A SEPARATE HERESY

A Screenplay by 

Geoffrey "Rev. Wyrdsli" Beardsley

Sex Drugs and Sorcery

Set in the modern South, "A Separate Heresy" is a retelling of the Sorcerer's Apprentice story in Black Comedy. Jeremy Butler, an archeology student with an obsession with the occult, invokes a 'demon' that insists on submission and obedience. Jeremy seeks help to escape from the 'demon'. In the end, the Demon is an Angel and the real enemy is the cult he goes to for help.

Good and Evil 

are not always black and white

ACT I - The Lizard of Oz

IN DARKNESS we hear JEREMY, an Archeology student with an obsession for the occult, speaking in dire terms about 'what he's been through'. By the time we see him by candle light in a room decorated to be an occult temple, he is being addressed by a the disembodied voice of THE LIZARD, an ancient and mysterious Egyptian entity. His voice seems to be focused in a cloud of incense smoke coming from the alter.

"Wyrdssssssssli" it hisses in a raspy evil voice that sounds like it transmits from an ancient tomb. "Too long have you frittered and doodled your life wasted the seconds of Eternity you spend on this planet. You must go now and feed my skinks." The charcoal in the incense burner explodes, sending burning bits of coal everywhere, setting the room on fire.

"It won't help things to burn me to death Lizard." JEREMY begs THE LIZARD.

"Verily, Wyrdsli, you must be purified by fire." It answers.

The room and our hero are totally consumed by the fire.

He wakes from the nightmare to find himself in bed with KAREN, his ex-girlfriend, and no clue how she got there.

"What was with you last night?" She asks him.

"Last night?" He replies clearly not having an answer. She flies into a rage, accusing him of 'practically raping' her. He pleads for understanding, insisting that he has no memory of the night before. As he tries to recollect the recent past, she chews him out and in the process mentions his mysterious typewritten manuscript- that hits a resonation note with him.

Despite her passing interest in his bizarre problems, KAREN, still enraged, announces she has to go home to see if she still has a boyfriend.

After she leaves, JOHN, Jeremy's hostilely distant roommate, comes in and turns on the news.

"Y'know Jerry," He starts to make his noise "You just never cease to amaze me, you should be dead or in jail by now."

"Whatever, is there any coffee?" Jeremy returns.

"In the kitchen, fuckhead." John offers.

"Thank you Ambassador Carter." Jeremy drips with sarcasm. He goes into the kitchen and pours coffee from a battered looking coffee maker, adds cream and sugar. The T.V. is heard in the background. He walks out to the main room, but is struck motionless by the next news story.

"SATANIC CULT RAIDED IN ATLANTA, CHARGES INCLUDE ATTEMPTED MURDER AND DRUG TRAFFICKING..." Jeremy drops his coffee in shock

"You're cleaning that up." John nags him.

"Shut up." He growls back and retreats to his room to look at the stack of papers and try to make sense of it all.

In flashback, JEREMY recounts how he was challenged by his friend MICHAEL, a sociology student, to actually call some kind of demon up.

"So, Jeremy do you think Angels and devil really exist, or is it just a hold over from the great age of the Catholic Church and their deal with Satan and all that shit?"

"Well, what is reality anyway if you're going to take that kind of attitude?" JEREMY responded.

"What do you mean by that, smart ass?" MICHAEL is put off by JEREMY's response. The conversation descends into MICHAEL daring JEREMY to invoke a demon, and JEREMY responding that there has to be a good reason to and storming off. CUT TO INTERIOR OF USED BOOK STORE where JEREMY poking through the Religion/Philosophy section.

"For the most part," JEREMY narrates "I wouldn't let this bother me. But it got me to thinking. Thinking, mind you, can be dangerous sometimes. It mattered little to me that I encountered so many people ready and willing to pick away at my belief in Magic. But for myself, I was not so much curious, as I yearned to get a peek beyond this plane of existence. Maybe I could ask if my parents were there and if they were okay. That had bothered me enough to justify a serious effort to contact the other side."

Jeremy finds an obscure translation of the Book of the Dead, looking through it, he finds an interesting sounding demon 'Sutekh-Ra, the Sun God of Midnight.

The Book is very expensive and JEREMY feels it's more special if you steal books, so he sets a fire as a distraction and ducks out with the book.

As JEREMY NARRATES about all the preparation he must make for the ritual, a montage illustrating them follows: A rod of virgin wood, carving sigils in stone etc. Finally, he is ready and cocky feeling so he calls his challenger.

"I'm calling down an Egyptian God tonight at midnight, you interested?" JEREMY tries to be nonchalant. MICHAEL pauses for a moment, and then:

"You're fucked in the head.

"True," JEREMY concedes, "I'm also calling down Suteckh-Ra, the Sun God of Midnight. MICHAEL pauses again.

"Okay, I'll be there, want me to bring anything?

"Oh, just the usual drugs and alcohol" CUT TO Jeremy sitting on the edge of the bathtub, drawing a bath and smoking a joint in an attempt to calm his nerves. He slides in and begins to relax. DISSOLVE TO his nightmare about being chased by weasels. CUT TO He wakes in panic. "Aaaaaaa!". He jumps out of the tub and reassures himself "Just a dream, just a weird dream." He assumes a meditative position on the floor. Light is used to show the passage of time.

FADE UP ON - Jeremy's apartment with his invited "witnesses" MICHAEL asks him if he will be able to actually see 'this thing'. Jeremy makes a general plea for everyone to have 'faith' in the working

He walks to the center of a Star painted on the floor and performs the ritual. But, just as Jeremy reaches a fever pitch of the ritual, his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses.

CUT TO KAREN'S face slowly comes into focus and we hear her calling to him. When he regains consciousness, she is furious with him and derides him for this whole stupid exercise.

"No one saw him?" he askes.

"Who? Sutek the space God? No, no one saw Sutek the space God." She drips with sarcasm. She's mad not because he might become obsessed with a demon, but because, as she puts it "starving yourself and drinking enough for a Kiwanis club meeting is only going to bring you closer to god if you want to meet him by going six feet under". He answers her concern with sarcasm, and she storms out. Jeremy puts away the robe he is still wearing and climbs into bed.

DISSOLVE TO DREAM SEQUENCE - Jeremy is running and hiding in a surrealistic city, chased by street gangs. Just as he is about to give in, a large scaly clawed hand-like thing pulls him in an alley and he is face to face with Sutekh-Ra, the Sun God of Midnight, who will be known as the Lizard of Oz.

Jeremy balks at the Lizard's command that he is the Lizard's chosen prophet. Suddenly they are surrounded by the street gang. Jeremy ducks, preparing to die. But in a flash of green light the yelling is replaced by the squealing of rodents and at the Lizard's command Jeremy rises to see that the street gang has been turned into weasels. Now he is impressed, but still not sold on the idea of 'bringing a new system of Magick to the profane'. The Lizard insists that he will help, and vanishes in a flash of green light. "Puff the Magic Dragon" is heard in the background.

CUT TO-Jeremy waking to the radio blaring "Puff the Magick Dragon." He begins to sing along. 'Dragons live forever, but not so little boys.' Then he crams his eyes shut realizing what just came out of his mouth '.

A montage follows showing JEREMY trying to attend school, but lizards and snakes and reptiles before unnoticed, are jumping out at Jeremy as if they are now everywhere.

When JEREMY goes to his Ancient Civilizations class, the subject is Egyptian Mythology - specifically the story of Osiris, Isis and Set. JEREMY asks PROFESSOR HENDERSON about Set being referred to as Sutekh. PROFESSOR HENDERSON acknowledges this but notes it is unusual.

While attempting to do some overdue studying, Jeremy sees a common variety of American Chameleon climb on his window as he hears Jim Morrison proclaim that he is the Lizard King.

"Road trip!" He decides out loud. On his way out of town, he stops for a Margarita at a sleazy little mexican restaurant called 'Los Pendejo's'. As he is trying to ignore the stuffed Gila Monster on the wall, DANIELLE, a slutty bar fly - sits next to him at a bar. She makes so much noise looking for a lighter in her oversized purse he offers a light.

"Have you considered quitting?" Jeremy asks her after she nearly coughs up a lung.

"What, smoking?" She replies in a nasty raspy voice.

"No breathing, you obviously enjoy smoking." Unfortunately, this encourages her and she begins to rub his leg very close to his crotch. He sternly admonishes her to stop, which only encourages her more. Jeremy gives in and takes her to the bathroom. He peels off her blouse to find a dragon tatoo identical to an image that has been flashing in his head. But just when the pelvic thrusts begin, the manager of the restaurant catches them and throws them out. In the heat of the moment, Jeremy throw her into his car and drives off into the sunset for Cairo, Ill. She becomes hysterical and cries that 'this crazy son of a bitch is probably going to kill me'

"Don't give me no ideas." He warns her and she shuts up. Eventually he apologizes and asks her how she got the tattoo. She say that her pimp gave it to her because he always called her 'his dragon lady'. Jeremy is abusive and sarcastic to her.

As dawn breaks, Jeremy finds a hotel and after a awkward conversation with a HOTEL CLERK, in which Jeremy signs them in as Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy, he gets a room.

"Oh god, I'd kill for a bath." Danielle rasps.

"Fortunately, you don't have to." answers sarcastically. Jeremy turns on the T.V. and begins to flip through the channels. He skips the news for a fire and brimstone T.V. PREACHER practically frothing at the mouth. "...And I feel sorry for your mama's 'cuz their walking through the blood of Jesus Christ..."

"You tell 'em." smirks Jeremy and he carries an ash tray and cigarette back to the bed. While Danielle runs water in the bathroom, Jeremy slips into another spontaneous dream. He sees a waterfall, parted like curtains by the Anubis headed figure of Set. He wakes back up with a start. Danielle returns from the bathroom wrapped in just a towel. She looks at the T.V. still on the T.V. PREACHER.

"What are you watching?"

"Moses is delivering new Commandments" He dryly snaps at her. She looks back at him.

"You are one weird motherfucker you know that?"

"So I've been told, but I didn't fuck my mother and I seriously doubt I fucked yours."

"Well, then how about fucking me?" She drops the towel. Jeremy tries to tell her to stop because she doesn't understand the gravity of the situation.

"What gravity of the situation?" She ridicules him while pulling off his pants. "You're sitting on your ass watching preachers on T.V. and talking about gravity of the situation? You're cute dahrlin, but you're full of shit." She begins to give him oral sex. He eventually gives in, and gets on top of her.

As soon as they are done with business, DANIELLE is possessed by the Lizard who demands that Jeremy write down what he dictates. He agrees due to the convincing nature of the LIZARD'S voice coming out of DANIELLE. After he is finished, the Lizard destroys Danille, explaining she was never real, just the Lizards way of showing he cannot escape.

After several hours of crying from the inevitable nervous breakdown he knew was coming, Jeremy encounters the Hotel Clerk. Jeremy explains to the clerk that 'the misses' blew up at him and disappeared - probably to her mother's. The clerk is very understanding and Jeremy returns to watching the birds in holding patterns. "Honesty really is the best policy." He narates.

Jeremy returns to M'boro and has a confrontation with his roommate as soon as he walks in the door. John wants to know where he has been and what he has been doing-very strange for a roommate that doesn't seen to think a whole lot of Jeremy.

Jeremy retreats to his room but is visited by a cop who questions him about Danielle. Jeremy simply explains 'I crack under the pressure, I guess you could say. I did her in the john. We get kicked out, and she says to me 'Do you want to go party?' I figure y'know what the hell, y'know.

'I think I understand' the cops follows the story.

"So she ends up taking me to this graveyard out in the sticks, telling me it turns her on and all this. She got me to let her tie me up, and she runs off with my wallet and disappears into the woods. It was an ordeal". Satisfied by this explanation, and thanking Jeremy for his honesty, the cop leaves. But he warns Jeremy not to leave town.

John stares at Jeremy, demanding to know the truth 'Did you sacrifice her to Satan?'

"Truth is relative to the point of view of the observer. Pleasant dreams." He answers.

Visited by Lizard explaining the protection the Lizard is affording Jeremy. Jeremy presses the Lizard for 'the secret'.

"Wyrdssssli," The Lizard asks him. "Wouldst thou be content if thy only power were the ability to divert these civilian soldiers?" Jeremy thinks for a second.

"Yeah, sure, why not? It's worth serious money to the right people." The Lizard has Jeremy dictate further the secret of the Flow. The Lizard leaves Jeremy allowing him a decent night's sleep.

But when Jeremy wakes, he wonders "If I couldn't send this thing back if I did the working right. If I could only find that damn book." Which he finds under a pile of clothes and junk. But he is suddenly taken sick and must rush to the toilet for violent vomiting. He looks up to where John is nagging him and announcing he has a visitor. It's Karen who stares at him while he is wiping off his face.

"Is this your new look?" She asks.

"Well, I'm trying it out, should do well at C.B.G.B.'s" He answers trying to force a smile.

"Uh-huh, I like the way the spittle on your chin sets off the blood trickling from your nose." She tries to follow the joke.

"Thanks, it's a fashion statement." They quarrel and she leaves. He crawls back to his room, but he cannot find the grimoire again.

Suddenly, he remembers MICHAEL telling him about some group involved with sorcery. CUT TO EXTERIOR of MICHAEL'S house. He answers and lets him in. CUT TO INTERIOR where there is a group of bohemians passing a joint, including JENNIFER - A young spandex clad girl with a heavy Metal groupie view of the world, passing a joint around. JEREMY asks MICHAEL about the group in Atlanta. They go back to MICHAEL'S room to talk. MICHAEL gives him a card, it says "International House of Pan" Underneath a joyus Pan dances and carries jugs of Wine. Under that it says "FUCK 'EM IF THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE" And then an Atlanta P.O. Box and phone number.

"I don't know whether to be hungry or paniced," Jeremy attempts to pun.

"Be Paniced, be very paniced." Albert replies very dryly. "You should read the clown's poetry."

"Who, Pan? He was a critic's darling." Jeremy jokes. MICHAEL clarifies that he means the 'clown' that sent the card. After some chat with MICHAEL'S friends, Jennifer agrees to take him as far as Chattanooga.

Back at his apartment, John sees Jeremy packing again.

"Uh-oh, what's he up to now?" John asks, half-joking half-serious.

"Oh well," Jeremy answers "I'm going for a midnight visit to the Stones River Battlefield. I hear you can hear the screams if you listen carefully enough."

"You're insane."

"Sure, but doesn't it make me fascinating?"

Jeremy soon catches a ride with Jennifer to Chattanooga, in which he waxes philosophic and reminisces about his boyhood friend, JAKE STRANGE.

A biker with a dragon on his jacket, pulls up next to the car and ogles JENNIFER.

ACT II - The International House of Pan

CUT TO - Jeremy riding an Atlanta city bus. As he views the urban despair passing by him, he can still hear the phone conversation with BOB PAGE, the cult leader, in his head.

"So, how did you find out about us?" Bob Page asks.

"A friend gave me your business card."

"Oh yes, those, we sent several of those out...

"He's the Editor of "The Skeptic's Gospel"

"Oh yes, I sent them my poetry

"Cool, So do y'all work with Egyptian Magick

"Oh we dabble..."

"All right, see, I'm from out of town, I'd like to come by and consult with you on some work I've been doing.

"You buying the beer?" CUT TO EXTERIOR OF HOUSE - Jeremy climbs the steps of the house and notices a sign over the door. "Abandon all hope Ye who enter here." Despite this, he knocks on the door. It is answered by JESSE LEWIS, a member of the International House of Pan and Bob Page's muscle man. After affirming he has brought the beer, he is let in. CUT TO INTERIOR OF HOUSE. The inside of the house is filled with bookcases and worn furniture. There is a Persian rug covered with cat hair. Cat hair hangs in the air as does an almost solid layer of smoke. Inside, is Bob Page, the leader of the Temple, DAVID, JESSE LEWIS and BEA, who is mildly retarded and doesn't speak.

Unfortunately, Jeremy finds that they are no help in this matter, as a matter of fact, they are rude and insulting. Bob Page makes a joke implying Jeremy is on acid.

But David offers to take him to another member of the I.H.O.P. who lives a few street away. When they arrive, it turns out to be JAKE STRANGE, Jeremy's childhood friend who is evidently, an estranged member from the cult. It seems to have something to do with a conflict with Jesse Lewis and cuts and bruises all over Jake. David and Jake argue about the situation in the I.H.O.P. and soon David storms out. After Jeremy tells his story to Jake, he sheds light on the nature of the Obscure Book of the Dead Jeremy used. "It's paraphrased from other sources at best, and just totally fudged at worst. It's a total reversal from the classic pattern. It's nicknamed the Silurian Book of the Dead because it's so alien, so distorted from the tradition. But others will say that it represents the changing Aeon and forecasts the Equinox of the Gods...The thing I'm trying to get at is... This shouldn't work Jeremy. It's not authentic, it's so strange that you got results at all, let alone what you describe." As the Sun begins to rise, they decide to try to sleep.

CUT TO DREAM SEQUENCE- Jeremy once again encounters The Lizard. This time it is in a cave on top of a mountain where The Lizard warns Jeremy of the danger he is in. Jeremy, distrustful of The Lizard, disregards the warning.

Jeremy and Jake awake and decide to go for coffee. Jake takes him to a greasy spoon in downtown Atlanta, where the waitress knows him and regards him with vague discomfort. Jake introduces Jeremy to the concept of 'coffee skrying', which is a form of divination wherein one 'sees' the future in the coffee mixing with cream. Jake sees that his future is murky. They discuss their respective alienation from organized religion. Jake proposes Jeremy witness the Mass at the House of Pan. Before that, though, Jake insist on visiting ANGEL, a stripper and junkie that lives in the basement of the house. She has very temporary but very gothic decorating.

"Either of you boys got any boy?" She asks.

"Is that all I am to you Angel?" Jake smirks.

"Bust it up bitch." She smiles. Angel and Jake perform the ritual of the habit to an astonished JEREMY. She performs a tarot reading for Jeremy, but it is interrupted by a furious Jesse Lewis who chases them out. Obviously, there is a love triangle between Jake, Angel and Jesse Lewis. Jake is determined to go back for Mass. CUT TO- Main Room of the Temple. Jake is making the rounds talking to people, Jeremy follows and Jesse Lewis is watching them the whole time. ALBERT, an officer of some kind in the Temple, is dressed in a large flowing white robe. He calls everyone together to prepare for the Mass. He is an irritating and pompous man. He leads the congregation into the temple. Alvin, Bob Page and Angel perform the Mass.

Afterwards, Jeremy tries to talk to Bob Page about the Silurian Book of the Dead, as Bob Page brags about his Temple. Meanwhile, Jake talks to Angel with Jesse standing over. There is an outburst from the trio and Bob Page loses temper with Jake and Jeremy. He tells Jesse to 'do as you will' with Jake, which evidently means brutally beating him with JEREMY and tossing them out the door.

ACT III - Sister of Mercy

FADE UP - Jeremy regains consciousness in an emergency room. He is disoriented and in great pain. As soon as it is noticed that he is awake, he is questioned by police. They inform him that Jake is in I.C.U. Jeremy spills his guts. After the police finish with him, a nurse gives him a shot of 'painkilla'. He drifts into another DREAM SEQUENCE Where the Lizard is waiting for him again. Jeremy accuses the Lizard of 'doing this to' him. The Lizard responds that he warned Jeremy and then urges him to cooperate and 'right the wrongs'. When Jeremy asks how he can trust the Lizard now, the Lizard says to watch for signs and wonders. Jeremy re-awakens to be told the ward is full and he must leave or pay for a room. Jeremy limps out of the hall, pays a short visit to Jake in I.C.U., and leaves town.

CUT TO INTERIOR - Jeremy enters a Waffle House somewhere between thumb rides. The waitress is irritable and looks at his dirty bandaged head askance. Regardless, she brings him a cup of coffee. Jeremy begins mixing cream in with the coffee. Recalling Jake's idea of coffee skrying, Jeremy stares into the clouds. The clouds part and behind them is an Ancient Egyptian landscape. The Lizard's voice narrates the story of Osiris, Sutekh and Isis as we watch it in the coffee. The story is different of course because it is told from Sutekh's side. 'Osiris was a black God' we are told. And the coffee skrying shows how Sutekh once stopped Osiris from beating Isis. The clouds roll back and Jeremy is suddenly aware that the waitress and the cook are arguing loudly. Without thinking, Jeremy limps up to the confrontation where the Cook has grabbed the waitress by the upper arm and pushed her against a refrigerator. The muscles in his arm flattening out biker tattoos.

"Excuse me, you don't really want to hurt her do you?" Jeremy blurts out. The cook stares at him blankly, loosens his grip on the waitress and lowers his fist. Then in one movement, he grabs his jacket and leaves. The waitress turns to Jeremy.

"So what are we supposed to do for a cook now?" She asks him.

CUT TO EXTERIOR - Jeremy is sitting under an overpass. It is pouring down rain, he is soaked, miserable and wanting to die. The Lizard appears as an apparition in the mist formed by the sheets of rain coming off of the overpass. Jeremy sneers at the Lizard. "What if I die on my own? I'm not sure how aware of this situation you are. But I'm not in great shape anyway and I'm liable to die of exposure, that's a thing that humans die of. That gonna screw up your plans there?" In a demonstration of power, the Lizard makes the rain stop and the sun race across the sky. The Lizard insists that Jeremy has an important role in the elevation of human consciousness and fades. A Car pulls us and offers Jeremy a ride. "Eventually I slept in my own bed and tried to hold the nightmares at bay."

CUT TO EXTIRIOR - Jeremy is back at Michael s house to replenish his reefer supply. KAREN and her boyfriend TOMMY are there. KAREN tells JEREMY that he may be taking this fashion thing too far. TOMMY says he would've expected to enjoy this sight more. MICHAEL rolls a joint and they smoke it as JEREMY brings Them up to speed on his dilemma. Dumbfounded at the sincerity of Jeremy's crisis, Karen offers to help Jeremy locate a Psychic in New Orleans of some renown.

CUT TO EXTERIOR - JEREMY is searching for SISTER GRACE in New Orleans' Garden District. In Voice-over, he recounts his difficulty in finding the right address. When he finds her, she is working on her rose bush. He mistakes her for a gardener and so starts out on a bad foot. When he begins to discuss his situation with the Lizard, she starts to talk to her roses. "Where do they come from. Why do they come to me?" When he finally convinces her that he's sincere and not sent by someone as a joke, she is disgusted with his irresponsibility. After blessing him out she agrees to help him. She sends him away for several hours. CUT TO INTERIOR OF BAR. Jeremy spends the next hours drinking in New Orleans. After watching the clock for several hours, he leaves to meet her for the 'exorcism'. CUT TO EXTERIOR Jeremy is walking past stores in the French Quarter. He hears the Lizard's voice and finds that it appears to be focused in a stuffed alligator in a store window. It issues warnings to him that he is adamant to ignore. He returns to Sister Graces house drunk, which she immediately calls him on. She gives him a ball of paste to put in his mouth. "Is this some kind of voodoo drug?" He asks. "No, a breath mint, your breath stinks." They enter her Temple, it is beautiful. Speaking in a language he can't understand, she commences the Ritual to call Suteckh. Sutekh answers and for the first time appears to another human. SISTER GRACE and THE LIZARD appear to converse.

"So be it." She speaks in English and claps her hands over her head. The room is soon engulfed by fire but in what cannot be ascertained as a hallucination or a dream sequence Jeremy finds himself in the middle of the Desert with the Lizard who directs him to a typewriter that uses hieroglyphics.

The Lizard directs him to take dictation. Jeremy balks, but is soon convinced by a 'visit' from Jake.

After Jeremy finishes typing the document, the Lizard devours what looks like a Bob Page figure. "Seeth a man wise in his own conceit, there is more hope of a fool than he."

Jeremy returns to ordinary reality to find a roll typewritten paper and Sister Grace ready to let him back on the street. He is not 'rid' of the Lizard, but the conflict is resolved.

Jeremy comes out of the flashback to see a news story of the cult being raided by Red Dog police,the story is updated with more information. Karen returns and is furious because her boyfriend has just kicked her out. Jeremy takes her in. They live happily ever after, plus a lizard.

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