Are we burning
some midnight oil?
Hi Mom, I didn't
hear you coming.
I guess I kinda got
caught up in it.
Something new?
I'm just experimenting.
Following the music.
I'm just going to work for a couple of
minutes and then I'm going to turn in.
Okay, sweetheart.
Pleasant dreams.
You too.
I love you.
I love you too.
Sorry, Mom.
I think that stereo has a
weird electrical short
or something.
I'm okay, I'm just
really into it tonight.
Stop now, okay?
Mom?
Hello?
Okay.
My goodness, that girl.
Hey.
The stereo's really loud.
Bethany, it's really late.
Are you okay?
Why are you sitting in the dark?
Bethany, answer me.
Bethany?
Bethany!
My God, my God,
please let me in!
Let me in!
Baby?
Baby, baby, where are you?
Bethany?
Bethany, baby?
Where are you?
Don't...
Don't...
Don't, don't what?
Let him get me.
Bethany, baby, please, who?
Don't let who get you?
Just a second.
Just a second.
My gosh.
My gosh!
I know.
What are you going to do?
Sorry, I just found
out 15 minutes ago.
Right, well,
shit!
Yeah.
And you haven't told Buckley?
My God, no.
I gotta figure some
things out first.
Are you guys having problems?
No.
I don't know, he keeps bringing
up moving in together again.
And that's a bad thing?
It's just a step I'm not
sure I'm ready to take.
Wait wait.
So, in summary, you're in a
positive, healthy relationship
with a solid, gainfully
employed guy,
who actually wants
to commit to you,
whose child you're now carrying.
Tell me where I send the
condolence letters to.
I guess I got a lot
of stuff left over
from how I grew up, and...
I've been taking care
of myself for so long,
and now with this baby,
I, I don't know.
I'm not comfortable rushing
myself into any kind
of giant commitment.
Yeah, but I think after
almost three years,
you're just dragging your feet.
Crap, I'm going to be late.
Yeah, that meeting
with Senorita Spooky?
Yeah, it's gonna be a long day.
Well, hey, call me if
you need me, okay?
Thanks.
Bye.
Thank you for your time
today, Professor Kern.
Your expertise will be a
great asset to my thesis
on the relevance of parapsychology
in modern psychiatry.
My pleasure.
Before we start, may I ask
what drew you to the subject?
I don't get many
inquiries like yours.
I guess I've always
been a bit fascinated
by the human condition.
Do you believe in
the supernatural?
Atheist searching for a miracle.
So just for the record, will
you please state your name?
Dr. Lois Kern, head of the Parapsychology
Department of Columbia University.
And how long have you
been investigating
and researching claims
of the paranormal?
Over 20 years.
I did my undergraduate
at Princeton University,
magna cum laude in the Classics,
and trained in Psychiatry
at the Yale University
School of Medicine,
before moving into
field studies.
And how many cases would
you say you've covered?
Personally, I've overseen 200.
How many were you able to
scientifically verify?
Three.
Out of 200, yes?
You seem disappointed.
You have to admit, it's a very
small percentage of the whole.
Miss Carpenter, Veronica, I'd
be remiss if I didn't admit
the majority of cases are
either outright hoaxes or,
when held up to the
scrutiny of rigorous
and regimented examination, fall
under clearly explainable means.
And science has given us
answers to primal fears.
What we once referred to as
monsters are now mutations.
The nature and order of the
world and the human body
can be seen in cells
under a microscope
rather than the pages
of fairy tales.
But you do believe
there were three cases
that have held up
to your rigorous
and regimented experimentation,
and were verifiable beyond
natural explanation.
Levittstown,
Pennsylvania in '95.
I witnessed a woman who
undoubtedly possessed
strong telekinetic abilities,
especially when emotionally provoked.
Small things, lights
flickering, drawers opening.
Though her grandmother claimed
on a good day she could levitate
the household pets at will.
2001, in Yonkers, I was on a
team investigating a haunting.
The McKutcheons.
A family bought a
two-story fixer-upper,
claimed multiple instances
of ghostly activity?
A group of four, and
myself, spent several days
in the house
investigating incidents.
What about the third case?
The third.
The Clovitz case.
The little boy, Jacob
Clovitz, ten years old,
you're aware of the
case I'm referring to?
It's the hallmark of my work.
Your study was the first
to officially medically
validate an actual
case of possession
in the New Oxford Review.
You witnessed his
non-sanctioned exorcism?
Yes.
Previous to the case,
because of my background
in clinical psychiatry,
I'd been brought in
to assist as a medical doctor.
So this wasn't the first time.
I've been party to seven.
Exorcism has a history
in several cultures.
Psychologically it's sometimes
useful as a pure placebo.
The victim believes they're
under duress from forces.
Performing the ritual,
under proper supervision,
helps the psychosis cure itself
by the same suggestive means.
So these seven individuals
were all suffering
from psychosis.
You know, spinning
heads, pea soup.
No.
I'm afraid not.
But do you believe that
Jacob was different,
that he was under the
prevalent influence
of multiple malevolent
demonic entities?
Have you ever seen true evil?
I'm sorry, Professor, I'm not
sure I understand the question.
Well, in personal experience,
I have interviewed
prison inmates,
convicted of rape and murder,
misogynists, deviants, killers.
My boyfriend has done some work
for the police forensic unit.
He once photographed a six month
old boy with broken ribs,
whose mother happened
to be holding him
at the inopportune
time that she got
into a physical domestic spat.
I even masochistically
watch the evening news,
so I am fully aware of
the horrible things
that human beings
are capable of.
I do not, however, believe
in evil as an entity
or consciousness beyond that.
All people are
capable of darkness.
True evil, something
else altogether.
It's not merely a collection
of badly wired brain impulses,
or everyday brutality.
It's more.
It's the absence of light.
Tell me a little bit more
about Jacob Clovitz.
On the surface, it
appeared to be another,
albeit rare, case
of abelobscene.
Tremors and convulsions
soon developed
into violent outbursts,
expressionless gazes,
uncontrolled speech.
He needed psychological
evaluation and treatment,
but his devout parents felt he
was beyond modern medicine.
They petitioned the Church for
intervention several times,
but lack of evidence, previous
hospitalizations, and
a potential PR nightmare for
a scandal-plagued diocese...
And how did you initially
become involved?
His Aunt.
A nurse, and personal friend.
And she believed the parents,
that the child was under
some sort of possession?
No, she thought he was neglected
until the day she
called me in hysterics.
She'd been watching him that day
when he somehow found
a metal spike,
and began carving
into his own arm.
She was unsure, and
feared for his life,
and asked me to visit him.
I agreed.
He was sweet.
He didn't disassociate,
was unaware of what he said
or did during his fits,
but knew that he had them,
and that it worsened.
His states of lucidity
dwindled in relation
to these episodes.
It was like he was disappearing.
And you were there the
day of his exorcism.
Jacob's parents contacted
an unlicensed specialist.
An excommunicated priest,
Father Santiago.
What did you see?
Help me.
I don't think I can
explain what occurred.
I can tell you nothing
in my lifetime,
my work before or after,
could have prepared me.
I've spent the last
12 years trying.
Is that your tape recording?
I couldn't listen
until months later.
Are you sure you
want to hear this?
Thank you, Professor,
I can handle it.
Yes.
Seven hours later, no change.
I took a much-needed break.
After only a few minutes
of having left the room,
he violently attacked his father
and jumped out a
third floor window.
The boy died, correct?
Yes, but not from
the initial fall.
He made it three blocks
on severely broken legs
before running directly...
In my expert opinion, this
boy was under the control
of something that was true evil.
Can I get a copy of that tape?
Watch Movies And Series!
What are you doing?
Professional, smart,
sex goddess.
I'm trying to focus here.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Very interesting.
It's research.
I'm meeting up with that
professor again tomorrow
to investigate
this lady's claims
that her house is
besieged by evil spirits.
You're kidding me.
You buy into any of this stuff?
Of course not.
Not even a little bit?
We don't live in the
dark ages anymore.
What?
I'm totally sleeping
with a heathen.
Shut up.
Like you're so righteous?
Hey, my family's
from North Carolina.
We're some God-fearing folk.
I don't know, I guess
if anybody could
make me a true believer...
She's debunked way more
than she's proven to be
true paranormal events.
Fellow academics lovingly refer
to her as the miracle killer.
But now she believes in this?
Maybe even more than people
who had just jumped to
conclusions, you know.
It's like she's actually
looking for real evidence
that there's something
more out there.
One case in particular
spooked her pretty bad.
This kid died in a
botched exorcism.
Yeah.
She played me the craziest tape.
I got a copy for my notes.
Well, this is all pretty
enthralling pre-bedtime material.
There was something
else I kinda wanted
to talk to you about.
I was just wondering if you'd
thought any more about
what I asked you
about last week.
I, I just, I really have
a lot of reading to do.
I mean, it just
makes sense, right?
We're both in new
periods of growth.
I'd really like to come home to
the same place as you every day.
Officially.
We are in a really
good place right now.
We can talk about it
again soon, I promise.
This is so crazy.
Look at these statistics.
Sixty percent of Americans
believe in ghosts?
Another twenty percent claim
a personal experience.
Hey.
Forty eight percent...
Buckley, stop.
I can't control myself.
Buckley!
There is no Buckley, only Zool.
No wait, look, look at this.
Five stages of a haunting.
Okay, stage one.
Cold spots, noises, odors, hearing
footsteps, and feelings of being watched.
It's so weird.
Stage two, gets more
advanced, right?
Whispers, laughs,
moans, shrieking.
Moans, shrieking,
now I'm interested.
Moans and shrieking
and moving shadows.
Stage three, lights and
other electrical appliances
turning on and off.
Unseen hands grabbing
or touching.
Writings or pattern markings.
Doors that open or
close themselves.
Stage four, the appearance
of full apparitions,
movement or disappearing
of objects, windows,
mirrors or other household
objects breaking for no reason.
And,
stage five, here.
The culmination of all the events
previous but with more intensity.
The entity has gradually moved
up into clear consciousness
from the energy
it's been building,
and then things get violent.
Mom!
Mom!
Mom!
Sorry if I kept you
waiting at all.
The trains were
death this morning.
Good morning.
I hope you got a good rest.
Why, is there a
decathlon portion
of the day I'm not aware of?
These investigations can be
very taxing emotionally
on all parties.
It's best to enter with a clear
mind and a full battery.
Well, I've got my little
cup of go-go juice here,
so let's not waste any time.
You've got a lot of spirit.
You'll have to forgive me,
this is all pretty new to me.
I'm still trying to wrap
my head around it all.
I've been working
doubles at the hospital
with everything happening.
We're both a little on edge.
Sugar or milk?
No, this is fine, thank you.
Please, just from the beginning.
Well, it started
maybe a month ago.
Not enough to really
notice at first.
I would come home.
It was freezing.
My daughter thought the
pipes were broken,
because of this loud
clanging and banging.
Then, there were
the other sounds.
Um, what kind of sounds?
I feel silly saying this.
I mean, it's crazy.
It's okay, Ms. Mills.
Joan.
Joan, just be as
detailed as you can.
Mocking sounds.
Whispers, laughter,
things would be moved.
I'm scared.
Have you or anyone in the house been
attacked or physically assaulted?
Bethany, my daughter, she was thrown
from the bed a few weeks ago.
I went in the room.
I couldn't see anyone.
But I felt it.
Right behind me, I
felt this anger.
And my girl, she
hasn't been herself.
She won't eat, or sleep.
Sometimes she's just zoning out.
Have you ever experienced
anything like this
previous to a month ago?
No, we've been in this
house over 20 years.
After my husband passed, he had bone
cancer when my daughter was very young.
We've never had
anything like this.
Has your daughter always
been in the house with you?
Last year...
She was in a bad accident.
The driver wrapped his
car around a tree.
Died instantly.
We weren't sure she was...
I'm sorry, you just go through
this with your husband,
and then with your own child.
I'm not a very religious person,
but I prayed to every
deity I could remember,
and then made up some the day
that she opened her eyes
and came back.
What kind of injuries did your
daughter sustain in the crash?
Severe swelling, hemorrhaging,
she was in a coma a few weeks.
Terrible migraines.
Um, what kind of
medication was she on?
Pain killers, mostly.
Any permanent brain damage?
No, no, thank God.
All scans and tests came
back perfectly fine.
I think the doctors
were even surprised.
Is she home now?
May we speak to her?
Ms. Mills?
Where's your daughter?
I can't seem to get
her to come up.
She says it's not safe
for her to come up.
I want to tell her
she's ridiculous,
that it's perfectly safe...
But you don't believe that?
I don't know what I
believe anymore.
May we go down in the basement?
Hi, Bethany.
My name is Lois Kern, and this is
my associate, Veronica Carpenter.
We'd like to talk to you about
what's been going on in the house.
I see.
Your mother's filled us in
on what you've both
been going through,
but we'd like to hear from
you as well, if it's okay.
I'm not sure what
I can tell you.
This is really lovely work.
Is this yours?
Yeah, um, I'm not sure where
it's going right now.
It's, it's kind of a mood piece.
They say that artists
are always channeling
what's going below the surface.
In art school it was all
mastering technique
and discipline,
and then stripping that away
and returning to intuition.
It seems like a long way around to
get back where you started from.
Agreed.
Do you spend a lot
of time down here?
Sometimes.
Lately, yeah.
Your mother says you've
been spending more time
down here since the
incidents started.
It's safer down here.
What do you mean safer?
Do you feel safer
down here, Bethany?
I won't let it hurt her.
Who?
Don't do that.
What?
That.
It's condescending.
I apologize.
I didn't know.
You know.
You know there's
something very bad here.
Do you believe your
house is haunted?
I don't know about all that.
I...
I just feel sorry
for my poor mother.
She's stressed at work,
and she's scared for me,
because she knows...
What does she know, Bethany?
I'm the one they really want.
My father was my protector.
He...Would scoop me up
if I had a nightmare.
And he would tell me that
everything was going to be okay,
and that no one would hurt me.
You know, if there was
something in the closet,
or under the bed, he'd save me.
When he first got really sick,
they took him to
the hospital ward.
And I couldn't sleep
through the night,
because,
my protector was far away, and
the things in the
dark could get me.
I visited him once.
He looked so sick and weak.
But,
he told me about this light.
And that,
he was only moving
on to somewhere
that he could look
after us better.
That he was never
gonna actually leave.
And I could sleep again because,
when I saw sunshine or a
flame I'd say, there he is.
He's watching over us.
But now, with all this stuff,
it was a lie, wasn't it?
Maybe there's no light,
there's no after this.
There are still
things in the dark.
What kind of things?
Hungry things.
Do you know what's
in this house?
It's darkness.
Blacker than the blackest.
I thought I was going crazy,
and I'm still not sure I'm not,
but I just don't understand what,
I don't understand why
it's happening to us.
I mean, did we do something?
Did I do something?
You didn't do anything, Bethany.
I'm sorry, I guess I'm a
little bit of a mess here.
It's okay.
It's, it's okay to
fall apart sometimes.
We pick ourselves up.
Stay strong and...
Is your family
particularly religious?
Like church and stuff?
No, I mean, we went to
church a few times,
and Mom prayed a lot when Dad...
I guess it didn't stick.
We often find strengths in
the unlikeliest of places.
I have something dear to me
that might help you
find strength.
Something given to me that
I'd like to offer you.
Don't you dare fucking
cross me with that again.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
I don't know what...
I, I, I don't know what...
Bethany.
Bethany?
Bethany.
We need to call an ambulance.
Please help me.
What are you gonna name it?
Name what?
The baby.
I'm sorry.
I'm not.
Excuse me.
Are you okay?
What?
Yeah, I was just getting a
little stuffy in there.
What did she say?
Nothing.
It was just a misunderstanding.
So, Joan and her daughter's
story seem to fit most
of the five stages of a haunting
as per your research outline.
I don't think we're
dealing with a haunting.
You think they're making it up.
I wasn't sure myself, I mean,
the mother's been working
herself to the bone,
and the daughter's
severe head trauma
would account for any
personality shifts,
but that thing with the nail?
I'm afraid we're dealing
with something else.
I'm not following.
A haunting at its most
basic is leftover energy
from a human presence,
their experiences.
I'm now believing that
whatever is in this house
has never been human.
Baby.
You have to eat.
Keep your strength up.
I'm not hungry.
Baby, please, try.
Please try just for me.
No!
I said I'm not hungry!
I'm so..
I'm so sorry, I'm, I, I,
I didn't mean, I...
It's okay, baby.
It's okay.
It's okay, I'll make
something else.
Sh, sh, sh.
It's okay.
It's okay.
I wish Dad were here.
I know.
I know, I miss him too.
You miss him?
I do.
I do, so, so much.
Yes.
The way he...
Trusts you!
Buckley?
What are you doing?
Turn it off, it's not funny.
I said, turn it off!
Hey, Christ, you scared
the shit out of me.
Is everything alright?
I didn't know you were
coming over today.
Yeah, I got done at
the studio early.
I figured we could order
in, watch a movie.
Hey, what's going on, you okay?
I'm fine, I just...
Look, I gave you the
key to the apartment,
but it would still be
nice to know when...
you're gonna be here instead
of just showing up.
Hey, is this about the tape?
I was just...
It was out, I was curious.
I mean, can you blame
me, how often...
It's just not respectful
to enter someone's home
and start going through
all their things.
A little civility
would be appreciated.
What if I just came to your studio and
started going through all your bags
and your equipment?
What are you doing?
Come on, Buckley.
No, no, not when
you get like this.
I know enough to just
exit stage left.
I guess this is the one perk
of us still having
separate places, right?
You can just bail
when it gets heavy.
Buckley.
Hello?
Hello?
Jesus.
Yeah.
Do not come back to me now.
Who is this?
Please, me safe.
Listen, Keeley, if this is
some kind of stupid joke,
it's not funny, okay?
Listen, I'm gonna call the cops.
She belongs to us,
and she's ours.
No.
God, my God.
My God.
Who are you?
What do you want from us?
Just leave her alone!
Just please leave her alone!
Please, please.
She invited us.
And we like it here.
But she invited us.
Invited us.
You know what he did
to her, didn't you?
Didn't you?
Bethany.
Every night.
Every night, you
know what happens?
Every night?
Ms. Mills.
Something's happening.
You're sure you heard her right.
She said Gahenna.
I thought it was just a
rain of sound at first,
but it was so clear.
My God, her eyes.
If you saw her face,
it wasn't her.
Veronica, stay up here with Ms.
Mills.
Well, why?
What's going on?
I'm going downstairs
to check on Bethany.
So, then I should go with you.
No, no, I need to be
sure of something.
Wait, what...
What is Gahenna?
It's Hebrew.
It's the word for Hell.
This is crazy, you...
Just stay with Ms. Mills!
You were to observe and assist.
Now, I'm asking you
to by staying here.
I'll be, I'll be right back.
Bethany?
Bethany?
Who are you?
Who are you?
Who are you?
Like he said, my
names are legion.
For we are many.
Who are you?
Professor Kern?
I said, who are you!
Tell me your name!
What is your name?
Lois!
You!
Professor Kern?
You need to go to the hospital and
have that properly looked at.
Do you hear me?
Professor Kern.
Lois.
Did you see her face?
Did you see it?
I'm worried you're in shock.
You need medical attention, and
we need the proper authorities
to come and deal with
what's going on here.
We're not dealing
with a haunting.
I know.
That's what I'm saying.
This is a demonic infestation.
This house, Bethany,
it's connected.
It's...
strong.
I, I know that deep
down you really believe
in these things.
And I know I don't have
your years of experience,
or your guilt.
But what is happening in this
house is not supernatural.
That doesn't make it any
less tragic, though.
There is a very sick
young woman downstairs.
She has already
suffered terribly,
and she will only
hurt someone else
or very well herself, unless she is
treated by trained professionals.
As a medical professional
you can see rationally
what needs to happen
in this situation.
You still don't believe, do you?
In ghosts and devils and
the ethereal world?
No.
No, I'm sorry, I don't.
I can't.
I agree with you that
she's in danger.
Mortal danger.
But there's nothing anyone
from the medical community
can do about it.
There's no help she
can be offered
for what oppressing her now.
You will have to
forgive my inability
to make unnecessary
leaps of faith,
when there is a clearly
more rational answer
sitting right in front of me.
I will not turn a
blind eye to the fact
that Bethany is a clear
danger to herself
and to others, just to give
credence to some half-baked notion
that this family's problems are
anything beyond explainable science.
It's gone quiet now down there.
That isn't my daughter
anymore, is it?
Of course it is, Mrs.
Mills, please understand.
I know my girl.
A mother always does.
Whatever's in that basement,
maybe it looks like
her, sounds like...
It's not her.
It's still your daughter, Joan.
But it's corrupting
whatever's left of her.
Soon it's going to be
taking over completely.
What?
Professor, please don't.
A Gahenna demon.
They were the most feared,
the first fallen,
they'd linger where dead
bodies were disposed,
where children were sacrificed
to Caananite deities.
They have no desire but to
spread fear and suffering
to all they encounter,
especially those they inhabit.
Then, then what?
Lois, please.
Possession.
The demon, unable to remain
without dominion here,
latches itself.
It infects, corrupts,
and rots the host out
from the inside until
there's nothing left.
This is so wrong.
Then, what, what is it doing?
Stop it, you are upsetting her!
What is it doing?
Someone tell me what it's
doing to my little girl!
It's killing her.
I'm sorry, Joan.
No, no, don't be
sorry, don't be sorry!
Help me!
You have to!
You have to!
Joan, please, Mrs. Mills,
I understand, I do.
My mother suffered from
severe mental illness.
She spent my childhood
hospitalized.
She couldn't tear
herself out of bed.
That was hell.
That was mine.
I watched it eat away her,
until she, she never got
the help that she needed.
And I,
promised myself.
I promised that I would have a better
understanding of what she went through.
I wouldn't watch one
more person slip away
without getting the
help that they needed.
Mrs. Mills, please, if
you love your daughter,
you will let me help her.
Today.
You can't stop it if
you don't know it.
Is that what it's going to take?
Is that what it's going to take
to make you both see that we are
dealing with mental illness?
Veronica, wait! Don't!
No, this ends right now.
Mrs. Mills, call an ambulance
for Professor Kern.
I am going downstairs to
talk to your daughter,
and prove that there is
nothing more to this.
And then, I implore you, please, don't
further feed your daughter's psychosis.
We need to break the cycle and
get her proper treatment.
And if neither of you will
do it, I will do it myself.
Please, if you insist
on going down there.
Humor me.
That's all I'm asking.
This ends when I
get back up here.
Bethany?
Bethany can't come out
to play right now.
Bethany, Bethany, it's
Veronica Carpenter.
We met the other day.
We know who you are.
Disbeliever.
We've been expecting you.
We have something for you.
A gift, from us to you.
A gift.
What is that?
Faith.
Faith?
True faith.
We know you don't believe in us.
You don't want any of
us to be your shaman.
You don't believe in the works of the
filthy old drunk whore upstairs, do you?
You smell the alcohol on her breath,
and the desperation in her voice.
Disgust, that a medical professional
could let a child die,
and believe in fairy tales.
Or is it something else
you're disbelieving?
Look.
Today is a day of miracles,
for we walk amongst you.
Who are you?
You keep saying we.
How many are you?
Rush rush rush, rabbit.
First we have a favor
we want to ask of you.
We want you to see
us, to know us,
write our gospels for us.
Will you be our messenger?
How can I do such a
thing if I don't know
with whom I'm speaking?
Am I to believe I'm
speaking with the devil?
Unh unh, try again.
Then, who am I speaking to?
Nothing.
Why are you here?
Because we wish to be free.
Free?
From what?
Gahenna.
From hell?
You're all so pathetic
and human, you know.
Hell, to use an abstract
concept of a mere word.
You hear it and you think
fire and brimstone,
torture, darkness.
It's all so much worse.
It's a continual flaying of
the psychic nerve endings.
A solitude and a darkness
so whole and complete.
Can you imagine
eternity in that?
No, you can't fathom how
long an eternity is.
There is no time or
matter in eternity.
Echoes in the abyss.
We are the unspoken
ones who dwell there.
Our only respite is to cloak
ourselves in this flesh.
So if you are what
you say you are,
and there is such a great evil,
then there must be an opposite.
That means there's a god.
Is there a god?
Shoos!
You didn't answer my question.
Is there a god?
If you speak of the
great thing again
we'll rip out your tongue
and feed it to you.
I only ask because you seem to
wish me to write about you.
In which case there
are some questions
that need to be answered,
wouldn't you agree?
Why do you question
what you don't know?
Do you wish to know a
pig that sits silently
while atrocities are
being committed here?
I'll change the subject, then.
What do you want with Bethany?
To make her suffer.
To make every breath
an indignant agony.
But why?
Because we can.
Because she let us in here.
No, no no, I didn't.
I didn't, I swear.
Shut up, you bitch!
She let us in, when she
was by the roadside,
bleeding to death,
drifting into darkness.
It didn't take much.
When confronted with
darkness, you will question,
argue and barter.
Consequence be damned.
So we made her an offer.
We would restore her, as long as
we were allowed to hitch a ride.
So now here we are.
So you tricked her, then.
No, she let us in willingly!
Why is it you all
are so unwilling
to admit your flaws
and weaknesses?
Sins, carry them around like you're full
of fear, or lies that you tell everyone.
Tell yourselves.
He touched me.
I never told anyone,
but it's true.
He touched me in...
Bad ways.
Bethany.
My protector.
He came in at night,
and he held me down.
And he did things.
Your father?
What did he do to you?
He fucked her!
So, that's all.
There's not an inch
that he didn't lick.
Not a crevasse that he didn't.
The old bitch upstairs
knew all about it.
She pretended to be
asleep every night.
She just denied it.
And she blamed her own child.
She blamed her own child!
How do I know you're
telling the truth?
Because you know it.
Do I?
You could very
easily be lying, or
manipulating half-truths.
We have no reason to lie.
The truth cuts deeper.
We know all secrets.
Even yours, Veronica.
You're ripe with fear and doubt.
It shouts to us.
Sings choruses.
You don't want the
child you're bearing.
Useless, incon...
Do you hate it?
Or are you just afraid?
Incapable of loving it like
your mother wasn't loving you.
You don't know anything.
Maybe.
She's in hell, you know.
Your mother.
She's in hell.
With us.
I don't know what
you're talking about.
She slit her wrists, didn't she?
Foolish bitch.
And now she burns.
Now she suffers.
Please, please, I'm
in so much pain,
please Veronica, please!
She cries in the darkness.
Agonizing daily as
we torment her.
As we tear the flesh hungrily
from her bones, gnawing.
My, my, my.
What have we done now now now.
All those years, wasted, trying
to save her through others
though you know you never can.
She'll always be in that tub,
bleeding out, trying to
escape this world, and you.
It was too much for her.
All over you.
You don't know anything
about me or my family.
We know everything.
Why you cannot attach
yourself to this small being.
You fear the darkness
in her rests in you.
Some day it will be
too much for you too.
You'll give up, lose your desire to live
and you'll end up alone in the darkness.
Alone, with us.
Like her.
You're sick.
You are sick and
you're full of shit!
Do you miss me, Veronica?
We all do.
Bethany.
Don't fight it, we will help
you through lack of faith.
Let us show you, let
us in, let us in.
Let us in!
She is ours, we will
never let her go!
Rotten curse on your womb!
Are you okay?
What?
What?
I'm sorry.
I have to go.
You have to, but, but.
Wait, she's gonna be
alright, isn't she?
You can do something
to help her, yeah?
Please!
Veronica,
you saw it now, didn't you?
I know what it's like when the
darkness looks back into us.
Given years hoping
it was in my head.
But it's back.
And I can't watch this
again, not without fighting.
And we can stop it this time.
I can't.
I'm sorry, I just...
Veronica, wait!
Veronica.
Are you ready to come
play with us again?
We've been waiting a long time
for you to come
and play with us.
You're not in this room.
We had ever so much
fun last time.
I'm not going to let
you do this again.
We can wait as long as it takes.
Forever, if need be.
And it'll still be us, and you.
In the dark together.
We have so many things planned.
No more.
I'm going to stop you this time.
Do you hear me?
I'm going to stop you.
We've been waiting for
you, little sheep.
We've been waiting
for you, Veronica.
Waiting for your child.
We all are, and you'll
never get away.
Please, please,
please don't hang up.
Please don't hang up.
Thanks for meeting me.
Hey, no problem.
You sounded pretty
wrecked on the phone.
I'm just starting to think
this isn't about our fight.
Or us at all.
What's going on?
I don't know...
I think...
I feel like I'm
losing my mind.
I'm sorry, I don't
know why I'm doing this.
I, you know me right.
You know I always try
to be, rational.
And understanding, and...
These last few days I
have seen and felt things
that I don't know
how to explain.
With the professor?
I'm not crazy, right?
I'm not my Mom?
I know it's real, and
I know it's true.
Of course, of course.
Hey, hey, I'm here.
I'm here now, okay?
You can tell me what it is.
I'm pregnant.
Pregnant?
How long have you known?
I don't know, maybe a week.
I guess I knew before that but
I just confirmed it, so...
Do you know what you
want to do, or...
I don't want to hurt you.
You can't.
You won't.
You're not alone, you know?
We can work this out together.
Whatever you decide,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Shit.
I have shoots with
clients in 40 minutes.
I'll cancel it.
That's fine, you should go.
No, this is important.
No, it's fine.
Buckley, you should go.
You sure?
We can talk about this.
Okay?
We want you now, cheff.
You'll never get away.
You're ours, you're ours!
Veronica?
Are you there?
Yes.
You know what it really is.
What we're dealing with?
It's evil.
True evil.
Yes.
Do you know now you
can't just walk away?
Veronica?
Yes.
How do we stop it?
This is all I could find.
It'll work, thanks.
In ancient times, salt was used
to consecrate, and ward off evil.
We can hopefully
contain it long enough
to complete the ritual.
Jacob's exorcist left
this to me when he died.
It's very old, very special.
Talisman meant to bind
and banish a demon
back into the pit.
Its elements are rare.
And it's blessed.
But understand, our combined
faith and strength alone
is going to defeat this entity.
Without that, we have nothing.
Now whatever you hear,
whatever happens,
I need you to remain upstairs.
Once we start, we can't
stop until it's finished.
It'll become more reckless,
defensive, and violent.
Stop at nothing to remain here.
Faith.
Wait.
I have something I
want to show you both.
My sunshine.
I was so scared
when she was born.
Loving something that much.
Beyond even yourself.
I failed her.
I've made mistakes in my life.
Maybe this is punishment.
I don't know if I deserve
forgiveness, but my baby's innocent.
Whatever's in that basement, it
thinks that it can break me.
Take the love I have for her.
It has no idea how strong a bond
between a mother and her child.
It has no idea.
Now, you go down there, and you
bring me back my little girl.
You save her.
I need to know you're
gonna be okay down there.
I am scared.
Me too.
But it's the only time
we ever get to be brave.
Here we are now.
Entertain us.
That smell!
Sulfur, ignore it.
You're not going to win.
By the powers, principalities,
thrones and dominions,
I bind you.
By the powers, principalities,
thrones and dominions,
I bind you.
By the powers, principalities,
thrones and dominions,
I bind you.
You were always such
a disappointment.
You break the circle, bitch.
You break it now, or it's gonna
be so much worse for you.
I will drag you kicking and
screaming into the pit,
and stuff your mouth
with your own excrement.
You can't win, bitch.
You couldn't save little Jacob,
and you can't save her.
She is ours.
You hear me?
Shut up!
You'll have nothing!
Nothing!
This is where you
put your faith?
This old bitch?
She couldn't save little Jacob.
We did play with him so.
After he did his vile acts
and carved into himself?
We stayed forever and
dropped the fear
as we threw him in
front of that car.
We want Jacob's bones!
Lois, the circle!
How dare you.
How dare you!
Stay with me forever,
or leave me now!
And you're wimping out if you
don't shove it down your throat.
Stop!
Bethany!
You let her go right
now, you son of a bitch!
You leave my daughter alone!
Wait your turn!
We have special plans for you,
you deceitful bitch.
Baby, please.
I know you're there.
I know you're still there.
Baby, please, I
know you're there.
Bethany, I know you're in there.
I know you're in
there, and I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for what
happened to you.
For what he did to you.
I'm sorry, I didn't know.
Liar!
I didn't know!
I'm sorry.
I should have protected you!
Lies!
Everything, you knew
everything he did to her,
and you did nothing.
Nothing!
You pig!
I know you're still in there.
I know it.
I know you're fighting.
And I'm not going to
leave you this time.
I am not going to leave you.
You bitch!
I won't let you be alone.
Your daughter can see and
feel everything we do
in this body.
And we are going to rip
you apart piece by piece.
I'm not going to leave you.
Mama?
Bethany, fight!
No!
She is, she is ours!
Ours!
No, no, no, no.
She's free now.
It's okay, it's okay.
You saved her.
You took a...
You, you did it.
It knows you.
We tell stories and
try to rationalize
the darkness that surrounds us,
and name the kind that
dwells within us.
But for all of our
collective fears
of the unknown evils
that lay just
outside the harsh light of day,
perhaps our greatest
fear is merely
to acknowledge the darkness
capable in our own hearts.
Our own sins.
We're afraid to see it
to touch it, terrified
that it will consume us.
Or, perhaps...
Perhaps we are afraid that
if we see the darkness,
it will then see us.