Original subtitles

In this world, there is real evil.

In the darkest shadows and in the most ordinary places.

These are the true stories of the innocent and the unimaginable.

Marie Potter knows that her daughter Julie has powers of perception beyond

the five senses.

In profound silence, something unknowable speaks to her.

Something that torments the family and fights to destroy

everything they hold sacred.

Between the world we see and the things we fear, there are

doors. When they are opened, nightmares become reality.

The Hudson Valley of upstate New York has long been rumored to be a land of

ghosts and demons.

Early Dutch explorers named it the Devil's Playground.

And pioneers told stories of terrifying supernatural encounters.

Even today, some inhabitants report horrifying hauntings.

In the fall of 1998, single mother Marie Potter struggles to care for her

children, Paul, Angela, and Julie.

Julie suffers from a severe birth defect.

She cannot walk or talk.

To protect her identity, Marie appears in shadow.

Her comprehension seemed to be okay, but her expressive abilities were less.

Her communication was more facial expressions or sounds.

The

family moved

into the house three years earlier.

Ever since Julie has seemed to watch and smile at unseen visitors

To me, the way she was reacting, it looked like someone was playing peekaboo

through the wall.

Because she'd look at it funny and look startled when it would come back.

I thought it was angels.

Marie is confident that whatever the cause of Julie's strange behavior, it

doesn't pose any threat to her daughter.

I just assumed it would be good.

Just because of how she was.

In 1998, Marie visits her childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York,

where friends introduce her to an intriguing stranger named Chris.

He seemed down to earth and honest, and he had a good sense of humor.

So he kind of hit it off.

Chris admires Marie's grit and determination and immediately falls for

her.

She doesn't take any garbage from anybody, and I kind of like that.

A few weeks later, Marie invites Chris to her house.

Hi.

Glad you could make it.

Chris has an ominous feeling as soon as he steps through the door.

It felt very crowded.

It's like you're walking out from outdoors into a closet.

That much of an atmospheric feeling, as you went from a lot of air to no air.

And it was a big open room, so there should have been plenty of air.

He tries to ignore the uneasy feeling.

This is Paul, and this is Angela.

Kids, this is Chris.

The kids and I really hit it off.

They're wonderful kids.

This is Julie.

Julie?

Julie, honey, I'd like you to meet Chris.

Hi, Julie.

She could kind of see through you.

Or into you.

It's okay.

If you were not nice, she would know.

It was really nice meeting you.

She kind of glanced at me and she gave me a big smile and I just smiled back.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Sure.

Chris decides to tell Marie about the uneasy feeling he got when he entered

the house.

He explains that as a teenager he studied the paranormal and discovered

that he had a natural ability to sense spirits.

What do you mean?

Chris believes that there is some kind of supernatural activity inside Marie's

house. Look, I'm not trying to scare you. I just think you have something

like that in this house.

Marie assumes that Chris is talking about whatever Julie is communicating

with.

What Marie thinks of as angels.

He said they're not good.

I thought, why would it be bad? Didn't make any sense why it would be bad.

Chris leaves.

Curious about the nature of the home's unseen inhabitants.

He fears that the family could be at risk.

Wake up, kids. School day.

A few days later, in the early morning.

Paul, get in here.

Were you playing in here last night?

It wasn't me.

It was a boy with yellow hair.

What boy?

Boy that comes at night.

Nice try.

Pick your toys up, put them in your room.

No, the little boy likes to play with them.

He plays in the living room. I don't want him in my room.

My hand is my pillow. My hand

is

my pillow.

Mommy, there's somebody in my room.

She came into my room.

There's a boy with blonde hair in my room. I want him out.

So where is he?

Well, he was right there.

She got angry.

He was here.

So what

about

your job in the city?

I can commute.

I mean, it's only an hour and ten minutes by train.

Over the following weeks, Marie and Chris grow closer.

I like it here.

Eventually, he moves in and becomes a father figure to the children.

They would start doing stuff to make me and Marie happy.

And if they didn't want me there, they would have made it painfully obvious.

They were very open, and once the relationship started, It just blossomed.

Yeah, pass those rolls down here.

You guys are really excited about going on vacation.

The natural assumption was that it must have been a figment of her imagination,

or a ghost.

I don't know what we're going to do, but we're going to do something.

Have you ever used a Ouija board?

Chris believes that a Ouija board will help him communicate with the spirits in

the house.

I wanted to find out if there was a message they were trying to tell us.

Find out what they want.

Marie has doubts.

Do you know what you're doing? Because I never did this.

And he's like, oh, yeah, I've used this before.

He said to me, this is what you do. You put your hands on the planjet, and I'll

ask the questions, and it will move.

Is the spirit here that wishes to speak?

And I said, yeah, OK.

I said, sure.

It's not going to move.

That doesn't make any sense. How can this thing move on its own?

Is there a spirit here that wishes to speak?

Is there a spirit here that wishes to speak?

Yes.

Chris, if you're doing that... I said you did it.

Swear. He goes, no, I didn't move it. Swear to God.

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

I'm sure.

What is your name?

F.

A.

N.

K.

Frank.

Frank, why are you here?

The planchette moves to the letters J and P.

That's Julie's initials. He wants Julie.

We don't know that for sure.

What else could it be?

Frank, what do you want with Julie?

Frank, are you here?

There was no response for that.

Chris refuses to give up. Is there a spirit here that wishes to speak?

He goes, okay, is there anybody else here?

It went to yes.

And he said, what's his name? And went to Adam.

And he asked, who are you?

And it spelled out the word son.

Chris freaked.

Because his ex-wife had aborted a child.

So he thought it was his son.

That's when I kind of got freaked out.

And that was like, why are you following me?

And it wouldn't answer.

What if it's my son?

What if it's my son?

I said to Chris, I said, it might not be your son.

He said, it is. I know it is.

Adam, are you here?

We should have stopped.

He said, did you hear that?

I don't hear anything. What are you talking about?

Hold on.

There was banging underneath the floor of the kitchen.

And then sounds from the hallway in the basement.

I was like, what is going on?

Oh, my God. Hold on, Chris.

Chris?

They were trying to do everything they could to start scaring us.

It looked like paint.

It felt like paint.

I asked the kids, and they said, no, it wasn't them.

Marie knows there is no white paint in the house, and the handprints do not

match the size of her children's hands.

She has no rational explanation.

Chris?

Marie and Chris believe that whatever spoke to them through the Ouija board is

still in the house.

They seek help from a local investigator who runs an internet website about the

paranormal.

The investigator suggests a way to make sure their children are not playing a

prank. Try this.

She said if we put baby powder on the ground...

that it was light enough to be disturbed by energy going over it. The passing

spirit will leave a trail. The investigator says the tracks left in the

powder will show whether or not they're dealing with something supernatural.

The next morning.

No human being was able to reach where the writing was without stepping

in the powder.

Chris and Marie call the paranormal investigator to the house.

The baby powder down like you told us to, and the next morning it was like

this. There's the J there, and the A, and an F.

The investigator turns pale when Marie points out the name written in the

powder. What can we do about it?

Do either of you know Alois?

No. No.

I can't help you anymore.

Why not?

That's my daughter's name.

She felt threatened.

Nobody knew her daughter's name.

It has been weeks since Marie and Chris used a Ouija board to communicate with

spirits inside their house.

Ever since, Marie has had trouble sleeping.

Frank who?

He goes, you're such a stupid woman.

What do you want?

You don't know what's going on. You're too late.

He goes, you can't help her.

What are you talking about? Help who?

Julie.

You stay away from my daughter.

You can't help her.

Because you're nothing.

What's the matter?

There's a man in the backyard.

He wants Julie.

It's okay. It's just a dream.

No, it's real.

It's okay.

Marie tries to dismiss her nightmares, hoping that they are simply a product of

anxiety.

Is it close?

What's the matter?

It's okay.

Are you all right?

He was crying and he kept saying, the face came through the wall, the face

came through the wall.

It's okay.

Marie feels helpless to protect her family from an unknown entity.

It was just a dream.

I didn't want the kids getting hurt.

They didn't really care about me, but I didn't want them getting hurt.

The next day, Marie rearranges Paul's room.

The boy refuses to sleep with his bed set against the wall.

There was an F on the floor.

And it looked like it was burned and I couldn't get it off.

I got Chris and I go, what is this and why is this here?

And he goes, I don't know.

To Marie, it seems like proof that Frank is real.

Chris and Marie consider moving to a new house, but fear that their problems are

not attached to the house, but to Julie.

If I picked up a move, I would leave bringing her with me.

Couldn't leave her there by herself.

So, just be a new house, same stuff.

A few weeks later.

What are you doing down here?

You don't know who I am, do you?

It was weird. The light that usually would shine towards the washing machine

and dryer was facing him like a spotlight.

Julie is mine.

What are you talking about? She's my daughter, not yours.

You still don't know who I am, do you?

Quit playing. You're starting to scare me, Chris.

I'm not Chris.

Because you can't help her.

Because she's mine, not yours. You can't help her. I'm Frank.

What's wrong with you?

I don't know.

I don't know what's going on.

Do you remember our conversation in the basement?

It was hard to breathe.

And I remember Marie keep yelling at me.

What's wrong? What happened?

Calm down.

I just remember feeling panic.

Chris.

I was like, did you do that on purpose?

Because I don't know. I don't know what happened.

Neither Maureen or Chris want to leave the house. They simply want their lives

back.

What about another investigator?

It's very tiring because you don't sleep.

You start thinking you're nuts.

It ends up being kind of like this big whirlwind and you're trying not to be

sucked into the middle of it.

We decided to make a stand.

We were not going to let this Guide our lives.

Let's do this together.

It's 555.

Desperate, the couple contacts another paranormal investigator.

Dave Considine is a lay religious demonologist.

He draws on the power of the Catholic Church to combat hauntings. All right,

tell me what's been going on. I had felt in her voice that she was sincere.

She was trying to get the information out to me as quick as possible and

wanted us there immediately.

It was just that sense of urgency, that sense of fear in her voice.

Dave becomes deeply concerned when he learns that the couple used a Ouija

board.

A Ouija board is basically an oracle, whereas a spirit can enter through, be

it a human spirit or a diabolical spirit.

Dave fears that the couple has released a demonic spirit into their home.

He's even more worried when he learns they burn the board.

Never, ever burn a Ouija board.

When you burn that Ouija board, you're burning the Oracle in the physical

sense.

But you have not closed down the gateway.

Demonologist Dave Considine arrives at the house with a member of his

investigative team, Barbie Hyde.

There was an air about the house.

It felt like something intimidating was behind you.

It was a very, very uncomfortable feeling.

Julie?

Julie?

These nice people have come to help us. Can you say hello?

Julie, these nice people have come to help us.

Can you say hello?

Hi, Julie.

When I had first met Julie, there was no fear upon her face.

You only saw the fear in the other members of the family.

Do you mind if I look around for a little bit?

Not at all, please.

Okay, I'm with you here, Julie.

Thank you.

Dave senses that Julie can see and hear spirits.

It's very rare, but there are some children who are born mediumistic.

It was the first time that I had ever experienced ectoplasm.

Dave believes that ectoplasm is a manifestation of powerful psychic

energy.

The phenomenon convinces him that the family's stories are real.

Let's sit down and then talk about what's really going on here.

The investigators interview Chris and Marie in depth about what has been

happening. Please tell me, what have you seen?

Well, Marie's been having bad nightmares.

They looked as though they were at the end of their road. I have a nightmare of

this man, mid-30s, dressed in black.

Investigator Barbie Hyde senses the family's frustration.

How long is this going to take? What can you do?

How soon can you get this out of the house?

What's the best way to protect the children?

The best you can do is say you have to work with us and be patient with us.

As best as you can, do not show anger or fear.

He said not to acknowledge it or give it any recognition because that gives it

power.

He said anger or fear feeds it.

It's not that they're afraid because there's things happening in the house.

This thing is centering on their fear.

It knows what scares you.

All right. Thank you. Thank you for coming.

I appreciate you. Dave realizes that if there is a diabolical spirit in the

Potter's house, its main goal is to possess and destroy them.

The paranormal investigators return.

with two additional researchers and video and audio equipment.

They hope to document the supernatural occurrences inside the home in case they

need to convince the Catholic Church to become involved.

Technical specialist John Arell.

Before we can have any sort of intervention, we have to present them

with enough evidence and say, okay, here's what's going on in the house.

Chris has taken the children to a motel.

Except for Julie.

Since Julie was the first to acknowledge the supernatural presence, the

investigators believe that she may be a source of energy for the spirits.

They convince the family that she should remain in the house to increase the

likelihood of paranormal activity.

The investigators divide into two teams and place recording equipment throughout

the house.

I'll put on some coffee. Okay. Thanks.

I heard what sounded like bowling balls rolling around upstairs.

The investigator knows that no one is on the second floor.

I got this feeling that something or somebody was watching me.

I definitely need holy water here.

Stand by.

I need holy water.

Stand by. Okay, I'll take it out.

I got a cold sweat on my neck. I knew there was something behind me.

You okay?

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

You okay?

Is she alright?

I'm not sure. The next thing I remember is everybody surrounding me.

Something you can't grasp or fight against is in complete control of you.

It makes me think, if it just did that,

if it just tossed me down the stairs, What else is it capable of?

Thankfully,

Barbie is unharmed.

The diabolical will do these physical attacks upon

the investigators in the home to create fear, to create a sense that

it's in control, that you have no right to be there, and it's going to do to

you. exactly what it's doing to the family.

In a diabolical haunting, anyone who steps into that house is in danger.

Demonologist Dave Considine knows that he will need help to combat a spirit

this threatening.

After what just happened, I see that we have no other choice but to get the

church involved.

Well, let's do it.

Yeah, you see, but it's not that simple.

We need to know exactly what this is to be able to bring the proper authorities

into the house to take care of the problem.

We're going to have to come back here several more times to collect enough

evidence. Enough for what?

Enough evidence to convince the church that they have to come here and perform

an exorcism.

When the investigators return, they bring a clairvoyant with them, hoping

that she can determine the specific cause of the haunting.

I was not sure if we were dealing with one particular spirit or possibly human

spirits that were residing in the home along with the diabolical.

That's why I brought in someone to discern the home.

John, I'm gonna walk the house.

The clairvoyant is drawn to one particular room.

Is everything all right?

There's a spirit, and he's using this child as a portal into this house. She

goes, he uses her.

And I said, what are you talking about? She goes, he uses her. He hides in her.

The look on this clairvoyant's face was a look of a predator.

She's a predator.

The clairvoyant had discerned that there was one particular entity in the home

and that it was of a diabolical nature.

Let me take you home.

Thank you.

Dave Considine concludes that the visions seen by the family members, the

little boy and the demonic Frank, are disguises assumed by a single entity

that is trying to manipulate the family.

Diabolicals will always try to make themselves look bigger.

And they will always try to appear as multitudes. They call themselves legion.

After repeated visits to the house, Dave presents his evidence to the church.

An exorcist agrees to help the family.

The exorcist first meets in private with Marie.

Are you telling me that you think my daughter's possessed?

He explains that Julie cannot be possessed because she has no ability to

choose between good and evil.

He said your daughter is a victim.

But we do need to stop this demon from oppressing her, using her to enter your

home.

I propose a minor exorcism, a blessing over the house and the people in it, to

get rid of this demon.

I think we better get started.

A Roman Catholic priest prepares for an ancient ritual to protect a family

tormented by a demon.

He recites a minor form of exorcism to drive the

diabolical spirit out of the house.

So the wicked perish before the presence of God.

It was using the child.

as a gateway, an entry point.

This child has not the ability to say yes, nor does the child have the ability

to say no.

I had two investigators sit on both sides of the small girl because she was

the possible entry point.

A will, one way or the other, to initiate or break off the communication.

In the name and by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, may you be snatched away

and driven from the church of God.

Julie grows angry.

Her hands were sort of in a reeking gesture.

By the precious blood of the divine lamb.

We humble and prostrate ourselves before thy glorious majesty.

And we beseech thee to deliver us by thy power from all the tyranny of the

infernal spirits.

We drive you from us.

Wherever you may be, these are clean spirits.

Our satanic powers, legions, assemblies, and sects, driven from the church of

God.

She's staring intently at the priest, you know, if I can get my hands on you

type of thing. But it really wasn't her, it was the entity that was possessing

her.

Our gut was it wanted to get on below after the priest.

And if we weren't watching it, it would have.

We heard three distinct loud booms, indicating that the entity that was

there left the house.

You all right?

The family senses that their home is safe again.

You OK?

You all right, sweetie?

The house changed. The house got much lighter.

The house smelled differently. The air felt better.

Julie?

Julie, baby?

It just feels as though there's a tremendous weight that's taken off the

house.

In the following days, the house remains at peace.

We were very grateful, and we were very happy.

We thought, you know, this had done the trick.

The exorcism removed the diabolical entity from the house, but did not

destroy the evil.

The Potter family has since moved, but their nightmares

continue.