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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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VOICEOVER: The iconic
blockbuster movie The Exorcist
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00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000
Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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terrified audiences in the 1970s.
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00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,200
Some say the movie
may have helped unleash
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a series of events we now call
'satanic panic.'
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GUSTAVO BENEJAM: The Exorcist,
The Omen.
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If you look at movies that were
satanic, possessed,
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and kind of black magic,
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kids, they're influenced by that.
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ROB MORPHY: It wasn't just
pop culture.
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It was the beginning of the satanic
panic that would grip America.
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Tarot cards, spirit boards and
black magic sprang into popularity.
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Suddenly, strange things
started happening.
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It comes to a big, like, explosion
of paranormal activity.
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Hysteria broke out.
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A Miami hospital flooded with
thousands of people
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claiming to be possessed by demons.
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ROB: Law enforcement agencies
throughout the nation
were dealing with occult activities,
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sacrifices, reports of hauntings,
possessions,
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dealings with demonic entities
were on the rise.
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The devil was everywhere.
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And then, in the fall of 1979,
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police were called to break up
a riot at a Miami high school
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where kids reported being possessed
by the devil.
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FRANK: Several of them
had mentioned Satan.
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They told terrifying stories
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of students throwing themselves
out windows, screaming and
writhing on the floor.
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A girl levitating, and a boy
transforming into pure evil.
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Eyes bulging, and head
turning around, like The Exorcist.
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I know this is a paranormal event...
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..because of
the eyewitness testimony.
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Could an entire school become
possessed by dark forces,
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turning children into demons?
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There was something that was scaring
these kids. They were frightened.
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Shocking revelations
from former students,
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speaking out for the first time,
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shed light on the day
hell broke loose
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and turned a high school into...
the Devil's Academy.
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This is, beyond a doubt,
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00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,960
the most significant
paranormal event in US history.
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(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)
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(CLASS RECITING
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE)
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V/O: A week before Halloween,
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at a Miami military academy
in Florida,
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it appears to be
a normal school day.
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Students at this institution
are called cadets,
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and this morning
the cadets are in class,
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doing what most other
high-schoolers are doing.
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Studying, daydreaming,
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wondering what the weekend holds.
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Until suddenly, everything changes.
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It goes terribly wrong.
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(GIRL SCREAMING)
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One student stands up
and runs out of the door.
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Several classmates jump up
and follow her
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down the hall to the girls' bathroom
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to make sure she's OK.
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ROB: Her friends surround her.
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They're rooted with terror.
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They're watching, trying to
figure out what's going on.
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She's spitting and mumbling,
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and finally they make out
these terrible words.
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'The devil is inside of me.'
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GIRL: The devil is inside of me!
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She starts manifesting
full-on signs of demonic possession.
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Right before her classmates' eyes,
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the young woman seems to levitate.
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(CLASSMATES SCREAMING)
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That's when everyone knows that
something very terrible has begun.
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All of the other students that were
in the girls' bathroom with her
were terrified.
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They didn't know what was happening.
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ROB: Her friends have no idea
what to do.
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Some are trying to comfort her,
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others are beginning to show signs
of being possessed themselves.
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It's like an infection
that's spreading
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from one student to the next.
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V/O: Back in the classroom,
the teacher hears mysterious cries
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coming from the girls' room.
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(PANICKED SOBBING)
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(GUTTURAL GROWLING)
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Unnerved, she goes to investigate.
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(SCREAMING AND WHIMPERING)
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Something seems to have unleashed
a malevolent force
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that floods the entire school.
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It struck. And when it struck,
it struck hard.
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It hit the students
like a tidal wave.
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In another classroom,
the students have no idea
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00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,400
what horrors have just transpired
in the girls' room.
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But they say two cadets
suddenly erupt
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00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,760
into unprovoked, violent battle.
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(CLASSROOM UPROAR)
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They're tussling between the desks,
sending things scattering
and flying.
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And then, the unthinkable.
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One of the boys crashes through
a glass window,
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slamming down onto the pavement
two stories below.
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The students run to the windows,
looking on in horror,
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expecting to see their classmate's
bloodied, lifeless body
on the ground.
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LYNNE BROOKS: People observed that
the kid got right up
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and had red eyes, and was growling.
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A school official races to help,
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but gets a shocking response
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from the unbelievably uninjured boy.
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Eyewitnesses say he was wild-eyed,
animalistic,
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he has the strength of...
God knows how many people.
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He has superhuman strength.
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The student body,
shocked by what they are seeing,
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now explodes into
unfettered paranormal chaos.
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(SCREAMING)
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We have a situation that is
absolutely out of control.
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People are tearing doors
off the hinges,
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papers flying everywhere.
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Some kids are convulsing
on the floor, others are
screaming in terror.
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Overwhelmingly,
the students have undergone
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a horrifying
physical transformation.
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Some of these students
describe making eye contact
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with something that was
very, very evil.
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00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,200
Some of them describe seeing eyes.
Bad eyes, evil eyes.
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Looking into the face of people,
it was not them looking back.
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00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,520
Something looking out of
a friend that they knew
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00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:16,880
that was in their body
that wasn't there before.
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They are acting with
preternatural strength and
an absolute, chaotic energy
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to destroy the building that was
once a calm institution of learning.
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(PHONE RINGING)
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In an all-out war with their demons,
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the school administration
urgently sends an SOS
to Miami law enforcement.
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FRANK ROLLASON: On October 25, 1979,
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00:08:42,680 --> 00:08:44,840
this was
a particularly strange call.
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00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,760
I could listen to the lieutenant
talking to the alarm office.
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It was just chaos there.
Kids are running everywhere.
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(APPROACHING SIRENS)
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When I arrived, the children were
still running around.
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00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,040
They were frightened, and were
screaming. It was very chaotic.
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00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,960
They would get together in
little groups and yell and scream
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00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,000
and then split up and go in
different directions.
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00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,000
It appeared that they were,
like, afraid of something.
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00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,160
V/O: Many students, terrified of
their own classmates,
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00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,280
seemed to have morphed
into monsters.
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00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,880
GUSTAVO: We saw
a number of reactions
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that were either fighting,
destroying property,
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00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,480
going crazy, or some people
just having a nervous breakdown.
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The school was being destroyed.
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It was chaos, and it was
utterly terrifying.
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00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:02,600
Police try everything
to calm the students,
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00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:05,280
asking them, 'Who started the riot?'
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00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,880
Several of them
had mentioned the devil.
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00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,400
LYNN: The students were saying that
the devil was there,
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or they were possessed.
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But what they've witnessed
at the high school
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leaves officials extremely shaken.
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00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,360
FRANK: This type of an incident
is very unusual.
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00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,280
And certainly, this situation
is the only one I have seen
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00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,640
during my 40 years
with the fire department.
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00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:39,480
The aftermath of the melee
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leaves some students injured
and hospitalised,
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but also raises terrifying questions
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about what exactly took possession
of these teenagers.
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In my opinion, there is no doubt
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00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:57,400
that what happened at
the Miami Aerospace Academy
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definitely has the earmarks
of something both terrifying
and paranormal.
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What took place,
as far as I can tell,
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is the largest spiritual contagion,
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of this kind of mass possession,
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00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:15,680
that has ever occurred
in American history.
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00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,680
If what happened at
the Miami Aerospace Academy
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00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,920
on that October day
really was a mass possession,
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00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,440
it happened for a reason.
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00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,520
What could have provoked
a demonic takeover of the school
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00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:33,560
and its students?
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00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:35,840
BILL: When October 25 came around,
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they already had the demons
inside of them.
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00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,920
And that's what caused
all hell to break loose.
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What could possibly explain a mass
possession of high-school students
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at the Miami Aerospace Academy
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on that shocking day in 1979?
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The levitating girl,
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00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,120
claiming to be possessed by Satan...
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00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,320
The boy who crashed through
a second-storey window
and landed on concrete,
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00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,640
only to walk away
without a scratch...
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00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:27,240
The terrifying displays
of superhuman strength...
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00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:32,240
..leaves everyone asking why.
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Why did it happen?
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It happened because children
that felt marginalised and oppressed
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were not given the kind of
supervision required.
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They let these demons in
and they didn't know what to do,
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00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,480
and the worst-case scenario
literally took place.
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00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,360
Scratching the surface
of daily life at this school,
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it suddenly becomes plausible
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00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,680
how something as inconceivable
as a demonic attack
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00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:07,080
could have occurred during the onset
of the satanic panic.
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00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,920
The situation at the school
was unique.
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00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,600
These children were
already oppressed.
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00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:17,680
The devil was already at work
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00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,280
before it ever showed up
in possession.
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00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,440
It may have been using the staff...
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..and 'El General'...
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00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,320
to help further its cause
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00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,240
so it can take full possession.
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00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,120
'El General' is what the school's
founder calls himself.
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00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,320
His real name is Evaristo Marina.
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00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:43,120
Marina was a bastard, pure and
simple. He was likely corrupt.
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00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,200
The kids really believed
he was evil. But they didn't know
the half of it.
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00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:52,600
Marina, he came over during,
I believe it was,
the first exile community,
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00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:55,160
which was when my parents came over.
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00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,640
And he had to reinvent himself,
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00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,800
just as almost every other Cuban
that came here had to do.
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00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:06,320
The revolution in Cuba had just
basically taken effect,
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00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,880
what, maybe 10, 12 years prior.
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00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,240
Everybody basically lost
everything there.
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00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:16,200
You had attorneys, doctors
that couldn't work as such here
cos they didn't have the licence.
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00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,400
So they had to work in restaurants,
hotels,
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00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,240
and find a way to come up back
as they were in Cuba.
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00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:27,440
Marina was no exception.
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00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,320
Marina came from a high-power
situation in Cuba.
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00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,080
He came here, he worked as a busboy,
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00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:39,360
but yet he would join the high-level
society when he finished his shift,
cos he felt he was part of that.
217
00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,440
He needed to be there.
That's where he belonged.
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00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,480
Marina had been a military official
in pre-revolutionary Cuba
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00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,440
before Castro exiled him.
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00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,960
He had political aspirations
in Cuba,
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00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:01,240
so he had to capture some of
that prestige that he had.
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00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,320
SERGIO: What better way to do that
than to have a bunch of kids
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00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,000
line up, salute you,
and call you 'El General'?
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00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,600
That was, like...
That was his schtick.
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00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:15,840
SERGIO: And he loved
being called that.
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00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,600
V/O: Marina reclaims his power
227
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,120
by opening
the Miami Aerospace Academy
228
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,160
in the late 1960s.
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00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:30,120
ARCHIVE: The school's credo,
academics through discipline
and character-building.
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00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,800
The dyed-in-the-wool
Republican general
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00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,480
says he himself is the role model
for the 350 students.
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00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,440
Then they see in me the example.
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00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:42,560
And that's very good,
because it's not telling them,
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00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,920
'Do as I say, and not as I do.'
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00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,720
I tell them, 'Do as I say
and I also do',
236
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,400
so in me they see
their second father.
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00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,680
ROB: What's incredible is that he
never reached the rank of general,
238
00:15:57,760 --> 00:15:59,360
either here or in Cuba.
239
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,360
He kept awarding himself
these stars.
240
00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:04,600
FRANK: I understand
he achieved a certain rank
241
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:06,560
and then he started adding stars.
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00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:08,240
That's what conmen do.
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00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,840
It just became this, 'Oh,
look at me, look at me,
244
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,640
look at what a wonderful person
I've been my entire life',
245
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,760
and, 'How good I can be for
the community', and all that.
246
00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,400
ARCHIVE: In this man,
parents have instilled
an almost God-like quality.
247
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,720
ARCHIVE: All of us parents
have choose this school...
248
00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:30,800
..for the discipline
that exists in it...
249
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,080
..the competence of the staff...
250
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,120
and the clean life
its general has had.
251
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,160
This is a guy who is trying
to make his way through life
252
00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:44,840
by being something that he isn't.
253
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,040
I think this guy had demons himself.
254
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,520
V/O: El General's demons
255
00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,200
manifested in the form of power
and punishment.
256
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:09,720
Mr Marina was a man
so focused on power and control
257
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,920
that the people he hired
to run this school
258
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,240
were often thought of
as his henchmen.
259
00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,760
SERGIO: One of my teachers,
he'd have a briefcase.
260
00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,680
He'd have his book in the briefcase
261
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,400
and he'd have a .45 calibre handgun
right next to him.
262
00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:39,960
When you have a group of students
263
00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,200
who are living in such fear
from their teachers,
264
00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:45,480
the people supposedly
there to protect them,
265
00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,720
these are children who did not
feel safe, on a day-to-day basis.
266
00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,760
The reason that Marina probably
didn't hire accredited teachers
267
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,880
is because he could have
more control over them, and control
268
00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,480
over the information that would
come out of Miami Aerospace Academy.
269
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:14,080
That way, people wouldn't know
what was going on inside the school.
270
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,920
V/O: And what's going on
inside the school
271
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,520
is the constant threat of abuse...
272
00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,400
..doled out by strict
disciplinarians like Major McKently,
273
00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:28,960
who appears to revel in his
crushing power over the students.
274
00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:39,320
FRANK: Major McKently, he would
walk around jingling his keys
275
00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,840
and snapping his paddle on his leg.
276
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,400
SERGIO: I remember that paddle.
FRANK: Yeah, 'Big Ben.'
277
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,920
With a nice strap handle,
and drilled holes through it.
278
00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:01,400
McKently had a nice technique
whenever he had to dispense
some discipline.
279
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:06,440
And that's when he would
swing for the fences and
make that cricket paddle whistle.
280
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,480
TANNOY: 'Mr Silva, please have
Cadet Smith
281
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:14,800
report to the general's office.'
282
00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:22,080
SERGIO: Sometimes you would
get called to the general's office
or the 'commandant's' office,
283
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,400
and it was nerve-wracking.
284
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,280
(THWACK)
285
00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:47,160
(CADET CRIES OUT)
286
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:50,840
V/O: Life at the academy
287
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,960
is a never-ending cycle of fear.
288
00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,400
A perfect breeding ground
for negative forces to fester.
289
00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,120
It was sometimes a fight
for survival. Every day.
290
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,640
There were kids that were
really terrible.
291
00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,240
They had gotten kicked out of
other schools,
292
00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,400
their parents were at
the end of the rope with them.
293
00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,320
And then there were
the kids like myself
294
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,120
who we thought we might want to
make the military,
295
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,120
in some form, a career.
296
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,560
I attended eight years at
Miami Aerospace Academy.
297
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,360
The kids that worked in the MAA,
we all came from middle-class
working families.
298
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,120
I myself, you know,
I needed some structure.
299
00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:36,720
I could have perhaps behaved better.
300
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,160
I was just a bad influence.
301
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,080
So, you had just regular kids
302
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,800
that didn't know that they were
being thrown in with the wolves.
303
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,600
V/O: Having a few bad apples
in the student body
304
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:55,440
gives El General an excuse to impose
his own brand of martial law,
305
00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,320
where students are forced
to be silent, obedient,
306
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,080
and subservient at all times.
307
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,640
(OFFICER YELLS
PARADE GROUND COMMANDS)
308
00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:05,720
They made them wear
military uniforms,
309
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:07,400
they had them marching.
310
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,080
It was a pretty strict environment.
311
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:14,000
ROB: These are classic techniques
of mind control and brainwashing.
312
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,320
In order to control the mind
you break down the body,
313
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:21,920
physically, through exercise,
through discipline,
through marching.
314
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,080
Breaking them down
emotionally and physically,
315
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,320
it's exactly what they did
at the academy.
316
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,600
V/O: Dissent in any form
is not tolerated,
317
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,920
and leads to harsh
corporal punishment.
318
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,720
If they were having a bad day,
or you in some way slighted them,
319
00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:45,400
then, yeah, they were gonna
build demerits against you,
320
00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:49,200
to where if you had so many,
then that was, 'All right,
321
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,080
you're getting too out of control,
we're gonna paddle you.'
322
00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,560
So there was that constant threat.
323
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,920
They would swiftly hand out
324
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,600
maybe two, three paddles
with the cricket paddle.
325
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,480
REV. LARSON: It was abusive control.
326
00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,560
How do you fight against that?
327
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,800
Are you just gonna find a gun
and shoot the guy? Probably not.
328
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:18,320
But is there another way
to get back at him?
329
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,880
If he's evil, well...
330
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,320
find a more powerful evil
to get back at the evil.
331
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:44,000
On October 25th, 1979,
332
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,960
a more powerful evil
shows up on campus
333
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,920
to settle the score.
334
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,600
(GIRLS SCREAMING)
335
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,760
The terrifying events
at the Miami Aerospace Academy
336
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,160
took place in 1979.
337
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,560
A 'satanic panic' was on the rise.
338
00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,680
When you look at
the '70s cinema alone,
339
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,360
from The Exorcist to Carrie,
340
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:22,240
they had a huge effect on the psyche
of those coming of age
during that period.
341
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,080
But it wasn't just pop culture.
342
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,520
It was the beginning of the satanic
panic that would grip America.
343
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,320
Law enforcement agencies
throughout the nation
344
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,000
were dealing with reports of
hauntings, possessions.
345
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,680
The devil was everywhere.
346
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,600
ARCHIVE: During the past
several years,
347
00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,360
the occult has become big business.
348
00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,880
Suddenly, the advice and comments
349
00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,640
of the astrologer and tarot card
reader are highly sought after.
350
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,360
For the disempowered teenagers
at the academy,
351
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:54,200
the dark arts become appealing.
352
00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:59,440
Magic could be seen as the answer
to so many problems.
353
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,080
Very often it involves revenge,
it involves spells,
354
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,040
it involves getting even
with people.
355
00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:10,840
One of the popular forms of magic
involves Santeria,
356
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,840
rooted in African
religious practices.
357
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,000
It spread to Cuba
via the slave trade,
358
00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,640
and eventually arrived in Miami.
359
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:26,240
Santeria comprises a religion
that worships different deities
called Orishas
360
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,480
and a supreme god called Olodumare.
361
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,240
Through its rituals,
its initiations, its ceremonies,
362
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,680
it's about the healing of the body,
of the mind,
363
00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,840
and of bringing together people
culturally as well.
364
00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:41,760
Santeria has many rituals.
365
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:46,000
One involves animal sacrifice.
366
00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,280
FRANK ROLLASON:
Santeria was pretty common.
367
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:52,160
You'd get called out for
decapitated animals.
368
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,120
People would call, and they'd send
a rescue because there was blood,
369
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,280
and they didn't know if there was
a person involved, or whatever.
370
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:03,200
And you'd get there,
and it'd been a santeria ritual
that had taken place.
371
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,360
At the academy, subjugated students
begin experimenting,
372
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,760
apparently with a dark form of
Santeria mixed with the occult
373
00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,160
in a desperate bid
to escape their daily misery.
374
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,560
You can't blame these kids
getting into this
375
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,240
when they're facing a reality
that's so overpowering
376
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,560
that there's no hope
it's gonna change.
377
00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:27,800
Their parents are
turning their backs on them.
378
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,360
They just say,
'I have to look for a way out.
379
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,040
It's a matter of survival.'
380
00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,280
FRANK LOPEZ DEL RINCON:
Some dark sciences have that allure.
381
00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:41,160
It has that attraction
to some people.
382
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:43,520
But it's something that's
very dangerous,
383
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,320
something that could be very, very,
erm...hazardous, let's say,
384
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,600
to themselves and to others.
385
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,640
In place of homework,
386
00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:59,960
sessions with tarot cards
and spirit boards
387
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,160
become daily practice at school.
388
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,480
Tarot cards can be a harmless game.
Someone asks a question,
389
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,360
someone lays down the cards
to give them an answer.
390
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,520
MICHAEL: Tarot cards
are an occult device
391
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,440
used to tell the person
392
00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,800
a little bit about themselves,
393
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,560
what they're going through,
and their future.
394
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,840
ROB: As the cards are placed,
they begin to tell a story
of what's to come.
395
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:27,920
Some outcomes are positive.
396
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,440
Some can be very negative.
397
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,720
They can predict anguish,
398
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,280
death, or the toxic unknown.
399
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,960
But the reason tarot cards
can predict the future
400
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,720
is the same reason they are
said to be potentially dangerous.
401
00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:48,280
I do not recommend
the use of tarot cards.
402
00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:51,440
It is considered
spirit communication.
403
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,280
The person using the cards
404
00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:57,160
is asking the spirit
to manipulate the cards
405
00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,480
to try and predict something
that may happen in the future.
406
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,840
Demons are always waiting for
an invitation to communicate,
407
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,000
some way to influence
your decisions,
408
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,920
some way to affect you.
409
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,160
And when you make that invitation,
410
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,440
like, 'What is in store for me?',
411
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:21,400
they're willing and ready
to jump right in there.
412
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:25,840
And once you make that invitation,
413
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:27,520
it's hard to pull it back.
414
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:32,960
With any kind of dark energy,
demons, spirits,
415
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:34,880
you don't have control over it.
416
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:36,920
You may feel like
you have control over it
417
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:38,920
and you think you know
what you're doing,
418
00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,960
but you're really
being controlled by them.
419
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:52,600
Of all the dark secrets at
the academy, one that's shocking
420
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:57,320
is that the teachers and staff were
also in on the occult practices.
421
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,760
ROB: The staff were the ones
that showed the kids
422
00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,400
how to use the spirit board
and play with tarot cards.
423
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,080
But after the 25th,
they all denied it.
424
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:12,800
After all, who would want to admit
425
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,480
that they showed their children
how to talk to the dead
during class time?
426
00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,880
BILL: These boards are basically
just a communication device.
427
00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:30,280
People use them to try to
talk to the spirit
and get an answer from them.
428
00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:35,120
MICHAEL: And the spirit
can guide that planchette
429
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:40,080
using the person's energy
that is holding the planchette.
430
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,600
Sometimes you will get
zero responses.
431
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,120
And sometimes the responses
can be immediate.
432
00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,640
BILL: When you're using a spirit
board and you connect to somebody
433
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:57,800
and you start talking to them,
434
00:28:57,880 --> 00:28:59,680
that allows the invitation in.
435
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,320
They knew they were
playing with fire,
436
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,960
but yet they proceeded
without any oversight,
437
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,880
without any permission,
without any authorisation.
438
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:14,080
Everyone knows what
you're trying to conjure up.
439
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:27,600
There's rules in the spirit world.
They need an invitation
to affect your life,
440
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,440
to try and possess you.
441
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,920
It may not act right then.
442
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,040
It'll wait for you
to be at your weakest.
443
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:44,200
The teachers at the academy
assure their students
444
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,560
these are just harmless games,
445
00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:51,600
never once suggesting
this might be a dangerous pastime.
446
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:59,000
It's one thing for the teachers
to bring up the subject of
demonic, of the paranormal.
447
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,960
It's quite another
not to give it some warnings.
Apparently that didn't happen.
448
00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:04,960
At the academy,
449
00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,800
practising the occult may not be
part of the curriculum,
450
00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:12,880
but for some it quickly becomes
the most popular subject on campus.
451
00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:17,240
Once out of class, every opportunity
that comes their way,
every chance they get,
452
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,240
these kids are trying
to hone their skills.
453
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,680
They are practising
these occult rituals.
454
00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,160
But these aren't typical students.
455
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,600
These cadets have been
relentlessly subjected to
456
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,200
harsh discipline and corporal
punishment on a daily basis
457
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:35,320
with no relief in sight.
458
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:43,840
Their pent-up collective anger
is explosive.
459
00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:53,360
These students were
a victim of mind control.
460
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,840
And in the midst of
that mind control,
461
00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:01,120
the occult and forms of
the evil supernatural
were introduced to them.
462
00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:11,080
BILL: These kids were already being
oppressed by the academy.
463
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,160
That allows them to be very open
464
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,520
and susceptible to
a demonic presence and attack.
465
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:28,280
Could the students collectively
summon evil entities
466
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,400
and weaponise them
against their oppressors?
467
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,800
I think that is what led to
this terrible tragedy.
468
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:51,080
It's impossible to separate the
horrific events at the academy...
469
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,040
..from the city where
they took place.
470
00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:03,520
For tourists, Miami might be
a tropical paradise,
471
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:08,120
but all that sunshine masks
a dark and brutal past.
472
00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:17,920
There's a lot of bad juju
around Miami.
473
00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:25,000
You can go back 400 years
to when the conquistadors
slaughtered the natives.
474
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:33,320
A lot of these malignant forces
and evil spirits linger to this day.
475
00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:36,480
In 1974,
476
00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,560
a Florida newspaper reported that
a Miami hospital
477
00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:44,840
treated an astonishing 700
demonic possessions a month.
478
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:49,440
It seems the bloody history
has seeped deep into the soil.
479
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,080
ROB: There's also a legend
that the devil lives beneath Miami
480
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:54,760
near an underground river.
481
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:59,080
And others say that there's
a demonic force known as La Llorona
482
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,680
who feeds on the fear of children.
483
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,160
Unchecked over decades
and centuries,
484
00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:11,880
that can create a lot of bad energy.
485
00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:15,440
The accumulation of bad energy
486
00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:17,560
swirls around the academy campus
487
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:21,120
and invites negativity
into its doors,
488
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,400
even welcoming a murderer
into its student body.
489
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:29,240
And no-one knew, except Marina.
490
00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:33,200
If I did wrong,
I accept responsibility.
491
00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:35,160
The boy never create a problem
492
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,160
and the boy was doing well,
493
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,920
so I was talking to the boy often
494
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,320
and I said, 'If you make one single
mistake, you go back over there.'
495
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,720
Scandals rock the academy,
496
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,760
but Marina deflects any problems
497
00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:53,400
at the school he rules
with an iron fist.
498
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,840
ARCHIVE: Marina maintains
he is being blackmailed,
499
00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:59,440
that he is a victim of what he calls
'a campaign of defamation.'
500
00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,680
You are asking me questions
in which I am not prepared.
501
00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:07,840
ARCHIVE: Marina maintains,
as president and founder
of this military academy,
502
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,240
sometimes he has to keep secrets
to protect youngsters here.
503
00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:15,440
How many other scandalous secrets
is Mr Marina still guarding?
504
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,360
There's more than one
deep, dark secret
505
00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:20,040
Marina might be guarding.
506
00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:23,880
And there were rumours
507
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:27,240
that Marina was practising
the dark side of Santeria.
508
00:34:31,240 --> 00:34:34,360
I do remember him mentioning
something about Santeria.
509
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,600
ARCHIVE: Earlier this month,
a number of goats,
chickens and pigeons
510
00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,080
were found sacrificed
in south-west Dade County.
511
00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,840
The kids found different signs
of Santeria throughout the campus.
512
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:49,160
The signs include burnt pennies,
513
00:34:49,240 --> 00:34:52,440
which can mean
someone is casting a spell.
514
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,160
Santeria is a form of religion
515
00:34:57,240 --> 00:34:59,120
if you take it in the pure form.
516
00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,120
They talk about good Santeria
and bad Santeria.
517
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:05,960
White and black Santeria.
518
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,080
There are people
that have twisted it
519
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,320
to support other means
and endeavours
520
00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,760
which don't work within
the framework of the religion.
521
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,320
And there's other evidence
to suspect Marina
522
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,200
of practising the dark magic
at school.
523
00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:32,680
If you see dead chickens
or chicken bones,
524
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,600
that means there has been
a blood sacrifice.
525
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,120
That raises to another level
of seriousness.
526
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,720
It means something
was actually sacrificed
527
00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:44,640
and the blood was used in a ritual.
528
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,600
This is not white magic.
529
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:03,560
This is bad magic. Casting spells.
530
00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,240
This is all about curses.
531
00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:07,600
It's all about summoning
the powers of darkness.
532
00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,040
If the students at the academy
533
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,760
think their general is practising
black magic,
534
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,440
how far would they go
to protect themselves?
535
00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:25,200
Here's Marina, an all-powerful
figure. 'El General', the general.
536
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:26,880
He's running the show,
537
00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:31,520
so it wouldn't be far-fetched
for these kids to believe that
538
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,160
Marina was involved in
some kind of Santeria
539
00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:36,800
that had these special powers.
540
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,000
I was of the opinion that
Marina would be capable of anything.
541
00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,120
Now some of the students
were starting to
542
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:00,240
experiment with the dark arts
on their own.
543
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:01,960
Some were just curious.
544
00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,960
Others were looking for
an escape from their harsh reality.
545
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:11,800
These are teenagers.
546
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,560
And cognitive abilities,
547
00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:18,320
to think about the consequences
of actions, isn't there yet.
548
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,560
That's just the kids, without
any supervision, any guardrails,
549
00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,520
were playing with a fire
550
00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:27,760
that is about to spread
out of control.
551
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:37,280
If students at the academy
learn about the occult
from their teachers,
552
00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:40,160
and power of Santeria from Marina,
553
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:42,480
then the real lesson may be
554
00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,840
how to invite
a massive demonic attack.
555
00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:50,880
Satan is very clever.
In the beginning,
556
00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,440
when he offers people
certain powers,
557
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,200
he doesn't tell you what
558
00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,760
the consequences of those powers
will do to you and to other people.
559
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:06,160
Suddenly, all the things
these kids have been doing,
560
00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:09,960
the seances, the tarot cards,
the spirit boards, all of this...
561
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,880
..is converging like
the perfect storm.
562
00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:27,160
V/O: What's been called the biggest
mass demonic possession in history
563
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:31,560
happens when many factors converge
at the same time.
564
00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:34,800
And one major factor
is the time of year.
565
00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,480
Halloween week is when
paranormal activity is at its peak.
566
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:45,720
This goes back to
the belief of the Celts
567
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,480
that thought that the veil between
our world and the netherworld
568
00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:53,280
was at its thinnest
during this time of year,
569
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:57,320
and when the souls of the departed
can return to the living.
570
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:00,840
So the cadets, like the Celts,
571
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,440
were pretty busy summoning spirits.
572
00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:06,720
But unfortunately for them,
it was the wrong ones.
573
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,480
It's the night of
October 24th, 1979,
574
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:18,520
only hours before evil lays siege to
the academy campus.
575
00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:20,320
As the story goes,
576
00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,440
some of the students gather
for a party.
577
00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:27,520
Strongly bonded by their shared
trauma at the military school,
578
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:31,120
the kids find refuge
in each other's company.
579
00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:35,720
When you're that age, your friends,
your peers, are your whole universe.
580
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,800
So when you have a community
that is that tightly knit,
581
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:43,920
there is this belief that,
'It's us against them,
and I'm part of this world.'
582
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,920
But what looks like
a typical teenage house party
583
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,320
turns out to be
an unexpected game-changer.
584
00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:57,440
ROB: On that night,
for the first time,
585
00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:01,760
the students of the Miami Aerospace
Academy gather in a larger group.
586
00:40:01,840 --> 00:40:04,680
And those that were practising
the occult in smaller groups
587
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:09,480
finally came together in what was
a supercharged mass event.
588
00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:13,600
The dark-magic games
the kids have been playing in school
589
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,040
are now being played in
the same place at the same time.
590
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,800
Because you have
a concentrated group of people
591
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:23,680
that you have different areas,
somebody doing hypnosis,
592
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:25,600
somebody using a spirit board,
593
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:29,720
it's definitely creating
an increased paranormal activity
in the area.
594
00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,960
For kids that have been
abused and forgotten
595
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:38,240
and stripped of their identities,
596
00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:40,480
reclaiming their power
through the occult
597
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:43,840
is nothing short of exhilarating.
598
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:46,200
When we talk about
involvement in the occult,
599
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,600
the risk is that when kids
go beyond exploration
600
00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:51,280
and this becomes life,
601
00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:55,240
this becomes their religion,
this becomes their power,
602
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,560
and they're drawn too far into it.
603
00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:02,440
You're gonna reach out for
supernatural power, and I think
that's what these kids did.
604
00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:04,120
That feeling of empowerment
605
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:07,720
might come at a cost
these students could never foresee.
606
00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:09,960
When you reach out and do that,
607
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:14,120
you say to the demons,
'Here I am. You give me power.'
608
00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:19,360
They don't know it, but that night
the academy students may be creating
609
00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,040
a gateway to hell.
610
00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:25,560
Everything going on in
one concentrated place
611
00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:28,680
definitely allows
a portal to open up.
612
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:35,480
A portal is considered
an open door to the spirit world.
613
00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:39,920
Another dimension
where demons are said to dwell.
614
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:43,680
There are disagreements about
how and when a portal can open.
615
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,640
But most would agree that
616
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:49,320
a concentrated amount of
occult activity
617
00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,720
would be enough to rend it asunder.
618
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,520
Some people believe that a portal
can open in the blink of an eye,
619
00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,640
while others are convinced that
a mirror, something found
in every home,
620
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:07,600
can serve as a portal to allow in
creatures not of our world.
621
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:11,040
In fact, a mirror is the focal point
622
00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:14,120
of one of the occult games
the students play.
623
00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,600
Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.
624
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:18,960
It's been around for a long time.
625
00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:21,240
So the idea is
you stare into a mirror.
626
00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:23,520
You look right at your own eyes,
627
00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:28,120
and you chant 'Bloody Mary,
Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.'
628
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:29,800
It's a dare, it's a thrill,
629
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:32,600
but it actually is an invitation
to dark forces.
630
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,160
They say 'Bloody Mary' three times
631
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:38,560
and that serves an an invocation
632
00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:41,480
for a diabolical spirit
known as 'Bloody Mary'
633
00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:43,160
to manifest herself.
634
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:48,440
That night,
three girls from the academy
635
00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:53,080
lock themselves in a bathroom
to try to summon Bloody Mary.
636
00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:55,280
Now if they don't know
what they're doing
637
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:59,920
they can easily open something up
like that because it is
inviting something in.
638
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,760
And the spirit comes in and says,
'Yes, this is who I am.'
639
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:05,440
Bloody Mary.
640
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:09,680
Bloody Mary.
641
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,640
V/O: No-one really expects
anything to happen...
642
00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:14,480
Bloody Mary.
643
00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:17,280
Over and over. And then
you watch to see what happens.
644
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:20,240
..until it does.
645
00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:21,920
Bloody Mary.
646
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:25,240
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
647
00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:28,360
Bloody Mary.
648
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:31,880
Bloody Mary.
649
00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:43,680
The girls are so freaked out
they immediately stop
the Bloody Mary game.
650
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:45,840
But it's too late.
651
00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:49,760
ROB: First they're communicating
with the dead,
652
00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:51,840
now they're opening portals
to the unknown.
653
00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:54,400
This is when things
take a turn towards the worse,
654
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:58,320
because what they don't know
is that they aren't just
unlocking these doors.
655
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,000
They're pushing them wide open.
656
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:06,680
BILL: The kids start acting out
657
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:10,680
because the demons can
take over their body
658
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,160
and make them do crazy things.
659
00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:18,080
By all accounts, the mood at
the party instantly turns dark.
660
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:20,680
Personalities suddenly change,
661
00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:22,920
becoming menacing and aggressive.
662
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,240
Two boys, always close friends,
663
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:33,320
are now at each other's throats
664
00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:35,480
without any provocation.
665
00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:42,920
ROB: Why would this be?
666
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,400
Because demonic entities
may have influenced them
667
00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:50,760
to act in violent ways
that would have ordinarily been
against their nature.
668
00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,800
The problem with any kind of
dark energy, demons, spirits,
669
00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:05,240
is you don't have control over it.
670
00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:08,600
You may feel you have control
over it and know what you're doing,
671
00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:11,440
but you're really
being controlled by them.
672
00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:13,320
ROB: By playing these games,
673
00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:17,640
they didn't realise that
the infestation had already begun
674
00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:20,240
and that demonic forces
were at play,
675
00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,840
influencing how they behave,
how they perceive the world.
676
00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:30,000
The Halloween party goes from fun
to frightening in a heartbeat.
677
00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:34,920
The students, desperate to escape
the bad energy at school,
678
00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:39,400
have just stirred
the paranormal pot.
679
00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:43,720
It's a very dangerous thing,
because what happens is
680
00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:48,240
Satan can concentrate his focus
on this one single group
681
00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:52,400
and look for something
that sparks the fire
682
00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:55,040
of the contagion of mass possession.
683
00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:00,320
It's now gonna take over. You're not
calling the shots any more.
684
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:12,160
By the morning of October 25th,
685
00:46:12,240 --> 00:46:14,200
all the ingredients are in place
686
00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:18,160
for a massive demonic attack
on the academy.
687
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,080
Demoralised kids
with damaged psyches...
688
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,480
..a collective obsession
with the occult...
689
00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,560
..and constant contact
with the spirit realm
690
00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:35,640
where evil entities lie ready
to pounce on unwitting victims.
691
00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:39,560
At the Halloween party
the night before,
692
00:46:39,640 --> 00:46:42,200
it's clear that
something dark and powerful
693
00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:45,320
is taking hold of
the troubled cadets.
694
00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,760
The pressure was building
and building and building
695
00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:53,640
amongst the students.
696
00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:55,480
And on that day, October 25th,
697
00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:57,920
they simultaneously reached
a breaking point.
698
00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:02,200
The fuse was lit,
699
00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,760
and what happens in class
sets off the explosion.
700
00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:08,560
ROB: As I heard it,
701
00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:12,560
some students that were
at the party the night before
were actually in this class
702
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:15,120
with a teacher who was
one of the ones
703
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:17,400
who taught them about the occult.
704
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,520
The kids haven't been able
to shake off
705
00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:24,520
the disturbing events
that took place at the party.
706
00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:26,400
Bloody Mary.
707
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:33,120
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
708
00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:40,160
The next day in school,
they're all still talking about it.
709
00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:43,040
They're all still
a little freaked out about it,
710
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,960
and one of the teachers
picks up on it.
711
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:49,840
And she wants to try...
and help the kids.
712
00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:54,520
The teacher's idea
to help settle the kids down?
713
00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:57,200
Hypnosis.
714
00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:01,840
What is hypnosis? Hypnosis is really
a state of focused attention.
715
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:06,600
The word 'hypnosis'
is from the Greek word for 'sleep',
716
00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:10,800
and it's been practised as far back
as the ancient Egyptians.
717
00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:13,960
For a licensed
and trained therapist,
718
00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:17,200
it can be a safe and effective
therapeutic tool.
719
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:19,360
But in the wrong hands,
720
00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:21,440
dangerous.
721
00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:24,440
Hypnosis is a clinical tool
you have to be careful with
722
00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:29,720
when you have these kids under this
state of anxiety and suggestibility.
723
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:35,520
MICHAEL: The teacher,
being a novice hypnotist,
724
00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:38,840
tried to do a regression session.
725
00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:42,040
The problem with doing that
and being a novice
726
00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:45,440
is you never know
what's gonna come out
727
00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:47,680
during a regression session.
728
00:48:47,760 --> 00:48:50,840
The students,
now at their breaking point
729
00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:54,080
from all the abuses
by Marina and the staff,
730
00:48:54,160 --> 00:48:57,120
cling to their
last shred of willpower -
731
00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:00,240
the very thing
hypnosis will free them of.
732
00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:03,720
I have no idea
733
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:05,720
what type of hypnosis this is.
734
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:10,560
But mind-control hypnosis,
it's a very dangerous thing.
735
00:49:10,640 --> 00:49:13,760
And you start messing with that
level of consciousness with people
736
00:49:13,840 --> 00:49:16,280
and you don't know
what you're doing,
737
00:49:16,360 --> 00:49:18,160
it could be very, very dangerous.
738
00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:19,920
One of the students
739
00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:23,440
is the one traumatised at the party
the night before
740
00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:25,440
playing 'Bloody Mary.'
741
00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:28,640
Bloody Mary.
742
00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:31,840
Bloody Mary.
743
00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:35,160
Bloody Mary.
744
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:42,440
The teacher insists
the girl undergo hypnosis
745
00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:44,400
right then and there,
746
00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:48,920
but the girl tries to resist
the teacher's strange request.
747
00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,040
Her insistence sent this poor child
spinning off the edge,
748
00:49:53,120 --> 00:49:56,480
and in so doing
basically unlocks a key.
749
00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:02,240
But could there be
a more sinister reason
750
00:50:02,320 --> 00:50:04,000
the student resists being put under?
751
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,320
MICHAEL: Did the demon inside of her
752
00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:11,320
know that if she got put in
regressive hypnosis
753
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:13,760
it would be exposed?
754
00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:17,000
Maybe that's why she didn't
want to be involved in it.
755
00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:19,920
The relentless teacher
keeps pushing.
756
00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:24,320
The student knows the consequences
for not obeying teachers' orders.
757
00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:26,640
Finally, she gives in.
758
00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:32,000
The risks involved
with an amateur hypnotist
759
00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:34,600
trying to probe into
a delicate young mind,
760
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:38,040
especially one that has already
suffered a traumatic incident
761
00:50:38,120 --> 00:50:41,760
as recently as the night before,
are myriad.
762
00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:44,280
There are all sorts of things
that can go wrong.
763
00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,120
The powder keg of
paranormal instability
764
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:49,640
ignites a flame from hell.
765
00:50:54,120 --> 00:50:57,000
It goes TERRIBLY wrong.
766
00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:00,280
The little girl panics.
She's overwhelmed with horror...
767
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:02,320
She felt something was
attacking her.
768
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:04,280
..until the kid finally snapped.
769
00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:06,920
It hit her hard,
and she just bolted.
770
00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:14,560
The girl flees down the hallway
to the restroom,
771
00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:16,400
followed by worried friends.
772
00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:30,880
She collapses on the floor
773
00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:33,240
and makes a terrifying confession.
774
00:51:42,640 --> 00:51:44,800
Next thing you know,
she's levitating.
775
00:51:44,880 --> 00:51:47,040
(GIRL SCREAMS)
776
00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:49,120
A classic sign of
demonic possession.
777
00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:53,240
Whatever dark force
that's taken hold of the girl
778
00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:57,160
also seems to be
seizing control of her friends.
779
00:51:58,240 --> 00:52:00,520
The students who have been
using dark magic
780
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:04,520
to gain freedom and liberation
from school oppression
781
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:09,320
are about to come under
all-out spiritual assault.
782
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:13,640
Truth is, they opened the door.
783
00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:17,400
And when they opened that door,
784
00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:21,400
these things saw their opportunity
and they came through it.
785
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:23,360
And not just one came through it.
786
00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:25,720
A bunch of them came through it.
787
00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:36,760
V/O: At the Miami
Aerospace Academy,
788
00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:40,160
the devil has entered the building.
789
00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:44,720
It's almost as if
the gates of hell have opened up.
790
00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:50,760
Something was tapped into there
that was probably better left alone.
791
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:55,040
They seem to have released
some energy there
792
00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:57,040
that was negative, very negative.
793
00:52:57,120 --> 00:53:00,160
And it had to be building
for a long, long time.
794
00:53:00,240 --> 00:53:02,240
The stage has been set
795
00:53:02,320 --> 00:53:06,800
for a catastrophic
mass demonic possession.
796
00:53:06,880 --> 00:53:11,800
ROB: Possessions exist in the
mythology of nearly every culture.
797
00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,880
And for thousands of years,
people have reported the phenomenon
of demonic hauntings.
798
00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:19,560
MICHAEL: In the spirit realm,
demons are fallen angels.
799
00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:22,320
They are inhuman spirits.
800
00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:26,800
And they've never walked the Earth
as a human being.
801
00:53:26,880 --> 00:53:31,840
Demonic hauntings in homes
are very oppressive,
802
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:36,720
and are usually accompanied with
foul odours
803
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:40,760
and smells such as rotting meat
and sulphur.
804
00:53:40,840 --> 00:53:42,560
It's very identifiable.
805
00:53:42,640 --> 00:53:46,120
It's almost like you're
walking through the gates of hell...
806
00:53:47,200 --> 00:53:49,040
..except it's in your home.
807
00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:51,360
Or your school.
808
00:53:54,200 --> 00:53:56,120
And it's terrifying.
809
00:53:56,200 --> 00:53:59,560
Demons have the ability
to cause physical harm.
810
00:53:59,640 --> 00:54:04,400
People have reported
being scratched, bitten,
or even pushed down the stairs.
811
00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:10,280
MICHAEL: But the most devastating
is when
812
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:12,800
a demon enters a human body
813
00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:14,880
and possesses that body.
814
00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:20,920
It's very rare, and the conditions
have to be just right.
815
00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:26,720
And the conditions were just right.
816
00:54:29,800 --> 00:54:31,720
In 1973,
817
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:36,080
the whole world becomes aware of
demonic possession.
818
00:54:36,160 --> 00:54:39,440
That's the year
The Exorcist is released,
819
00:54:39,520 --> 00:54:41,800
with its terrifying special effects
820
00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:46,400
designed to strike primal fear
into the hearts of moviegoers.
821
00:54:46,480 --> 00:54:51,240
Real-life possessions
have been going on for centuries.
822
00:54:51,320 --> 00:54:53,040
Not like it is in the movies,
823
00:54:53,120 --> 00:54:56,960
where they're throwing up pea soup
and their head is spinning around,
824
00:54:57,040 --> 00:54:59,080
but their faces change.
825
00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:01,480
Their demeanour changes.
826
00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:03,320
They end up doing things
827
00:55:03,400 --> 00:55:05,080
that they would never do.
828
00:55:06,280 --> 00:55:08,480
Those who have studied
the phenomenon
829
00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:13,200
report that demonic possession
occurs in three stages.
830
00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:16,480
The three stages of possession
are infestation...
831
00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:20,760
..then oppression...
832
00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:23,120
and then full possession.
833
00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:29,880
Infestation is when
it is just starting.
834
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:33,760
It's when it is introducing itself
835
00:55:33,840 --> 00:55:36,160
to the person that it has chosen.
836
00:55:41,080 --> 00:55:43,080
When it announces its presence,
837
00:55:43,160 --> 00:55:46,120
it will usually do it
with three knocks...
838
00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:49,520
(THREE FORCEFUL KNOCKS)
839
00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:55,120
..which mocks the Holy Trinity,
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
840
00:55:57,080 --> 00:56:00,200
And that's where the spirit
really tries to break you down.
841
00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:05,360
Bad things start to happen.
842
00:56:07,080 --> 00:56:08,840
Your finances could fall apart.
843
00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:12,800
Accidents could happen.
844
00:56:14,520 --> 00:56:18,880
All kinds of negative things
start happening with oppression.
845
00:56:20,240 --> 00:56:24,920
Once it's broken you down
to the point where you just
can't take any more,
846
00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:26,800
it takes full control.
847
00:56:29,080 --> 00:56:31,840
And then you're at the mercy
of that demon.
848
00:56:35,320 --> 00:56:37,520
Finally comes
the possession itself...
849
00:56:39,960 --> 00:56:45,120
..where a human being is inhabited
by an intelligence of evil nature
850
00:56:45,200 --> 00:56:47,120
that is not their own.
851
00:56:49,200 --> 00:56:51,560
At the academy,
the kids have already gone through
852
00:56:51,640 --> 00:56:54,200
a couple of phases of possession.
853
00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:57,120
They've opened up the portals
by inviting them in.
854
00:56:57,200 --> 00:56:59,040
Playing with a spirit board,
855
00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:00,880
playing with tarot cards.
856
00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:04,480
And the second part is oppression.
857
00:57:04,560 --> 00:57:06,720
Oppression is where
the spirits and the demons
858
00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:09,160
try to break them down
mentally and physically.
859
00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:15,040
Satan tries to possess somebody...
860
00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:19,760
..in a situation where there's
some type of
861
00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:22,680
trauma, deprivation, punishment.
862
00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:28,200
And the staff has done that
to the kids already.
863
00:57:28,280 --> 00:57:30,760
(CADET WEEPING BROKENLY)
864
00:57:34,880 --> 00:57:37,480
By the time the troubled girl
runs to the restroom,
865
00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:42,360
a full-scale demonic possession
is under way.
866
00:57:45,840 --> 00:57:48,440
She's collapsed onto the floor.
867
00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:51,480
She's claiming that the devil
himself is inside of her.
868
00:57:54,280 --> 00:57:57,480
(VOICE ECHOING)
The devil is inside me.
869
00:58:02,520 --> 00:58:05,480
Her friends surround her.
They're rooted in horror.
870
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:15,560
And that's when something happens
that none of them will ever forget.
871
00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:19,200
The girls are shocked
to see their friend shake
872
00:58:19,280 --> 00:58:22,120
and her eyes roll back in her head.
873
00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:25,440
They think she's having a seizure,
but no.
874
00:58:25,520 --> 00:58:28,840
It's far worse than
anything they can imagine.
875
00:58:32,320 --> 00:58:34,480
(GIRLS SCREAMING)
876
00:58:34,560 --> 00:58:37,320
Levitation is one of
the devil's tools
877
00:58:37,400 --> 00:58:42,800
to show you that
you are completely powerless,
a puppet in his hands.
878
00:58:42,880 --> 00:58:46,560
He uses it
to take full control of your body,
879
00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:51,200
and in so doing to show you and
all around you that he is the one
880
00:58:51,280 --> 00:58:53,040
completely in control.
881
00:58:56,640 --> 00:58:58,960
The young witnesses watch
in abject horror
882
00:58:59,040 --> 00:59:02,840
as the girl's body appears to
lift off the floor on its own
883
00:59:02,920 --> 00:59:05,000
and hover miraculously in mid-air.
884
00:59:07,240 --> 00:59:10,040
A demon will use levitation
almost like a shock-and-awe.
885
00:59:11,640 --> 00:59:14,560
It shocks anybody that sees it.
886
00:59:14,640 --> 00:59:19,360
It almost stuns you,
because it's so against the rules
of science and physics.
887
00:59:24,440 --> 00:59:27,840
Back in the classroom, the teacher
who triggered the incident
888
00:59:27,920 --> 00:59:31,240
hears mysterious cries
coming from the girls' room.
889
00:59:34,480 --> 00:59:37,120
Unnerved, she goes to investigate.
890
00:59:56,200 --> 00:59:58,440
ROB: The teacher sprinted
out of the lavatory
891
00:59:58,520 --> 01:00:00,240
and was never seen again.
892
01:00:04,360 --> 01:00:07,880
Later it was reported that
this teacher absolutely denied
893
01:00:07,960 --> 01:00:10,840
that she had ever performed hypnosis
on that student.
894
01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:19,720
The girl who was possessed,
what she was experiencing
was overwhelmingly horrifying.
895
01:00:21,680 --> 01:00:25,520
An utter loss of control,
combined with the fact that
896
01:00:25,600 --> 01:00:29,960
you know something evil has gained
control of the vessel that is you.
897
01:00:31,800 --> 01:00:34,160
The terrifying display
of demonic power
898
01:00:34,240 --> 01:00:38,480
leaves the girl's classmates
in shocked disbelief.
899
01:00:39,760 --> 01:00:42,280
But what none of these students
can fully understand
900
01:00:42,360 --> 01:00:45,760
is that this is ground zero
of a diabolical infection.
901
01:00:45,840 --> 01:00:48,880
The levitation in the girls' room
902
01:00:48,960 --> 01:00:51,280
is just a demonic taste
903
01:00:51,360 --> 01:00:53,960
of the horror yet to come.
904
01:00:54,040 --> 01:00:56,680
Once that girl was levitated...
905
01:00:58,000 --> 01:00:59,960
..it opened the floodgates.
906
01:01:00,040 --> 01:01:03,120
and the demonic activity
flooded through that school.
907
01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:10,680
The amount of occult activity that
was being practised in that school
908
01:01:10,760 --> 01:01:13,760
by not just the students
but the faculty...
909
01:01:15,840 --> 01:01:18,480
..it just opened everything wide.
910
01:01:18,560 --> 01:01:20,240
It made it so that this was
911
01:01:20,320 --> 01:01:25,280
an easy, easy entrance into
this world and to these children.
912
01:01:25,360 --> 01:01:28,160
They had everything they needed.
It was the perfect storm.
913
01:01:36,840 --> 01:01:38,920
ROB: Everything came together.
914
01:01:39,000 --> 01:01:40,680
The portal was open.
915
01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:45,400
The fear, the anger, the oppression
had unleashed the demons.
916
01:01:46,760 --> 01:01:48,800
Bloody Mary.
917
01:01:51,120 --> 01:01:55,480
The demonic force
that manifested in the girls' room
918
01:01:55,560 --> 01:01:58,320
starts to spread
throughout the school.
919
01:02:02,800 --> 01:02:04,400
The devil invaded.
920
01:02:07,440 --> 01:02:09,080
Room by room, floor by floor,
921
01:02:09,160 --> 01:02:10,920
through the stairwells...
922
01:02:12,360 --> 01:02:13,960
..through the whole building.
923
01:02:24,040 --> 01:02:27,080
Simultaneously,
in a classroom upstairs,
924
01:02:27,160 --> 01:02:31,840
an air of menace seeps in,
permeates the room,
925
01:02:31,920 --> 01:02:35,400
and slowly begins to take them over.
926
01:02:35,480 --> 01:02:38,880
These students had no idea
what happened in the bathroom.
927
01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:41,560
But still, something had shifted.
928
01:02:41,640 --> 01:02:44,000
Something was there.
929
01:02:46,040 --> 01:02:47,640
Without any provocation,
930
01:02:47,720 --> 01:02:50,560
two boys start throwing punches
at each other,
931
01:02:50,640 --> 01:02:54,000
escalating into an all-out brawl.
932
01:02:54,080 --> 01:02:56,080
ROB: It seemed to affect
two of the cadets,
933
01:02:56,160 --> 01:02:57,760
and they started to fight.
934
01:03:01,080 --> 01:03:05,240
They didn't realise that
the infestation had already begun
935
01:03:05,320 --> 01:03:08,400
and that demonic forces
were at play,
936
01:03:08,480 --> 01:03:12,240
influencing how they behave,
how they perceive the world.
937
01:03:13,680 --> 01:03:17,960
They weren't themselves.
They were infected by the devil.
938
01:03:18,040 --> 01:03:19,640
They were possessed.
939
01:03:25,280 --> 01:03:27,720
That demonic force
that came into that school,
940
01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:30,640
it just started going through
the two boys
941
01:03:30,720 --> 01:03:34,160
like a force nobody's ever seen.
942
01:03:34,240 --> 01:03:38,680
The superhuman strength of these
two high-schoolers is shocking,
943
01:03:38,760 --> 01:03:43,240
as one is picked up
and hurled across the classroom.
944
01:03:51,520 --> 01:03:55,360
Next thing you know,
one of the boys had actually been
thrown through the window.
945
01:03:56,840 --> 01:04:00,240
This boy falls from
a two-storey building,
946
01:04:00,320 --> 01:04:03,240
lands unhurt, pops up.
947
01:04:08,400 --> 01:04:10,200
Mr McKently comes over.
948
01:04:11,840 --> 01:04:15,840
He is unable to subdue
this smaller boy.
949
01:04:21,520 --> 01:04:25,560
Unbelievable strength is one of the
classic signs of demonic possession.
950
01:04:28,600 --> 01:04:32,920
I've had instances of doing
an exorcism on a 95-pound woman
951
01:04:33,000 --> 01:04:35,440
that took six or eight men
to control.
952
01:04:35,520 --> 01:04:38,320
I've seen violent,
abnormal strength.
953
01:04:39,480 --> 01:04:41,920
Having witnessed these
horrific demonic events,
954
01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:44,640
the students are infected with evil.
955
01:04:44,720 --> 01:04:46,320
All hell breaks loose,
956
01:04:46,400 --> 01:04:48,960
and the mass possession ignites.
957
01:04:51,080 --> 01:04:54,840
Once the spark was lit,
958
01:04:54,920 --> 01:04:57,160
once this fire started to spread,
959
01:04:57,240 --> 01:04:59,800
then what happens?
960
01:04:59,880 --> 01:05:02,000
Mass possession.
961
01:05:03,240 --> 01:05:05,680
(GIRL SCREAMS)
962
01:05:05,760 --> 01:05:08,200
ROB: Possession was like a virus.
963
01:05:08,280 --> 01:05:10,120
It spread through the school, fast.
964
01:05:11,640 --> 01:05:15,520
Chaos is literally rippling
down the hallways.
965
01:05:17,360 --> 01:05:20,040
Kids were suddenly acting like
wild animals.
966
01:05:20,120 --> 01:05:22,200
Weird sounds, wild eyes,
acting crazy.
967
01:05:22,280 --> 01:05:23,880
(GIRL SCREAMS)
968
01:05:26,200 --> 01:05:30,320
The minute a demon starts to
present itself in a person,
the eyes change...
969
01:05:32,320 --> 01:05:35,640
..in numbers of ways. The colours
may change. The dilation may change.
970
01:05:35,720 --> 01:05:38,960
Sometimes they widen beyond
a human ability.
971
01:05:41,360 --> 01:05:46,120
There are different reports on
what it feels like to be possessed.
972
01:05:46,200 --> 01:05:47,800
Some people remember everything.
973
01:05:47,880 --> 01:05:49,680
Some people remember nothing.
974
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:55,320
They remember that they no longer
had control of their faculties.
975
01:05:55,400 --> 01:05:59,160
The worst feeling is that
instant loss of control.
976
01:05:59,240 --> 01:06:02,400
You feel like you're a stranger
in your own body.
977
01:06:02,480 --> 01:06:04,600
You do things you never would do,
978
01:06:04,680 --> 01:06:06,400
you say things you would never say.
979
01:06:06,480 --> 01:06:10,680
Demonic possession is
the ultimate loss of control
980
01:06:10,760 --> 01:06:12,960
to something very dark,
very malicious,
981
01:06:13,040 --> 01:06:15,400
and extremely dangerous.
982
01:06:15,480 --> 01:06:19,520
MICHAEL: There's no doubt
these students were possessed.
983
01:06:19,600 --> 01:06:23,680
And the ones that weren't possessed
were running for their lives.
984
01:06:29,200 --> 01:06:31,240
These kids saw their classmates
985
01:06:31,320 --> 01:06:33,760
change their personalities,
change shape,
986
01:06:33,840 --> 01:06:36,280
become something else entirely.
987
01:06:38,440 --> 01:06:40,520
They were possessed by
something demonic.
988
01:06:40,600 --> 01:06:44,200
Some of the kids were shredding
doors right from the walls.
989
01:06:44,280 --> 01:06:47,480
That is a show of demonic strength.
990
01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:51,840
I have had instances where
I have seen people in an exorcism
991
01:06:51,920 --> 01:06:54,280
actually rip a door off its hinges.
992
01:06:54,360 --> 01:06:57,080
That's possible. That was described.
993
01:06:57,160 --> 01:06:59,640
There are too many things
being described here
994
01:06:59,720 --> 01:07:01,640
that just aren't normal.
995
01:07:01,720 --> 01:07:03,920
It's paranormal. It is demonic.
996
01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:15,640
(SIRENS WAILING)
997
01:07:18,200 --> 01:07:21,840
When law enforcement officials
finally arrive,
998
01:07:21,920 --> 01:07:25,520
they find a school embroiled in
paranormal pandemonium,
999
01:07:25,600 --> 01:07:30,520
with kids pleading for protection
from their possessed classmates.
1000
01:07:30,600 --> 01:07:34,560
The first responders
could look up and see that
the kids were still in the school.
1001
01:07:34,640 --> 01:07:37,240
They were banging on windows,
trying to get out.
1002
01:07:40,800 --> 01:07:44,560
Our initial thought was to find
somebody in charge of the campus
1003
01:07:44,640 --> 01:07:48,840
and try to get a handle on
exactly what the incident was
1004
01:07:48,920 --> 01:07:51,600
or what caused the chaos
that we were viewing.
1005
01:07:53,560 --> 01:07:58,320
The one person they think could help
is the demagogue general
Evaristo Marina,
1006
01:07:58,400 --> 01:08:01,640
who rules his students
with an iron fist.
1007
01:08:01,720 --> 01:08:04,000
But where has
the powerful general been
1008
01:08:04,080 --> 01:08:06,880
while the devil lays waste
to his academy
1009
01:08:06,960 --> 01:08:08,800
and endangers his kids?
1010
01:08:11,680 --> 01:08:14,880
The first responders
go searching for answers.
1011
01:08:14,960 --> 01:08:18,320
FRANK ROLLASON: We were directed
to the office. We went there.
1012
01:08:18,400 --> 01:08:20,360
There was nobody there.
1013
01:08:21,440 --> 01:08:24,120
The devil was summoned for
the reckoning...
1014
01:08:25,200 --> 01:08:27,840
..and the general disappeared.
1015
01:08:33,800 --> 01:08:35,760
V/O: Chaos, confusion and fear.
1016
01:08:35,840 --> 01:08:39,880
That's what first responders find
when they finally arrive
1017
01:08:39,960 --> 01:08:42,040
at The Devil's Academy.
1018
01:08:42,120 --> 01:08:44,800
FRANK ROLLASON:
On October 25th, 1979,
1019
01:08:44,880 --> 01:08:47,200
my position with the fire department
at that time
1020
01:08:47,280 --> 01:08:49,200
was a rescue operations officer.
1021
01:08:49,280 --> 01:08:52,000
It was just chaos there.
Kids were running everywhere.
1022
01:08:53,920 --> 01:08:57,280
And so that's why I responded.
1023
01:08:57,360 --> 01:09:00,000
Officers see students
raging out of control.
1024
01:09:00,080 --> 01:09:02,560
Bizarre, animalistic behaviour.
1025
01:09:02,640 --> 01:09:04,480
Screaming, gnashing,
1026
01:09:04,560 --> 01:09:07,200
some afraid for their lives.
1027
01:09:07,280 --> 01:09:10,600
They were scared of something and
that's what we tried to find out,
1028
01:09:10,680 --> 01:09:13,120
what was making them act
1029
01:09:13,200 --> 01:09:15,840
in the behaviour that they were in.
1030
01:09:15,920 --> 01:09:18,960
Through the hysteria,
a dark, evil force
1031
01:09:19,040 --> 01:09:22,440
becomes the curator of this chaos.
1032
01:09:22,520 --> 01:09:24,560
Several of them
had mentioned the devil.
1033
01:09:26,880 --> 01:09:29,600
The students said that
they were possessed,
1034
01:09:29,680 --> 01:09:31,320
or there was a demon present...
1035
01:09:37,000 --> 01:09:39,400
..and that they had been learning
about the occult.
1036
01:09:44,600 --> 01:09:47,200
First responders search everywhere
1037
01:09:47,280 --> 01:09:52,120
for the school's infamously
evil general, Evaristo Marina.
1038
01:09:53,200 --> 01:09:55,280
He's nowhere to be found.
1039
01:09:55,360 --> 01:09:59,360
He and his
sycophant staff disappear.
1040
01:09:59,440 --> 01:10:01,440
FRANK ROLLASON:
We walked the entire campus
1041
01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:04,840
trying to find somebody
that knew what was happening,
1042
01:10:04,920 --> 01:10:08,160
and it was odd that
there wasn't anybody there,
1043
01:10:08,240 --> 01:10:10,400
especially on a school day.
1044
01:10:10,480 --> 01:10:12,280
When the hellfire exploded,
1045
01:10:12,360 --> 01:10:17,040
the fearsome militarian forces
abandoned their post.
1046
01:10:17,120 --> 01:10:20,360
Where were the enforcers?
Where were they?
1047
01:10:21,640 --> 01:10:23,760
They had left the scene.
1048
01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:28,920
We found it very odd that we
couldn't locate anybody at the site
1049
01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:31,400
that was...tacitly in charge.
1050
01:10:35,280 --> 01:10:38,480
Finally, the students
come out of their trance.
1051
01:10:39,680 --> 01:10:45,040
By noon, it was over. Whatever had
taken over the building had left.
1052
01:10:45,120 --> 01:10:46,720
But something had been there.
1053
01:10:52,160 --> 01:10:55,440
The next day,
the event hits the local news.
1054
01:10:55,520 --> 01:10:59,160
ROB: The headlines were clear as to
what the kids thought happened.
1055
01:10:59,240 --> 01:11:01,640
'Hypnosis unleashes demons.'
1056
01:11:01,720 --> 01:11:04,840
The story of the possession was
picked up by the Associated Press
1057
01:11:04,920 --> 01:11:06,520
and went around the country.
1058
01:11:06,600 --> 01:11:08,880
It was even picked up by
The New York Times.
1059
01:11:08,960 --> 01:11:13,920
After learning the horrific details
of the supernatural riot,
1060
01:11:14,000 --> 01:11:16,360
parents are enraged.
1061
01:11:16,440 --> 01:11:20,120
ROB: There was immediate fallout.
At least one teacher
quit on the spot,
1062
01:11:20,200 --> 01:11:23,480
and other parents just
pulled their kids out of school.
1063
01:11:23,560 --> 01:11:27,120
But oddly, the bizarre story
of the high school's mass possession
1064
01:11:27,200 --> 01:11:29,680
quickly fades from the headlines.
1065
01:11:29,760 --> 01:11:31,960
ROB: People wanted to
sweep it under the rug,
1066
01:11:32,040 --> 01:11:35,760
and the authorities involved
wanna sweep it under the rug
as quickly as possible
1067
01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:39,160
so that it doesn't harm
their reputation.
1068
01:11:40,600 --> 01:11:43,440
It's as if everybody forgot
what happened
1069
01:11:43,520 --> 01:11:45,360
the day Satan showed up
at the school.
1070
01:11:46,440 --> 01:11:51,040
For his part, Marina calls
the whole story a smear campaign.
1071
01:11:52,040 --> 01:11:54,760
Marina had an excuse for everything.
1072
01:11:54,840 --> 01:11:58,560
Marina maintained that
it was his enemies
trying to do him in that day.
1073
01:11:58,640 --> 01:12:00,720
The question is,
1074
01:12:00,800 --> 01:12:04,120
were the general's enemies real,
or conjured?
1075
01:12:07,640 --> 01:12:09,320
As the years go by,
1076
01:12:09,400 --> 01:12:13,440
Marina's academy continues to be
at the centre of sordid scandals.
1077
01:12:14,720 --> 01:12:18,880
In the mid-'80s, charges of
sexual misconduct and rape
1078
01:12:18,960 --> 01:12:21,720
are levelled at some of its cadets.
1079
01:12:21,800 --> 01:12:24,280
ARCHIVE: Miami police detectives
converged on campus
1080
01:12:24,360 --> 01:12:26,440
because they had
many unanswered questions.
1081
01:12:26,520 --> 01:12:28,800
Not long after,
1082
01:12:28,880 --> 01:12:31,960
a young female cadet
becomes pregnant
1083
01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:34,480
while living in
the school's dormitory.
1084
01:12:34,560 --> 01:12:37,760
As the '80s wore on, the scandals
started to have some effect.
1085
01:12:37,840 --> 01:12:42,040
ARCHIVE: This is the day
Evaristo Marina promised
to explain everything,
1086
01:12:42,120 --> 01:12:45,720
and he left the media
still hungry for answers
at his news conference today.
1087
01:12:45,800 --> 01:12:48,160
The academy lost students
1088
01:12:48,240 --> 01:12:49,960
and later the faith of the parents.
1089
01:12:50,040 --> 01:12:52,160
Eventually, the building altogether.
1090
01:12:52,240 --> 01:12:54,400
They had to move into a hotel
1091
01:12:54,480 --> 01:12:57,320
that was later deemed 'deplorable'
by city officials.
1092
01:12:58,400 --> 01:13:02,640
Finally, the Miami Aerospace Academy
closed in 1988.
1093
01:13:04,960 --> 01:13:07,760
Marina dies in 2009,
1094
01:13:07,840 --> 01:13:11,200
and for a time it seems like
the legend of the mass possession
1095
01:13:11,280 --> 01:13:13,200
might die with him.
1096
01:13:17,400 --> 01:13:20,160
SERGIO: The story of
what happened in '79,
1097
01:13:20,240 --> 01:13:22,600
during my time, had been
sort of lost in the wind.
1098
01:13:22,680 --> 01:13:24,480
ROB: I think there's
a lot of students
1099
01:13:24,560 --> 01:13:27,680
that are reluctant
to talk about these things,
1100
01:13:27,760 --> 01:13:32,840
because the social stigma
that is associated with
experiencing the paranormal,
1101
01:13:32,920 --> 01:13:34,520
it runs deep in our society.
1102
01:13:36,080 --> 01:13:38,520
It can cut off opportunities.
1103
01:13:38,600 --> 01:13:42,600
It can label you as having
experienced this, then
no one sees anything else about you.
1104
01:13:42,680 --> 01:13:46,080
Which is tragic, because
you should be able to come forward
1105
01:13:46,160 --> 01:13:48,800
when you have a paranormal event
and be honest about it.
1106
01:13:49,880 --> 01:13:52,640
But perhaps there's another,
more chilling reason
1107
01:13:52,720 --> 01:13:55,320
why this dark chapter
in demonic history
1108
01:13:55,400 --> 01:13:58,280
has gone largely untold.
1109
01:13:59,520 --> 01:14:02,360
When those kids were taken over
by demons,
1110
01:14:02,440 --> 01:14:04,560
it ended on its own.
1111
01:14:04,640 --> 01:14:06,800
However...
1112
01:14:06,880 --> 01:14:08,840
that doesn't mean it's over.
1113
01:14:11,440 --> 01:14:14,280
Those demons could return
at any time.
1114
01:14:23,480 --> 01:14:25,960
V/O: At Miami Aerospace Academy,
1115
01:14:26,040 --> 01:14:29,080
the constant threat of
harsh corporal punishment,
1116
01:14:29,160 --> 01:14:33,120
combined with a culture of
dark occult rituals,
1117
01:14:33,200 --> 01:14:37,080
takes a lasting toll
on many of its students.
1118
01:14:37,160 --> 01:14:39,000
A common saying among former cadets
1119
01:14:39,080 --> 01:14:43,680
is that your best day at Aerospace
is your last.
1120
01:14:43,760 --> 01:14:47,480
Former students remember how
they made their escapes.
1121
01:14:53,160 --> 01:14:56,600
FRANK LOPEZ DEL RINCON:
I attended eight years at
Miami Aerospace Academy.
1122
01:14:56,680 --> 01:14:59,000
It seems the general felt
I was a bad influence.
1123
01:14:59,080 --> 01:15:00,680
He called me in with my mother
1124
01:15:00,760 --> 01:15:03,440
after I had finished my junior year,
1125
01:15:03,520 --> 01:15:07,600
and informed us that I was not gonna
be allowed to graduate
from his school.
1126
01:15:07,680 --> 01:15:12,960
And I could just leave,
any time I felt I should leave.
1127
01:15:14,320 --> 01:15:16,280
And he said,
'You're not coming back here,
1128
01:15:16,360 --> 01:15:19,560
you're not gonna graduate from my
school, you're a bad influence.'
1129
01:15:19,640 --> 01:15:23,320
And that was the best day
of my life. I was so happy,
I could have kissed him.
1130
01:15:23,400 --> 01:15:27,040
I said, 'You don't know what you're
doing. You are giving me my wish.'
1131
01:15:28,480 --> 01:15:31,560
V/O: But not all departures
were so peaceful.
1132
01:15:31,640 --> 01:15:33,320
For some students,
1133
01:15:33,400 --> 01:15:35,600
the pressure-cooker atmosphere
of the school
1134
01:15:35,680 --> 01:15:39,600
pushed them into violent
confrontations with the staff.
1135
01:15:39,680 --> 01:15:42,240
SERGIO: I was called to
the office for something.
1136
01:15:42,320 --> 01:15:46,960
I don't know why, but I got into
an argument with Marina
1137
01:15:47,040 --> 01:15:48,640
over I don't know what.
1138
01:15:48,720 --> 01:15:53,440
But at some point,
it turned from just an argument
1139
01:15:53,520 --> 01:15:55,120
to shouting,
1140
01:15:55,200 --> 01:15:57,840
to then me calling him out
1141
01:15:57,920 --> 01:15:59,640
to go fist-fight out in the street.
1142
01:16:01,560 --> 01:16:04,960
And I'm just, 'Come on, old man!
Come outside!
1143
01:16:05,040 --> 01:16:07,160
Come on, I'm waiting for you!
Come on!'
1144
01:16:08,960 --> 01:16:11,320
And that was my last day
at Aerospace.
1145
01:16:15,960 --> 01:16:21,160
V/O: If the school's toxic
atmosphere could push
its top students over the edge,
1146
01:16:21,240 --> 01:16:23,880
it's no wonder that
the entire institution
1147
01:16:23,960 --> 01:16:26,720
could be infected by evil.
1148
01:16:30,600 --> 01:16:32,600
That was just what the school was.
1149
01:16:32,680 --> 01:16:37,120
That was the whole thing
about the school, that everything
was aggressive, and... It was.
1150
01:16:37,200 --> 01:16:39,080
And there was the threat of violence
1151
01:16:39,160 --> 01:16:43,840
from the staff as well as
from the students in the school.
1152
01:16:43,920 --> 01:16:46,960
It was.
It was a big power play there,
1153
01:16:47,040 --> 01:16:50,640
all the way from the general
down to his brother, his nephew,
1154
01:16:50,720 --> 01:16:52,520
and his enforcers.
1155
01:16:53,560 --> 01:16:58,680
Normally when children are placed in
a high-discipline environment,
1156
01:16:58,760 --> 01:17:00,720
parents most of the times
have given up.
1157
01:17:00,800 --> 01:17:03,760
They don't wanna hear about it.
1158
01:17:03,840 --> 01:17:07,280
We didn't feel that we had
a voice in anything,
1159
01:17:07,360 --> 01:17:10,560
or that we were exaggerating
if we told our parents.
1160
01:17:10,640 --> 01:17:12,320
Or that they wouldn't believe
1161
01:17:12,400 --> 01:17:15,840
that somebody who ran a school
could do this,
1162
01:17:15,920 --> 01:17:18,720
and therefore, you know,
you're just a kid. You don't know.
1163
01:17:18,800 --> 01:17:22,040
It's, 'It'll be fine', you know?
'You'll see.' That sort of thing.
1164
01:17:22,120 --> 01:17:24,000
So we didn't really say anything.
1165
01:17:25,040 --> 01:17:28,920
Sometimes you'd get hit with
a ping-pong paddle,
they'd use a little wooden paddle.
1166
01:17:29,000 --> 01:17:33,120
But man, when they brought in
a cricket paddle
with a strapped handle... Yeah.
1167
01:17:33,200 --> 01:17:35,960
..and drilled, you know,
holes through it,
1168
01:17:36,040 --> 01:17:38,960
I said, 'We're in a whole 'nother
ball game here.'
1169
01:17:39,040 --> 01:17:40,640
They'd hit you on the half-beat,
1170
01:17:40,720 --> 01:17:43,400
so they'd take the paddle and
they'd go, 'Here it comes',
1171
01:17:43,480 --> 01:17:45,840
and then they would act like
they were gonna do it
1172
01:17:45,920 --> 01:17:47,520
and you'd tense up,
1173
01:17:47,600 --> 01:17:51,320
and then right as you're like,
'What's going on?'
and then you relax,
1174
01:17:51,400 --> 01:17:53,560
BAM! That's when they would hit
1175
01:17:53,640 --> 01:17:56,240
and then you would hear
the godawful scream.
1176
01:17:56,320 --> 01:17:57,920
(CADET SCREAMS)
1177
01:18:00,000 --> 01:18:02,520
But there was no offence that we did
1178
01:18:02,600 --> 01:18:07,040
that was suitable for that level
of punishment at all.
1179
01:18:07,120 --> 01:18:09,560
And there was one kid,
I'll never forget him, Ernie.
1180
01:18:09,640 --> 01:18:12,400
Ernie was, you know,
toughest kid I ever known.
1181
01:18:12,480 --> 01:18:14,520
He was around same grade as me,
1182
01:18:14,600 --> 01:18:17,640
maybe, you know, pre-teen,
going into a teenager,
1183
01:18:17,720 --> 01:18:19,320
and Ernie would take the paddles.
1184
01:18:19,400 --> 01:18:22,040
And Ernie would never, ever
give them the satisfaction
1185
01:18:22,120 --> 01:18:24,800
of crying, or moving, or flinching.
1186
01:18:24,880 --> 01:18:27,160
Ernie would take the beating,
1187
01:18:27,240 --> 01:18:30,120
and he'd look at him and say,
'Are you done?'
1188
01:18:30,200 --> 01:18:33,560
Like that. And that would make him
even more inflamed.
1189
01:18:33,640 --> 01:18:35,360
There was definitely
a control thing,
1190
01:18:35,440 --> 01:18:40,000
and the only form of control
or power
1191
01:18:40,080 --> 01:18:42,360
that we held was taking it
1192
01:18:42,440 --> 01:18:44,880
and showing that you were...
1193
01:18:44,960 --> 01:18:47,800
you were strong enough to do that
and to not be messed with.
1194
01:18:48,960 --> 01:18:52,000
You have the harsh discipline,
the beatings,
1195
01:18:52,080 --> 01:18:56,320
the constant monitoring,
the forced haircuts, the marching.
1196
01:18:56,400 --> 01:18:58,920
Everything about this place
1197
01:18:59,000 --> 01:19:04,040
is crushing the... the vibrant,
rebellious nature inherent to teens
1198
01:19:04,120 --> 01:19:05,720
down to dust.
1199
01:19:05,800 --> 01:19:08,560
And this becomes
the fertile ground in which
1200
01:19:08,640 --> 01:19:10,280
demons can make their purchase.
1201
01:19:12,200 --> 01:19:14,080
SERGIO: And that was normal for us.
1202
01:19:14,160 --> 01:19:16,840
There was normalcy to this lunacy
1203
01:19:16,920 --> 01:19:18,520
that we went through.
1204
01:19:18,600 --> 01:19:20,440
And you couldn't
speak out against it,
1205
01:19:20,520 --> 01:19:23,800
because then, you know, you were
the odd person out. So...
1206
01:19:23,880 --> 01:19:25,480
Had you even been believed.
1207
01:19:25,560 --> 01:19:29,440
Our parents wouldn't believe us
if we said half the stuff
that went on there.
1208
01:19:29,520 --> 01:19:31,960
I would have given anything
to get to public school.
1209
01:19:32,040 --> 01:19:34,960
I would have loved to go to
public school. I was the same way.
1210
01:19:37,560 --> 01:19:41,480
Back then, fighting was just
a part of life.
1211
01:19:41,560 --> 01:19:45,120
And you got into a fight, let's say,
they'd break you up.
1212
01:19:45,200 --> 01:19:48,120
They took you to the gym.
You both put on gloves,
1213
01:19:48,200 --> 01:19:49,800
and you fought, in the gym.
1214
01:19:54,400 --> 01:19:58,800
One day I went to jump the fence,
and the chain was a little loose
on the gate,
1215
01:19:58,880 --> 01:20:00,520
and the gate kicked back.
1216
01:20:00,600 --> 01:20:04,880
And the chain went with it, and
I fell over and I broke my ankle.
1217
01:20:04,960 --> 01:20:07,920
And I'm laying there,
and I try to get up.
1218
01:20:08,000 --> 01:20:10,680
And I couldn't put any weight on it,
so I went back down.
1219
01:20:10,760 --> 01:20:12,720
And here comes the commandant,
walking.
1220
01:20:12,800 --> 01:20:16,560
He unlocks the gate, looks at me,
he says, 'What happened?'
1221
01:20:16,640 --> 01:20:18,760
I said, 'I think I broke my leg.'
1222
01:20:18,840 --> 01:20:22,440
He says, 'Well, that's what you get
for trying to skip school.'
1223
01:20:22,520 --> 01:20:25,720
And he closes the gate,
and he walks in the building.
1224
01:20:25,800 --> 01:20:27,640
And he left me there.
Yeah. Yeah.
1225
01:20:29,360 --> 01:20:34,360
V/O: Many alumni refuse
to speak of their time at
the Miami Aerospace Academy.
1226
01:20:34,440 --> 01:20:39,040
Especially the day when
all hell broke loose.
1227
01:20:41,160 --> 01:20:44,440
It was very bizarre,
a very bizarre incident. Very scary.
1228
01:20:44,520 --> 01:20:49,520
To me, it doesn't surprise me in the
least bit that that's what happened.
1229
01:20:49,600 --> 01:20:52,680
Something happened that day,
and everybody just lost their minds.
1230
01:20:52,760 --> 01:20:57,520
Yeah, it just blew the top right off
of whatever was compressed.
1231
01:20:57,600 --> 01:21:01,160
A lot of pressure was
building up there. A lot. Yeah.
1232
01:21:01,240 --> 01:21:04,200
I'm just... I'm happy that
we made it out alive,
1233
01:21:04,280 --> 01:21:06,600
because it wasn't easy.
1234
01:21:09,320 --> 01:21:11,080
V/O: As for what may have caused
1235
01:21:11,160 --> 01:21:14,720
the events of October 25th, 1979,
1236
01:21:14,800 --> 01:21:18,600
El General gave his answer
to the press.
1237
01:21:18,680 --> 01:21:21,880
He claimed that
the entire incident was a scam
1238
01:21:21,960 --> 01:21:24,200
invented to damage him politically.
1239
01:21:24,280 --> 01:21:26,480
From the 1970s to the 2000s,
1240
01:21:26,560 --> 01:21:29,560
Marina ran for office
multiple times,
1241
01:21:29,640 --> 01:21:32,520
going for commissioner,
mayor and senator.
1242
01:21:32,600 --> 01:21:35,600
SERGIO: He would run for everything.
1243
01:21:35,680 --> 01:21:38,200
The Water Commission,
the Agriculture Commission.
1244
01:21:38,280 --> 01:21:40,640
Hell, he would run for dog catcher.
1245
01:21:40,720 --> 01:21:46,840
He's what I would term
a serial political candidate.
1246
01:21:46,920 --> 01:21:50,880
Marina maintained that
it was his enemies
trying to do him in that day.
1247
01:21:50,960 --> 01:21:52,800
He blamed it on politics.
1248
01:21:52,880 --> 01:21:56,240
SERGIO: And so that's something
that would seem plausible.
1249
01:21:56,320 --> 01:21:59,080
'Oh, I'm running for office,
1250
01:21:59,160 --> 01:22:02,080
so it's the other candidate
that's playing dirty.'
1251
01:22:04,160 --> 01:22:07,000
It's worthy of note that
with nine attempts,
1252
01:22:07,080 --> 01:22:09,520
he never found a major seat
in city hall.
1253
01:22:13,120 --> 01:22:15,200
V/O: But if dirty politics
weren't the cause
1254
01:22:15,280 --> 01:22:18,720
of what happened that day
at Miami Aerospace Academy,
1255
01:22:18,800 --> 01:22:20,960
what was?
1256
01:22:21,040 --> 01:22:23,280
There hasn't been much
written about this event.
1257
01:22:23,360 --> 01:22:26,480
It's sort of been lost to history
and paranormal history.
1258
01:22:27,600 --> 01:22:32,080
V/O: But those who were there
will never be able to forget it.
1259
01:22:32,160 --> 01:22:34,760
SERGIO: There was a lot of things
that went on.
1260
01:22:34,840 --> 01:22:39,560
I talk about them to people,
and people almost don't believe me.
1261
01:22:39,640 --> 01:22:42,320
You had to have lived it.
You had to have experienced it.
1262
01:22:43,600 --> 01:22:46,200
ROB: Because there wasn't much
written about this event
1263
01:22:46,280 --> 01:22:48,800
and not a lot of people
choose to talk about it,
1264
01:22:48,880 --> 01:22:52,280
we really don't have the clearest
picture of this episode.
1265
01:22:55,960 --> 01:22:58,480
I had 40 years
with the fire department.
1266
01:22:58,560 --> 01:23:02,160
And, er, you have a few incidents
that just stick in your mind
1267
01:23:02,240 --> 01:23:05,720
that are very weird or very unusual.
1268
01:23:05,800 --> 01:23:09,280
And this is certainly one of those
that you remember.
1269
01:23:09,360 --> 01:23:11,800
V/O: Could satanic panic,
1270
01:23:11,880 --> 01:23:16,160
which some say was unleashed by
films of the time like The Exorcist,
1271
01:23:16,240 --> 01:23:17,840
have been a factor in the event?
1272
01:23:18,920 --> 01:23:20,880
The cult was running rampant.
1273
01:23:20,960 --> 01:23:25,440
It was in movies,
it was in everyday life.
1274
01:23:25,520 --> 01:23:27,240
There was higher crime,
1275
01:23:27,320 --> 01:23:31,240
there was more satanic rituals
being done.
1276
01:23:31,320 --> 01:23:35,640
The satanic panic had infused itself
into everyday society.
1277
01:23:36,840 --> 01:23:38,960
ROB: Some people say
it wasn't demonic,
1278
01:23:39,040 --> 01:23:42,400
but just a simple episode of
mass hysteria.
1279
01:23:44,040 --> 01:23:47,480
That's when the panic of the moment,
the suggestion, takes over,
1280
01:23:47,560 --> 01:23:51,200
makes people believe that
something is happening that isn't.
1281
01:23:51,280 --> 01:23:53,440
And that spreads like
an insidious fear
1282
01:23:53,520 --> 01:23:57,280
and makes people act in ways
they ordinarily never would.
1283
01:23:57,360 --> 01:24:00,760
You had several factors
that are classic
1284
01:24:00,840 --> 01:24:03,320
in a mass-hysteria situation.
1285
01:24:03,400 --> 01:24:05,720
You had high-level stress
1286
01:24:05,800 --> 01:24:08,640
and a cohesive group.
They're united.
1287
01:24:08,720 --> 01:24:11,880
They're united by their common
enemy. They're united by the occult.
1288
01:24:11,960 --> 01:24:14,400
They're united because
they're peers.
1289
01:24:14,480 --> 01:24:17,240
And these kids were
in fear constantly. All the time.
1290
01:24:22,600 --> 01:24:26,240
SERGIO: When the kids took control
in the '79 incident,
1291
01:24:26,320 --> 01:24:29,200
I think it was just a way
for them to...
1292
01:24:31,040 --> 01:24:34,120
..to finally say, 'Enough.
Enough is enough.'
1293
01:24:38,840 --> 01:24:41,440
KATE: What we saw is
a collective uprising
1294
01:24:41,520 --> 01:24:43,120
of their psychological distress
1295
01:24:43,200 --> 01:24:45,840
take the form of these
spiritual practices,
1296
01:24:45,920 --> 01:24:48,600
these demonic possessions,
all of this acting out,
1297
01:24:48,680 --> 01:24:51,480
as a way of saying, 'We're done.
We can't handle any more.
1298
01:24:51,560 --> 01:24:54,080
We have to take back our power.'
1299
01:24:56,280 --> 01:25:00,240
Some people say it was just a hoax
perpetrated by the students.
1300
01:25:00,320 --> 01:25:04,640
A way to get back at Marina
and the rest of the faculty
for their oppressive regime...
1301
01:25:04,720 --> 01:25:08,920
..driven by the anger that they were
harbouring towards this institution.
1302
01:25:10,160 --> 01:25:14,000
'If I hate this institution,
I hate the teachers, I hate Marina,
1303
01:25:14,080 --> 01:25:16,320
I'm gonna go against
what's tangible.
1304
01:25:16,400 --> 01:25:18,520
The walls. The door. The school.
1305
01:25:18,600 --> 01:25:23,080
The tangible parts of the school
represent them.
I'm gonna hit 'em hard.'
1306
01:25:24,600 --> 01:25:27,160
These kids weren't organised
1307
01:25:27,240 --> 01:25:29,320
to pull off a hoax like this.
1308
01:25:29,400 --> 01:25:31,800
There was...
1309
01:25:31,880 --> 01:25:35,640
way too many physical manifestations
1310
01:25:35,720 --> 01:25:37,920
of paranormal events.
1311
01:25:42,600 --> 01:25:46,320
Dismissing this does no justice to
the eyewitnesses that were
on the ground.
1312
01:25:47,400 --> 01:25:51,480
Those that saw people do things
human beings simply can't do.
1313
01:25:54,680 --> 01:25:57,680
Things that cannot be explained
through normal means.
1314
01:25:57,760 --> 01:26:01,800
Things that truly have to be
paranormal in nature,
1315
01:26:01,880 --> 01:26:03,840
and likely of a diabolical origin.
1316
01:26:05,640 --> 01:26:07,440
V/O: If it wasn't mass hysteria,
1317
01:26:07,520 --> 01:26:09,320
and it wasn't a hoax,
1318
01:26:09,400 --> 01:26:11,000
then what was it?
1319
01:26:14,440 --> 01:26:18,280
Many occult experts insist that
this was a paranormal event.
1320
01:26:18,360 --> 01:26:21,360
One of the biggest mass possessions
in United States history.
1321
01:26:22,600 --> 01:26:27,200
There's no way that this
was anything but
1322
01:26:27,280 --> 01:26:29,640
a demonic attack.
1323
01:26:29,720 --> 01:26:32,800
I'm convinced that there was
actual possession taking place,
1324
01:26:32,880 --> 01:26:34,800
so there was a kind of
mass possession.
1325
01:26:35,960 --> 01:26:38,120
ROB: The pandemonium in the hallway
1326
01:26:38,200 --> 01:26:40,760
is a full-blown paranormal event.
1327
01:26:40,840 --> 01:26:42,440
One that scholars have called
1328
01:26:42,520 --> 01:26:46,760
one of the strangest incidents
in the history of American academia.
1329
01:26:56,680 --> 01:26:58,560
That that paranormal occurred there,
1330
01:26:58,640 --> 01:27:01,240
it seems to have been building up
over years.
1331
01:27:01,320 --> 01:27:03,440
And I think the kids
could feel the fear,
1332
01:27:03,520 --> 01:27:05,520
and I think it built up over years.
1333
01:27:05,600 --> 01:27:09,680
I think that anxiety, and that whole
power trip that they were on.
1334
01:27:11,880 --> 01:27:15,400
ROB: It seems like what happened
at MAA is impossible,
1335
01:27:15,480 --> 01:27:20,120
but I know from my research
and my podcast that things like this
happen all of the time.
1336
01:27:20,200 --> 01:27:25,200
In 2014, there was a mass possession
in a Japanese high school...
1337
01:27:26,400 --> 01:27:30,400
..where one girl stood up
and started screaming,
1338
01:27:30,480 --> 01:27:34,560
and it just multiplied
to all the female students.
1339
01:27:37,160 --> 01:27:41,360
These kinds of things occur in
little pockets throughout the world.
1340
01:27:41,440 --> 01:27:43,800
And they all seem to be
of diabolical origin.
1341
01:27:45,040 --> 01:27:47,680
V/O: If mass possessions
have happened before,
1342
01:27:47,760 --> 01:27:49,520
they can happen again.
1343
01:27:49,600 --> 01:27:52,720
For the students of
Miami Aerospace Academy,
1344
01:27:52,800 --> 01:27:55,360
they'll never forget the day
1345
01:27:55,440 --> 01:27:57,760
the devil took over the school.
1346
01:27:57,840 --> 01:28:01,960
This stuff happens. Cos these things
have been around forever.
1347
01:28:02,040 --> 01:28:04,440
Time means nothing to them.
1348
01:28:04,520 --> 01:28:07,800
But they know sooner or later,
you're gonna be weak.
1349
01:28:07,880 --> 01:28:09,720
And that's when
it will come after you.
1350
01:28:09,800 --> 01:28:11,760
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