Original subtitles

(serene music)

(glass shattering)

(claws sheathing)

(tense music)

(man heavily breathing)

(doorknob rattling)

(man groaning) (door creaking)

(tense music)

(bones creaking)

(tense music)

(creature groaning)

(creature groaning)

(man groaning)

(man screaming)

(metronome ticking)

- I mean, you've barely done anything

since you've gotten here.

All right, you spend most of your time upstairs.

You only come down to grab food or to watch TV

once we've gone to bed!

I mean, you can't even be bothered

to have dinner with us most of the time.

And now, you wanna take off?

To go god knows where to take part in god knows what?

- I told you, it's a sleep study.

- Right, and that's all you've told me.

I don't know why you're playing this so secretively, Wanda,

it's like you're planning a jail break or something.

- Aren't I, though?

I'm a grown woman, yet I feel as if I need

to ask your permission to go and do what I want!

- [Lucas] You're right.

You are a grown woman.

Living rent free in our house.

- I'm sorry that my divorce was such an inconvenience

for you, Lucas.

- Oh, please don't even start with that.

- This has nothing to do with that, all right?

We are more than happy to open our home to you,

but the issue I have is for weeks now,

you've been saying, you're gonna go buy your own car,

which you haven't done, right?

You've also said that you were gonna find a job.

You haven't even filled out an application.

You blame your lack of motivation on your anxiety

and your depression, but you can't even pick up the phone

to make a doctor's appointment, all right?

I mean, I'm asking simple questions

and all I'm getting are dramatics.

- Dramatics?

I'm not the one who's being dramatic!

Look, I'm just asking to borrow the car for a few days,

so I can drive to Mineral,

a place where people are expecting me to be, a job.

Isn't that what this is really about?

- What do you mean?

- You think I'm milking this!

Wallowing in my own self pity.

- Oh no, wait a minute, Wanda!

- No, just hear me out!

Look, I understand, it's been hard having me here.

I'm trying to get back on my feet.

I can't begin to thank you enough for helping me,

but now I just need a little more help.

I just need to borrow the car and then I'll come back

with a little money and maybe then,

maybe then I can take that next step forward.

- I just don't think it's a good idea.

- [Wanda] Why?

- Something seems off about this whole situation.

- First, you want me to go out and make money,

then you feel skeptical about the work I did find

and want me to stay back?

Why don't you make up your mind and get back to me?

- I just think your time would be better spent here

on something more practical.

Okay, listen, I'm not trying to be an asshole here, I'm not!

When you and Glen got divorced,

you said you needed some time to be yourself.

I'm sympathetic to that.

I can't help but think you're using this as an opportunity

to take off and just escape reality for a few days.

- Is that so wrong?

(Gloria sighing)

- How do you even know that this is a real thing, Wanda?

I mean, you filled out some clickbait survey online?

What are you gonna say when it turns out

to be some sort of timeshare pitch or something?

- Well, I guess then you'll get the pleasure

of telling me I told you so.

Please, Lucas, I need to go.

I'd much rather drive myself there and back

rather than, I don't know, hitchhiking.

- Oh, god, there's the dramatics again.

- Gloria. - Jesus.

- It's late, let's just call it a night.

We can talk about it again in the morning.

- I'll have to leave by at least one o'clock.

- Well, whose fault is that,

that you waited till the last minute?

Let's just, let's go to bed.

We'll talk about it again tomorrow, okay?

Listen, at the table,

we can have some breakfast.

All right, at a decent hour.

Okay?

- Fine, whatever.

(eerie music)

(Wanda sighing)

(Wanda sighing)

(clock ticking)

(keys scraping)

(door creaking)

- Boo. (Wanda gasping)

What's up?

- I thought Gloria made you quit smoking.

- Yeah, no, she did.

Looks like sneaking out runs in the family, huh?

- I wasn't, I was just gonna run to the store.

- I never thought you'd actually swipe my car, Wanda.

- Lucas-

- You've got some balls, you know that?

- I need to go.

- Go.

Seriously, it's okay.

You can go, I get it.

- I really am just trying to work on myself.

- Yeah, clearly.

I mean the old Wanda, she'd still be upstairs in her room

sulking right now, so.

- What are you gonna tell Gloria?

- You know, I don't know,

but we'll talk about it in the morning.

But hey, do me a favor

and bring my car back in one piece though, okay?

Otherwise we are both gonna get it.

I love you, sis.

You know that.

I know you're gonna find what you're looking for, okay?

Get outta here before you freeze to death.

Hey, do me a favor, though, and pick that up.

I don't want Gloria to find it.

(suspenseful music)

(car engine roaring)

(birds chirping)

(eerie music)

(Wanda sighing)

(car door slamming)

- Excuse me, Miss, you wouldn't happen

to be Wanda Fulcia, would you?

- Yes, I am.

- My name's Victor, I'm the assistant to Dr. Pretorius.

- [Wanda] All right.

- If you'd just follow me up to the old school,

that's where you'll be staying.

- The address brought me here.

- Yeah, the Google Maps

doesn't really pick up the building very well.

Small towns like this.

- What did you say your name was again?

- Victor Fair, ma'am.

- [Wanda] And you work for the doctor?

- That is what I said, isn't it?

Follow me up to the old school house.

They're expecting you.

(Wanda sighing)

(tense music)

(door slamming)

Don't you wanna get your things?

- I didn't bring anything with me.

- All right, I'll get the doctor.

(clock ticking)

(creature screaming) (Wanda gasping)

(floor creaking)

- This used to be the embalming room, you know?

- Jesus Christ.

You scared the shit out of me.

- Name's Margarite, but my friends call me Margo.

- Oh, so you're not the doctor?

- Nope, like I said, name's Margo.

I was joking, you know?

- What?

- I was joking about it being an embalming room.

- I figured as much.

- Well, aren't you gonna tell me your name?

- Duh, Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.

- Mm, we've been expecting you.

- You work for the doctor?

- Oh, no, I didn't know who he was

until I got the email saying

this was a quote unquote "sleep experiment."

- Right.

- But don't worry.

Everything seems to be on the up and up.

- [Wanda] What?

- Well, that's what you're worried about, isn't it?

That this was yet another let down,

or better yet, something sinister?

- How do you know what I'm thinking?

- You wear your thoughts on your sleeve, Wanda.

- Ah, there you are.

I'm Dr. Richard Pretorius, this here is Theodore Olson.

- Hi.

- And you've already met Victor, I assume.

- Hi, it's nice to meet you.

My name is Wanda.

- Wanda Fulcia.

Yeah, we've been expecting you.

- Ah, now it's a party!

We're just waiting on one more.

- If y'all just follow me to the back of the room now,

we can perform the exam while we wait.

- It's extremely invasive.

(lips smacking)

- Now, take a deep breath.

And again.

(velcro scratching)

- Well, Doctor, am I dying?

- We're all dying, Ms. Fulcia,

it's just a matter of how long.

- Well, we're going to use this as the main operating room.

The center for operations.

- Mm, cheerful.

- Oh, I don't know.

Nothing is more comforting than my sixth grade math class.

- Oh, so you're from around here?

- Oh, no, no, no, no.

I grew up in Idaho Falls, actually.

I just mean that, well, you know,

once you've seen one small town school.

- EverywheresVille, U.S.A.

- Yes, look, believe it or not,

until fairly recently,

this school was used as a overflow ward

for the local hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now it was supposed to be torn down

when the city commissioned a new building

to be built in town.

But luckily my funding came through just in time.

It's a perfect place

to conduct group studies, don't you think?

More than accommodating lodging

with plenty of living space

and quite the aura of academia to it.

The plan is for doctors like myself

to use this sort of shared space to conduct our research.

- What is it exactly that you're researching?

- A criminally under researched phenomenon

known as sleep paralysis.

- [Wanda] But I've never experienced sleep paralysis.

- Exactly why you were chosen.

- I don't understand.

- The good doctor here thinks he can give it to us.

- Look, I'm not taking any experimental drugs!

- You won't have to, this is strictly a holistic study.

Now all I need is your time and open minds.

As soon as our last guests arrive,

I'll be more than happy to fill you in.

- [Porter] Hello?

- It just so happens that time is now.

(typewriter clacking)

- Ah, fuck me, the welcome wagon?

- Oh, you must be Porter Watson, I'm Dr. Pretorius.

- 'Sup, Doc.

Now you got a place where I can stash my stuff?

- Yes, I'll have my assistant Victor show you

to your room here shortly.

- Perfect.

Baby.

Hey, yo, Doc, how about introducing me

to the rest of the band?

Cleopatra, isn't it?

- Margarite Swanson, our resident fortune teller.

- But my friends call me Margo.

- Logger, Theodore Randolph.

- Hey! - What's up, man?

- And Mrs. Wanda Fulcia.

- Miss Wanda Fulcia.

- So I'm afraid I didn't catch

your social security occupation for you there, Miss Fulcia.

- Well, I'm in a bit of a transitional period at the moment.

- Ha, a woman after my own heart.

Well, I gotta, say if you two ladies are the specters

that haunt these gloomy halls,

well, I'm still glad that I came.

- Now that you're all here.

Can I offer you all a drink back in the operations room?

- Yo, this surprise party

just keeps getting better and better, don't it?

- And again.

All done, you passed.

- You know, I didn't hear nothing about them flying colors.

You're awfully thorough for a sleep study there, Doc.

- My research is awfully thorough.

- And what is that exactly?

- We were just getting to that when you arrived.

- Before the welcome wagon was summoned.

- My sincerest apologies, y'all.

- Quite the hassle, you really threw a wrench

in the whole operation, man.

- Yeah, Mama says I got a knack for doing that.

- You best get a hold of your class, Doctor.

- Yes, as some of you may have guessed,

I belonged to a collective

of independently funded researchers

dedicated to solving the biggest mystery

since man first arrived on the scene, the human mind.

- Couldn't have picked a better study group.

- I'll say.

- Well, being someone with degrees

in both psychiatry and hypnotherapy,

I've long been fascinated with disorders

that accompany generalized anxiety,

post traumatic stress and obsessive compulsion.

- None of that was on the survey, Doctor.

- No, no, it wasn't.

How many of you here have heard of sleep paralysis?

Good, I can spare you most of the gory details

about shadow creatures and witch demons.

Now, as you may have guessed,

it has been proven that the majority of people

who experience sleep paralysis and night terrors

have also been diagnosed with post traumatic stress

and panic attacks.

The reason for these outbursts

is due to the overstimulation of the amygdala

and the mid interior singlet cortex.

The same center is of course tied to nightmares,

hence sleep paralysis.

- You're losing me, Doc.

- Yeah, can you fast forward to the part

where, I don't know, we can understand.

- Yeah, certainly, my purpose here

is to try and find a way that we deal

with both sleep paralysis and night terrors,

though, the focus is on the latter.

Now, as I mentioned to you, Wanda, previously,

I don't plan on using any experimental drugs.

Similarly, I don't plan on using electrotherapy

or lobotomizing you, so there's no need to worry.

We aren't living in the days of Dr. Frankenstein.

I believe there is an option for a more holistic approach,

because the overstimulation of this part of the brain

is the reason for these issues.

And through my research into hypnosis

and cognitive behavioral therapy,

I believe that we can find a way to,

you know, open the door, if you will,

to where these issues lie.

Now, I specifically chose you four

because of your lack of experience to sleep paralysis.

That is evidence that this door has never been opened,

but the goal through understanding how to open it

is then to understand how

to reverse engineer it closed again

without the use of psychotropic drugs,

which ends up being more than a mask

for these demons, rather than a solution.

- How ghostly.

- Ah, ah, ah, don't get ghostly and ghoulish confused,

that offends them.

- Look, I'm training on in layman's terms,

the study itself, I'll be hypnotizing you as a group.

And with any luck,

I will excite that part of the unconscious mind

and I'll monitor your sleep habits for a couple of days.

And if successful, I'll reverse the process.

- I'm sorry, you're going to hypnotize us?

- Now, that is ghostly.

- Look, look, I can assure you I am,

I'm very experienced and have been able

to help people with unlocking memories

to further deal with their trauma in therapy sessions.

You know, you're in good hands.

- I'm sorry for the skepticism.

I just, I don't know.

- Well, could be the biggest trip I've ever taken.

I'm in.

- Your sanity is nothing to gamble with.

(Theodore spitting)

- I've leveraged a lot more than that for a dollar.

- Here, here.

- Man, I knew there was something about you.

- What do you mean?

- I don't know, I just figured you looked a bit strange

to be a doctor.

- Well, perception is everything.

- [Porter] And your name, Pretorius?

- Well, it's half German.

- Nah, no, that's not it.

Yo, why do I feel like I've heard that name before?

- Well, my great grandfather was quite famous back home.

- Huh?

Okay, so at what point, Doc,

do you try to sell us your tofu weed grass supplements

outta the trunk?

- I take it you don't believe in hypnosis

as a legitimate form of therapy?

- Nah, and I don't believe in energy crystals either.

- Ah, here I thought your brutish persona was just an act.

- Hey, look here, baby girl,

I'm just as open minded as the next guy,

but this kind of homeopathic stuff,

it just ain't my jam.

- Shocker.

- Look, I'm just saying

there's a reason why my grandma lived to be 83 years old

and it wasn't because of ginseng or water chestnuts.

- Look, this might come as a surprise to you,

but just because you kicked around

the same city blocks your whole life

to become a what, amateur boxer,

doesn't mean there isn't a whole world of possibilities

out there that you couldn't even begin to imagine.

- Listen, I'm not denying the importance of modern medicine,

Mr. Watson, my interest is strictly in cognitive behavior-

- And that's the thing, that's what I mean

with these whole people that think smoking weed

and chia seed oil is the cure for everything,

and that the ancient Chinese had it all figured out

with natural medicine.

Even though the life expectancies of a 1500 China was 25.

- Ugh, you're all over the place.

I don't even know what your point is.

- All right, look, my point is this,

if you got sleeping issues, they made a pill for it.

- I know, there's a little pill for everything.

- Yeah, exactly.

- No one's making you stay here.

- Yeah.

- If you wanna leave, the door's right there.

- Whoa, whoa, chill, who said anything about leaving?

Look a couple hundred bucks to play "Criss Angel Mindfreak,"

yeah, I'll stick around.

Even if it is to keep a fair skeptical opinion.

- Glad to hear it.

Now, if the rest of you wish to continue on with the study,

we will begin first thing tomorrow afternoon,

and after dinner, I will have you leave your keys

and phone with my assistant, Victor,

who will return next Friday after the exam is over.

- Our keys?

- Have you ever heard of a man named Kenneth Hawkins?

So Kenneth, he suffered from a ever-worsening

sleep disorder, which led him to sleep walk.

So one night, he climbed into his car,

he drove up the wrong lane,

just here on the interstate, on I12.

It was one of the many tragic cases of sleep driving.

- Man, that shit sound made up.

- Most things do, until it happens.

Now, tonight, I want you to relax,

carry on the way you would in any other setting.

Then there's drink and food in the cafeteria,

and, hopefully, a bottle of scotch.

(Porter laughing)

- Read my mind.

Hey, maybe you are a mystic after all, Doc.

(eerie music)

Theo!

Another one?

- Hell yeah, player.

- Hey, yo, Doc, you might have to conjure some more Maker's,

I don't imagine this'll last the whole week.

- Can't tell if you're actually being funny

or you really are that ignorant.

- [Wanda] I don't think we drew.

- Geez, I'm just breaking balls.

- Mm, maybe somebody ought to break yours.

- Is that an invitation?

Hey, what is it you do again?

Voodoo practice?

- I'm a bank teller, but I also practice

tarot card readings on YouTube.

- So is she like the plant?

- There is a world of difference

between spiritualism, hypnotherapy, and voodoo.

- It's all shit, it's all crock.

No offense, Doc.

- None taken, your skepticism is exactly

why you were chosen.

In order for the study to be a success,

I'll need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt.

- Shadow of doubt, that title suits you well.

- Haven't you guys ever heard of people being operated on

while being under hypnosis?

- Shit, I've heard a lot of things.

- Then how do you explain a surgical blade

being stuck into someone

without them drawing a single drop of blood?

- It's all bullshit.

- I've actually seen it happen.

- Really?

- Yeah, it was at a show.

- Well, there you have it.

- I'm serious!

I watched this guy get stuck with a needle in his arm

and he didn't even feel a thing.

- Interesting.

Although, I wouldn't exactly recommend it,

hypnosis should only really be performed

by a proper licensed hypnotherapist.

- At the P.T. Barnum Institute.

- Well, it should be used

to create a state of focus of attention,

focused attention in the treatment

of a medical psychological disorder.

- [Wanda] What exactly is it that you find so interesting

about sleep paralysis?

- Other than being a victim of it, myself?

- Really?

- Well, during my nightmarish years of internship

at Mercy West, I was so mentally exhausted

and more anxious than my conscious mind was aware of.

It was two or three nights a week for a year.

- Jesus.

I can't imagine.

- You won't have too long enough.

- Well, yeah, I mean the history also fascinated me.

The first recorded case of sleep paralysis

wasn't documented until 1666

by Dutch physician who referred to it as the Incubus.

I mean, it's intriguing to me

that over all these hundreds of years,

the symptoms and the experiences have all remained the same,

the same shadow-like witch woman,

most commonly referred to as The Hag

and no doubt having something to do

with our more animalistic side of the brain,

conjured up from that deep dark primordial jelly

that we inherited from the time of the dinosaurs.

- Mass suggestion, maybe.

- The law of the time was that, I mean, Edward Kelly,

who was a 17th century necromancer

who claimed to have the powers

to communicate with the dead was to blame,

thinking he had cursed a town with the devil's plague.

Don't worry, I highly doubt superstition

and spiritualism is afoot.

(Richard laughing)

- Don't be so sure.

- [Porter] Uh, oh, way to alienate your base there, Doc.

- There's just so much we can't yet comprehend,

and we don't know about the universe around us.

- So who's up for little music?

I got my boombox.

- One can be entirely faithful to the path of inquiry

and honesty while also embracing

the totality of your human experience.

- [Porter] I'm gonna go get my boombox.

- It would be ignorant as truth seekers

to be closed-minded to any possibility.

- Well, I suppose you're right.

Until fairly recently,

we were convinced that the atom

was the smallest unit of matter until it was split,

you know, unleashing the progress into the atomic age.

- Not exactly the most comforting comparison to make.

- Perhaps not.

(door slamming) (Richard laughing)

- All right, all you ghosts and ghouls,

I'm at the dance floor.

May I?

- Of course.

(chair scraping)

♪ You know what I'm saying ♪

♪ So tell all your lovers and friends about this ♪

(crickets chirping)

(upbeat music)

♪ So tell all your lovers and friends about this ♪

♪ Uh, what's really cracking ♪

♪ What's really gonna happen ♪

♪ When the DJ pull the record out the jacket ♪

♪ Is he gonna push the Michael automatic ♪

♪ Incorporate it, mix it with the scratching ♪

♪ A thought filled a lot of my time ♪

♪ Into this evening ♪

- [Richard] May I?

- Of course.

- You're not a dancer?

- No, not really.

Why, are you propositioning me?

- I'm afraid not, I'm unable to

on account of my terribly debilitating condition,

I've got two left feet, and they plagued me my whole life.

- Yeah, I can relate, you know, in a sense.

Shyness or anxiety.

Yeah.

♪ You work around the 24 and seven ♪

- I've been attempting to get myself out there more.

Take more risks, hence my being here,

drinking whiskey in an elementary school.

- Interesting.

You know, this here is precisely the reason

I got into psychiatry.

- Getting smashed in a school?

- No, that's one of the many perks.

But understanding all the personalities

that make up this world,

figuring out what makes them tick.

What are you hoping to gain from this really?

- What do you mean?

- Well, you don't seem to fall on either side

of the warring fences,

and you don't appear

to be overly concerned about the payment,

and you certainly just like the others,

don't really believe in my hypothesis.

- Well, Doctor, what conclusion do you come to?

- Well, I'm sensing some major recent life changes.

- Yeah.

♪ And every type that I be rocking on, the tightest shit ♪

♪ We take it to that upper echelon ♪

♪ The highest city ♪

I think I'm just searching for some confidence.

- You're stronger than you think you are, Wanda.

- Hey, guys, come on!

We're gonna hit the dance floor

to ward off the evil spirits.

Come on!

Let's go!

♪ I'll ride to this ♪

♪ And all my people from the neighbor ♪

♪ I'll ride to this ♪

♪ All my people from the continental United States ♪

(uplifting music)

(Margo moaning)

(Margo moaning) (upbeat music)

- So is this as exciting as it is in the ring?

- At least I don't have to worry about getting hit.

(hand slapping)

- Ow!

(both moaning)

- [Margo] Oh, my fucking god, yeah!

(Margo moaning)

(upbeat music)

♪ Hmm ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Cryptic analytics for the promises ♪

♪ Assurances that rival all the love you've shared ♪

♪ All the times we tried to face ♪

♪ What we know ♪

♪ Brevity for something only time can hack ♪

♪ Drag me to the corner 'cause I'm feeling sad ♪

♪ Open like the mouth that cries out ♪

♪ Don't let go ♪

♪ Walk me home ♪

♪ On that note ♪

♪ Let me show ♪

♪ What I know ♪

♪ If I lie, time will fly ♪

(light screeching)

- Is everybody comfortable?

- [Wanda] Yes.

- I'm getting sleepy, Doc, very sleepy.

- Shut it.

- [Porter] You can make me.

- I will ask you all to just settle down

and reduce the hostility.

- I'm not hostile.

Do I seem hostile to any of you?

(Theo laughing)

- Yeah.

- Damn, my bad, I'll follow every instruction.

- Okay.

Let's begin.

(tense music) (metronome ticking)

Now, please close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Now, listen for a moment.

Listen to the sounds around you.

Just let yourself sink into the grooves of the chair.

Fix your eyes on a spot in the dark.

It doesn't matter where, just fix your eyes on the spot

in the dark and begin to relax.

If you have any thoughts,

just let them drift through your mind

like beautiful clouds across a clear blue sky.

They drift through your mind and away from you,

through your mind and away as you relax,

deeper, deeper,

deeper, relaxed.

That's it, just let go and relax.

Now I want you to imagine a staircase standing

in front of you with 10 wide

safe stairs down,

down to a perfect relaxation.

Down to peace and contentment.

Down towards happiness that you deserve.

As I count down from 10,

I want you to take one step with each number.

One step down the staircase.

10, nine, eight.

There's some letters at the bottom of the stairs

that are out of focus.

Can you see that?

Seven, six, five.

The letters are being clearer

the closer we get.

Four, three, two, one.

You can almost see it now.

The letters spell

trance.

(Wanda gasping) (voices whispering)

(voices screaming)

- [Voice] Wake up!

Somebody wake me up!

(metronome ticking) (eerie music)

(Wanda panting)

(creature screaming)

- [Richard] Wake up.

(all gasping)

- Holy shit.

- How do you feel, all right?

- Fuck no. - That was intense.

- I think I need a minute.

(door slamming)

(Wanda coughing)

- You okay?

- I've never experienced anything like that before.

- Right, it was like a nightmare.

The screaming.

- You heard screaming?

- Yeah, someone screaming like "Wake me up!"

- What do you remember seeing?

Dr. Pretorius, you gotta hear this.

- Wanda and I had similar experiences.

- The woman, the black figure?

- The fuck you trying to pull here, Doc?

- It's remarkable.

- Are you telling me we all saw the same thing?

- Or went to the same place?

- How is that possible?

- Look, a form of mass suggestion, I suspect.

- How is that?

- Look, we all sat around and discussed

the common experiences of sleep paralysis together.

Your unconscious minds drew on that conversation

and the projections it used.

- So how do you explain the screaming?

- Right, "Someone wake me up."

That shit wasn't part of the discussion, Doc.

- I knew I never should have fucking left Idaho Falls.

This whole thing has bad juju written all over it, man!

- Look, I could assure you,

there's nothing to be concerned about.

I need to make sure I take complete preliminary notes.

Please just help yourself to some food or a drink.

I'll join you all shortly.

- I think I need to be alone for a little while.

(birds chirping)

- I didn't know you smoked.

(lighter clicking)

- I don't.

- Well, you know, if there ever is a perfect time to start,

and, you know, the doc is knocking around in your head,

maybe he can lock the door to the nicotine addiction.

(tense music)

- That was really strange, you guys.

- Yeah, you can say that again.

- No, I mean, even Dr. Pretorius seemed caught off guard.

- What I tell you guys about this black magic?

It's sick shit.

(tense music)

(voices screaming)

- Somebody wake me up!

No!

(bed creaking)

(light clicking)

- [Porter] Hey there, sleeping beauty.

- Hey.

- How you feeling there, Theo, all right?

- Yeah, I'm all right.

I just got this funk.

I can't shake it, Doc.

- Hey, take a sip of this, my friend.

It'll make it feel a whole lot better.

- Try not to get too sloshed tonight.

I want accurate notes in the morning.

- What are you expecting us to experience tonight?

- No expectations, but with any luck,

a few moments into your REM cycle,

you'll experience a textbook case of sleep paralysis.

- But what if we don't?

- If you don't, well, my study's off to a rough start.

- Hey, Doc, we still get our money though, right?

- Oh, yes, you'll be a part of the study

for the full seven days until Victor returns with your keys.

- But you could call him though, couldn't you?

- [Richard] Of course, any time.

- Not before you unfuck my head, man.

- All right, guys, so what are we drinking to?

- To progress!

- [All] Progress.

- Progress.

- [Margo] Woo!

(tense music)

(wind whooshing) (metronome ticking)

(wind whooshing) (bones cracking)

(creature screaming)

(Richard panting)

(voices whispering)

(door creaking)

(creature groaning)

- A beautiful discovery.

(Richard crying)

(wind whooshing) (bones cracking)

(Wanda gasping) (door creaking)

(voices whispering)

(bones creaking) (wind whooshing)

(Wanda gasping)

(Wanda gasping)

(tense music)

(door clicking)

(wind whooshing) (bones cracking)

(voices whispering)

(wind whooshing) (bones cracking)

(door creaking)

(wind whooshing) (bones creaking)

(Margo panting)

(creature groaning)

(Margo gasping)

(wind whooshing) (bones creaking)

(voices whispering) (Margo panting)

(Theo screaming) (voices whispering)

(Theo screaming) (voices whispering)

(creature groaning)

(Theo screaming) (voices whispering)

(Theo screaming) (voices whispering)

(creature screeching)

(Theo screaming)

(voices whispering)

(Theo screaming)

(creature groaning)

- Somebody wake me up!

(Theo screaming) (creature screaming)

(creature screaming)

(tense music)

- Theo! - Theo?

Theo? - Theo!

- Theo! - Theo!

- Theo! - Theo!

- [Margo] Oh, god, Dr. Pretorius!

- Dr. Pretorius!

- What's all this commotion?

- [Wanda] We can't find Theo.

- Well, what do you mean?

- Look around, Doc, he ain't here.

- Well, he didn't just disappear.

- Last night, we all heard him.

It was awful.

- It was like-

- [Richard] Last night?

- Because we all saw it.

- Saw what?

Oh, did you experience the sleep paralysis?

- Yeah, you better fucking believe we did.

- We all did, we all saw the exact same thing

and we all heard-

- You trying to tell me you didn't hear nothing, Doc?

- [Richard] What?

- Theo!

He was screaming for someone to help him,

and now he's missing.

- What is happening?

- Look, let's just all calm down.

Let's go back to the operations room.

You say you all heard this as well?

- [All] Yes!

- Doctor, we have to find Theo.

- He'll turn up.

(tense music)

- The screams were so loud.

They echo through the halls,

I mean, as long as I've lived,

I've never heard anything like that before.

- You all had the same experience?

- Right down to what the thing looked like.

- Imagine sharing a bad hair day.

- Fascinating.

Who was the first to share their occurrence this morning?

- Wanda and I woke up at nearly the exact same time.

- And then we woke up Porter

once we realized that Theo was missing.

- You informed Wanda of your experience?

- We both knew.

- But who shared the details first?

- I'm not sure.

Why?

(Richard sighing)

(lips smacking)

- Have you heard of a phenomenon forwalli ado?

- Doctor, last night, Theo was screaming

for someone to help him and now he's missing.

- What do you think happened to him?

- I don't think we know,

but shouldn't you be more concerned?

- I'm very concerned with his wellbeing,

as I am of all of you.

You've all just experienced for the first time

what it's like to live with a sleep disorder.

This can be extremely distressing for some.

My guess is that Theo needed to be alone

after such trauma, or most regrettably,

he took himself home on the bus he came in on.

- That doesn't sound so regrettable to me, Doc.

- Well, without proper treatment,

poor Theo may suffer from a debilitating sleep disorder

from here on.

- You mean without the hypnotherapy?

- It's entirely possible.

It's also equally as possible

that last night was just a coincidence

and had nothing to do with the study in the first place.

A sample size such as this

really tells us nothing.

- [Wanda] Oh, gosh.

I just feel so paranoid.

- You know, what really worries me

is you hear stories like this,

about people being stuck together,

sharing the same paranoia like mass hysteria.

Dyatlov's Pass and shit.

I used to watch those YouTube channels,

like five unsolved mysteries

that keep you up late at night

about families being away at a cabin

and tearing each other apart for seemingly no reason at all.

And if I'm being honest,

I'm really starting to get scared.

- My ex, Glen,

it's like he woke up one day,

his entire mood and outlook had shifted.

It was like he was a new person

with a clear sense of what he wanted.

And he had come to the realization that

that wasn't a life with me.

I couldn't understand how something like that

could happen so quickly.

Now I think I'm starting to understand.

What's the verdict?

(tense music)

- [Margo] No.

(wind whooshing)

(crickets chirping)

- You're all rather quiet.

Don't tell me you're all still worried about last night?

Come on, what should we drink to?

- How about to Theo?

- I told you that he probably left early this morning

and it turns out I was right.

Now, why don't we drink to success?

- How do you figure success, Doc?

- Well, you're all still here, aren't you?

And last night went to be as expected.

Even a small bit of success, is still a success.

- Doctor, how do you know that Theo left on his own accord?

- Come with me.

Now, I would suggest that you all get in the habit

of fully reading your contracts before signing them.

- So you saw what happened last night.

- I reviewed it after interviewing the three of you.

- Hey, Doc, we should probably talk

about what you gonna do with that footage.

- No, don't worry, your extracurricular activities

have already been erased.

Please.

(tense music)

- Fuck.

- Where is he going?

- I only have five cameras,

and this one's facing the entrance.

- This is weird.

I don't think he'd just get up and leave like that.

We should go to the police.

- We can, but I believe they would require

more than 48 hours before doing much about it.

But if it would make you feel a lot better.

(door clicking)

(door slamming)

- I believe the sign says girls.

- Yeah, I'm not into the whole gender identity thing.

So how you feeling?

(Margo spitting)

- About?

- Everything that's been going on?

- I'm just trying to stay rational.

- Yeah.

I swear, if another person makes a run for it

in the wee hours of the morning,

I'm going full Rambo on this bitch.

- Hmm.

Likewise.

(Porter sighing)

(tense music)

(Wanda gasping)

(voices whispering)

(Wanda panting)

(voices whispering)

(door creaking)

(Wanda gasping)

(creature groaning)

(voices whispering)

(Wanda crying)

(voices whispering)

(creature groaning)

(Wanda panting)

(creature wheezing)

(Margo panting)

(creature groaning)

(nails screeching) (tense music)

(creature groaning)

(creature screaming)

(Margo screaming)

(tense music) (bones cracking)

(Porter gasping)

(suspenseful music)

(floor creaking)

(floor creaking)

(Porter crying)

- No, please.

(Porter crying)

No, please, somebody help me, please!

(Porter screaming)

Please!

(Richard breathing heavily)

(creature groaning)

(voices chanting)

(creature screaming)

(door clicking)

- Dr. Pretorius?

- No way this is fucking happening.

- Dr. Pretorius!

- [Margo] I think I'm actually having an anxiety attack.

- Dr. Pretorius!

- Why don't we stop fucking yelling?

- What the fuck is happening, you guys?

- It's that thing.

You know what I'm talking about.

- God, she came in through the door.

She looked right at me.

- Fuck this.

- Porter, where are you going?

- To check the fucking cameras!

All right, let's figure out how to rewind.

Menu, playback.

- There!

- What's he doing?

- [Wanda] Sleep walking.

- So what we heard last night was what, a nightmare?

But Dr. Pretorius did walk up outta here like Theo!

I mean, that's insane!

- Fuck this, I'm out!

- Wait!

Where are you going?

- Home, to a hospital, anywhere but fucking here.

- [Margo] Good idea.

- Wait, just wait a minute!

- For what?

- [Wanda] We have to find the doctor and Theo.

- Fuck that, I say we call the police

and let them handle it.

And as far as us, I say we find the nearest bus stop

and get the fuck outta here until Vincent or Victor,

or whatever the fuck his name is comes back!

- I'm not so sure that's gonna work.

Something's happened to us, you guys.

- [Porter] Yeah, yeah, something did happen.

We're being "Punk'D," or worse,

we're all actually fucking disappearing one by one.

- Then we have to do something!

(Porter clapping)

- Great plan, Napoleon.

- [Wanda] Porter!

- You coming?

- Maybe we're overreacting.

- Look, I'd rather overreact than under react

when it comes to people fucking disappearing.

- Let's just think about this, okay?

We're all having these dreams, right?

And we know that something's happening to the person

that gets up and leaves in the middle of the night.

- Fuck this, fuck this.

- Porter! - Bye, I'm out.

- Wait, no, wait! - I'm fucking out!

- [Wanda] Porter!

- Well, go on.

- With what?

- Where you were going with that.

- I don't know.

- What's the real reason you don't wanna leave, Wanda?

- How do you know that isn't?

- You wear your thoughts on your sleeve.

- I got nowhere else to go.

- Maybe we can find his assistant's phone number

or something, get him to help us?

- Yeah, there's a plan, come on.

- Okay, okay.

(tense music)

- Try it on her, you can hear her heart.

(phone ringing)

All right, just a sec.

Hello.

- Victor!

This is Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.

- Who?

- Wanda from the sleep study.

- [Victor] Oh, right, Wanda from the sleep study.

- We really need you to come back here.

Something strange has happened.

Can you get over here quick?

- You know, I could lose my job for something like that.

You read your contract, right?

- Listen, Theo went missing, okay?

Porter just left and we can't find Dr. Pretorius.

We need you to get over here.

Will you please?

- Look, put the doctor on the phone.

- He's missing, okay?

He's not here.

- Fuck!

Yeah, all right, I'll see what I can do.

- Thank you, thank you so much.

Okay, okay, see you soon.

Thank you.

(dramatic music)

(papers rustling) (Wanda sighing)

- [Margo] Anything?

- No, not really.

(Margo sighing)

Huh?

- What?

- It's an article.

- So?

- Nightmares suspected in bed deaths of 18 Laotians.

- Shut your fucking mouth, what the fuck is this?

- It's from 1981.

"The Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta

"is conducting an intensive inquiry into the manner

"in which 18 apparently healthy Laotian refugees died

"mysteriously in their sleep."

- Why the fuck is this in his fucking notebook?

- I'm not sure.

(metronome ticking)

(tense music)

The doctor was really obsessed with the details

of the sleep paralysis experience.

- It's truly fascinating.

I'd probably inquire more about that

if I wasn't so afraid for my life right now.

- Seriously, he goes on for pages

about The Hag.

I mean, he's got quotes, and like this one,

"I remember hearing a roaring sound

"then seeing a shadowy figure

"standing in the middle of my room,

"either saying my name and laughing or just watching me.

"It was so real.

"I refused to sleep as a child, but when I told my mom,

"she didn't take me seriously

"until it started chasing me,

"I would wake up and it was still there.

"It started chasing me around my room."

Chester Fair, 10/22/20.

- [Margo] Wanda, what the fuck?

Chester Fair.

Victor Fair.

Is that like his brother?

- Wanda, what difference does it make?

Look, I'm less interested in what's actually happening

and more interested in what's making it happen.

Is there a way to stop it?

- I don't know.

(Margo sighing) (tense music)

(tense music)

(people screaming)

(creature groaning)

(creature screaming)

(door slamming)

- Hello?

Wanda?

Hello?

Doctor?

(Victor groaning)

(creature screaming)

- God, it's fucking dark.

Maybe we should've gone, too.

- I think that would've been a mistake.

- Well, yeah, how do you know?

- Just a gut feeling.

- I wonder where Porter is right about, oh, Wanda!

(tense music)

- What?

What? - The doctor!

I just saw him and Theo!

- Are you sure?

- I looked right at them!

Doctor, Theo!

(both screaming)

- Shit, shit, my bad, my bad.

- Can't you cough or clear your throat or something

to let people know you're coming?

- I'm not in the mood, all right?

Did you guys find 'em or what?

- [Margo] We just saw them!

- You did?

- Well, I didn't.

- I swear I saw them walking down the hall!

- Just now?

- Yes, goddamn it!

- Well, fuck, they didn't go this way.

I would've saw 'em.

- What are you doing back here?

- Look, the bus station comes around once a day, all right,

and I just fucking missed it.

And this place is like a ghost town.

Did you guys know the police station closes on the weekends?

- But I did manage to flag down a patrol car

from a few towns over.

- [Wanda] And what did they say?

- Not much, other than that they'll keep an eye out

for the both of them

and report it as a potential missing persons.

- That's it?

- Great.

- So did you guys make any dinner?

I'm starving.

(both sighing)

No?

So what's the plan, Napoleon?

- Me?

- Yeah, you.

I mean, you're the only person here

trying to find a solution and, well,

my plan for the bus doesn't pan out til the morning,

so let's hear it.

- Well, the doctor had documented extremely thoroughly

how to perform the hypnosis.

- So?

- So, Margo has some experience with that kind of stuff.

- Whoa, I only performed tarot card readings as a hobby.

- I mean, but we could try to perform the hypnosis

on one of us.

- I just don't think I can-

- Yeah, that's out.

Any other ideas?

No? - No.

- Well, I guess we'll just never sleep again.

I mean, how hard could that be, right?

- Yeah, I mean, what about that?

Right, two of us stay up, watch the other one.

I mean that way if something weird starts happening,

we can wake the person up.

At least that way we'll know what's going on.

- All right, Margo, call it.

- [Margo] Heads.

- Heads.

Okay, ladies, you better brew up some coffee.

It's gonna be a long night.

(tense music)

(bottle thudding)

(crickets chirping)

- [Wanda] Jesus Christ.

- [Margo] What?

- I made it to the end of his journal.

- And?

- And all it says is,

"It no longer appears to be a matter of inward projection.

"The door was opened and something

"has gotten outside."

- What the fuck does that mean?

(creature groaning)

(toy clinking) (toy whirring)

(tense music)

- Goddamn, I am so tired.

- Yeah, it does look nice, doesn't it?

Ugh, I can't wait for the morning to come

and for Porter to wake up

and we can all laugh about that one time

we almost went crazy.

- Hilarious.

I'm gonna go splash some water on my face.

Hey, watch him.

- Oh, hey, can you make some more coffee?

- [Wanda] On it.

(tense music)

(Porter gasping) (creature groaning)

- [Porter] Somebody?

(Porter screaming)

- Oh shit, oh my god.

Porter, wait!

Porter, Porter!

Porter!

- [Wanda] Margo, what are you doing?

- He's gone! - What?

- He's gone! - Oh my god!

Margo! - I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!

- What the fuck happened?

- I fell asleep.

- Ah, fuck.

Okay, you have to listen to me, all right?

- No.

- Yes, Margo, you have to listen to me!

Okay?

We're gonna fix this, we're gonna fix this, okay?

All right, come on, we're gonna do this,

it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay.

- [Margo] No, I don't wanna do it.

- [Wanda] You have to sit down, okay?

- I don't wanna!

- Look at me!

- No, I don't wanna die!

- You're not gonna die.

Margo, you need to calm down.

You need to calm down and relax, okay?

Can you just relax?

Okay, I want you to take a deep breath, sit back and relax.

Can you trust me?

Margo, do you trust me?

- Mm-hmm (affirmative).

- Okay.

(Margo crying)

(metronome ticking)

Sit back, relax.

(papers rustling)

(wind whooshing)

Now, I want you to imagine a staircase,

10 wide safe stairs down.

You're standing at the top of those stairs.

I need you to take one step down.

10, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

(creature screaming)

Deeper, deeper, relaxed.

(wind whooshing)

(Margo gasping)

(bones cracking)

(metronome ticking)

(Wanda gasping)

(creature whispering)

Now listen to me, Margo.

We opened ourselves up to the forces around us.

We opened that door and when you come back,

you're gonna have that door closed.

When you come back, you're gonna be less perceptive

to things, less perceptive than you've ever been.

But you're gonna come back with that door closed.

Listen to me, Margo.

I need you to close that door.

- Somebody wake me up!

(Margo crying)

(Wanda gasping)

(creature groaning)

When I call you, Margo,

you're coming back with that door closed!

Wake up, wake up, Margo!

(door clicking)

Wake up!

- Somebody wake me up! - Margo, wake up!

Margo!

(Margo panting)

- [Margo] What the fuck happened, oh my god!

Oh, Jesus Christ!

It felt like they were in the fucking room!

- Yeah, I don't know.

- Did it work, did it work, did we get them back?

- I think so.

I think so.

- Jesus Christ, oh my god.

I need a fucking drink.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

Margo?

Yeah, yeah, why don't you get some water

and we can talk?

Margo?

(Wanda heavily breathing)

(Wanda gasping) (wind whooshing)

Somebody wake me up!

- [Richard] Wake up.

(all gasping)

(Wanda panting)

- That was intense!

- Holy shit!

- How do you feel, all right?

- No, no, no, no!

♪ Oh, walk me home ♪

♪ On that note ♪

♪ Let me show ♪

♪ What I know ♪

♪ If I lie, time will say ♪

♪ Walk me home ♪

♪ Watch me go ♪

♪ Took down in the chambers, locked in la la land ♪

♪ Worried we could wake up at our arms again ♪

♪ Steady apparatus spoiled in ink ♪

♪ From the thrones ♪

♪ Something doesn't measure and I can't relate ♪

♪ A heavy head for something while the brain remains ♪

♪ Tethered in the lies you spin ♪

♪ All alone ♪

♪ Walk me home ♪

(guitar solo)

♪ Walk me home ♪

♪ On that note ♪

♪ Let me show ♪

♪ What I know ♪

♪ If I lie ♪

♪ Time will fly ♪

♪ Walk me home ♪

♪ Watch me go ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Riddled by the crimes ♪

♪ Tangle with the rules ♪

♪ Lost in the reprise they're singing about in school ♪

♪ We can't relieve the strain ♪

♪ Can't undo the lies you've spun ♪

♪ So hold them to their words ♪

♪ Don't reveal the spines ♪

♪ Leave it to the world that turns before it shines ♪

♪ We watch it fade away ♪

♪ Just like all times we've rued ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Walk me home, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Watch me go, yeah ♪

♪ Walk me home, yeah, yeah ♪