MANSON FAMILY X-MAS

Characters: Hippie Chick (Lizzie) Her Victim (a police officer) Puking Police Officer Mike (Homicide Detective) Dan (Homicide Detective) Police Photographer Jimmy (a leader) Stoney (a cult member) Karen (a cult member) Sissy (a cult member) Interviewer Director The Rest of the Family		Puppets: Herve Villechez (host) Charlie Manson Squeaky Fromme Dead Sharon Tate Her Monstrous Spawn The Rest of the Family

The action will alternate between scenes featuring actors and scenes featuring puppets.

I. Opening

1. Pretty HIPPIE CHICK swirls around to music. Camera catches her dancing eyes. Cut to credit frame.

2. HIPPIE CHICK is now standing still and bobbing her head side-to-side to music. Camera reveals a bloody scalpel in her hand.
   Cut to credit frame.

3. View from above. HIPPIE CHICK is using scalpel to cut a mask out of the face of a man lying prone on his back. His eyes are open and filled with terror.
   Cut to credit frame.

4. View from above. HIPPIE CHICK pulls off man's face revealing gore underneath. Camera returns to eye level as HIPPIE CHICK places skin mask over her face and laughs. Cut to credit frame: MANSON FAMILY X-MAS

(overdubbed voice, a cross between a beatnik poet and an evangelist, raps, "Yeah, man, do the puppets. That's what it's all about. Dig the puppets, brothers and sisters, 'cause we're all just meat puppets.")

II. Puppets #1

Herve' Villechez, standing center of a yuletide adorned stage: "Welcome everybody to zee Manson Family Chreezmoss Special. We are here to celebrate zee holiday with a man who had a special veesion, who tried to bring death to zee oppressor peegs. Now eet eez time to start the revolution. Here eez my friend, Charles Manson."

Charlie, enters from left: " Yeah, baby, I dig that eulogy you laid on me, but save the flowers, oh yeah, save the precious flowers, we still got bacon to fry before Helter Skelter. Shit's coming down and you're wondering whether I'm Jesus or I'm the devil, well I tell you, it don't make any difference. Flowers, man, daisies, I'm Jesus, I'm Satan, I'm a daisy, man, whatever you need me to be."

Herve': "See, folks, how much love he has. Theez man, he eez love."

Charlie: "I love you and that's why I have to kill you, to set you free. This shit is coming down with me or without me, I'm just here to say I love you, I love everybody. I went to jail because I spoke the truth; now the truth has set me free."

Herve': "Do not fear him just because he eez a prophet. Fear heem because he wants to set you free."

(overdubbed voice, "See, children, free.")

III. Cops #1

Exterior of house and cellar door. Two plainclothes homicide detectives approach from the street. As they near the door, a young uniformed officer stumbles out and leans over to vomit on the lawn. Camera zooms to catch vomit dripping from mouth. Detectives walk past him to get to basement.

Basement interior. First shot is of wall. Slogans like "death to pigs" and "generation xxxoooxxx" are written on it in blood. Camera pans to detectives, who are standing over body from opening sequence.

Detective Mike: "Pretty gruesome, eh Danny Boy?"

Detective Dan: "10-4, Mike. You know what I'm thinking?"

Mike: "Just a hunch, but were you thinking that those wounds, horrific as they are, probably wouldn't kill a man?"

(Enter PHOTOGRAPHER, who begins circling the crime scene and wordlessly taking flash pictures.)

Dan: "10-4, Mike, but I don't think this guy knows. Any signs of additional wounds?"

Mike: "No other incisions apparent other than those on the head, and they're only skin deep. Talk about losing face."

Dan: "Could be he died of fright, couldn't face the loss. Want to check for ID?"

Mike: "My turn again? (Kneels down to body) Let's see, perp didn't take the wallet. Guess that rules out mugging."

Dan: "Tell that to his mug."

Mike: "Danny Boy, you're not going to like what we got here. (Holds up a badge.) I guess this explains the shit on the wall."

Dan (to Photographer): "Keep snapping those 8 X 10's, pal, we've got a cop killer on our hands."

IV. Puppets #2

(overdubbed voice, "Listen, close, children, 'cause the shit's gonna rain soon and then it will be too late to come together. We're all just meat puppets on a string, jerking around to the man's word. The man, he wants to separate us. He knows there is power in the family.")

Herve': "So, Charlie, are you having a good time?"

Charlie: "Dig, little man, I need my people."

Herve': "Good, good. Theez special would not be complete weethout zee family. Maybe you remember theez voice?"

Squeaky (offstage): "I would have killed Ford, Charlie. I would have killed them all. I love you."

Charlie: "Sqeaky, baby, is that you?"

Squeaky (enters from right): "Well it sure ain't Patti Hearst!" (They embrace.)

Herve': "Kind of puts you een the Chreezmoss spirit, ey everybody?"

V. Family #1

Hippie hangout. We see several cult members sitting around, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. STONEY is passing a marijuana cigarette. Sly and the Family Stone plays in the background. Attention is focused on JIMMY, who is obviously the leader. Enter HIPPIE CHICK.

Hippie Chick: "Jimmy, you'd be so proud, I did it just like you said and it was beautiful!"

Jimmy: "Groovy, Sister, the truth set you free. How did he like the smack?"

Hippie Chick: "At first he was all glowing with it. Then he started to look funny as he overdosed, like this. (Makes goony face.) That's when I started cutting. He was scared but he never fought back."

Cult Dude: "Far out, passive police. You got the mask?"

Hippie Chick: "Uh-huh." (reaches into purse and pulls out skin mask and holds it over her face) "Look, I'm a pig!"

Jimmy starts snorting like a pig. Others laugh and join in. They begin dancing to the music and passing the mask. Camera films several minutes of party footage.

VI. Puppets #3

(Jimmy's voice, "All right, my sweet children, it's lesson time, put away the toys. Grok what the puppets tell you, 'cause these puppets, they aren't being worked by the man, they're being worked by love.")

Other cult puppets have joined Herve', Charlie and Squeaky on the stage. They are in the midst of a conversation.

Charlie: "Yeah, yeah, that's when we got the White Album. Man, first time we tripped to that, I saw it all clear. It was us against the little piggies, helter skelter."

Sqeaky: "Wow. That's when things started getting really groovy."

Charlie: "Right on. If you're part of the machine, then helter skelter seems like viscious payback. But for real people, for us, it was liberation. Shit set us free, brothers and sisters."

Cult Dude Puppet: "We saw that you were god, Charlie. You told us that there weren't no life or death, just real people and the machine. Man, they jailed you because they were afraid of your love."

Herve': "Eet's true, Charlie. The man, he eez afraid of your love."

Charlie: "Yeah, well things are gonna be different this time. We'll be daisies, we'll be flowers beneath their feet, poised to strike. Liberation."

The puppets cheer.

VII. Cops #2

Interior of a diner. Detectives Mike and Dan sit across from each other in a booth eating lunch. Photos of faceless body litter the table, along with files, etc.

Dan (gesturing to photo with catsup covered french fry): "So, Mike-o, how did our killer get Corscino to go down in the basement?"

Mike: "You're assuming he was still alive and conscious; he could have been dragged down there."

Dan: "According to the ME, Corscino got his facelift almost immediately after being overdosed by the heroin."

Mike: "Fair enough...we got an off duty cop who goes down into a strange basement with a killer, and you want to know why. First off, was he coerced or did he want to go?"

Dan: "Corscino was a pretty tough customer, according to his precinct; let's rule out coercion for now."

Mike: "While we're at it, let's rule out some other improbables. Number one, Corscino wasn't dirty, so he wasn't there to collect a bribe. Number two, he didn't have a habit, so he wasn't there for dope. What's that leave?"

Dan: "Not money or dope..."

Mike: "Love. The guy was going to get laid. Shit, he even had rubbers in his wallet."

Dan: "You think the poor son-of-a-bitch was hoping for a piece of ass, got stuck with a needle, and ended up faceless. AIDS is sounding better every second."

Mike: "It makes sense, explains how his guard was lowered, how he got down there. Hell, at that point she could have had accomplices."

Dan: "You think we got a set-up here?"

Mike: "Worse, boy-o, we got ourselves a frigging cult."

VIII. Puppets #4

(voice of JIMMY: "We live in an illusion of freedom that represses the reality of freedom. We must denounce the puppet masters and grab control of the strings, grasp freedom for the first time. Thus will we be reborn.")

Herve': "You know, what makes Chreezmos so special eez that eet symbolizes the magic of the birth of Christ."

Charlie: "Dig, man, virgin birth is another lie of the man trying to sterilize our emotions. The man hates sex 'cause he can't control it."

Squeaky: "He sure can't control you, lover."

Herve': "No, no, the miracle of birth eez sacred. I weel prove eet. Sharon, drag your rotting flesh out here."

A dead, pregnant Sharon Tate enters left. Shocked cult members back off to give her ample space center stage.

Herve': "You see, she eez dead but she still carries her unborn child. Tonight a miracle will occur."

A surreal, repulsive birth sequence takes place in which a monstrous abomination crawls from the dead woman's womb. Its cries are hideous. It outstretches its arms to Charlie, who embraces it, saying only, "My son."

IX. Interview (Family #2)

HIPPIE CHICK and two other female cult members sit on a couch framed by a pleasant warm light. They are obviously happy and feel sisterly towards each other.

Camera Interviewer: "I'm interested in how you girls hooked up with Jimmy and his, uh, group."

Karen: "Well, first off, we're not girls. We're women. Would you call a twenty-five year old male a 'boy'?"

Camera: "Sorry. Why don't you start by saying who you all are."

Hippie Chick: "I'm Lizzie and that's Karen and that's Sissy."

Camera: "How did your involvement with this group begin?"

The women look at each other and giggle.

Lizzie: "I guess it all started with the puppets."

Sissy: "Yeah! Before that we were all part of the machine. The puppets showed us the way."

Karen: "You see, Lizzie was taking this class on puppetry and this guy Stoney came up to her and said, hey, if you really want to see some puppets you should see this friend of mine."

Lizzie: "And I went, and it was so cool!!"

Sissy: "The next thing you know, she's dragging us to see those crazy puppets, but, you know, it was really special right from the start."

Karen: "We didn't get into the killing right off. That took a while."

Camera: "That's the part that really fascinates me, how young women like yourselves could get involved in killing."

The women giggle and produce knives.

Lizzie (eyeing camera): "That's so easy."

Shot fades as armed women approach camera.

X Puppets #5

(Jimmy: "It has begun and will never end.")

Herve' (now alone on stage): "Merry X-mas. Merry X-mas. Merry X-mas everybody! War is over. Join the revolution and be free!"

Puppet ignites in flames and camera watches as it burns.

XI Cops #3

Detectives Mike and Dan approach a cottage in the woods. They knock on the door and STONEY answers.

Stoney: "Can I help you?"

Mike: "We're detectives investigating a murder. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Can we come in?"

Stoney: "You guys got a warrant?"

Mike: "We just want to ask you some questions. Do we need to get a warrant so we can do that?"

Stoney: "Questions, huh?"

Dan: "Yeah, Einstein, questions. You gonna let us come in?"

Stoney (smiles): "Yeah, sure, I was just listening to some ABBA. C'mon in and take a load off." Detectives enter cottage and several cult members grab and restrain them, taking their weapons. Jimmy injects each with smack, leaving them paralyzed but semi-conscious.

Jimmy: "It's a special day when, hey, the bacon jumps into the pan all by itself. You guys must be pretty smart pigs to find this place. Too bad you didn't radio in your location; yeah, we got a police scanner and we tuned in when we saw your car coming. So you're all alone, what we call a freebie. You know, I could tell you about the revolution and all the beautiful things that are gonna happen, but even on dope you wouldn't understand. Stoney."

Stoney returns with a circular table saw and goggles over his glasses.

Stoney: "You guys like questions, huh? Here's a philosophical puzzle you might enjoy: When a guy gets his entrails ripped out by a circular saw, what kind of god does he pray to?"

Mike (whispering): "I don't think we'll be home for Christmas, Dan."

Stoney starts up saw. Camera cuts to blood spraying on wall, amidst profuse screams.

XII Party & Finale

Free form footage of party - cult members play with puppets, dance, talk, pass around gore artifacts. Party spills outside and camera gradually pulls further and further away. It is snowing. Fade.

Epilogue: director's disclaimer

Director (wearing gore from opening sequence): "Hi, my name is Scotcho and I directed this film. I want to make an important disclaimer: While this film portrays graphic acts of violence towards the corporate power structure in general and police officers in particular, it in no way advocates such acts. The decision to kill a police officer, or one of the rich, or anyone, for that matter, is an important personal decision which should be made by an informed individual. In real life there are seldom figures like Jimmy to tell us what to do; we have to each make our own decisions as to who to kill and how. Thanks a lot."