Old Post... the Progression of the Story continues.

Brief Intro: Derailed is a film about a Killer cognitively confined to his own world. He isolates himself in his basement, concerning himself with only his toys of destruction. Trains. In a dimly lit room where he harbors these trains, he sits alone, methodically working on them. He concerns himself with minutia, blinding his mind to anything besides his own narcissism. Trains fascinate him, so he visits a train station that lies close to his house. He stands there observing the sleek grace of the trains. As he observes the platform, periodically a person will gain his attention as well. The Killer lives for is the hunt. His love for trains intermingles with his desire to toy with human lives. The Killer finds joy in following his prey home and murdering them. Those are his sick obsessions: toying with his miniature trains, and seeking
out people to murder.


Credits roll, man working in basement. We just see his hands (no association with trains or anything related to killer). We have psychoanalytical documents alongside hands working (ECU). Emphasis darkness. Abrupt cut to next scene. [we want no association between killer and man face down in next scene]


Cut to a man, dead, lying face down in the woods. A stream runs through his hair, and down to his boots (shoes). The man’s dead grasp clasps a metal bludgeon. The man has died recently and his blood flows down the stream past footsteps in the mud, to a miniature silver train wedged in leaves. We zoom on the train and then pull back to see a much larger life size train come into focus.


(Friday Night) Todd and Dustin sit inside the train as it shifts its weight, clanking electric and steel. Todd and Dustin are worn from a day of work in Manhattan. Todd’s face is not visible behind a crumbled copy of the New York Times. He reads studiously. Dustin with more relaxed posture, is fixated on his phone as he lethargically texts. Both men are dressed in suits. They are 23 years old and work for a brokerage firm. Dustin has unbuttoned his top button and undone his tie so it slides down his chest. Todd makes small talk as Dustin “yes’s” him, there is level of intimacy (friendship wise) in their mannerisms and tone.

Cut to exterior of train going by, as conversation between Todd and Dustin presumably continues.


Cut to hands working vigorously of toy trains in basement. We have psychoanalytical documents alongside hands working (CU). Emphasis darkness. Some time passes [enough time spent with Killer in the basement so that we get to know him a bit, and learn a bit about his problems].


Cut back to Dustin and Todd on train (interior). Their conversation has progressed, now Dustin is paying attention. They briefly talk, then they get up and get off train. The real conversation picks up. Among other things, he mentions that he’s looking forward to finishing up a movie [which one?]. They have been friends since grade school. Todd comments to Dustin about the absence of the cute “blonde” (Clara) that makes the trip go a lot faster because she is easy on the eyes. Todd relates to Dustin a little encounter he had with her the morning before.

[see below, at this point the viewer doesn’t see the little encounter; rather this is a prep for the flashback a little later]

Todd, who clearly wants a girlfriend and struggles with girls much more than Dustin, makes a much bigger deal than it actually was (as the viewers find out later). As the train comes to a stop and they get off, the conversation starts to pick up. They begin to talk about a more serious issue. They walk up the staircase and turn left as they speak of New York City life. Talking about crime in NY. Dustin responds “yea that’s why I carry this bad boy” (flashes his switch blade). Todd says, “yea maybe I should pick one of those up, my mom is always worried I am going to get mugged.”


“Mom I am not going to get mugged.” Cut to Clara (a flashback) in the morning getting ready for work. She is on the phone, talking to her mother. She replies something like “yea mom, I am careful, I am not going to get mugged, don’t worry.” The transition between scenes occurs with the reoccurrence of the topic/word mugged. She consoles her anxious mother as she does all her early morning chores. Clara puts the coffee grinds into the coffee maker. As she puts down the grinds, she takes out a mirror and looks at her reflection, with the cellphone still cradled in her other hand, pressed against her head. She walks from the kitchen to the bathroom, still talking to her mother. She begins to brush her teeth (very little toothpaste so she can still speak clearly). Her mother’s anxiety doesn’t cease, rather she becomes more neurotic. After Clara finishes brushing her teeth she applies additional make-up. She stares at herself in the mirror as her mother continues her racket over the phone. She tunes her mother out and just focuses on herself. She is completely absorbed with being presentable, she readjusts her hair to perfection and Clara applies more mascara. Her mother breaks this daydream (we see Clara visible get shaken out of her daze) she asks if Clara has met any men. She replies “there is one man that catches my eye, but I have never spoken to him.”


Cut to Todd and Dustin in the present again. Transition occurs by starting with a CU of Todd, linked to Clara by “the man that catches my eye”. As Todd and Dustin are walking together, they pass by a secluded, wooded area (near Dustin’s house). While they are talking, Dustin casually glances over towards the woods and notices the motionless silhouette of a figure (the Killer) staring out at them. Taken by surprise, Dustin jokes (whispering) to Todd that he thinks he saw a young kid trying to drink in the woods. When Todd looks over, however, the figure has disappeared. They laughingly recall how they used to hang out there, sneaking out from Dustin’s house to the woods. Bringing them back to the present, Todd laments how tiring work has been lately, and how he doesn’t have the energy anymore to stay up drinking real late at night. The clearly more relaxed and still energetic Dustin tells him that he’d better rest up for the big basketball game tomorrow at noon. Todd reluctantly says he’ll be ready. Dustin splits off toward home, leaving Todd walking along the wooded road.

Cut to Killer’s POV as he once again peers out at Todd and Dustin splitting off.
[we need this to establish that the Killer has this particular POV, otherwise it would be confusing when first encountered in Halloween scene with Todd]

Cut back to Todd walking along the road as he reflects back on Clara, thinking of her because she wasn’t on the train this morning.


Cut to flashback scene of Todd’s “little encounter” with Clara. Todd peers over at her, while he pretends to be reading the New York Times.

[we’d need some extras on the train to make the train look somewhat crowded if we’re going to pull this off]

Shots progress in a shot/counter-shot fashion with CU of Todd, LS of Clara, CU of Todd, MS of Clara, CU of Todd, CU of Clara. When we get to the CU of Clara, she looks up from her book for the first time and blushingly smiles at Todd. Then, we see Todd’s reaction, as he embarrassingly looks down at the paper. Todd sits awkwardly, again pretending to have been reading the whole time.

[During this scene, Dustin is sitting next to Todd, relaxing, eyes closed listening to his iPod. He doesn’t notice the little encounter between Todd and Clara. This is why Todd needs to relate the story to him, see above].


Cut to POV of Clara. Walks to the train, Killer notices her. Time lapse of him all day waiting for her. Kills her, drags her body on the beach. Dresses her up as him. We get a detail of an article of clothing that he dresses her up as.


Transition on the same article of clothing with the Killer on himself. Falling action with the Killer in his basement a second time. This time we explore the basement with trains, schedules, etc. Really get to know the killer’s character better. Killer pours out his mind on paper (old, gritty journal feel) of his hatred for people. Killer circles the time of arrival for Dustin and Todd’s train, and heads out of his basement.


Cut to Todd jarred out of this flashback by a text message from Dustin simply saying “BASKETBALL NOON 2MOROW. DON’T 4GET.” Todd smiles. He clicks off the text message, and we get an ECU of the time: “8:21.” As he does this, he turns the corner of his block and heads towards his house.

Cut to a close up of Todd’s house drenched in darkness. We are in the POV of the Killer as he watches the house from across the street. He very slowly turns to the left and we see Todd approaching from out of the darkness. Todd crosses the street and onto the lawn, approaching the front door. He opens it and puts his things down, as he does this the killer stalks closer. Todd opens the second door and the killer is painfully close to the house. Through a window to the right, we see Todd silhouetted in darkness. The Killer peels off to the left, moving slowly. We see him look in a basement window into nothing but an empty lit room. He proceeds down the driveway until he comes to another window. We see Todd inside, very relaxed, not like on the train, and he is watching a movie. The Killer walks past the window and we see his hand push open Todd’s backyard fence. He walks up the deck stairs and we can see the Killer’s shadow as he creeps closer to the house. He opens the wooden deck door still approaching the house.
Cut to behind Todd. He sits on a futon relaxing after a day of work and commuting. The television is visible, along with the room behind the television. From out of the darkness the Killer emerges, staggering down the steps with the Bludgeon in his hand. Cut back to Todd’s face, absorbed in the movie. Todd finally glances wildly up as the now familiar hooded shadow of the Killer falls over Todd’s face. The darkness of the Killer’s shadow engulfs the shot completely, leaving a completely black screen. A brief struggle is heard, and then with three thuds of the bludgeon the scene ends.


Transition of the thuds of the bludgeon with the bouncing of Dustin’s basketball as he heads to the park. Dustin approaches the park. He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his trusty cell phone. The displays reads “12:21.” He continues dribbling until he reaches the court. Athletically, he sits on a ledge and dribbles the ball back and forth between his legs. Time passes by. Todd doesn’t show. Dustin repeatedly texts Todd (“WHERE U @”...) but to no avail. As he’s waiting, something clicks in Dustin. He’s got a hunch. He thinks back to the dark figure in the woods that he had just last night dismissed [perhaps a quick flashback]. Dustin leaves the court and heads down the street to the woods nearby his house, dribbling the ball all the way. He reaches the woods, and semi-cautiously heads in. Dustin has ceased dribbling, and now he cradles the ball under his arm. He walks in for a bit. Suddenly, he stumbles upon the hooded Killer dressing Todd up as himself [we need at least two sets of outfits]. Without hesitation, Dustin rushes at the killer, heaving the ball at him. The ball misses. [Film it 2 ways: one, with the ball and reaching for the switchblade; two, nonchalantly dropping the ball and reaching for the switchblade]. A brief tussle ensues [a few ECU where the viewer can’t tell what’s going on]. The thud of the bludgeon is heard. The camera falls to the ground with a tilted/skewed frame. Fade to black.


Cut to Dustin tied up and gagged in the backseat of a car [the car isn’t moving yet]. The scene is confusing and dimly lit. Dustin’s (basketball), which is vaguely recognizable in the low light, lies beside him in the backseat [so as to identify Dustin as the one that got bludgeoned]. Dustin, now awake, but dirty and bruised struggles to get out. His cell phone lies nearby also, and his looks at the time. It reads: “3:16am” [this should be some time at night, so as to orient the viewer as to what time it now is, AKA how much time has passed, so that when the Karma police road is shown, it isn’t shocking that it is all of a sudden night].

The slam of the car door is heard as Dustin sees what time it is. Then, the camera cuts to the silhouetted hooded Killer starting the car. The camera cuts back to Dustin in the backseat. After driving for a while (Dustin struggles in backseat; he cell phone reads 3:33), the shot reveals the Killer driving down the Karma road. Getting to the appropriate spot, the Killer stops the car, drags Dustin out onto the concrete. Dustin is on his knees. Killer undoes the gag on Dustin’s face, and unties his feet. From behind Dustin, we see Dustin fingers the switchblade in his back pocket (light source highlighting pocket in a CU/ECU). It remains ambiguous if Dustin succeeds in procuring the knife from his pocket.


Cut to Brick scene (1st scene with Killer lying face down in mud, dead).