Urban Legend Pilot

[Dale]

Urban Legend
Pilot: The Spiderwoman

Starring:
Bruce Campbell - Aaron Glidewell
James Marsters - Shade
Matthew Goode - Robert Jeffries

And Guest-Starring:
Christian Kane - Sheridan Ashmore
Alec Holland - Ashton Valentine
Trish Taylor - Amy
Ashley Dumas - Kayla
Sheryl Wilson - Amy's Mother
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXT. HIGHWAY

We focus on a stretch of highway at night. There are no cars except for one and no streetlights. The car is approaching an overpass.

INT. CAR

5 teenagers are in the car. 2 males in the front with two more males and a female in the back. One of the males in the back is obviously asleep, with his head resting on the girl’s shoulder.

Driver:
Hey, any of you guys heard of the “Turbo-Hag”?

Passenger:
The hell you talking about, Andy?

The girl in the backseat grins and nods.

Girl:
I have!

Andy:
You know, you see an old lady walking down the side of the road. And if you pass her by...

The boy next to Andy looks at him.

Boy:
She comes after you?

Andy:
Fast as lightning too.

One of the boys in the backseat sits up and looks at Andy with a grin on his face.

Boy:
Is she on skates?

Andy:
No, jackass. Turbo-jets.

The boy stifles a laugh as the girl nods.

Girl:
And if you look at her, she’ll eat you with a side of pork.

Focus On:

The back of the car as it enters the overpass.

Boy (V.O):
That sounds just like the “Man-Dog”

Girl (V.O):
Or the Headless Horseman.

Focus On:

The side of the road. On the street is something shadowed, on all fours.

INT. CAR

Andy stares in shock as he looks out the windshield, presumably at the shadowed thing.

Andy:
Guys.....what’s that?

Girl:
The.....Turbo-Hag?

Boy:
No way....

EXT. SIDE OF CAR

We’re shown the side of the car as it drives by. All 5 of the people inside look out and scream in horror at whatever it is.

INT. CAR

All of them are looking out the back windshield and screaming at whatever it is.

Andy:
What the hell is that thing!?

Boy:
Drive man! It’s following us!

They all keep looking out the back and start hitting on Andy’s seat to try to make him drive faster.

Girl:
COME ON!

Andy continues to try to drive before his hands twist on the wheel and the car swerves.

Cut To Title:

URBAN LEGEND

INT. RESTAURANT

We focus on two men sitting on a couch. One is wearing an inexpensive looking suit and the other is wearing more casual clothes along with a baseball cap on his head turned backwards. The man in the suit is Sheridan and the man with the cap is Ashton. Sheridan is leaned back on the couch, tapping a pen against his lips while Ashton is leaning forward, writing on a notepad. On another couch in front of them sit three girls, high school age.

Girl 1:
So, the driver crashed into a guardrail and they all died.

Ashton writes something down and looks up.

Ashton:
And uhm....how long ago was this?

Girl 2:
It was this year wasn’t it?

Girl 3:
Last month maybe?

Sheridan rolls his eyes, almost like he’s heard that indecisiveness many times before.

Sheridan:
Right. And this.....Spiderwoman did it?

Girl 1:
*Nods* Yeah.

Girl 2:
Hey wait, that sounds more like the Man-Dog.

Girl 3:
It had eight legs.

Girl 1:
But it had a human face.

The three girls squeal as Sheridan shakes his head.

EXT. RESTAURANT PARKING LOT

Sheridan and Ashton walk back to Sheridan’s car.

Ashton:
You think there’s anything to this? It’s kinda creepy.

Sheridan:
Ashton, there’s no such thing as a “Spiderwoman” or a Turbo-Hag OR a Man-Dog.

Ashton:
Right right.....ah dammit. I forgot my camera...lemme go get it.

Sheridan shakes his head in annoyance.

Sheridan:
You need to start taking better care of your stuff, idiot.

He opens the car door and gets in as Ashton walks back to the restaurant.

INT. SHERIDAN’S CAR

Sheridan puts his bag in the backseat of the car and starts the car up. He sits there for a moment before his cell phone rings. He takes it out of his pocket and flips it open before bringing it to his ear.

Sheridan:
Sheridan.

:
Hello Mr. Ashmore.

Sheridan blinks in surprise, confirming he doesn’t know the man calling.

Sheridan:
And....you are?

:
My name was lost a long time ago. It’s not important. What is important is that you know what your reporting on.

Sheridan:
You mean this Spiderwoman thing? Dude, whoever you are, you take this stuff too seriously.

:
Mr. Ashmore, please, be careful when looking into The Dark.

Sheridan, instead of answering, hangs up and throws the phone in the backseat as Ashton gets in.

Ashton:
Sorry for keeping you waiting, man.

Sheridan:
Just get in, man. Susan’ll be pissed if we’re not back in time to make the evening edition.

Ashton nods as Sheridan drives out of the parking lot.

Sheridan:
Hey, did I tell you I got a date on Saturday?

Ashton:
No. With who?

Sheridan:
Ashley.

Ashton turns his head and stares at Sheridan with a shocked expression on his face.

Ashton:
Mr. Price’s daughter?

Sheridan:
Haha! The one and only. Got reservations at that french place down on Skyler Avenue.

Ashton:
Wow man. Nice.

Sheridan:
Yeah. I’ll tell you what’s nice. If I get in good with her, I can get in good with her dad. And if I start writing some stories that make people buy the paper. Susan’ll be out and I’ll be in.

Sheridan grins and looks out the window as he drives as Ashton blinks in confusion.

INT. DAILY NATIONAL NEWS NEWSROOM

Ashton and Sheridan are sitting on a couch. Behind them the newsroom is busy with people walking around and yelling at each other. Sheridan is smoking a cigarette and looking over a piece of paper.

Sheridan:
Ashton, what’s with this ending? “However, like most Urban Legends, there is no hard evidence to support the existence of this creature.”

Ashton blinks and looks at Sheridan with a look of surprise on his face.

Ashton:
But.....there were no eyewitnesses.

Sheridan takes a glance around the newsroom before holding one of the magazines up. On the cover is a story about Bigfoot’s love child.

Sheridan:
But the thing is man, we’re not a science magazine. Just say she’s real. And another thing. What’s with this title? “The Eight-Legged Creature”? Can’t you make it something smaller? Like “Turbo-Hag” or “Man-Dog”?

Ashton nods as Sheridan stands up and stretches.

Girl (V.O):
I know just how the Spiderwoman was born.

INT. APARTMENT ROOM

Crawling on the floor is a single spider. A woman turns and looks at it with a look of fear on her face. She grabs a broom and begins to hit where the spider is while yelling.

Girl (V.O):
She hated spiders, maybe more then anyone had before. It was all...irrational, ya know?

The woman turns and looks up to see a spider crawling on it’s web. She quickly runs to another room and grabs a lighter and a stepladder before rushing back into the room.

Girl (V.O):
Spiders are actually useful creatures. They eat more annoying insects. But she didn’t care. She wanted them all to die.

The woman gets up on the stepladder and starts burning the spider with the lantern. The woman has a grin on her face that borders on sadistic-looking.

Girl (V.O):
And then, one night, it came back to bite her.

The woman is laying in her bed asleep. After a moment a spider begins to crawl over her. She wakes up and screams as she tried to raise her arms. A close-up reveals her arms and covered in webbing. She falls out of the bed, revealing her legs are similarly bound. She crawls over to the wall and manages to get her arms free enough to start trying to pull herself up. After a moment of struggling two more hands slide up next to the ones on the wall. The woman screams as the camera pulls back to reveal she now has four arms and four legs.

Girl (V.O):
The curse of all the spiders she killed. She became the Spiderwoman.

INT. DAILY NATIONAL NEWS NEWSROOM

Sheridan and Ashton are sitting on opposite chairs looking down at a table covered with boxes of letters.

Sheridan:
“The curse of all the spiders she killed. She became the Spiderwoman.” Wow.

He drops the letter back on the pile and shakes his head as Susan, their boss, walks over with a large happy grin on her face.

Susan:
Sales are up 20% this week! People love this Spiderwoman crap! You guys can look forward to a nice bonus in your paychecks this week.

Sheridan’s smile grows at the news as Susan crouches slightly and rubs Ashton’s arm.

Susan:
Let’s run 8 pages on her this week, okay?

She gives one more smile at the pair and walks off happily.

Sheridan:
Dude...the boss wants to screw you.

Ashton:
D-Don’t say that......

Sheridan:
Everytime she rubs your arm, she’s imagining rubbing something else.

Ashton shakes his head as a girl walks over and dumps another box of letters on the table.

Ashton:
Hey man.....do you think there’s anything to this?

Sheridan:
Of course there is man. Look at all these letters.

Ashton:
R-Right.....

Sheridan picks one up and opens it, grinning after a second.

Sheridan:
Hey man, listen to this.

EXT. ALLEYWAY

A young woman in a business suit is walking down the alleyway. She takes occasional glances over her shoulder to see behind her.

Woman (V.O):
I had to work late that night, so I decided to take a shortcut back to my apartment. I got this weird feeling that I was being followed.

The young woman finally breaks into a run.

INT. APARTMENT

The woman runs through the door, dropping her bag to the floor and rushes to the window, looking out. In the alleyway is what appears to be a woman walking on all fours, her hair obscuring her face as she walks down the alley. She looks up at the young woman and starts walking faster. The young woman starts to hyperventilate and passes out.

INT. DAILY NATIONAL NEWS NEWSROOM

Sheridan shakes his head and laughs as he drops the letter back in the box. He looks over the table and all the letters and drawings, some crude and some good.

Sheridan:
What’s with this pile?

Ashton:
Huh? Oh! I’m separating them by where they came from.

Sheridan picks up a few of the letters off the large stack and looks at them. They all have the same city on them.

Sheridan:
Hey dude, look at this, they’re all from the same city.

Ashton:
Huh? Woah. Your right.

Sheridan smacks Ashton’s chest lightly and scoffs.

Sheridan:
Don’t you see? THIS is where the Spiderwoman must be!

Ashton gulps and has a fearful look on his face as he glances at the pile.

Ashton:
Ohhhh man.....w-what if your right?

Sheridan:
Of course I’m right! Look at all these letters from there! Listen, go check it out.

Ashton starts shaking his head quickly.

Ashton:
N-No way man, d-don’t make me do that. This stuff is creeping me out.

Sheridan:
Dude, go. Now.

Ashton sighs and nods meekly before grabbing his bag and walking out as Sheridan leans back and eyes Susan’s office with a smirk on his face.

EXT. OVERPASS

Ashton is standing inside of the overpass, taking pictures and looking around nervously. After a few moments of snapping pictures he stops to look off-screen into the overpass and slowly begins to step backwards before turning and running for his car as a shadow begins to appear on the ground.

INT. DAILY NATIONAL NEWS NEWSROOM

Sheridan is sitting at a desk, looking at the unfinished second article about the Spiderwoman. Susan walks over and peers over his shoulder.

Susan:
What’s with all the blank spots?

Sheridan:
Ashton hasn’t come back yet. I’ve been trying to reach him but it keeps giving me that annoying “Disconnected” message.

Susan:
WELL GO FIND HIM! IF YOU HURRY BACK WE CAN STILL MAKE THE EVENING EDITION!

Sheridan just blinks and slowly stands up while picking up his bag.

Sheridan:
Yes ma’am.

Susan nods and walks off and Sheridan watches her walk away for a moment before starting to walk out himself.

Sheridan:
You soon-to-be jobless b*tch.

INT. RESTAURANT

Sheridan is leaning against a wall as two waitresses walk around him doing work and talking with him.

Waitress 1:
Yeah, she comes in ALL the time.

Waitress 2:
Really creepy chick. You know that if you say “Beckovus” she actually gets scared? Just like how they say the Spiderwoman gets scared.

Sheridan blinks in surprise, confirming he hadn’t heard that before.

Sheridan:
Beckovus?

Waitress 2:
It’s like Japanese or something for Spider Wasp. They’re afraid of it or something.

Sheridan:
So, you’ve seen her?

Waitress 1:
Once or twice yeah.

Waitress 2:
She’s always dressed kinda tacky. Old clothes, ya know?

Sheridan starts writing on his notepad and looking up at them.

Sheridan:
And you said she always leaves without paying?

Waitress 1:
Runs out on all-fours as well. That’s what I heard.

Sheridan blinks in confusion and looks at her.

Sheridan:
So...wait. You mean you haven’t seen her?

Waitress 2:
It was after our shift. Maybe a customer?

Sheridan shakes his head and sighs.

Sheridan:
I thought so.

Waitress 2:
And she always brings her own hot sauce.

Waitress 1:
Yeah, and she really pours it on too!

Sheridan nods and writes that down.

Waitress 1:
And she always sits over.....

She starts to point at a table where an old woman is sitting. A close-up reveals she’s pouring a heavy amount of sauce onto her food.

Sheridan:
Is that her?

The two waitresses nod as, suddenly, the old woman twitches and seizes up somewhat. Sheridan stares at her with a look that’s a mix of curiosity and fear. The old woman, however, only reaches up and scratches her back before grabbing her purse and leaving.

Sheridan:
Of course...

He sighs and nods to the waitresses before walking out.

EXT. OVERPASS

Sheridan stands where Ashton stood earlier, snapping pictures and shaking his head in annoyance. After a few moments of snapping pictures his phone goes off. He flips it open and brings it to his ear.

Sheridan:
Sheridan.

:
Mr. Ashmore, I told you.

Sheridan blinks in surprise at hearing the man again.

Sheridan:
Okay man, I don’t know HOW you got my number, but you better stop calling.

:
Mr. Ashmore, please listen.

Sheridan:
No, you listen, I will call the cops on your ass, buddy. Okay?

The man on the other side of the phone sighs.

:
Fine then. I’m sorry you wouldn’t let me help you....and now it’s too late.

The line goes dead and Sheridan looks down at the phone for a moment with a look on his face that is a mix of confusion and annoyance before putting the phone in his pocket. In the background a girl in a school uniform is walking over to the guardrail, holding a jar of some kind. Sheridan looks at her and blinks before walking over. The girl is praying at what looks to be a memorial. In front of the memorial is several jars filled with bugs and signs saying “Spiderwoman leave us alone!”

Sheridan:
......Hello.

INT. SHERIDAN’S CAR.

Sheridan sits in the driver’s seat next to the girl, Kayla.

Sheridan:
So...is she real?

Kayla nods.

Sheridan:
And.....have you seen her?

Kayla:
Well.....not exactly.

Sheridan’s head droops just a bit and he sighs.

Sheridan:
I thought so.

Kayla:
But my friend was really attacked!

Sheridan blinks for a moment before smiling.

Sheridan:
Think your friend would mind talking to me?

She shakes her head and Sheridan starts the car before driving off.

INT. APARTMENT

Kayla opens the door to the room, the lights are off. Sheridan pokes his head in and peers around.

Sheridan:
Ya know....we can come back later....

Kayla:
HEY AMY! CAN I COME IN!

She looks back at Sheridan and grinned.

Kayla:
It’s okay. Come on in.

She walks in and Sheridan follows her inside to another room.

INT. AMY’S BEDROOM.

Amy is a pale girl, dressed in pajamas and laying in bed. She’s staring at Sheridan as he puts his bag on a chair. Kayla walks over and puts a hand on Amy’s shoulder.

Kayla:
It’s okay! He’s a reporter! He’ll believe you!

Sheridan nods and takes a seat.

Sheridan:
Thanks. So, can you tell me about your...uhm.....incident?

Amy: WellitwasreallydarkandIwaswalkinghomeandtherewasthisladybutIlookedandshewasstillfarback.

Sheridan blinks at the speed at which she’s talking and fumbles around to get his notepad out.

Kayla:
Amy, Amy! Slow down okay?

Amy stops talking and nods a bit as Sheridan takes a pen out of his coat and get it ready.

Sheridan:
Okay. Repeat that for me please?

Amy: SoIkeptwalkingandallofasuddenshewasbehindmeandIwaswrappedupinsomething.

Sheridan tries to keep up, a closeup showing him writing a few words before scribbling over it and throwing it back into his bag before scrambling through his coat to grab a recorder. He brings it up and turns it on, however it starts to emit static and he shuts it off as the door behind him opens and an older woman steps in.

Amy’s Mother:
What’s going on?

Sheridan:
Uhm....hi. I’m Sheridan Ashmore with the Daily National News. I’m here about what happened to your daughter last month, it was last month right?

Amy feebly nods as Kayla stands up and grabs her bag.

Kayla:
I only came to bring Amy her homework for the week.

She rushes out as Amy’s Mother looks at Sheridan.

Amy’s Mother:
She’s not really ready to talk yet.

Sheridan nods as he holds out a card for her. She takes it and looks at it before nodding towards the living room and walking out, Sheridan behind her.

INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM

Sheridan is sitting on the couch, looking around a bit nervously. Sounds from the kitchen confirm Amy’s Mother is in there.

Sheridan:
I really need to be going! My boss will be angry if I’m not back.

Amy’s Mother steps in holding a tray of sandwiches and two cups of tea that she sets on the table. Sheridan glances at the table and notices several issues of the Daily National News on it.

Sheridan:
Hah. I see you buy our magazine.

He grabs one of the issues and opens it before showing it to her. It’s the article on the Spiderwoman. On the top of the page is a drawing of the creature that has it as a human torso and head on a spider’s body and legs. A set of fangs hang low in the creatures mouth.

Amy’s Mother:
And you think......this.....attacked her? I don’t believe it.

Sheridan:
Neither do I.

They share a laugh.

Amy’s Mother:
She’s been such a handful. I’m hardly ever home you see. I think it’s a cry for attention.

Sheridan:
Her father?

Amy’s Mother:
Died before she was born.

Sheridan blinks and nods his head.

Sheridan:
I’m sorry.

Amy’s Mother looks down at the magazine and grins.

Amy’s Mother:
Did you draw this?

Sheridan looks down at the drawing of the Spiderwoman.

Sheridan:
Oh no, we have illustrators for that.

Amy’s Mother: Oh. I’m sorry, I’m so ignorant.

Sheridan blinks and shakes his head before pointing to himself.

Sheridan:
Don’t be sorry! I couldn’t draw to save my life!

They share another laugh as Amy’s Mother looks down at the magazine again.

Amy’s Mother:
Do you know the spider’s mating habits?

Sheridan looks at her with a look of confusion on his face and blinks.

Amy’s Mother:
The female is much larger then the male, once they mate she eats him. Isn’t that just cruel!?

She laughs a bit as Sheridan continues to stare.

Sheridan:
Er....isn’t that the praying mantis?

The smile leaves her face as she stares very seriously at him.

Amy’s Mother:
It’s spiders. I’m talking about spiders. Praying mantises might as well. But I’m talking about spiders.

She then abruptly puts the magazine on the table and runs to the kitchen.

Sheridan:
Uhm....thanks for the hospitality but I must be going!

He tries to stand up and looks at the floor. His feet are stuck by some kind of sticky substance. He keeps trying to get himself free as a voice sounds.

Ashton (O.S):
Stop that. I’m scared.

Sheridan looks up in surprise at Amy’s room as the voice continues repeating the line again in a somewhat muted, scared way.

Sheridan:
Ashton.

He stand up and slowly begins to walk, every step making a stretching sound as he continues to free his feet. He walks into Amy’s room and glances around before turning to the closet, where the voice is coming from. He opens it to find Ashton covered in web, his eyes half-open as he continues to repeat the same thing over and over again. Sheridan takes a step back and turns as the sound of skin breaking is heard and multiple points raise on Amy’s bed beneath the sheets. Amy pokes her head out of the covers and hisses at Sheridan.

Sheridan:
Oh my God!

He stumbles backwards out of the room and slowly turns to look around the corner. Amy’s Mother is standing, hunched over to the side somewhat. She has grown six extra eyes and she giggles in a high-pitched way at him.

Amy’s Mother:
The female is much larger then the male, once they mate she eats him. Isn’t that just cruel!?

She laughs again as Sheridan slowly begins to walk forward to the door, his feet and hands sticking to the floor and walls as he works to escape.

Sheridan:
Bechovus......Bechovus.......Bechovus!

He finally manages to reach the door and, the floor no longer sticky, he begins to run as Amy’s Mother’s head glances out from the doorframe at him.

INT. SHERIDAN’S CAR

Sheridan is breathing heavily and looking around nervously as his car approaches the overpass. He suddenly blinks and looks at his lap where four feet are rubbing his stomach. Then four hands grab his head as Kayla pokes her head out and looks over at him.

Kayla:
I told you we were real.

Sheridan’s hands suddenly jerk and the car swerves into the guardrail.

EXT. HIGHWAY

Sheridan slowly crawls out of his car, Kayla in the backseat is either unconscious or dead. Sheridan leans on the side of his car, breathing heavily and a line of blood going down the side of his mouth. His eyes suddenly go wide as Amy’s Mother’s high-pitched laugh is heard. She’s standing a few feet away, in the overpass. Suddenly her clothes burst and she turns into exactly what the drawing that had appeared in his article looks like. She rushes over and leaps at him as he screams at the top of his lungs.

EXT. HIGHWAY

We focus on a stretch of highway at night. There are no cars except for one and no streetlights. The car is approaching the overpass.

Andy (V.O):
Hey, any of you guys heard of the “Turbo-Hag”?

Girl (V.O):
I have!

The car enters the overpass and we focus on the sidewalk, where something shadowed is hunched over on the side of the road. A closeup of Andy’s face is shown as his expression turns to one of shock.

Andy:
Guys.....what’s that?

Boy:
The Turbo-Hag? No way.

The car passes by, this time we see what it is, it’s a spider’s body with a human torso and head attached. The head turns to look at the camera, revealing itself to be Sheridan. He takes off after the car as the camera pans up to the top of the overpass. Standing on it a man dressed in all black, his face obscured in the night.

:
And yet another person is dragged, kicking and screaming, into the depths of Hell for staring too deeply into The Dark. I tried to warn him.....but they never listen. They never think on what I might know.

A sudden flash of light, presumably from the car crashing, illuminates the man’s face. He is old, with bags under his eyes suggesting he has not had much sleep in awhile. This man is Aaron Glidewell. He shakes his head and sighs.

Aaron:
They never think that all I tell them is from experience.

He turns and simply fades into the darkness as the camera fades to black.

Roll Credits

[/b][/blockquote]

[Joey Jojo Junior Shabadoo]

Very nice. This has tremendous potential for further episodes. I hope to see more of this.

[Natalie]

That was awesome, I look forward to the next episodes.

[Casablanca]

This is a nice pilot to what seems to be quite a nice show. It sure is fun, it has good writing, and can be a bit creepy at points. I really, really, hope to see more of this!

[Dale]

great sutff man. really well presented, nicely written and a fantastic ending. i hope to see much, much more of this.

[Movie Lord Productions]

Quite possibly one of the most mysterious shows to ever be posted on the site. It was very amazing. The guy at the end kind of reminded me of the Twilight Zone, lol. Great pilot, I hope to see more of this.

[Hellish]

Wow. Thanks for the positive reviews everyone!

I've already started writing the next one since I'm really hoping this is picked up. Also, if anyone has any suggestions for Urban Legends to be used as a plot for an episode, feel free to tell me

[Dale]

After carefully reviewing this "pilot episode"--I have made the following decision:

The idea for a series based on these characters and events have been "accepted". Congratulations.

~Your friendly neighbourhood Daz

[Dale]

After carefully reviewing this "pilot episode"--I have made the following decision:

The idea for a series based on these characters and events have been "accepted". Congratulations.

~Mr. Vincent