Original subtitles

Narrator: 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.

Sandra waldron and her son, gene, have always been close,

sharing an interest in the occult.

But when Sandra finds herself lost and alone,

her fascination soon turns to obsession.

She heads down a dangerous path.

Gene fears that his mother is turning against him.

[ Indistinct whispering ]

Between the world we see and the things we fear,

there are doors.

When they are opened...

Nightmares become reality.

Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

the supernatural realm is vast and uncharted,

attracting those who seek answers

beyond the physical world.

But its mysteries are infinite and its power unpredictable.

When toyed with, its consequences can be deadly.

The year is 1965.

Sandra waldron and her son, gene,

have just settled into their new home in Geneva, Ohio.

[ Horn honks ]

Her husband, Steven, works at a nearby engineering company.

Sandra: Hey.

How was your day?

It was fine.

How about you? Everything okay here?

Steven is the only father that gene has ever known.

Gene: I never really knew my real father.

Steven had been my stepfather since I was 2, 3 years old.

Hey, do me a favor and take gene inside

and get him washed up for dinner.

I've been working all day.

I just want to get out of these clothes and relax.

Hey, remember what I said before we got married?

Parenting is a 24-hour job, and now you're a parent.

Sandra: My husband never mentioned

that it bothered him that gene wasn't his child,

but I do think it did bother him some.

I think he resented it a little bit.

Come on, gene, buddy.

Narrator: Sandra hopes that one day

Steven will be able to accept gene as his own.

Sandra unearths an old cornerstone.

Sandra: Someone had died on our property,

and it had been an old schoolmaster

that had lived there quite a few years back.

Narrator: She's intrigued.

She had no idea that her property

was once the site of an old schoolhouse...

What are you doing? Come on. Let's eat.

I'll be right there.

Narrator: And wonders how the schoolmaster passed away.

Steven, did you know there used to be a school here?

What's that?

There's a cornerstone out by the side of the house.

Yeah, I remember our neighbor, Denise,

say something about that.

Sandra has always believed in the existence of spirits

and their interaction with the living world.

But how did she say he died?

Sandra: My interest in the occult and the supernatural

has been with me all my life.

There's so much that we don't know.

It just fascinates me.

I want to know all I can about it.

Wow.

Sandra...

Please don't start with that hocus-pocus garbage again.

You know, you've been spending way too much time

reading those weird books again.

Narrator: The supernatural is kind of taboo for a lot of people.

My husband was more apprehensive about those things than I was.

Narrator: Sandra's discovery of the cornerstone

only fuels her interest in the occult.

Sandra: I believe if you're open to things,

then maybe they can come in.

Hey, it's getting late.

Why don't you put that book down and get to sleep?

And I bet you won't leave me alone until I do, right?

You got it.

Narrator: Over the next month,

Sandra soon forgets about the old schoolmaster.

[ Floorboards creaking ]

Sandra: And I heard these heavy boots walk across the floor.

Let's go upstairs, okay?

Narrator: She assumes that it's Steven home early from work.

Steven?

How about you play with your toys, okay?

Man: Sandra.

Sandra: There was definitely no one there.

It maybe alarmed me a little bit,

but I wasn't really scared.

It just really piqued my curiosity.

Narrator: Because of her interest in the occult,

Sandra wonders if she could have invited a presence

into her home.

Sandra: I decided that, well, maybe it was the schoolmaster

that was haunting our house.

I wasn't doing anything intentionally,

but I could have possibly opened a door.

Narrator: A few years pass...

and gene is now 11 years old.

I'm sorry.

That's okay. Boys are allowed to be boys.

Get over here right now!

All my friends were terrified of my dad.

If they were at my house playing

and they saw my dad pull up, they ran.

Everybody was scared of him.

Do you see this?

This is gonna cost money.

I'm sorry.

I'll work it off. I promise.

That goes without saying.

You'll work every weekend, cutting the grass,

until you pay for this.

Narrator: Gene's relationship with his stepfather

never really develops.

Gene: He was always angry and yelling at me.

He never told me he loved me,

he never said anything nice to me,

and I was never good enough for him.

Steven, give gene a break. It was an accident.

He was just trying to have some fun with his friends.

We could all use a little more fun around here.

Sandra, this is gonna cost me an arm and a leg to fix.

Your son has no concept of money.

Narrator: Steven's ambivalence towards gene

begins to put a strain on their marriage.

I'm sorry. I meant our son.

It's been a long day.

Why don't you go inside,

and I'll be in in a while to fix dinner?

Sandra: My husband was very critical of gene.

It was painful for me.

I loved my son,

and I wanted him to feel more comfortable at home.

So, how are things with you and Steven lately?

The next day,

Sandra and gene go over to their neighbor Denise's house.

Hey, gene?

Can you go home and get that can of beans out of the cupboard?

Okay, mom.

And hurry up 'cause we're gonna eat soon.

[ Floorboards creaking ]

[ Footsteps approaching ]

[ Rattling ]

[ Laughter ]

[ Laughter ]

[ Laughter stops ]

Gene: I never experienced anything like that before.

I just felt that there was something evil in the house.

Narrator: Sandra believes that gene was visited by the schoolmaster,

but she downplays the incident,

not wanting to feed into his fear.

Gene: She just completely wrote it off,

and I began to wonder later if maybe it was my imagination.

Narrator: Still, Sandra is intrigued by gene's encounter.

She hopes to one day become a published author

and begins to write about his experience.

Narrator: After a few weeks,

gene soon forgets about his unexplainable encounter.

Gene returns from his friend's house

and sees that his parents are still out for the night.

[ Floorboards creaking ]

[ Footsteps ]

Mom?

Steven?

Is that you?

[ Laughter ]

Aah!

Gene, stop yelling!

Aah!

What's going on? Tell me what happened.

Tell me what's going on.

Sandra: Gene, it's okay. It's okay.

We're home now.

Steven, do me a favor and just get out of here

so I can see what's going on.

It's okay, gene.

Narrator: Gene tries to explain to his mother what he saw.

Gene: I saw a tall, thin man.

His face was all red and disfigured

and it just terrified me.

Why am I seeing these awful things?

There's something I should have told you a long time ago,

but I didn't.

I've got something to show you.

I think the person you saw

was a man that lived here a long time ago.

Narrator: Sandra tells him about the schoolmaster

who died on their property.

Sandra: He knew something was going on.

I felt really bad for gene. I did.

And I didn't want to see him that frightened.

This man, he died right here...

In our front yard?

I think so.

Narrator: She goes on to say

that she has had many encounters with his spirit

and has never felt threatened by his presence.

Sandra figures that gene is just overreacting because of his age.

Think of it like one of those scary movies

that we like to watch.

They're really scary, but, in the end, it's just a movie.

Gene eventually accepts his mother's explanation.

Gene: She made me feel so much better and not be so afraid

'cause I knew that my mother was there for me

and wouldn't let anything happen to me.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: Although Sandra is able to comfort gene,

she wonders if there is a way

to remove the spirit from the house.

Steven: Honey, where are you?

Oh, I'm in the living room.

Just give me a second, Steven. I'll be right up.

What are you doing?

I just thought I'd tidy up before I went up to bed.

Be up in a minute.

Don't take too long.

♪♪

[Music intensifies]

Narrator: For weeks, Sandra has the same dream

over and over again.

Sandra: The dreams were usually much more vivid to me

than regular dreams.

Narrator: And she wonders what these recurring images

could possibly mean.

What are we doing?

We're fighting all of the time,

and it just doesn't seem to be getting any better.

We cannot go on like this.

You're right, Sandra.

We have grown apart.

I've been denying it for so long.

I can't do it anymore.

Steven...

It's over.

Narrator: Sandra decides to move back to Texas city,

her hometown.

Sandra: Texas city was where I was born and raised.

I had family there.

I hoped that would be good for me and my son both.

Narrator: Sandra hasn't left Geneva in years,

but suddenly, the drive becomes oddly familiar.

Sandra: The dream was definitely an indication

that I was going to be leaving.

Narrator: She now realizes that her dreams

are visions of the future.

Sandra: I thought it was so obviously prophetic.

Narrator: Sandra finds a small house that she can afford.

What is this filthy thing doing in here?

What's this?

Sandra: Right in the center of that floor

was a star, a five-pointed star.

What is it, mom?

It's a symbol. It's called a pentagram.

Narrator: Sandra is familiar with the pentagram,

having read about it in her books on the occult.

What's it mean?

It means different things to different people.

She also knows that people have used it to practice witchcraft.

Sandra: When I first discovered the pentagram,

I thought, "wow, there were witches here."

I knew that it would just depend, you know,

which way you used the star, whether it was good or bad.

I wondered was this coincidence,

or had I, by some unnatural forces,

come to this house?

I saw it as a positive sign

that maybe I was on the right path.

Narrator: Over the next few years, Sandra struggles

with the pressures of being a single mother

and has little time to focus on anything else.

She takes on odd jobs to support her and gene

but finds herself struggling to pay the mounting bills.

Since my husband and I had split,

I had never really worked.

I had to support myself and my son, and I was scared.

Narrator: Sandra hopes to sell one of her stories to a publisher,

but her dream of becoming an author

is no closer to coming true.

Hey, mom.

Hey.

Gene is now ready to graduate high school.

Hey, there's a zombie movie on tonight.

You want to watch it?

You know I am not into that stuff anymore.

Besides, I told you I already made plans with friends.

Can I borrow the car?

Sandra: Gene and I were getting more distant,

and that made me sad because I wanted us to be close.

Just don't drive too fast, okay?

See you later.

Narrator: With gene no longer around,

Sandra finds solace in her books on the occult,

which have always given her comfort.

She is immediately drawn to wicca,

an earth-based religion

that worships both a male and female deity.

Sandra: It was positive on the female side.

Women were equal with men.

I think that's one of the things that attracted me.

Narrator: She is also intrigued by the wiccan belief

that one can create change

using the energy that surrounds them.

Narrator: Sandra creates an altar

using items that represent the four elements of nature...

Earth, air, fire, and water.

Sandra: I didn't have anybody to teach me,

so I had to learn everything on my own,

through books, primarily.

I was hoping with wicca

that maybe I could change things.

Maybe I could make things more positive

in my life and my son's life.

Narrator: Sandra performs her first ritual.

Earth sanctions my magic tonight.

Narrator: She calls out to the god and goddess,

asking them to help ease her growing debt.

I call forth the forces of prosperity...

Truth...

Transformation...

And purification.

Narrator: Sandra repeats the chant over and over again,

channeling the energy around her.

Mother goddess, father god,

Grant me this wish.

You can actually feel, like, an energy.

It's a sensation of, like, an electrical power

going through your body.

It's a very positive feeling of power.

Narrator: Weeks later...

Sandra receives a letter from a magazine.

They plan to publish one of her short stories

and have included a generous paycheck.

Sandra: When my first ritual worked, I was hooked.

It made me feel like I had some kind of control over my life.

That I can make things change when they go wrong.

Gene: My mother just got deeper and deeper

into the supernatural, and it just drove me more away.

I had been scared to death when I was a kid,

and I was afraid that something was gonna happen.

Morning, mom.

Oh, gene!

I had the most incredible dream last night.

Actually, I think it was a vision.

My mom just started talking to me about the occult

a whole lot more.

I really think that this experience

is a sign of things to come.

It just seems like we were becoming two different people

and going our own ways.

But enough about that.

So, graduation is less than a month away.

Have you started looking for a job?

Sort of.

Really?

Well, tell me.

What are you gonna be doing?

I signed up with the air force.

I am leaving just a couple days after graduation.

I can't believe it.

Well, wow.

I'm proud of you, gene.

Thanks, mom.

The relationship between my mother and I

had gotten so strained

that I decided my best chance was to join the military,

get away, clear my head,

figure out the answers to life's questions myself

without my mother's influence.

Narrator: Soon after gene graduates,

he leaves to serve in the air force.

Sandra: When gene was in the military, I really got into wicca

and started really practicing it and doing rituals.

Narrator: Over the years,

gene slowly loses touch with his mother.

Gene: After I joined the air force and I started to travel,

I couldn't tell anybody what I was doing.

I could hardly ever see my mom.

Narrator: After seven years in the air force,

gene returns home to Texas city.

Gene: I was looking forward to seeing my mother and coming home,

and I thought things were gonna be great.

Gene?

Hi!

Narrator: He is surprised by Sandra's appearance

and is unsure how to react to this unexpected change.

Gene: She had black hair, black blouse, black pants.

She had a necklace with a pentagram on it.

I was just dazed.

I am so glad you're finally home.

Looks like you remodeled while I was away.

Well, let's get you set up in your old room.

It's just as you left it.

I...

Don't remember this being here.

Well, I'll leave you to unpack,

and dinner will be in half an hour.

Gene: It was just too much for me...

The way my mom looked, the way the house was.

Now I have a picture of the devil in my room.

My last couple of years in the military,

I started to really go to church.

And so by the time I got out, I was a very devout Christian.

Narrator: That evening...

Mmm.

Sandra and gene catch up over dinner.

That looks and smells as good as I remember.

Well, I know it's your favorite.

So, tell me. What's been happening?

Well, life has been great, gene.

I mean, ever since I started practicing wicca,

things have changed and for the better.

What does that mean, exactly, to study wicca?

Gene: I was concerned that she was practicing some form of magic.

And even if her intentions were good,

the potential for it to go wrong just is what scared me.

Honey, there's nothing to be concerned about.

Sandra: Thank you for your blessing.

My gratitude is endless.

Continue to protect us,

especially gene,

now that he's in your watchful eye.

As I receive your energy,

now you receive mine.

Sandra: Continue to protect us,

especially gene.

As I receive your energy,

now you receive mine.

My gratitude is endless.

As I receive your energy,

now you receive mine.

Thank you, great goddess.

Narrator: Later that night...

Gene: I thought, "what was it?"

And I thought maybe it was just headlights

shining in the window.

[ Warbling ]

[ Deep voice ] Destroy him.

[ Echoing ] Destroy him.

Gene!

Where have you been?

I've been worried sick about you.

Worried sick.

Really?

Did you get up in the middle of the night to check on me?

'Cause last night, I was attacked.

I was attacked by a woman that looked just like you.

[ Deep voice ] Destroy him.

Gene...

Gene, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Mom.

It wasn't me. I promise you that.

Mother, I'm scared for you.

I'm scared of what you've let in.

You're opening doors you don't know how to close.

Gene, I'm not doing anything wrong.

You're in over you head. You've got to stop this right now!

I don't know what to tell you other than I love you,

and I would never do anything to hurt you.

You know this, right?

I don't know anything anymore.

I got to go. I need to clear my head.

Narrator: Gene scours the library,

hoping to find something

that could explain what he experienced.

Gene: I had never seen lights like these before.

I wanted to know what it was.

Narrator: He discovers a book on the occult

that refers to these paranormal phenomena as sprites.

Gene: These sprites, they were a product of witchcraft.

I believe that her intentions were good

but that she had let something in the house that was evil.

I didn't want to go back.

But I realized my mom was in trouble.

I had to have the courage to go back in that house

and fight for my mom

'cause I knew that something was trying to destroy us both.

Mom?

You home?

We need to talk.

[ Keys clatter ]

Gene: When I saw my cross in a pentagram,

I was furious.

I cannot believe you, mother.

You are messing with things that you cannot control.

Where are you going?

I'm afraid of what you've let in.

And I'm not gonna stick around to see what happens.

I thought my mom was casting spells on me.

Narrator: Gene now believes that the schoolmaster

was really an evil entity

that his mother may have conjured up many years ago.

Gene: Something came into my mother's life when I was a child

and tried to show her dreams

and tried to take her down the path into the occult.

Narrator: He cuts all ties with Sandra,

realizing that there is nothing he can do to stop her.

Gene: I felt that my mom was too far-gone.

The more I talked to her, the more I thought

that she was lying to herself, lying to me.

So, I finally left.

Narrator: Sandra is devastated by gene's angry departure.

I was really upset that he thought I was causing something.

I could understand maybe why he would think I was doing it

because I said I was a witch.

Narrator: But she continues to practice wicca,

despite her son's warnings.

Sandra: I was gonna do a dedication to Isis.

Narrator: Isis is the supreme mother goddess of ancient Egypt.

She is also considered the most powerful deity of the pantheon.

Sandra: Great goddess Isis,

I dedicate myself to you.

In this place of power, I open myself to your energy.

Great goddess Isis, make me one with your spirit.

I dedicate myself to you.

Narrator: Sandra prays to Isis,

believing that she can guide her through this turbulent time.

In this place of power, I open myself to your energy.

I open myself to your energy.

Great goddess Isis, make me one with your spirit.

I dedicate myself to you.

Goddess Isis, I dedicate myself to you.

[ Warbling ]

Goddess Isis, I dedicate myself to you.

[ Warbling intensifies ]

I dedicate myself to you.

Man: [ Echoing ] Destroy. Kill.

Die. Kill. Die. Destroy.

Destroy.

[ Growling ]

Kill. Kill.

[ Warbling ]

Destroy. Destroy.

[ Shrieks ]

Get away!

Narrator: Sandra destroys the altar,

hoping that it will close the door to the other side.

Sandra: I think they were demons.

This scared me so bad that I said,

"that's it. I want out. I don't know what I'm doing."

It was definitely something I couldn't control.

You're messing with something

that is beyond our comprehension.

Narrator: Gene and Sandra

eventually reconcile their relationship,

and they are closer than ever before.

Gene: Now we talk almost every day,

and we're trying to make up for lost time.

And everything else is going well? Yes, it is.

Narrator: Gene is now a minister

and counsels people who are victims of supernatural events.

Sandra finally realizes her dream

and becomes a published author.

She never practices wicca again.

She believes that her inexperience

with practicing magic

allowed these demonic entities into their lives.

Sandra: It's possible that my interest in the occult all my life

could have opened some doors.

I could have been manipulated by demons or other spirits.

I just don't know. I don't know the answers.

I believe that it started out as one evil spirit

that just became many and tried to destroy our lives.