire life!
Err, or should I say death.
BUD
Charlie, let me handle this, with
some people we gotta take it slow.
WALLACE
But I don't remember dying, I
don't... wait. I won't remember
who I am? Or what my name is.. or
anything?
BUD
Alright, time for orientation, I
got a lot to show you, come with
me.
 5.

EXT. CEMETERY- NIGHT

Bud and Wallace walk through a lushly overgrown cemetary,
between head stones and mosoleums, weaving through on an
unseen path, up a hill. The three ghosts follow after,
intrigued with the new ghost.

BUD
You’re a ghost, not a ghoul,
specter, phantom, or poltergeist, a
ghost.
WALLACE
Who am I, is this heaven?
ROOSTER
May as well be!
Wallace looks severely disappointed. Rocky barks again.
CHARLIE
Okay, not quite heaven. That comes
next, or so we think, I mean, we’re
still here aren’t we.
BUD
Boys, please. This is what I call
the in between. Between dying and
moving on, this is the time you
gotta tie up loose ends and stuff.
WALLACE
Like unfinished business?
ROOSTER
I mean if you’re a businessman
maybe..
Rooster elbows Virgil for the joke, he just roles his eyes.
WALLACE
Well how can I do that if I don't
who I am?
BUD
That's the next part, your
remembering. When somebody dies,
they lose all their memories. You
still retain the stuff you learned,
like how to speak, what’s a
cylinder, mustard definitely
doesn’t go on pancakes, even though
it totally looks like it should..
(MORE)
 6.
BUD (CONT'D)
But, you lose all the stuff
attached to you, every single
memory, even down to your name.
WALLACE
So how do I..
BUD
Tie up loose ends when you don’t
even know your name? You’ve gotta
have a remembering. That's when
all of your memories come flooding
back to you. My job is to help you
have your remembering. For that to
happen you go to important places
from your life, or meet significant
people or see significant things.
and when you get there the memories
start coming back. Sometimes it's
all at once, sometimes it's in
pieces.
ROOSTER
But once the memories comes back,
you remember who you are, your good
to move on, but most ghosts wait
until they take care of things
first and then go.
WALLACE
That’s great and all, but how am I
supposed to go to important places
from my life, if I don’t know who I
am.
They arrive at the top of the crest they see a small valley
below, filled with more overgrown foliage, and tombstones.
BUD
That’s where I come in. Folks
think grave keepers just mow lawns
and toss old flowers. But what I
mainly do is help people like
yourself have their remembering.
Anyone buried in this cemetery is
under my jurisdiction. I'd like
you to know that you had a lovely
funeral. Your name is Wallace
Orton, you were an accountant at a
trucking office in Philidelphia,
and you have a lovely wife,
daughter, and grandson.
(MORE)
 7.
BUD (CONT'D)
And on halloween night, I'll give
you directions to their home, where
I'm confident you'll have a quick
and satisfying remembering.
 
WALLACE
Halloween? Why not now?
BUD
Ahh, I knew I forgot something.
Because your body is buried in the
graveyard, you are bound to the
graveyard day and night. Every
night but Halloween that is.
CHARLIE
That’s tomorrow if you didn’t catch
it the first time.
BUD
Now, I'll have to excuse myself,
with all Hallow's eve tomorrow, I
have quite a bit of preparations to
make. Next time don't get buried
to close to Halloween.
Bud laughs at his own joke, and turns to walk away.
WALLACE
What am I supposed to do until
then?
BUD
I don't know, get to know the
locals?
WALLACE
What locals?
CHARLIE
Three, Two, One.
Charlie points his finger theatrically, BEAT, nothing
happens. The boys look at each other.
ROOSTER
You wouldn't happen to have the
time would you?
Wallace holds out his wristwatch. 11:59.
 8.

CHARLIE
Bud always rushes it, we need to
work on his timing.
The watch beeps midnight.
The fog begins to swirl and an eerie blue glow rises from the
ground. The fallen leaves are blown, making patterns in the
airstreams that carry them. The fog tendrils weave and twist
and rise into the air. They form into buildings and other
structures. A ghostly village is constructed over the
tombstones. The buildings aren't bound by the laws of
physics, the architecture is twisted and irregular. It is a
splattering of time periods. There are old puritan villages
inter-spliced with 60's suburbia. Phantom tree's lomb high,
barren and twisted. Ghostly horse and carriages materialize
as well as model t's and sports cars.
Ghosts appear of every shape and size. They sit atop tomb
stones some drinking, others playing cards, others are
singing. Some are hanging laundry and doing chores. A ghost
fiddle band plays and other ghosts dance in a clearing. A
ghost crowd is circled around two ghosts having a debate.
They’re dressed in fashions ranging from the 90’s back to
pilgrim America.
WALLACE
Woah.
CHARLIE
Welcome to the neighborhood.

EXT. GHOST VILLAGE- NIGHT

The buildings are more materialized now, they walk the
streets of the fantastic city, in awe of everything around
them.
WALLACE
You can‘t tell me all these ghosts
died within the past year.
CHARLIE
Only a handful are first timers, a
good chunk are getting ready to go
out again, and but the majority
have had there remembering, just
haven’t quite finished everything
they want to.
They walk past a young woman in a wedding dress, sitting on a
tombstone picking at her fingernails.
 9.

ROOSTER
Any update on Ernie?
BRIDE
(sighs)
A hundred and four, and healthy as
ever. But, I’ve waited this long,
how much longer can he be?
They laugh and keep walking. Rooster leans in towards
Wallace.
ROOSTER
Waiting for a lover, classic.
They pass a grizzly fisherman bent over sharpening some
harpoons, he‘s stands to reveal a giant shark sized bite out
of his side.
CHARLIE
This is your year Alfonzo, we’re
havin fish tonight! Err.. tomorrow
night.
They continue on, they pass 50’s greasers working on ghostly
motorcycles, some teenagers skateboarding, a granny ghost
knitting a sweater, and a ghost barber attending to a line of
ghosts hoping to look there best for the following night.
A bony ghost hand grabs Wallace‘s shoulder from behind. He
turns to see the MAYOR (80’s) a looming pale ghost wearing a
Victorian caped overcoat and skinny top hat. He wacks Rooster
on the head with his cane. Behind him is a little sphere of
a man, (Reginald), holding the mayors train.
THE MAYOR
On your way you little ghoulies.
CHARLIE
Hold on a seco-
The Mayor stands up straight then hovers off the ground to
loom over the boys at 9 feet tall.
THE MAYOR
I said on your way! Bud may not see
you for the rapscallions you are,
but no one deceives me. As long as
I’m mayor, there will be none of
this rif raf. Now out!
Rooster stands behind the mayor mimicking his pose and
mockingly mouthing along what he says.
 10.

THE MAYOR (CONT'D)
Don't make me fetch the butcher
brothers!
The boys sigh, and whisp off into the graveyard,
disappearing into the fog and the ground of ghosts.
REGINALD
Ahh, yes, the Ghoulies. A scourge
on this graveyard since the day I
died. Guilty they can’t move on,
the keeper lets them roam around
wreaking havoc.
WALLACE
Can’t move on?

REGINALD
Exactly. They’re stuck, they don’t
want you to know that though.
Every time someone asks, it’s a
different story of how they died.
QUICK CUTS:
- ROOSTER
Yeah, I died in a forrest fire
rescuing a nest of baby eagles.
- Virgil pantomimes a swimming motion, then chomps his arms
like a shark, then throws some punches.
- CHARLIE
Jumped from a movie train to change
the tracks.
- ROOSTER
Saved orphans from a nest of
rattlesnakes.
- Virgil pantomimes pulling something from his left to the
middle, then something from the right to the middle, then
mimes plugging them together, and then shakes like he is
being electrocuted.
- CHARLIE
I was betrayed by my evil twin, he
left me to drowned in a vat of
quick sand.
- ROOSTER
Volcano.
 11.

-Virgil makes the famous stabbing motion from the movie

psycho.
- CHARLIE
Polar bear.
- ROOSTER
Poison.
-Virgil pretends to be spraying bullets from a machine gun
like in the movie Scarface.
- CHARLIE
Raining cows in a tornado.
END QUICK CUTS
WALLACE
Okay, I think I get the picture. So
they just haven’t found where
they’re from yet?
REGINALD
They can’t! That’s the problem,
that’s why Bud’s taken them in.
When ghosts are buried, you get
clues about their life from the
funeral proceedings, headstones,
guests at the ceremony, etc. But
these three didn’t have none of
that
THE MAYOR
(O.S.)
Virgil is the oldest ghost in the
whole cemetery. His tombstone is a
faded stone under the oak at the
top of the hill. It just says
“Victim of the Beast.” No one’s
ever heard him speak a word.
A large twisted oak overlooks the cemetery, underneath it a
stone the size of a paperback novel rests hidden in the tall
grass, it’s covered with lichen but there is the faint
etching, “Virgil, Victim of the Beast, 1684”.
REGINALD
(O.S.)
Rooster's a little harder. In the
40’s, a stranger buried the body in
the rose garden. He was in and out
in and hour, the only one who
noticed him was the ghost of
Colonel Crookston.
(MORE)
 12.
REGINALD (CONT'D)
The boy didn’t speak a lick of
English, but has picked it up over
the last century. They named him
rooster because of the way his hair
sticks up if you can get the hat
off of him.
We see a dark figure in a trench coat running through the
cemetary with a burlap sack over his back. He stops in the
foggy garden and checks back and forth to see if anyone can
see him. He begins digging frantically, and buries the body
in the garden. He then runs out as quickly as he came, as a
foggy Colonel watches from a distance.
WALLACE
Wait a second, these boys are older
than I am, Virgil has got to be
over 300 years old?!
REGINALD
300 years dead, but only 9 years
old. You stop aging when your die.
Once dead, you can keep learning,
but you never really mature.
THE MAYOR
Hence the immaturity
WALLACE
That leaves-
THE MAYOR
(o.s.)
Charlie. He may be the most
peculiar of all. Almost 20 years
ago, the day after Halloween, we
were all in the cemetery, one
moment he wasn’t there and then the
next he was. No one has ever seen
a ghost show up without a body
first. We searched and searched,
but none of us could find a buried
body.
The “town square” of the cemetary is bustling with ghosts,
going about there different types of business, and in the
middle of them all, Charlie fades into being. The ghosts
surrounding him draw back in suprise, Charlie looks around
shocked.
REGINALD
Some say he‘s got something to do
with the legend, others say he’s
just a curse.
 13.

WALLACE
The legend?
THE MAYOR
Ah, yes! The legend- you see the
forrest over there? That's where
the ghouls live!
WALLACE
Ghouls?
THE MAYOR
Yes, all who die, start out as
ghosts. But IF, as a ghost you
harm someone still living, you are
cursed, bound to the in between for
eternity, transformed into a darker
more sinister version of a ghost.
The ghouls are bound, trapped
within the wasting woods.
He points with his long boney finger to dark looming tree's
at the border of the cemetery.
REGINALD
But it wasn't always that way, the
ghouls used to roam free until the
promised one came. They say his
lover was killed by a ghoul, so he
sought out death himself. No one
knows what he did, but he bound
death in an oath, to take all the
ghouls from this world and trap
them in a place beyond. Then on a
full moon, Halloween the promised
one led the procession of the dead
with death himself into that
forrest. No one knows quite what
happened, but he didn't finish his
tasks. The ghouls weren't
banished, but sealed, locked into
those woods. And the promised one
vanished without a trace.
WALLACE
What does this have to do with
Charlie?
PANG! A ghost bullet flies through the mayors hat blowing it
off his head, they all turn to see BUSTER BLAZE a Union
soldier with faded uniform holding up a shotgun.
 14.

THE MAYOR
A full moon and all hallows eve
only cross paths every 19 years.
It was 19 years after the
procession of the dead, on a full
moon halloween that the boy
appeared. Some say, that the
promised one sent the boy from
wherever he was to finish his
mission. But I say that's a load
of-
PANG! A bullet wizzes right through the Mayor's top hat
blowing it off of his head. He turns to see BUSTER BATTON, a
civil war soldier in union uniform pointing a rifle
BUSTER
Word has it your claiming to be the
big ol’ bossman again, that right
ya livered licking crook?
The Mayor huffs in anger at BUSTER. He picks up his hat and
from inside pulls out a pistol and fires right back at
BUSTER. It flies right through his arm, wiping it off.
Buster picks up his arm, and puts it back on then empties the
shell and begins reloading.
THE MAYOR
Seeing as that the dead can't vote,
and I was mayor when I died, I
rightfully have claim to be mayor
of this-
PEW! He is shot again, in the eye. He reaches into his head
and pops his eyeball back into its socket. A crowd gathers
watching what is going on. We see the three ghoulies sitting
a top the roof of a building, watching the fight below.
 
From behind the three boys snatch Wallace and head the other
direction.
ROOSTER
 
ROOSTER (CONT'D)
That'll teach ol’ bone fingers, to
mess with us, beats me why anyone
voted him into anything. Anyways,
we're done here, to the hideout.
 15.

EXT. GHOST VILLAGE CITY SQUARE- NIGHT

The boys approach