Characters:
Son
Father
Mother
Babysitter
Killer Klown
Lead Cop
Partner Cop
Computer cop
Ticket taker at Maniac Maze
Maze murder victim
Kids at party
Empty hallway with light room. Boy alone at computer in room. Klown with knife comes into frame, creeps down hallway, comes up behind boy with raised knife. Boy doesn’t turn around, smirks and says “I could hear you a mile away, Dad.” Mom also enters, tells boy they are leaving for party. Mom tells boy he could at least pretend to be scared so Dad could have fun, boy says “Clowns aren’t scary, they’re stupid.”
Home video of combination birthday/Halloween party. Party favors, old –fashioned Halloween decorations. Kids gathered around the pumpkin, klown making exaggerated motions as he prepares to carve pumpkins. Camera swings to child along table, swings back to klown. Either klown has knife raised, camera falls on side and a bloody hand and knife drop into frame or when camera swings back, klown mysteriously gone, pops up directly in camera with knife raised.
Pull back from monitor and it's the lead cop showing the video to partner. Cop explains that klown slaughtered everyone at party; he (lead cop) caught him. Klown had killed a child on Halloween from 1971-1973, but only children who turned 8 that day. Was sent to institution and was released today. Cop is sure he’ll strike again. Other cop is skeptical, tells lead cop he’s obsessed with this clown.
Cut back to parents leaving for party, instructing baby sitter. “There’s cake in the fridge, help yourself.” To her (and son on sofa with laptop) “Don't let son use computer, he's on it too much doing god knows what. He's reckless on that internet.” Son scowls, shuts laptop, parents leave. Son immediately opens laptop, babysitter gets on cell phone and ignores kid. Kid on laptop in front of TV, updating MySpace page, chatting. Kid has name, birthday on page. Kid gets a creepy series of IMs.
Cut back to cops. Lead cop explains klown’s obsession with kids, shows print-out of email. Says something like “Happy Anniversary” with smiley clown face. Second cop suggests they get nerdy cop to see if he can trace or discover something about it.
Cut back to kid. Gets series of increasingly weird IMs. Zoom into screen, showing IM, zoom out same IM but different computer, light only from screen on hands in cut-out gloves, grimy and maybe blood-stained.
Back to lead cop with computer cop. Cops checking info, 2nd cop says they have to check out a disturbance at local haunt. As he leaves, lead cop tells computer cop to call as soon as he learns something.
Back to kid, gets message to watch new video made that day. Zoom into screen.
Handheld with date-time stamp from earlier that day. Camera approaches Maniac Maze, could have extras setting up. Ticket taker welcomes klown, tells him he looks great, go find a spot. Offers 3d glasses, says to check out the effects. See gloved had grab glasses. Go through maze, sees worker painting. Klown turns camera on self and gives exaggerated “shhhh”, you can almost hear him say “We’re hunting wabbits,” has knife in hand. Turns camera back on worker, stabs him. May have shot of spreading red, pull back and its spilled paint. Turns camera back on self, says “Cut!” and laughs at bad joke.
Cut back to kid with reaction. Sees IM on screen that says “Ding Dong” or “Knock knock”, kid would reply with “Whose there.” No reply, then knock knock on door.
Cut to babysitter react to knock, back to kid who has sudden realization, tells her not to open door. She looks through eyehole, says relax, it’s your dad. Opens door, immediately killed by klown. Maybe he says boo, squirts with flower, then stabs quickly. Boy sees, horrified.
Cuts to cops at maze. Ticket taker offers glasses, lead cop knocks them aside in irritation. Find dead body. Second cop says, hey, I found a footprint. Clown shoes, size 22. Lead cop scowls, phone rings. Computer cop says he couldn’t find anything so he Googled the address. Found a post, it’s a kid. Cop listens, says, “Give me that address again. Jesus, it’s three blocks away.” Cops hustle off.
Back to kid, running up stairs. Klown chase. At one point kid hides under bed and you see big funny klown feet walk by. Kid goes down to basement, calls dad. Bad reception, kid says “I’m scared.” Klown opens door with bang, startled kid drops phone. Shuts it off to silence noise. Klown is playing jack-in-the-box. Gets close, as box goes “Pop goes the weasel,” clown finds kid. Raises knife.
Cops at door, see babysitter, announce self.Cut back to klown, hears cops. Goes back up cellar stairs.Cut back to cops who split up. Lead cop goes upstairs, second cop stays downstairs. Klown kills second cop, makes a bit of noise.Cut to lead cop upstairs, hears noises, heads back down stairs. Cut back to boy, creeps up cellar stairs. Cut back to lead cop who finds second cop.Cut back to boy who bolts to the door. Cut to clown at doorway, backlit. Boy screams, freezes. Cop rounds corner, empties gun into clown. Goes up to body, kicks away knife and is puzzled. Knife if plastic, kid realizes what’s happened, mom runs up from outside. Shot of mom and child over body cop slumped against wall, down long hall to open back door. Back to cop who sees bloody 3-d glasses.
Cut to exterior maze. Cop comes up, finds dead ticket taker. Goes into maze, is surprised by klown. But klown doesn’t kill him, says very reasonably “You could have ended this 30 years ago. But you had to take me alive, had to play by the rules. See what you’ve done?” Cop says “No more mistakes,” shoots klown.