[Woman moaning in her sleep]
[Voices whispering]
Aah!
[Voices screaming]
[Voices screaming]
Aah!
Where are you?
JAMIE: Keep the change.
Lotsa luck.
Thanks.
[Gasps]
Hi.
JAMIE: You guys coming in?
You coming in?
See ya.
[Knocking]
Grandma?
Grandma, it's me.
It's Jamie.
Grandma?
[Chatter on police scanner]
Not exactly Starbucks, is it?
I'm Detective Armbrister,
and they said you were waiting.
Hi. Jamie Lowell.
- And Miss Soames is your...
- My grandmother.
I came out from California
today, and she's gone.
Please.
[Telephone ringing]
- Right here.
- Thanks.
Could she be visiting friends?
JAMIE:
She doesn't have any.
Do you speak to her often?
Yeah, all the time.
She doesn't have a phone
in her room...
so I leave messages
at the front desk...
and she calls me back.
Uh, Miss Lowell, here's what
we do in missing person cases.
If the person's gone
for twenty-four hours...
But she hasn't answered my calls
for over a week.
Well, you said she didn't
have a phone in her room.
She uses the one in the lobby.
ARMBRISTER:
In nine out of ten cases...
people turn up
within twenty-four hours.
That's why we have this policy.
JAMIE: I've already been
to the hospitals.
She's not there.
Something's wrong.
JAMIE: Look, two months ago,
out of the blue...
she sold her house
and moved herself into this...
this complete dump...
like, five minutes
before it's condemned.
She stopped returning my calls,
and now I come out here...
and I find a bible
open next to her bed.
JAMIE: You have to understand...
she's been a lifelong atheist.
You say
the building was condemned?
JAMIE: I found
an eviction notice on her door.
So she's out looking
for another apartment.
You might want to camp out
there till she shows up.
Thanks
for the encouraging words.
Aah!
Nice.
[Children laughing]
Good evening.
Hi.
Hi.
You... you guys live over there,
right?
JAMIE:
We met today in the elevator.
Remember?
You want to play?
MAN'S VVOICE ON VVIDEO GAME:
The House of the Dead.
You see, you take the gun, and
you point it at the bad guys...
and you pull the trigger.
And the more you kill,
the better...
WOMAN'S VVOICE ON GAME:
Don't come! Aah!
Have fun.
MAN'S VVOICE ON GAME:
I don't want to die!
- Strange little kids, huh?
- You said it.
I mean, where are their parents?
Why are they out
so late at night alone?
I don't know.
They don't say nothing,
they don't buy nothing.
- How much?
- Five bucks.
OK.
Thank you.
Well, at least
they play like normal kids.
They ain't normal.
Sir...
do you recognize this lady?
JAMIE:
Her name's Hattie Soames...
and she hasn't been home
in a couple of days...
and I'm a little worried.
Sorry, miss.
OK. Thanks anyway.
[Gasps]
Kill!
What?
Kill!
Oh. You mean this?
You're welcome.
Hello.
JAMIE: You Jerry?
I'm Jamie Lowell...
the one who's been calling for
her grandmother, Hattie Soames.
You told me you were putting
my messages...
under her door, remember?
Oh, I don't know
where she lives.
JAMIE: I told you... 407.
JERRY:
Don't stress about it.
[Train horn blowing]
[Children laughing]
[Children laughing faintly]
Uhh.
Eww!
[Children laughing]
Aah!
Want to tell me
what you're up to, hmm?
- I'm looking for my grandmother.
- She's not in the basement.
You think she came down here and
padlocked the door from outside?
It was already unlocked.
I didn't do it.
Keep out.
Out of my way, fuckface!
You, too, bitch!
Don't take it personally, hon.
He's like that with everyone.
[Door slams]
Oh.
[Chuckles] I'm Tiffany.
Hi. I'm, uh, I'm Jamie.
[Music plays]
TIFFANY: Lunches, night shifts,
Fridays and Saturdays.
You should come. It's good.
It's called the Fun Club.
It's near the airport.
I mean, all the guys
are kind of jerks, but...
I kinda like the cops.
I'm not too big on cops
at the moment.
TIFFANY: Yeah, well,
they are the worst tippers...
but at least they don't grab you
when you're table dancing.
Huh. God, it wasn't exactly
what I had in mind...
after ten years
of classical ballet...
but you gotta do what you
gotta do, you know what I mean?
So when did they give you
your eviction notice?
Oh, my God. About a week ago.
I stopped paying rent
months ago.
Obviously... look at the place.
TIFFANY: But instead
of fixing it, they evicted us.
Why would my grandmother
move into a place...
two months
before it's condemned?
TIFFANY:
I don't know. That is strange.
Were you guys, um...
I mean, are you close?
Um, yeah.
Sort of.
She's a very independent person.
Not too communicative,
if you know what I mean.
I was hoping we'd get closer
after my parents died, but...
Oh, um...
How did they, uh...
A house fire
a couple of years ago.
TIFFANY:
Jeez, that must be rough.
Yeah.
It was.
Look, I should let you
get ready for work.
Don't worry about it, hon.
I got a twelve-hour shift
ahead of me.
TIFFANY: Hey, listen.
I'm really sorry to hear
about your grandmother.
If you need anything,
you just let me know, OK?
I will. Thanks.
JAMIE: That's really
nice of you, Tiffany.
Yeah, well,
I'm alone in the world, too.
WOMAN SINGING:
You'll take me away
Oh, make...
[Keyboard clicking]
[Knocking on door]
Jerry.
I'm sorry I didn't give
your grandmother the messages.
That's OK. I don't think
she was here to get them anyway.
JERRY: Listen, I was just going
up to the roof to barbecue.
Been on the roof yet?
It's a great view.
- No.
- Oh! Fresh picked!
Yeah, I know.
Someone tried to throw some
through my window earlier.
Oh, dude.
JERRY: Come up to the roof.
You gotta eat.
JAMIE: Um...
OK, um...
Look, I've got some work
to finish up...
but I'll be up in a few minutes?
OK, great!
OK.
[Whispering]
God...
Mmm!
[Children laughing]
Where did you two come from?
Aaaahh!
[Carnival music continues]
[Turns music off]
[Gasps]
Jamie: Hi.
Again.
You guys, you shouldn't be
up there, you know?
It's not safe.
Where exactly do you guys live?
JAMIE:
And when do you live there?
[Gasps]
[Train whistle blows
in the distance]
Jerry!
Hey, Jerry, I like
the Martha Stewart touch...
on your door.
Jerry?
Jerry, your steak's burning.
Just thought you wanted to know.
Hmm.
"And the sins of the father
shall be revisited on the sons."
[Voices whispering]
Aah!
Where are you?
- This way, Hattie.
- I'm coming!
VVOICE: This way.
Coming!
[Train horn blows]
[Gasps]
Grandma?
JAMIE: Grandma!
Grandma, is that you?
Wait!
Grandma!
Oh, grandma.
I'm down here.
It's me. It's Jamie.
It's Jamie, grandma.
Grandma?
JAMIE: Aah! Aah!
Aah-aah!
Aah! Aah!
Aah! Aah!
[Creaking]
ARMBRISTER:
Brought you some coffee.
Just the way you like it.
JAMIE:
It's been twenty-four hours.
And no grandmother.
So what are you gonna do?
Your grandmother's
got an interesting history.
I got the impression
you weren't much interested...
in her situation.
Well, uh, I took an interest.
ARMBRISTER: This fire
she survived as a kid...
What fire?
She never told you about it?
No.
ARMBRISTER: It was a tent
revival that went up in flames.
She was really lucky,
apparently.
Twenty or so other children
were killed.
It was a cult, although they
didn't call it that back then.
- A religious cult?
- Yeah.
ARMBRISTER: They thought adults
were the agents of Satan.
They killed themselves because
they were about to be shut down.
A cult of kids.
Are you all right?
ARMBRISTER:
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Um, do you mind if I use
your phone to call a cab?
Why don't I give you a ride?
That way I can check out
your grandmother's apartment...
see if there are any clues.
- Yeah, sure. OK.
- I'll get my keys.
Eeww. Yuck.
[Turns water on]
[Clatter]
[Gasps]
Shit.
Here. This is what
we've put together so far.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
ARMBRISTER: So they never
determined the cause...
for the fire that killed
your parents, did they?
You know,
it is an odd coincidence.
What?
ARMBRISTER: Your grandmother
and your parents and two fires.
Yeah.
Yeah, I guess it is.
Ah-ow!
Mmm.
TIFFANY: Oh, my God.
What the hell
are you doing in here, kid?
God, you scared me
half to death.
You shouldn't be in here.
Where's your mother?
Dead.
Look, I don't know
how you got in here...
but I want you out of here now.
What are you doing?
TIFFANY: What are you doing?
Aah!
Aah-aah!
Quiet down, you fuckin' whore!
Aah!
Aah! Aah!
Aah! Aah!
Go to a motel and fuck your
brains out, you fuckin' bitch!
Aah!
Hey, listen to this.
"The boy preacher Abel
of local fame...
"seduced God-fearing children
into leaving their parents...
"and following him.
"They worshipped
in the cornfields...
"hidden from prying adult eyes.
JAMIE: "When the sheriff
and his men...
"were closing in
on one of their revivals...
"the children lit the tent afire
and burned themselves alive.
"Only one young girl escaped
the fire with her life."
My grandma.
"The site of the tragedy...
"has been sold to the Hemco
real estate company...
"who will begin groundbreaking
on a swanky new building...
"the Hampton Arms,
within two months."
- Oh, my God.
- What?
The boy preacher Abel.
I found a picture of him
with Grandma Hattie.
It's the same boy.
[Children screaming]
[Gasps]
CHILD: Help me!
[Children laughing]
Unh. Unh.
[Child laughing]
[Children laughing]
The Hampton Arms
from sixty years ago.
God, all those children
died right here.
They're back.
From the dead?
No. Back in the sense
that they've started up again...
as a cult.
Cornfield's back.
Everything the way she left it?
Yeah.
I mean, I slept in the bed,
but...
She do this?
Well, I didn't.
Were you two on the outs?
No.
They're sleeping pills.
What's this?
What does it look like?
Um...
You got any plastic baggies?
Uh, yeah, I'll see.
But what does it look like?
Um... blood.
JAMIE: No baggies.
Good news.
It's not your grandmother's.
- It's not?
- It's Hershey's.
Chocolate?
Yeah. I guess you had me
going there with your paranoia.
Glad I didn't take it
to the lab.
- That's strange.
- What's that?
Her hat...
it was hanging right here.
[Children laughing]
You bastards!
- You want some coffee?
- Sure.
So, uh, what do you think?
ARMBRISTER: Well, there's
no indication of foul play.
Well, what about
the broken picture?
It fell off the table probably.
What about the kids?
What kids?
The kids
hangin' around in the street.
The kids in the building.
The kids that nobody seems
to notice except for me.
Me and that priest.
What priest?
[Sighs]
Look, let's just go with this.
My grandmother
survived a mass suicide.
Right here.
I mean, maybe she's come back...
out of some sort of misguided
survivor's guilt or something.
I don't know,
maybe they did something to her.
But you're talking about
something that happened...
sixty years ago.
Yeah.
Well, they were fanatics.
I mean,
Charlie Manson's family...
is still devoted to him
thirty-five years later.
But wouldn't that put them
in their, uh...
what, eighties by now?
OK.
Maybe the original people,
but, uh...
maybe they're a whole new
generation or something.
You should have seen those kids.
They acted like
they were brainwashed or...
hypnotized or something.
JAMIE:
They certainly didn't act...
like they were
from the 21st century.
Eesh, you should have seen them
playing a video game.
ARMBRISTER: I do not believe
that your grandmother...
was abducted by a group
of hyper-religious kids.
Sorry.
You have any matches?
[Gasps]
[Blows]
Maybe not.
Keep it.
[Sighs]
ARMBRISTER: Look, why don't you
get a motel or something?
You probably shouldn't
stay here.
You told me to,
in case she came back.
Well, that was before.
Before you thought
she wasn't coming back.
No, before I saw this place.
Oh.
ARMBRISTER: OK, uh,
why don't you stay at my place?
I'll sleep on the couch.
Actually, I don't have a couch,
but I'll sleep in the tub.
Well, technically,
it's a shower stall...
but, you know, it's very roomy.
No, really, thanks.
Hey, at least
let me buy you dinner.
I'll pick you up when I get off.
Um, can we make it 9:00,
actually?
I have an article deadline.
OK. 9:00's good.
[Door opens]
[Metallic squeaking]
[Wind whistling]
[Children laughing]
Pipe down, you fuckin' brats!
Fuckers!
God damn you, you kids!
Don't you...
You little bastards!
What the hell are you doing?
You stupid little... Stop!
MAN: Come on, you bastards!
Come on, stop this!
Stop, stop! Aah!
Aah!
[Children laughing]
Aah!
[Giggling]
[Laughter grows louder]
CHILD: Psst.
[Children chanting]
[Wind whistling]
CHILDREN:
... in the sky, in the sky.
I will stand...
[Children continue chanting]
[Chanting stops]
WOMAN: Jamie! Uhh!
Grandma?
[Woman speaking indistinctly]
[Breathing heavily]
[Child whispering]
[Breathing heavily]
[Giggling]
[Floor creaking]
[Wind whistling]
[Bell on door rings]
Hello?
Is anybody here?
Hello?
[Rustling]
Hey, wait!
Where'd you get that hat?
Hey, wait up!
[Bell on door rings]
[Chorus singing eerily]
[Train horn blowing]
[Children laughing]
Jerry!
Jerry, I want to talk to you!
Excuse me!
Sir!
Sir?
Hello!
Hello! Tiffany!
Tiffany, are you there?
Is anybody here?
[Panting]
- [Banging on door]
- [Gasps]
[Banging continues]
- Come on, let me in.
- No.
MAN: Well, I can't talk to you,
while... All right, never mind.
Look, I came by to tell you
that I'm leaving, OK?
You're the last one here.
What do you mean,
I'm the last one?
Found one of these
on your door yet, huh?
No.
Don't you think it's a little
bit early for Christmas?
What do you think, huh?
Look...
I'm out of here.
You watch yourself.
Watch yourself.
[Chorus singing eerily]
[Grunts]
[Electricity humming]
[Grunts]
[Panting]
[Man muttering]
MAN: Go on.
[Gasps]
What do you want?
What do you want?
[Gasping]
Huh! Aah!
Uhh! Uhh!
[Groaning]
Uhh!
BOYSINGING: Alleluia
[Electricity crackling]
[Object shatters]
[Shuts off faucet]
CHILDREN SINGING:
Miss Lucy had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Lucy went to heaven
The steamboat went to...
Hello, operator
Give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I'll kick you in your...
Behind the 'frigerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Lucy sat upon it
It went right up her...
Ask me no more questions
I'll tell you no more lies
Hi.
JAMIE: I'd like to talk
to you guys for a second.
I promise I won't hurt you.
[Both giggling]
Wait!
Wait, don't go away.
[Door squeaks]
[Door squeaks]
[Deep breathing]
- Aah!
- Wait for dada.
JAMIE: Ohh!
You'll be dead
if you ever do that to me again.
Jesus!
She must have been a very
willful child to resist him.
Who?
Where are your parents?
Dead.
I see.
What?
Communion wine.
No.
I don't believe in that.
I'm not asking.
[Muttering]
So what do you see?
You.
You're unfinished business.
How do you mean?
Your grandmother Hattie
should have died in the fire.
PRIEST:
Hence, your parents and you...
should never have been born.
According to who?
He who walks behind the rows.
Who is "he"?
You mean the devil?
[Scoffs]
Well, sorry, but I don't
believe in him, either.
No offense,
but he doesn't need your vote.
Remember Gatlin?
Gatlin?
A whole town murdered
by children possessed.
JAMIE: Yeah, well, thanks
for the history lesson...
but what does that have
to do with my grandmother?
What I need to know
is whether she's alive or dead.
She's dead.
PRIEST:
But probably not gone.
And what is that
supposed to mean?
Can't you for one moment...
conceive
of something in this universe...
that's larger than you?
I spent my whole life trying
to make others understand...
and I don't have
a lot of time left.
Your only chance of survival
is if you leave here.
Evil walks this place,
and it wants you.
There's a crazy, fanatical
religious cult...
that abuses children...
and if I find out that
they hurt my grandmother...
I'm gonna see to it
that they fry.
Hattie came here
to save you from them.
Now I'll pray for your soul,
because if you do not leave...
they'll make sure
that it's you that fries.
[Eerie whispering]
[Gasps]
Kill.
[Whimpering]
[Panting]
OK, I'll...
JAMIE:
I'll get your game.
OK?
I'll find your game.
[Panting]
There.
[Pushing buttons]
So, um...
do you know the old lady
who lives here?
I think you do.
[Heavy breathing]
I, um...
I think you and your friends
know where she is.
Don't you?
[Gasps]
I know where she is.
Show me.
[Door opens]
[Gas hissing]
[Siren]
It was find by a clerk
at around 8:00.
She came to relieve him.
She does the cash register
at night.
Right, and where is she now?
She was pretty shook up.
E.M.T. S took her
to the emergency room.
She was... she was pretty bad,
detective.
Ah. All right, thank you.
Any weapons
found near the remains?
Yeah, you might call it
a weapon.
What does that mean?
Well, we found it on the shelf
over there next to Yorick.
Child's tomahawk.
So how long do you think
he's been in there?
MAN: Two, three hours.
And what kind of weapon,
absent the tomahawk?
I'm gonna call it
a curved blade.
There's some rust
around the neck here.
Could be a farm tool.
Like a sickle maybe?
Yeah, somethin' like that.
[Stairs creak]
[Loud clicking]
Oh, my God.
[Breathing heavily]
[Whimpering]
Oh, you...
You can't.
You're dead.
You said you'd show me
where my grandmother is.
MAN: [Echoing]
She betrayed us.
She ran away
like a frightened little child.
She was
a frightened little child.
Where is my grandmother?
She's right here,
where she belongs...
where you belong.
[Gasps]
[Hattie's voice]
I'm sorry, dear.
Grandma!
I tried to warn you.
HATTIE: Run!
Aah!
Aah-aah!
Aah! Aah!
Uhh!
[Gasping]
[Running footsteps]
[Footsteps fade away]
Aah!
Uhh!
Uhh! Aah-aah-aah!
[Crying]
Ohh! Ohh!
[Screaming]
[Gasping]
[Panting]
[Gas hissing]
[Giggling]
Uhh-uhh!
Aah!
- Aah!
- Aah!
[Both screaming]
[Jamie screaming]
[Crying]
[Chorus singing eerily]
BOY: [Man's voice]
Give yourself.
It's his will.
So that's it, then?
[Echoing]
Join us.
[Gas hissing]
All right.
But there's something
you should know.
These little wreathes
of yours...
they're a real fire hazard.
Aah!
[Gasps]
- Aah!
- There is no escape!
BOY: It is destined!
Aah! Aah!
[Screaming]
[Gas hissing]
[Panting]
[Eerie groan]
[Groan]
[Electricity crackling]
[Groan]
Aah! Aah!
[Jamie screaming]
- [Cracking]
- [Gasps]
[Gasps]
[Gasping]
[Screaming]
[Chorus singing eerily]
[Voice snarls]
[Hissing]
No! Aah! No!
Aah! Aah!
No! No!
Aah! No!
[Voice snarls]
Aah!
[Jamie screaming]
[Hissing]
ARMBRISTER: Aah!
[Boy singing]
[Chorus singing peacefully]
[Boy singing]
[Chorus singing eerily]