About two years ago, I began developing ideas for straight-to-video movies, in the hopes that I would maybe be able to pitch the idea, get some support from a film production company(and it did not have to be financial, just an assurance that when I was done, we would do what it takes to make money on both sides of the equation), and well, get a payday out of it. While this is still one of the venues of writing I'm planning to pursue, what changed was the fact that every production company wanted a full completed script. The problem was that I did not feel safe in taking months out of my life, doing the script, and not getting paid for it...basically, writing the script did not guarantee you pay.However, as I grow older, I'm learning that nine times out of ten, this seems to be the case. I definitely have a concept in mind that I want to write for straight-to-video companies like Asylum or any independent film production company, but for obvious reasons, I can't go into it here. Instead, I present The Menace, a concept that I wanted to sell initially as a treatment, and later as a script. It was my FIRST love letter to the concept of cheerleader warriors aka Ninja Cheerleaders and Cheerleader Ninjas. However, it was much more serious, mixed with the idea of a Freddy Kruger-type antagonist they had to deal with, the Menace. The idea was simply to do a story that was exploitation fare.
It also suffers from my personal designs for heroine-types. I'm probably a feminist's worst nightmare...hell, even a regular woman's worst nightmare when it comes to my design in costuming female heroes. *Shrugs*
So here is the treatment for THE MENACE...hope you like it!
The Menace:
Concept:
THE MENACE can be summarized in this simple description: CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS meets FRIDAY THE 13TH. The story takes two distinctly different concepts, the good versus evil cartoons that were very prominent in the 1980s (Examples: Transformers, He-Man, ThunderCats, Superfriends, and G.I. Joe) and the “golden age” of “slasher” movies of the late 1970s/1980s (Examples: The Hills Have Eyes, The Funhouse, Friday the 13th, and The Burning) to create a unique fusion, an horror action “slasher epic” that homages the never-ending battle between good versus evil in a true war between “slashers” and “final girls”.
The concept manifests in the conflict between a beautiful Asian fighter named CRYSTAL CENTURY and her team of Amazonian warriors versus the ancient evil being MENACE, in a homicidal war spanning an innocent university campus that threatening to engulf the surrounding town as well. The desired intent of the concept is to create a trilogy of films, with this being the first film in the series.
Characters:
Crystal Century: The main character of the film and the Princess of the Oriental Amazons, Crystal was next in line to receive the throne after her Warrior Queen mother had passed, along with the EBONY SAI, the Queen’s traditional weapon of pure supernatural power. However, when her mother is killed by relic raiders who had discovered the horrifying Menace armor and stole it out of the jungle, Crystal becomes the ruler of her tribe by default. However, consumed by revenge, and frightened at the prospect of taking over the reins of leadership, the young woman goes off on the mission of regaining the Menace armor alone, despite the fact that the Tribe has put together a team to support her in this endeavor. Crystal has a royal demeanor, seemingly serious and distant, always distracted by her mission, but often shows a soft spot to people she is close with, such as her rival and later Samantha. She also has a weakness for video games, taking ideas from the various video game characters to use in combat. She is very blunt, and to the point, not sparing people’s feelings; she is a woman of action. Initially having a slight hatred for Americans, she slowly warms up to them when she becomes friends with Samantha.
Crystal Century is a homage to the 1980s characters He-man (Masters of the Universe), Optimus Prime (Transformers), Lion-O (Thundercats), Bravestarr, and countless others. She is the star character, and the irrefutable leader (with the exception of Lotus) of her team, the inspirational figure who is the chief antagonist of Menace. There is also homage to Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, including Crystal’s “civilian” identity (wears glasses and a ponytail) and her uniform, which has bracelets and a tiara similar to the 1970s heroine.
Menace: He, or it is evil incarnate, created millennia ago in the Great Amazon Civil War as a weapon of mass destruction, when one of the Oriental Amazon factions gathered all of the evil magic on Earth at the time and plunged it into one vessel, armor created from the most adamant of metals. The resulting armor was so evil, that only men, with true darkness in their hearts could wear it without being turned into dust. For the first host, the Amazons kidnapped a man from a village, and turned him into their WMD. However, the resulting weapon became too crafty, turned on his creators and conquered both factions. After half a century under his rule, the two factions were reunited and rebelled against their ruler, throwing him into the mouth of a steaming volcano. In the modern day, the volcano erupted, and the armor pieces were “freed” and thrown into the atmosphere. The Amazons, who had stationed hidden villages around the volcano to maintain a vigil quickly assembled a team lead by the Queen herself and gave chase. However, the armor telepathically sought out a being of evil: a relic hunter and his felonious crew of fellow hunters.
Promising the raider power beyond imagination, the armor coaxed the man and his group to the location, while the Queen and her band raced to gain the armor. The two forces met in the forest and the Queen first approached the situation diplomatically. However, her attempt was in vain; the armor telepathically forced the man to shoot her in cold blood, causing a vicious shootout that the relic hunter barely escapes. Afterward, the armor is shipped to the United States, where it is sold to an art dealer, who sells it to Professor Cameron. The armor gains power over Cameron’s will by harassing his mind telepathically and progressing to visions and dreams of horror and death. When Cameron is shot by Ralph, he is forced to put on the armor, thus being possessed by it. The Menace is the Devil Incarnate, a being of pure nightmare. Everything about him is darkness: his aura, his approach, his outlook…a seemingly walking shadow, and when light does flicker on his body, nasty and squirming shapes of flesh can often been seen before disappearing from the light.
While Menace is a homage to 1980 cartoon villains such as Skeletor (Antagonist of He-Man), Megatron (Antagonist of Optimus Prime), and Mumm-Ra (Antagonist of Lion-O), the character draws main inspiration from “horror” villains such as Freddy Kruger(Nightmare on Elm Street) and Pinhead(Hellraiser), as well as the intellectual “smoothness” and capacity of Hannibal Lecter(Silence of the Lambs).
Samantha Stasiak: A wallflower who is passive aggressive. A sexually repressed, though focused college student majoring in art, Samantha is also a secret video game junkie, with a love for Dante on Devil May Cry. She is drawn immediately to Crystal when she meets her in class, and takes to following her around to learn more about her. Just like Crystal, she is initially a loner, having no one to truly become close with. Over the course of the movie, however, the two become good friends, and Samantha becomes an honorary member of the team with her own weapon. Samantha seems to be naïve, but is really knowledgeable of social and pop culture. Much like Spike in TRANSFORMERS, she is the “normal human” sidekick of Crystal and her team.
Professor Henry W. Cameron: A professor of Archaeology at Ripton University, Professor Cameron is a dreamer, who is disappointed with his lot in life. A hopeless romantic and aspiring adventurer, Henry is a devoted fan of Indiana Jones and other 1980s films, and often desires to be one of those action heroes in the films. Yet, reality often sinks in; he feels that his duty as a professor is more important, and that his age is too advanced to act (or so he thinks) on such childish impulses. To make up for his desires, the Professor is an avid collector of relics of ancient civilizations, which is why he purchased the Menace armor from a dealer who purchased it from the relic hunter who murdered Crystal’s mother. The voice of the armor begins to wear on him slowly, shackling his will, which is weaker already because of the beautiful Star Meadows, one of his students, who he is having a secret relationship with. However, later on, having already been mentally tortured by the voice in the armor for weeks, Henry finds himself mentally ransacked when Star betrays him. After a fatal altercation at his mansion, Henry is left with no choice but to don the horrifying armor, becoming the new host body of the Menace. Henry is the tragic figure of the story, a lonely man who lives alone in a mansion, passed down through the generations by a family who made their fortune in the chloroform business.
He is ruggedly handsome, and in his mid-to-late 40s, a Bill Pullman-type who has slightly low self-esteem from many romantic failures in the past. Ed Quinn (House of the Dead 2) would be an example of a candidate.
Star Meadows: An erotic and beautiful “society girl”, Star is a sorority girl who is the most popular girl on campus…and she knows her power. Manipulative, she takes pleasure in playing with other people’s emotions, and toying with their very lives as a result. Hence, her latest project, Professor Henry Cameron, who she toyed with initially…but soon, she develops feelings for him. The reason for her “toying” with him is because of her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ralph had put her up to it as revenge for failing his class last semester. Already feeling guilty for her actions, Ralph continues to push her further and further…first, by video taping her sex romp with the Professor, then later using her as a distraction, against her will, to “rob” the mansion to scare the Professor. When the Professor is shot, Star cries, her true guilt finally revealed. Sadly, she is killed when the Menace and his Synturion emerges.
Ralph Johnson: A stereotypical frat boy and football player, who had to sit on the bench the last semester for failing Cameron’s class, Ralph seeks revenge on his former Professor through his sporadic girlfriend, Star. Unknown to his friends, his father is verbally abusive, thus creating Ralph’s drive for success and his Machiavellian outlook on life. Ralph uses his girl to seduce the Professor, not knowing that Star has developed some feelings for him. At the culmination of their long-term plans, they video-tape Star and Cameron having sex, telling Star that they would use it as blackmail collateral. However, a day later, it is broadcast on campus, causing embarrassment to Star and the Professor. When Star goes to the fleeing Professor’s mansion to ask for forgiveness, Ralph uses the opportunity to sneak in, pretending he and his friends are thieves to scare the Professor. However, the Professor, drunk and heartbroken, attacks the disguised Ralph when he pulls out a gun. When the gun goes off in the struggle, the Professor is wounded, and a scared Ralph panics, quickly putting together a story (the mansion was really robbed) to cover up what really happened. As he and his friends ransack the mansion, they are killed by the Synturions, while Menace personally kills Ralph.
The “Ripton Heroes”: A team of Amazons(in cheerleader costumes) from the tribe ruled by Crystal, they were assembled to assist the Princess in re-obtaining the armor. However, Crystal left without their knowledge, leaving the team to go after their Princess. They are called to assist Crystal when Menace is finally unleashed on Ripton University. They become the protectors of the town when the local police proved inadequate to handle the Menace threat. They are homage to the Autobots (Transformers), Thundercats, and the Heroic Warriors (Masters of the Universe):
• Lotus: The second-in-command of the “Ripton Heroes”, sent to back-up Crystal, Lotus is Crystal’s best friend from childhood, where the two were practically raised as sisters. However, as their Amazonian training began, Lotus and Crystal developed a powerful rivalry, one that continued into young adulthood. After Crystal left her Tribe to go after the Menace armor alone, Lotus and the others followed in secret, Lotus thinking that Crystal left because intimidation of ruling the Amazons. The group camped in the woods until Crystal finally broadcast her royal symbol, summoning the others. When the Heroes finally meet up, all bow except Lotus, who demands an immediate Trial by Combat for leadership. However, impendent attack from the Synturions curtails their rivalry. Lotus wields a magical Japanese katana known as the EMERALD SCALE that can cut through anything.
• Kismet: The brains or tactical mastermind of the team, Kismet keeps a “crystal computer”, a three-dimensional holographic computer that houses vast information on any given situation, including a wealth of information on the Menace threat. A graceful dancer, Kismet is also a very capable street fighter, her weapon being special brass knuckles of her own design, known as SEEING STARS. She has a love for rock music, as well as a strong British accent. The most mature of the team, Kismet is level-headed, and often the person Crystal turns to for counsel.
• Shanghai: Shanghai is an Amazon that has embraced the cowboy culture, wielding two specialized RAIJIN pistols, steampunk-like six shooters that discharge powerful bolts of lightning. She is very promiscuous, as well as sharp-tongued, and has a ferocious temper; however, she discovers that she is addicted to pop-culture and talk shows, and often gossip about them at the most inopportune of times.
• Foxie: An Amazon wielding a red scimitar named ALADDIN, Foxie is so named because of her love for speaking like a blaxploitation character. She has a love for Arabian culture. Sarcastic, with a love for pranks and jokes, Foxie fights in a unique Persian style of sword-combat. However, she is deathly afraid of the Menace, scarred from bedtime tales of his evil from her childhood.
Synopsis:
1. INITIAL INTRODUCTION OF CRYSTAL CENTURY AND MENACE- PRE-CREDITS
Old Man Behind Diner Counter: “I’ve been here from ‘I like Ike’ to ‘Whoever Pays Taxes Get a Tax Break’, and I ain’t never seen nothin’ like this before.”
Henry Cameron: “Yeah, quite a hell out there, isn’t it? Hey, mind cutting me a slice of that pecan pie?”
The opening scene begins in a traditional American trapping, a 1950s-like diner seemingly in the middle of nowhere, deserted except for two men, a older man in his late 60s or 70s, and a younger man in his mid-to-late 40s. The older man continues to make small talk as he slices a piece of pie from the raised glass diner dish and casually hands it to the younger man. Outside, the sounds of explosions, eruptions of light and blood-curling screams threatens to explode through the vibrating diner windows; the booth tables shake, tossing salt, pepper, and ketchup bottles about as if at the hands of an invisible angry child. The two only have minor commentary on the battlefield-like situation outside, as if detached from the world beyond the diner’s doorstep.
The younger man moves to one of the booths that look out of one of the windows. Something sinister and silvery suddenly flashes by, but the man is undaunted and calmly eats a spoonful of pecan pie. Suddenly, the feeble bell of the diner door tinkles, halting the small talk between the two. A hand drenched in blood weakly opens the door, and two female feet, in glass-like Japanese geta, stumble clumsily across the threshold. The feet stand still for a minute as the glass door of the diner closes behind them. Drops of blood splatter next to the feet, pooling as the feet take a step forward. Lethargically, the newcomer makes her way down the aisle of window booths, limping, her left hand holding and nursing her right arm. Her face is hidden by shadows, but her body is that of a striking and statuesque woman. However, her bodily beauty is suppressed by the remnants of a skimpy, but tattered cheerleader uniform, which is drenched in blood. In her right hand is a black jeweled Japanese Sai, which she grasps so hard that her knuckles turn white.
The old man behind the counter calls out to the woman, asking if she is alright, as she slowly makes her way to the man sitting in the booth. He, on the other hand, seems oblivious to the horribly assaulted newcomer; he calmly eats his pecan pie and stares out of the window, a sly but triumphant smile on his ruggedly handsome face. As the girl limps to a stop before his table, he grins up at her gleefully. Although wincing from the pain of her injuries, the woman takes her Sai, and with much effort, stabs it through his pecan pie, the plate, and the table. Her fingers linger on the weapon for mere moments; tiny rivers of glistening blood trickle from the wounds on her right arm, down her fingers, and on to the pecan pie. The woman promptly sits down, facing the man, her face finally revealed: she is a beautiful Asian warrior, with a bleeding cut on her forehead, and a busted lower lip.
Cameron: “If it was not for you, Princess…I would not be at the pinnacle of this civilization. I would not be the one that controls the greatest weapon of them all: history.”
Crystal Century (slowly takes her lingering fingers from the sai, her lip trembling in order to maintain her stony composure): “Tell me. Tell me how my sister died.”
Cameron (grins): “Her death cries did not honor you. They were not in sorrow for you. They cursed you. They dripped with venom, with bitterness, with rage. Your sister died knowing the truth…that the Great Crystal Century was not the guardian of the innocent she held up her to be.”
Crystal Century (pauses for a minute as tears streak down her cheeks): “Atonement starts here.”
Moving as a blur, an overwhelming contrast to her wounded movement beforehand, Crystal snatches the Sai (where an golden cat-like eye opens on the hilt) from the table and plunges it into the Professor’s eyes.
2. MENACE ARMOR ARRIVES AT THE PROFESSOR’S PLACE-TWO WEEKS BEFORE
TWO WEEKS BEFORE is the time stamp on this scene as it opens on a luxurious but dismal mansion on the outskirts of the college town of Ripton. Here lives Professor Henry W. Cameron, a ruggedly handsome, but weathered man in his mid-to-late 40s. A Professor of Archaeology at Ripton University, Cameron is a man who is married to his career. However, this arrangement is forceful, as the man has had ruined romantic relationship after ruined romantic relationship. He lives alone in his spacious mansion, passed down through the generations of his wealthy family; he is essentially the last of the great American Cameron family if his romantic life won’t improve. One of the things he takes great pride in is the collection of artifacts from ancient civilizations; he won’t admit that it is a distraction from romantic pursuit.
As the moving van pulls up, the Professor waits gleefully for his prize, grinning from ear to ear. As the moving men open the back of the truck, the Professor’s eyes seizes its first glimpse of the Menace armor…a twisted, masochistic set of armor that seem to be a blend of Oriental and European influence. There are still various stains of old blood on the armor, and it seems as if there are actual blood vessels weaved over said armor pieces. The Professor helps the men move the glass display, where the armor sits in its twisted pride, into the house and into a large “trophy room” where the Professor stores his other ancient treasures. There, Cameron steps back to admire his latest addition, sadly naïve to its sinister desires.
3. SAMANTHA MEETS CRYSTAL/STAR AND PROFESSOR’S ROMANCE- TWO WEEKS LATER
Samantha Stasiak, a beautiful young college student who is a social wallflower, rushes across the prestigious Ripton University campus to Archaeology class, arriving 15 minutes late. She interrupts Professor Cameron at the start of his lecture and timidly apologizes for it. Her head bowed, she quickly shuffles to an empty seat in the back of the room. As she tries quietly to set up her textbook and notebook, a pencil rolls off of her desk. She hears it roll off, but never hit the ground. She looks up to find a beautiful bespectacled Asian woman holding the pencil out to her. Samantha is shocked; this is a new student that she had never seen before. From that moment on, Samantha becomes obsessed with her, this mystery student who seems to be the eponymy of cool. She thanks the Asian woman, and offer to assist her with class notes, which the girl agrees.
The Professor’s lecture on the history of keys almost goes unnoticed by the distracted Samantha. Something about the girl seems to excite her. Meanwhile, lead sorority girl Star Meadows sits in the front row in class, winking and flashing suggestive looks at the Professor, who remains oblivious to her seductive actions. As class lets out, the Asian woman stares daggers at the Professor as she leaves the classroom. She is quickly followed by Samantha, who introduces herself. The Asian woman, however, isn’t interested in making friends. Instead, she asks if she knew where the Professor lives. Samantha, eager to prove her worth, tells her that she might and that she will be her guide around the University campus. The Asian woman shakes Samantha’s hand, introducing herself as Crystal Century.
Meanwhile, as the classroom clears out, Star is the last student left with her teacher. As she walks up to his desk, her blouse unbuttoned enough to showcase her breasts, Professor Cameron becomes shocked and backs away slightly. However, it turns out to be part of the sexual role-play between the two, as student and teacher begin to make-out on top of the Professor’s desk. However, after a few “hot and heavy” minutes, Star tells the Professor to hold his horses: this was just a small taste of the “main course” that would happen later that evening. The Professor reluctantly agrees and releases his clandestine romantic partner. She grins, gives him one last kiss, and seductively saunters out of the classroom and closes the door. She is suddenly startled by Ralph Johnson, lead frat boy and party-starter of the University…and her on-again-off-again boyfriend, at this point on-again. The two harshly whisper to each other, revealing that Star’s infatuation with the Professor is part of an ongoing major plan of revenge, which is to culminate later that night at Star’s and the Professor’s secret meeting. Star, however, shows some reluctance in this plan, as she has secretly developed feelings for the Professor. However, Ralph browbeats her, spouting that Professor Cameron deserved his vengeance for failing him last semester, and Star’s betrayal would break him mentally.
4. CRYSTAL AND SAMANTHA TOUR CAMPUS/INTRODUCTION OF SUPPORTING CAST/VICTIMS
Crystal and Samantha walk about campus, with Samantha pointing out the various cliques and acquaintances that she know. Among the assorted characters, we have hardnosed campus cops LEE DEVELIN and his “deputy” JACOB TUBBS busting a student for smoking pot; K-DOGG and his crew, an Indian student who perceives himself to be a gangster from the hood, and his “gang” of fellow Indians who think the same thing. THE GAMERS’ UNION, a stereotypical group of nerds who like video games, and are the closest thing to Samantha’s friends; and finally, “BLAZE” SMITH, the star quarterback, his coach, a few of his football buddies, and BRITTANY TAYLOR, head cheerleader. Brittany insults Samantha, who ignores her and continues to show Crystal around campus. However, to add insult to injury, Blaze throws his football at Samantha, which Crystal easily catches. While Samantha tells her not to worry about the incident, Crystal ignores her and walks up to face Blaze. She orders both Blaze and Brittany to apologize for their transgressions; both sneer at her.
Suddenly, Crystal grabs Blaze’s arm, uses a pressure point to stun it, and painfully hold it in a submission position. She asks again for apologies for her host. One of Blaze’s teammates rushes to stop her, but he is put down with a neat kick. The coach rushes up next, merely to say something, but he is also put down effortlessly with a kick. Samantha can only look on in shock as the quarterback, whimpering in pain, complies with his attacker’s command. He apologizes, and Crystal releases his arm and faces Brittany. At first, their eyes met, and it seems as if Brittany is not going to back down. However, she holds up her hands in surrender and promptly apologizes to Samantha as well.
Without looking back, Crystal walks off, with Samantha running to catch up behind her. She tells Samantha that she is too soft, and should have some initiative to take up for herself. Meanwhile, the coach, Blaze, and his friend lay moaning on the ground. The friend wonders if Crystal would make a better quarterback then even Blaze.
5. AT THE PROFESSOR’S OFFICE/CRYSTAL’S ATTEMPTED ASSASINATION
After being led around campus for a while, Crystal becomes slightly agitated, impatiently asking where the Professor lives. Samantha tells her that the man lives in the creepy mansion on the outskirts of town, but if Crystal wants to talk to the Professor now, his office was in one of the University buildings. She then tells Crystal to wait for a minute, as she was going to go and purchase soda for them to drink. As Samantha returns from her errand, she finds Crystal gone. Right away, she heads for the Professor’s office.
Quietly entering the hall where the Professor’s office is, Samantha ducks behind a wall and hides a gasp of surprise. She watches as Crystal, crouched before the Professor’s door, brandishes two lethal jeweled black sai, holding them skillfully in her hands as she waits to spring an ambush. The light in the Professor’s office go out, and the door slowly opens to a crack. Reacting on auto-pilot, Samantha jumps out of her hiding place and calls Crystal’s name. Both Crystal and Professor Cameron are surprised; their eyes met, and without waiting for any reply, Crystal takes off, disappearing through around the corner of the hallway. Samantha gives chase, but is stopped by the Professor, who wants to know what is going on. Samantha covers for Crystal, saying the exchange student is too embarrassed to talk to the Professor about the day’s lecture on keys. Noticing how dressed up the Professor is, Samantha asks the reason for such an occasion. The Professor lies, saying he is attending a movie.
Saying goodbye to the Professor, Samantha rushes to catch up with Crystal. But after going outside, she finds the Asian woman has vanished into the golden dusk without a trace. Standing above, on the roof, Crystal stares down at Samantha, holding a hand to one of her earrings. She seems to be speaking to someone through it; she tells that person that she still doesn’t need any help…and if so, she has found some.
6. THE SECRET DATE OF PROFESSOR AND STAR
Driving past a theatre showing a double feature of “Satan’s Cheerleaders” and “Hard To Die”, the Professor’s car comes to a stop before a stylish hotel. At the front desk, he introduces himself under a prearranged false name, and the hotel clerk directs him to the room where his “wife” is staying. Star opens the door, dressed in a robe and directs him inside. Pushing him unto the bed, she clicks on some music, and strips her robe, unveiling very revealing lacy underwear.
The Professor coolly removes his clothes and waits for Star to mount him. He asks her one last time if she is sure she wants to do this. She grins. As the “games” unfold, the Professor is unaware of a small camera that is hidden underneath Star’s tossed robe, recording everything. In a room a few doors down, Ralph and his friends watch the festivities unfold on a monochrome television monitor. Ralph clenches his jaw, trying to maintain his composure at the Professor having sex with “his girl”. He can only admit, through clenched teeth, that he has “that bastard” now.
7. THE TRUTH ABOUT CRYSTAL/MENACE’S ORIGIN
Crystal Century: “‘I Am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds’. A line of ancient Hindu scripture that was known by my ancestors as mantra. Because it was they who bore the forbidden fruit. It was they who let their pettiness overstep their common sense. They created the ultimate weapon…one that could think for itself. What they did not realize is a thinking weapon is just as dangerous to them as it is to their enemies.”
Meanwhile, in the girl dorms, Samantha, having finished studying for the night, has decided to take a shower. Thoroughly engrossed in her shower, she suddenly feels something seize a handful of her hair. She only has time to grab a towel before she is dragged into her room and tossed on the bed (the towel being wrapped around her bottom half). Her attacker, revealed to be Crystal, mounts her and tells her that she has now been drafted to help her. Samantha demands to know why Crystal attempted to kill the Professor; Crystal tells her that it is the only sure way to stop HIM. Samantha demands to know the truth, the whole story.
Crystal demounts her and looks away in shame. She admits that the Professor is innocent, that she is only after the armor that he has in his possession, but she is willing to kill him if it stops the resurrection of the ultimate monster. Reluctantly, Crystal reveals her true identity: she is the Princess of the Japanese Amazons, having come to Ripton to halt the resurrection of the Menace. She then tells the story about Menace: Eons ago, before man dominated the Earth, the Japanese Amazons were the dominant people of Earth, who had access to highly advanced weaponry and magic unlike the world had ever seen. However, as mankind began to spread and gain dominance of the world, the Amazons had to decide how best to embrace these life forms. One group wanted to share their gifts with mankind, while the other group wanted to hoard the gifts and rule mankind as goddesses. The initial disagreement between the two factions soon became a bloody war that lasted for centuries.
In this war, both sides were too equal, and a stalemate continued to prevail. In order to shatter this stalemate, one of the factions took all of the evil energy and magic on Earth at the time and created a powerful suit of magic armor, endowing the suit with sentience and power. However, said suit was so evil that no Amazon could wear it without turning to dust. Only men with darkness or evil in their hearts could wear the suit. Kidnapping a man from a village, the Amazons strapped him into the suit, creating Menace, their ultimate weapon. Said weapon killed, captured, and dominated the other faction of Amazons…but soon, it turned on its creators, conquering them as well and ruling both sides for centuries with an iron fist.
However, in the subsequent centuries of rule, both sides of Amazons united, and secretly forged weapons that were powerful enough to oppose Menace. The pinnacle of these weapons was the Ebony Sai, wielded by Crystal’s grandmother herself, the Queen of the Amazons. Gaining courage and mapping out a strategy, the Amazons attacked and overthrew Menace, rendering the sentient weapon inert by luring and throwing the armored being into the mouth of a steaming volcano. Afterward, the Amazons kept a vigil over that volcano, until, in modern times, it had erupted, spewing the armor into the air.
A team of Amazons were quickly assembled and lead by Crystal’s mother, the present Queen of the Amazons. They chased after the armor and found it deep in the jungle. However, someone else had found it as well: a team of relic hunters, lured there by the powerful influence of the evil armor. The Queen approached the situation with diplomacy, but is killed by the relic hunter leader, who has been influenced by the evil armor. A bloody battle in the jungle unfolds, and the hunter barely got away with his find. In the States, he sells the armor to a dealer, who in turn sells the armor to Professor Cameron.
Samantha listens to the story intensely, but is still disbelieving of its reality. However, Crystal confirms it is real by showing the black sai that she was going to use on the Professor, and letting Samantha inspect it. This is one of the Ebony Sai, one of the few weapons that can harm the Menace. Crystal wants to find the Professor that night, but Samantha, frightened at the prospect that the Asian warrior would kill him rather than any other plan of action, rationalizes that the Professor should be alerted of the problem, and then a solution should be worked out. She points out that the two could speak to the Professor the next day. With great reluctance, Crystal agrees. But, when Samantha turns to talk with her, the young woman has vanished.
8. MENACE AND PROFESSOR PLAY MENTAL CHESS
Professor Cameron (shaking his fists and screaming at the sky): “You won’t win, you bastard! You hear me? You won’t win!!”
A very content Professor leaves the hotel, practically skipping in triumph. However, as he digs into his pocket and pulls out his keys to open his car door, he drops them, suddenly clutching his head in agony. Horrifying images of murder, torture, and pain sears his mind, as a horrible voice assaults his brain. It is the voice of the armor that has been torturing him for the last two weeks; stripping him of his sleep (he would have vivid nightmares of Menace’s former life) and wearing down his mental defenses. Now, the Professor’s façade is stripped away, revealing a weary, psychologically haggard and mentally battered man who has been battling alone for his soul the past week.
The Professor is defiant, refusing to give into Menace’s taunting, especially about his relationship with his student. He is seemingly arguing with himself, startling the few passersby on the street. Stumbling into a shadowy alleyway, cursing the evil being at the top of his lungs, he collapses into a puddle of water, breathing rapidly, as it takes just as much physical effort, in addition to the mental effort to expel Menace’s influence. Suddenly, in the reflection in the water, he sees a shadowy shape staring back at him. It is the shape of the Menace, who strengthens his mental offensive; Cameron grits his teeth, clutching his head in frustration, but it is too late…he feels the shadow shrouding his thoughts, clouding his will. He feels his consciousness slip away as he falls face first into the puddle of water.
9. MENACE’S FIRST CAPTURE, VIA CHLOROFORM
At the University’s swimming pool, a pretty young woman swims alone in the pool, performing laps in the limited light. After one lap, she comes up for air, rises out of the pool, wipes the water from her eyes and hair, and drinks water from a water bottle. She takes a second sip from her water bottle before she hears the door to the pool area shut. She calls out the name of her boyfriend, who is supposed to come by for a late night dip in the pool with her.
No answer.
She quietly puts the water bottle down and listens intensely for any more noise. There is none.
As she turns, dipping a foot into the pool, she hears another noise. Goosebumps break out over her skin. Was someone sneaking around to catch a glimpse of her? A pervert? Or was it someone more sinister? A thief…or a kidnapper? Her imagination creates the threat for her. She has to investigate. Cautiously, she investigates the shadowy areas of the pool, and then the doors. Nothing.
Satisfied with her fruitless search, the young woman returns to the pool and her swimming. While doing the back-paddle in mid-lap, she is suddenly startled by a cold hand wrapping around her abdomen in the water. She struggles to get free, but it is in vain. Screaming at the top of her lungs, the young woman thrashes the water violently, pulling fruitlessly to escape. However, a second hand closes over her mouth, this hand holding a cloth rag. The young woman puts up a violent struggle, but minutes later, her arms drop to her side and her eyes roll to the back of her head. Seconds later, the perpetrator of the chloroforming hefts the woman over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and steps out of the pool. It is the Professor, whose eyes have become vacant red slots, fully overtaken by the Menace entity. With the slumbering female over his shoulder, he lumbers out of the pool area and disappears into the night.
10. BIG GOSSIP ON CAMPUS
Still reeling from the events of the night before, Samantha wakes up and prepares for class. As she opens the door to leave, she is startled to see Crystal already waiting for her. As the two walk to class, they discuss the history of Menace and his strengths and weaknesses. Crystal points out that the Professor must be evil, which is why the armor could be linked to him in the first place. Samantha disagrees, pointing out that life was not simply black or white. She thinks the Professor cannot be evil, and there is another reason for this situation.
As the duo walk across campus, they hear snatches of conversation, strange gossip on a relationship between a professor and a student. As they reach Professor Cameron’s classroom, they see a big screen television, with the Professor and Star having sex from the night before. Samantha scans the room, spying Ralph and Star; Ralph is grinning with glee, while Star has a sad, shameful look on her face. Samantha asks one of the other students about the whereabouts of the Professor. The student answers that the Professor had came, saw the video, and ran from the classroom, abandoning them.
Crystal immediately decides to go after the Professor at his mansion. At first timidly against it, Samantha reluctantly agrees.
Meanwhile, Star shrugs away from Ralph and leaves the classroom, trying to hold back tears. Ralph stops her in the hall, and wonders why she isn’t celebrating with him. She slaps him, telling him that he has humiliated her as well by showing the tape to everyone. Bursting into tears, she tells Ralph that she will apologize to the Professor, and come clean with the whole scheme. Ralph roughly grabs her arm, threatening that if she screws up the third phase of their plan, he would get her back. Star says nothing, only storming off in tears.
11. THE SECRET PASSAGE
Professor Cameron has fled to his mansion. Throwing open the door, he slams it and sinks to the ground in shame. Star had betrayed him. She never loved him. His reputation was ruined. As he lay sprawled against the door, lamenting the turn of events, Menace’s voice suddenly speaks to his mind. Yes, Star had betrayed him. But he deserved it. The world could not be trusted. Only the armor could be trusted. Only the armor would now hide him from the world.
The Professor’s defenses are slowly crumbling. He is not fighting off the influence of the armor as usual. Instead, he finds himself listening and agreeing with it. The Menace armor commands him to “follow it” through the house.
The Professor obeys, and soon he is in the Study, standing before a bookcase. The entity commands him to flips a book backward. When he obeys, it triggers a secret switch. The bookcase slides aside, revealing a secret staircase that travels into an abyss below. Shocked at the discovery, the Professor timidly descends the stairs into the abyss, which is revealed to be a large grimy room that is the size of a coliseum.
In this room are thousands of dusty oil drums. However, when the Professor walks up to one of them and dusts it off, the side of the drum reads “chloroform”. Menace reveals (to the audience) that the Camerons’ family fortune originally came from producing and selling chloroform for medical institutions in the early 20th century.
Astonished at so much chloroform having been stored in his familial home without his knowledge, the Professor backs away instinctively until his elbow hits something cool and smooth. He turns, discovering the object to be a crystal-like glass case filled nearly to the top with water. Inside is the swimmer who was captured the night before. Upon seeing his face, the swimmer screams at the top of her lungs and bangs on the surface in anger, but to no avail. Chuckling gleefully inside Cameron’s mind, the Menace reveals that he has been taking over the Professor’s mind at various intervals, especially at night, when he had the horrible dreams and visions. Shockingly, the entity reveals that the Professor has been working for him ever since the armor first arrived on his doorstep. To accent its point, the underground room is suddenly flooded with brilliant light; revealed are wicked-looking torture chambers and assorted devices, as well as a strange glowing chamber on the far side of the room.
As a token of “kindness”, the Menace entity decides to let the Professor decide his fate: to join the armor in a beneficial and powerful symbiosis….or be taken over by force.
12. A FEW GUESTS
Arriving in Samantha’s beat-up car at dusk, Crystal and Samantha stand before the intimidating gates of the Cameron Estate. Crystal is finally in her trademark “Amazonian” battle uniform: very skimpy cheerleader top (with a star in the center), very short pleated skirt, “utility belt” (which holds her Sai, as well as multiple ninja weapons like throwing stars and pellets), anklets, and transparent geta. Her glasses are now off, and a glittering tiara, a symbol of her royal status, glistens on her head instead. As Samantha reaches to buzz the intercom to be let in, her hand hovers before the button; Crystal has easily scaled the fence surrounding the estate and landed neatly on the other side. She begins to run towards the mansion, but remembering Samantha, turns around, throws a rope over the fence, and tells her partner to climb.
With great difficulty and awkwardness, Samantha climbs the rope over to the other side. As the duo is sneaking through the shadows towards the mansion, Star arrives in her car. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she walks up to the gate and buzzes the intercom. The Professor, in a sluggish voice, answers, wondering who it is. Star begs him to let her in, apologizing furiously for what had unfolded. After a few minutes, the gates swing open, and Star gets into her vehicle. However, she is surprised by three more passengers, Ralph and two of his frat buddies, all dressed in black. As she protests loudly, Ralph covers her mouth with his hand, and asks why she is really here. Star replies that she is only here to apologize for their behavior, as she did not foresee their “harmless prank” getting so far out of hand. Regarding her with distrust, Ralph orders her to keep quiet about the plan and drive to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Crystal and Samantha have arrived outside of the mansion. Samantha starts to walk towards the front door, but Crystal brandishes a grappling hook and rope, which she tosses up towards the roof. Like Batman and Robin in the 1966 TV series, the duo scales the mansion until they reach the roof.
In the interim, Star has reached the front door with Ralph and his friends. Placing a silencing finger to his lips, Ralph chuckles evilly as he and his friends disappear into the shadows of the mansion. Star is alone; she rings the doorbell. No answer. After a few minutes, she nudges the door open and cautiously enters, not knowing what to expect next. The mansion is dark, and seemingly empty, transformed from its familiarity. Star, swallowing her fear, braves the creepy interior until she comes to the Study. Inside, the Professor is reclined behind his desk, starring at her angrily with a bottle of bourbon in one hand, and a just-filled glass in the order. He quickly downs the glass before shouting at her. Star collapses into tears, apologizing for betraying him.
13. BATTLE IN THE ATTIC
Crystal and Samantha reach the roof, where they stumble their way to the attic window. Crystal reveals another ninja device that cuts a perfect hole in the window, where she reaches her hand through and unlatches it. Samantha finds herself wondering if Crystal is a cat burglar or has ulterior motives as she reluctantly follows the Asian girl into the umbra shrouding the attic.
Inside the spooky, gothic-like attic, the air is thick with staleness, dust, and age. The shadows seem to move about as if alive. As the two young women stealthily make their way across the attic, Samantha’s feet clip something lying on its side. As she rises to her feet, she catches a small glimpse of the cause: the freshly deceased, but brutalized body of the kidnapped swimmer. Samantha starts to scream, but Crystal seizes her lips shut. She kneels to inspect the corpse.
Suddenly, Samantha’s eyes catches something moving in the shadows. Is it her imagination?
No. A horrible screeching sound is heard as two red spotlights suddenly flash on, blinding the duo. Crystal leaps protectively before Samantha, her twin Ebony Sai in her hands. The spotlights flash brighter as something is shot through the darkness, the only visual indication is sparks of light flashing from the Sai as Crystal deflects the attack. However, the Asian warrior cries out softly only once, making Samantha jump from behind her. Crystal screams to Samantha to run, before charging towards the spotlights, her Sai held before her.
Samantha obeys quickly, knowing she is powerless in a fight of any kind. She spies a shaft of light that reveals a staircase leading down into the mansion and charges towards it. She tries to ignore the sounds of battle and cries of agony (Crystal’s) in the background as she reaches the landing. Just as her foot lands on the first step, she hears a hissing sound from behind. Suddenly, she feels something cold close vise-like around the back of her neck…fingers. A hand, a cold, metallic-like hand is viciously choking her! Desperately, the young woman clutches at her neck with quickly weakening fingers, standing on tiptoe, with her eyes watering and her mind swimming as her breath is trapped in her lungs. Suddenly, she feels a slight shove that practically sends her tumbling downstairs.
She explodes out of the door into the second floor of the mansion, tumbling to the floor with her Asian comrade. Crystal grimaces as she snatches the hand from Samantha’s tender neck. Coughing furiously, Samantha struggles to regain her breath and her bearings. The metal hand stands on its fingertips, moving about like a giant spider. The sound of its movement sends chills up the heroines’ spines as it vanishes into the darkness beyond the attic door. Measured footsteps, eerie, cunning, and threatening, can be heard as they creep nearer the sprawled pair. Samantha quickly glances as Crystal, noticing two strange objects embedded in her body, causing blood to trickle out of the subsequent wounds: one stiletto-shaped object sticks out of her thigh, and the other out of the right side of her abdomen.
Before they can be removed, however, Crystal hustles Samantha to her feet and orders her to get back a safe distance. The shadows before the attic door seem to come to life as a silvery metal hand suddenly shoots out of the umbra. Crystal barely dodges the first swipe, but is caught off-guard by a second hand violently seizing her throat in a viselike grip. The red spotlights flash again, burning the eyes of the prey in its silvery hand. The brave heroine struggles feebly, her air being cut off, her Japanese sandals practically dangling from her toes as she is suspended in midair.
14. PROFESSOR IS SHOT
While Samantha and Crystal fight for their lives, Star and Professor Cameron are talking to each other. However, while the Professor seems to accept Star’s apology, he is noticeably drunk; for a few minutes, he babbles about a voice that speaks to him, convincing him to do “very bad things”. Star walks over to try and comfort the Professor, offering him words of encouragement and seducing him with her charms, an almost subconscious action.
Suddenly, Ralph and his frat friends, in stocking masks, storm into the Study, demanding money from the Professor. Surprisingly, the Professor remains seemingly unphased. In anger, Star cries out Ralph’s name, revealing his identity. With a grunt of disgust, Ralph pulls off his mask, his jealousy overcoming his common sense. He suddenly pulls out a gun, pointing it at the Professor, and demanding his family fortune. Cameron laughs, pointing out that much of his fortune is kept in various bank accounts.
Ralph, undaunted, demands to know the account numbers, while waving the gun in the Professor’s face. Star, in a mixture of horror and anger, demands to know why Ralph is trying to rob their teacher, changing the plan from prank to actuality. Ralph turns the gun on her, calling her a traitor and whore, a simple-minded floozy. Star screams that he never truly loved her in the first place, and was only with her to get in her pants. He was not like the Professor, a mature man who knew what love truly was.
The Professor, in a drunken rage because of the gun pointed at Star, awkwardly rises from his desk and charges towards Ralph. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that it catches the frat boy off guard. On instinct, he pulls the trigger, shooting the Professor twice in the abdomen.
Star screams in horror, quickly kneeling down and clutching the Professor’s head in her arms as his eyes roll in the back of his head. Ralph stands shocked, his mouth agape as he stare at the smoking gun in his hand. His two frat buddies can do nothing but stare at their leader, powerless in the whole situation. Blinking back tears of fear, anger, and frustration, Ralph turns to his frat buddies and stutters orders to ransack the mansion, in order to make it look as a real robbery. Star sobs that it is a stupid idea, and tells him that he will not get away with it. Ralph, half crying and half sneering, points the gun at her, accusing her of betraying him. However, he is stopped by one of his buddies, who decide to do what they can to cover for their leader.
15. CRYSTAL BREAKS RALPH’S ARM
The sound of the shot echoes throughout the entire mansion like a thunderbolt. The silvery hand clutching Crystal releases its grip, dropping the Asian warrior to her knees. She struggles to regain her breath as Samantha comforts her. The two search the shadows for their assailant, but luckily it bears no fruit. Turning her attention to Crystal’s wounds, Samantha pulls out both stilettos, which are much longer than she anticipates. Crystal cries out and grits her teeth in agony. She then pulls out a strange bottle from her utility belt, twists the cap off, and pours a tiny drop of the contents on both of her wounds. Before Samantha’s astonished eyes, both wounds heal completely.
Samantha asks about the nature of the substance in the bottle. Crystal tells her that it is from a small healing spring back in her home village, used by her people sparingly to heal vicious battle wounds. However, every Amazon abroad only has a very limited supply and must use it as sporadically as possible to maintain it.
A few seconds later, the duo is running through the mansion, towards the direction of the shot. They pass by Ralph’s two subordinates, who flash them startled looks before proceeding into the Study. Shocked at seeing them, Ralph aims his still smoking gun at the duo. Moving with dazzling speed, Crystal manages to knock the gun away…and with pinpoint accuracy and efficiency, breaks Ralph’s arm in the process. Screaming in agony, Ralph stumbles to the wall and slides to the ground, clutching his limp arm in pain. Crystal pays him little attention as she moves to Star, who is sitting hunched over, her knees drawn up protectively to her chin. She is crying, rocking forward and backward, practically in shock. A trail of blood leads from her feet and out of the door. Crystal asks about the whereabouts of the Professor, and Star only nods towards the trail of blood. Crystal orders Samantha to stay with Star, while she follows the trail of blood out of the room. A second later, Ralph, slightly humbled, limps out of the room, leaving Samantha alone to comfort the upset Star.
16. PROFESSOR KNOCKS OUT CRYSTAL/PUTTING ON THE ARMOR
The Asian fighter follows the ghastly trail of blood to the shadow-drenched “trophy room” and towards the exhibition case that holds the Menace armor. The Professor is nowhere to be seen. Feeling watched, the young warrior unsheathes her Sai, inspecting the rows of ancient treasures carefully, cataloged neatly by the Professor from years of his hobby’s pursuit. She lets her battle-horned instincts guide her around the spacious room.
Meanwhile, the Professor begins to speak from the shadows, telling Crystal about how dangerous a weapon the armor really is. He stalks the girl, his hand sliding over the various ancient daggers and swords he has, as if considering which one to kill her with. He lists the knowledge that the armor has accumulated, such as the lost Library of Alexandria (which Menace destroyed), and knowledge on the ancient technology of Lemuria and Mu (which Menace conquered and later destroyed). Crystal warns him about the evil in the armor; Professor Cameron retorts that she had intended to kill him whether he was truly innocent or not because, deep down, she hated Americans…because the relic hunter who murdered her mother was American.
Crystal loses her composure and temper, which is more than enough for the Professor to capitalize. He seizes the young heroine in a hold, and chloroforms her into unconsciousness. As he carefully lays Crystal’s senseless body on the floor, the Menace entity teases him for his desire for mercy, saying that it would be the last time he would show it. The Professor stands up, slowly walking to the display case where the armor is.
As if claiming Excalibur, the display case is bath in an unholy light and opens by invisible hands. Whispering Star’s name in one last breath, his final conscious act, the Professor began to reach for the evil pieces of armor. The first piece he picks up is shape shifts in his hand, nearly cutting his fingers. Each piece of armor has long stilettos that must be injected into the skin to work…as the entity tells him, connect with every nerve in his body. Taking off all of his clothes, the Professor began to put on the first piece, his screams of agony bellowing through the mansion, while rivers of blood pool down his legs and around his bare feet. With each piece of armor placed on his body, flesh is ripped, pierced, and torn without mercy; ancient screws twist undaunted through bone and marrow; the stilettos unmercifully rip through his organs and blood vessels; the small pool of blood suddenly becomes a crimson ocean.
Around the mansion, the other occupants are startled by the anguished shrieks; the two frat subordinates of Ralph pause in their random vandalism, glancing about in fear. Ralph, while walking down one of the shadowy hallways, jumps, visually startled, and hugs the wall, frightened of what would come next. Star insists on finding the Professor, much to Samantha’s chagrin. The two leave the Study, following the blood trail into the Trophy Room…where they find a blood-drenched armored Professor holding the helmet of the Menace in his hands. Despite Star and Samantha’s words, trying to stop the Professor, the man ignores them and puts on the final piece of the armor.
The unearthly screams Cameron released earlier pales in comparison to the last testimonial of agony that leaves his lips. The sharp stilettos in the helmet stab into his face and brain. Two drill-like implements tunnel into his eyes, while a deadly steel-trap-like device pierces and destroys his mouth. The armored Professor gyrates and trembles for a few seconds before the pair as the last vestiges of the Professor are destroyed…replaced by the dominant Menace entity.
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