Beowulf (8 page)

The freaked-out Thane kicks one of his sleeping drunken mates to wake him, but the sad warrior has drunken himself into oblivion. Even another, harder kick doesn't help. In fact, most of the Thanes in the hall have drank so much mead that they're dead to the world…passed out.

 

The singing Thanes (who are now the freaked-out Thanes) draw their broadswords…but it's too late, for Grendel is upon them.

 

With one mighty swing Grendel hurls the table of Thanes aside, sending some of them into the massive firepit, and others tumbling across the floor.

 

Wiglaf is awoken by the CLAMOR.

 

Grendel LAUGHS as he stomps on TWO SLEEPING THANES, crushing life out of their slumbering bodies.

 

A few of the THANES WHO WERE THROWN INTO THE FIRE roll out and try to beat the flames from their bodies. Some of them, unable to continue despite being roasted alive, fall to their knees and slump too the ground in burning heaps.

The hideous creature picks one man up, who is too drunk to know what's happening to him, and throws him down onto his bent leg, SNAPPING his back with a LOUD CRUNCH.

 

Grendel starts LAUGHING to himself with every dead Thane he stomps on.

 

Then, Grendel comes to Beowulf…naked and laying on the floor. Beowulf is like a nice, soft, shell-less morsel by comparison to the greasy, armor-wearing thugs he's been killing. He raises his foot to crush Beowulf.

 

Then, from behind Grendel…

Wiglaf strikes at Grendel's back with his sword, but the blade BREAKS against the creatures tough skin.

 

Grendel spins around and strikes at Wiglaf, who manages to hold up his small shield just before the massive arm swats him aside like a defenseless kitten.

 

Wiglaf slides backwards and into a rack of spears which CRASH down around him.

 

Grendel turns around and faces Beowulf again, but Beowulf isn't there.

 

Grendel SNARLS.

 

Beowulf, naked as the day he was born, leaps onto Grendel's back and locks his arm around Grendel's neck in a chokehold.

 

The monster jerks forward, causing Beowulf to topple head over heels over Grendel's head. He lands on his back with a HARD THUD, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

 

Grendel then grabs a keg of mead and raises it above his head, with the intention of slamming it down onto the already stunned Beowulf's head.

 

But before Grendel can gore Beowulf, Wiglaf is upon him, attempting to run the monster through with a spear.

 

Beowulf grabs a length of golden chain -- part of Hrothgar's treasure…

 

ONE OF HROTHGAR'S THANES wakes up and comes to help, or die.

Beowulf lashes the chain around Grendel's hand and pulls it tight. The monster lets out a HORRIFIC SHRIEK and rips the chain free from Beowulf.

 

Then, angry Grendel lashes the chain like a whip, causing it to wrap multiple times around the neck ONE OF HROTHGAR'S DRUNKEN THANES. While it can be argued that the Thane died then and there, no one would argue that he lived after Grendel yanked on the chain, causing the head to SNAP free from the body and rapidly tumble across the floor toward

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who kicks it aside like a soccer ball.

 

Beowulf is PICKED UP by Grendel, like a child holding a large doll. Grendel obviously plans to bite Beowulf's head off, but in a maneuver made famous by Scottish soccer hooligans, but originally invented by Swedish heroes, Beowulf HEADBUTTS Grendel -- a head to forehead crash that leaves blood spilling from Grendel's face.

 

Grendel is dazed and hurt, for the first time on one of its nocturnal expeditions. It begins to WHIMPER.

 

Beowulf takes advantage of this by biting Grendel's cheek, at the same time that his hands fasten around Grendel's throat.

 

Grendel shakes Beowulf as if trying to free himself from something that's bad and hurting him, shaking himself desperately -- and Beowulf FLIES OFF, crashing into some dead bodies, which cushion his fall.

 

Beowulf then runs toward Grendel, who is trying to flee towards the open door at the end of the hallway that leads out of the mead hall, still dragging the chain along behind him.

 

Beowulf, fearing that Grendel might escape, dives for the chain and grabs it, causing him to be dragged along with it into the

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which leads to the large main doors to Herot, and ultimately to the outside.

 

In mid-slide Beowulf manages to hook the chain onto a large nail half sticking out of a massive support beam, jolting Grendel to a stop just in the threshold of the door, with an unsettling POP OF DISLOCATION in his shoulder.

The chain, hooked onto the nail, has yanked at the beam so hard that it has ripped it partially from the wall. Support stones, wood planks, and mud-fill begin to shower down from above as the hallway begins to partially collapse.

 

Grendel ROARS in agony and pain as he tugs at the chain and claws at his wrist's shackle.

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78 INT. HEROT - HROTHGAR'S QUARTERS - NIGHT

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We can hear, slightly muffled, the THUDS and CRASHES of the battle between Grendel and Beowulf going on. Hrothgar lies in bed, covered with furs, beside Wealthow, listening to the noise.

 

Then the NOISE STOPS.

 

Wealthow begins, very softly, to cry.

Hrothgar shakes his head. Then he moves closer to Wealthow, and reaches out a hand to paw at her breast. Wealthow hits at it.

Hrothgar looks uncomfortable at this.

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79 INT. HEROT - HALLWAY - NIGHT

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Beowulf, who is by now cut, bruised, and bloodied sees that Grendel is captured and unraveling the chain from his wrist. Beowulf scrambles to action and runs toward Grendel.

 

Grendel, who sees that Beowulf is running toward him, quickens his efforts to free himself.

 

But it's too late…

 

Beowulf slides like he was coming in to home base and kicks the door closed with his foot, SLAMMING the heavy wooden portal onto Grendel's arm. He has Grendel caught by the arm, and while Grendel can flail wildly he can't seem to get loose. The demon lets out the SCREAM OF A CAGED HOWLERMONKEY.

Beowulf is a little shocked. He didn't expect to be able to hold a conversation with this nemesis.

He begins pressing the door shut with the wedge, causing the sinewy tendons to begin to SNAP and Grendel's bones to POP free from the socket. Grendel SHRIEKS.

And with one powerful lunge with the wedge Beowulf causes the door to SLAM shut. The arm, with a SQUISHY RIPPING SOUND, falls free from its socket and lands on the floor with a satisfying MEATY THUD.

Beowulf stands there, staring at the arm for a moment…when suddenly it grabs his foot. He kicks wildly at it, finally shaking it loose.

 

The arm flops around on the stone floor for a few moments like a beached fish and then suddenly seizes into a contorted position of agony.

 

Beowulf, for the first time, is freaked. He stands there, leaning against the door, breathing heavily in great gasping WHEEZES.

 

Several Thanes, swords drawn and bodies bleeding, appear at the

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looking at Beowulf. Wiglaf pushes himself to the front of them.

They all begin CHEERING.

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on the other hand, doesn't seem so confident. He quickly turns and pulls the door open, revealing

82 THE OUTSIDE OF HEROT

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As if a nightmare is over -- it's placid and quiet and there is a marked absence of Grendel around.

MATCH CUT TO:

83 THE OUTSIDE OF HEROT

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The nightmare
is
over. But it is now morning, and all is well. We hear HAMMER BLOWS, rhythmic as sex.

84 INT. HEROT - MEAD HALL - DAY

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CLOSE ON: Grendel's arm is being NAILED into a massive wooden beam in the mead hall.

It is Beowulf who wields the massive blacksmith's hammer. Beowulf laughs as he nails Grendel's arm to the wall, and we wonder, which one is the monster?

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85 INT. THE GREAT CAVE - DAY

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From the inside of the great cave, the outside world is a bright and hot place. Grendel comes stumbling in from this world of light and heat into the safety of the cave. He is in silhouette and we can see that he is missing his arm.

 

Grendel shambles awkwardly, dripping crimson blood as he goes, toward the placid clear waters of the cavern's pool.

 

Grendel is making A DREADFUL SOUND as it goes, one arm missing, into the pool, with little or no sense of balance, stumbling and half-falling. It should take us a few moments to realize that the noise Grendel is making is SOBBING.

 

Grendel falls through the dark water of the pool, blood from his shoulder, from the missing arm, pumping out into the water, until everything is red and we

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86 INT. THE GREAT CAVE - GRENDEL'S MOTHER'S LAIR - DAY

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Grendel comes up from the pool in her cave. Tears are running down his face. He is dying -- nearly dead.

There is no answer. Grendel collapses to the floor, and then he bellows, sobbing.

There is A RUSTLING NOISE and the SOUND OF A RUSHING WIND.

 

Grendel's mother sits beside him. She wears a black cowl and cloak, that covers her from head to toe, and she has her back to us.

Grendel's Mother's golden hand strokes his forehead. She has a beautiful hand, with slightly-too-long golden fingernails.

The life has gone from Grendel's eyes: they have misted over, like the dead eyes of a rotten fish. There is silence in the hall beneath the earth.

 

EXTREME CLOSE ON: Grendel's mother's lips.

87 EXT. HEROT - VILLAGE - DAY

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Yrsa is talking to Isolde the Fat and Gitte in the muddy grass.

Isolde and Gitte look appropriately amazed.

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88 EXT. HEROT - STOCKADE - DAY

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A Pyre is being assembled. Thanes are picking up the dead bodies -- and bits of bodies -- from the night before, and throwing them onto the pyre. Standing beside it are a handful of WOMEN sobbing, and a few CHILDREN. And Wiglaf.

 

We however SWING AROUND from the pyre and ENTER THE HALL, where Hrothgar is standing in front of GRENDEL'S ARM and is making a speech to Beowulf and everyone else.

He puts his arm around Beowulf's shoulders. Beowulf grins out at the crowd. It's hard to believe that this grinning, friendly guy is the same naked lunatic who ripped Grendel's arm off the night before.

A couple of thanes haul out a closed chest.

Beowulf opens the chest. It's filled with gold and silver stuff -- goblets, rings, torques and so forth.