All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S10E01.Secrets.of.Spike.Island.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

[Heather] Do you see anything in
this room?

Nothing.

I just heard a footstep
come into this cell.

- [shuddering exhale]
- [screaming]

[Josh] On this episode of
"Expedition X."

- That is where we're going.
- Oh, Lord.

[Josh] I join Heather for
a terrifying investigation...

Oh, wow.

...of what's said to be

the most haunted place
in all of Ireland,

Spike Island.

- [Heather gasping]
- What the hell?

[Josh] This brutal prison
saw centuries of

torture and torment.

[man grunts]

[Josh] Today, its abandoned
cells reportedly hold

powerful paranormal activity.

From the ghost of
a sadistic guard...

[pained screaming]

...to prisoners who try to make
a literal deal with the devil.

[Josh] We'll discover that
true horror...

Do you know what you contacted
in this room?

Whoa!

...has broken free
from the confines...

- [Heather] Hello?
- ...of Spike Island.

That's a face.

[melodic bagpipe music]

Come on,
look at that view. beautiful.

Stunning.
It is so green.

All right, Gates,
you got me to Ireland.

You got me in my first
helicopter ride.

- High five by the way.
- Where are we going?

Come on, what would the fun be
if I just told you?

We're in Ireland.
Where do you want to go?

Heather, we don't have time
for tourist trips.

We are here to investigate.

Oh, dagger to my heart.

Phil is off
with his brand-new baby,

so you're stuck with me
this week.

You see that island
in the harbor?

- [Heather] Yeah.
- That is where we're going.

Oh, Lord.
Is that a fort?

[Josh]
It was built as a fort.

Later, it was converted into
a notorious prison.

Thousands of people died there.

This is Spike Island,

the most haunted
place in Ireland.

[Josh]
A mile off the coast of Cork
sits Ireland's own Alcatraz,

Spike Island.

Only half a mile wide,

it served as a remote island
prison for centuries.

Infamous for its horrible
conditions and human suffering.

In the 1650s, during England's
violent conquest of Ireland,

British forces use Spike Island
to hold thousands of prisoners

under cruel conditions.

The campaign is barbarically
successful, dominating Ireland

while killing off
20% of its population.

In 1779, the British begin
constructing Fort Westmoreland

on the island to protect
their supply lines from

American and French attacks
during the Revolutionary War.

But it's a different kind of
attack that turns Spike

into a true island of death,
the Great Famine.

From 1845 to 1852,
blight ravages Ireland,

decimating crops
and killing an estimated

one million people,

forcing the starving
to steal food to survive.

The English have
little sympathy.

Men, women, and even children
are sent straight to jail for

crimes as minor as snatching
a loaf of bread.

To accommodate
the influx of inmates,

Spike Island's fortress is
transformed into a prison.

At its peak,
over 2,300 prisoners are held

on the tiny island,
making it at the time,

the largest prison
in the British Empire.

Every day, inmates undergo
backbreaking labor while

receiving little food
and pitiful medical care.

Brutal beatings and solitary
confinement await anyone

who can't keep up.

Diseases like tuberculosis
and cholera spread rapidly in

the overcrowded cells.

An estimated 1,200 people die
on Spike Island during

the famine era.

They are still buried on
the island in unmarked graves,

unable to escape the prison,
even in death.

During World War II,
Irish soldiers stationed in

Spike's fortress report seeing
the apparition

of a British soldier
with horrifying holes

where his eyes should be.

They call him the Gaunt Gunner.

Joining the list of the many
frightening apparitions said to

haunt the island.

In 1985, Ireland's Alcatraz
serves as a prison once again

before finally closing for good
in 2004.

But its horrors
will not stay locked up.

Today, visitors and staff
regularly report

deeply disturbing
paranormal activity.

Full-body apparitions
in the decaying cells,

disembodied voices in
the fortress's ancient tunnels,

and terrifying screams in
the island's abandoned village.

[eerie screaming]

Recently, supernatural reports
have been escalating,

leading many to wonder
if the buried horrors

of Spike Island
are finally breaking free.

- [Josh] Can you
believe that place?
- [Heather] No.

That place is incredibly
intimidating from the air.

Absolutely.
I mean, just look at it,

abandoned out in this harbor,
and you can see these

old cell blocks,
the old fort infrastructure.

Now the place, it is
historically preserved,

they bring tours out here.

[Heather] I can't imagine
what it would have been like

to be in prison there.

Well, you're about
to find out.

We are going to have this place
all to ourselves.

We are both about to be
locked up in Ireland's Alcatraz.

Ya outdid yourself
this time, Gates.

I figured Phil wasn't here
we should have some fun.

I'm kidding.
I'm kidding-- Phil.

Congrats on the baby.

- All right, captain, take us in.
- [pilot] Coming in to land.

Captain, thank you for the ride.

No problem.

[Josh] Now that we're back
on terra firma,

we're meeting with tour guides
Lorraine O'Mahony

and Noel McCarthy...

- Hey, how are you?
- [Noel] Josh.

I'm Josh.
Nice to meet you.

Hiya, Lorraine.

[Josh]...experts
in Spike Island's dark past

and the paranormal activity
that's reported today.

Thank you.

I'm kind of gobsmacked.

This is such
an amazing-looking place.

And so over the years,
it's been a prison, a fort.

A prison, a fort,
back and forth.

So during its main use
as a prison,

what was life like out here?

[Josh] Wow.

So, with all of this history
here, it's maybe no surprise

that there are also
paranormal reports.

- [Josh] Wow.
- How long have these paranormal
reports been going on for?

He actually shot at a ghost?

Wow-- this may be the first
account I've ever heard

of a soldier
shooting at a ghost.

And has he been seen since?

And what about
the buildings themselves?

Where are the hotspots?

- [Josh] Wow.
- [Lorraine speaking]

Just for horsing around?

I can't help but notice
the building looks kind of

gutted, burned out.
- [Noel speaking]

[Josh] Wow.

So it's kind of
frozen in time there.

The punishment block.
That's the place you didn't
want to go?

[Noel speaking]

They would have worn
hoods as well?

- Yes.
- [Josh] Wow.

That's crazy.

How long were people kept in
those cells?

- Years?
- [Noel] Yes.

[Josh] Wow.

And what are
the paranormal reports

from the punishment block?

[Lorraine speaking]

This was is submitted by,
what, a visitor here?

[Lorraine speaking]

- Oh, on the stairs.
- Oh, legs.

[Josh] Look at that.
You can see two legs,

and it looks like
the outline of an individual.

- [Heather] That's
a good picture.
- [Josh] It's scary,

- So this is a very active area.
- [Lorraine speaking]

Sounds like we've got
our work cut out for us.

[Noel] Yes.

[Josh] And the two of you,
are you staying here?

- These are literally the keys?
- [Noel speaking]

[Josh] OK.

What do you mean
if all goes well?

We'll see you in the morning.

- [Lorraine speaking]
- Hopefully?

- [Lorraine speaking]
- [Josh] OK.

Thank you guys!

All right, look at this,
we got the literal keys

to Spike Island here.

I mean, I have no idea
what these open.

Well, we'll figure it out.

OK, should we do it?

- Heck yeah.
- Come on.

[Josh] As the last ferry departs
Spike Island

with Lorraine and Noel on board,
Heather and I, and our crew,

are Spike's only residents
until sunrise.

We get to work
setting up our base camp

before fanning out
with infrared cameras to cover

the prison's reported hotspots.

A-block-- where the spirit of
murdered guard William Reddy is

said to keep watch through
burned-out windows.

That looks pretty good.

The punishment block,

where prisoners were confined
in total darkness for weeks,

and strange smells
and shadow figures

have recently been reported.

And the courtyard...

Ah!
Oh, it's Heather.

I thought you were
the Gaunt Gunner for a second.

Came out of nowhere.

...where Spike's most infamous
spirit, the Gaunt Gunner,

was first sighted.

- How we looking?
- [Josh] We're looking great.

- I think we're in good shape.
- So, what's the plan?

[Josh]
Well, I don't know.

What would Phil do
if he were here?

Probably fix his hair.
Or talk about insects.

[Heather] Gates!

I'm kidding.
I want to go to A-block.

That's where I want to go.

People say they see faces in
the windows, they see shadows.

Plus, the place is a ruin.
I love exploring a ruin.

Nobody's been in there
since '85.

Like, the staff doesn't even
go in there.

So, I want to check it out.

[Heather] Well, I want to go to
the punishment block.

It's a no-brainer.

You're a glutton
for punishment.

No, I'm a glutton for
paranormal activity.

OK.
Should we divide and conquer?

- [Heather] I think so.
- [Josh] Stay in touch by
walkie-talkie?

- See what we see.
- All right.

- Good luck out there.
- Thanks.

So, here we go.
The infamous A-block.

I gotta say, this place
takes on a totally different

character now that
the sun is down.

Let's see if I can see anything
on that thermal imager.

OK, so...

If people are seeing something
in these windows, could it be

that some animal is living in
this place, right?

I mean, this is abandoned.

Nobody set foot in this place
in 40 years.

Or, if it is something
otherworldly,

maybe it creates heat.
Who knows?

Right now, it looks very
cold and dark.

[Heather] OK.

Is there anyone there?

We saw the picture.

It was taken right here
at these stairs.

Can you show yourself to me?

So far, I got nothing.

Whole lot of cold,
dark building.

Oh, oh, oh!
Right there, look.

There is a heat signature
inside this window.

What the hell?
What the hell is that?

[Josh]
There is a clear heat signature
in this window.

Oh, oh.
It's gone.

It was there for a split second,
and it's gone.

We gotta get inside this place,
see what's going on in there,

come on.

How do you get into this place?

OK.

This might take a second.

Oh boy.

You might wanna
cut to Heather.

My name's Heather.

Trying to communicate.

You can make a sound.

You can use this device.

[gasping]

Got a hit.

Were you imprisoned in here?
Wave your arm if you were.

There he is, there he is,
waving his arm,

waving both arms, OK.

All right.
It looks like...

you're kicking the walls,
pushing at the walls.

just trying to get out.

Holy [bleep], he's gone.

This cell is so small.

That's, like, a, what,
two-by-two-foot cell?

I would call it a closet.

Can you imagine being stuck in
here for 23 hours of the day?

I mean, I would go
absolutely crazy.

[metallic rattling]

Did y'all hear that?

Is there anyone there?

[distant thud]

Hello?

Is anyone here with me?

[echoing tap]

Is that you?

Are you the one
that was just on my camera?

I feel like
you're leading me somewhere.

[Josh] Come on.

Bingo.

Here we go.

Wow, this is totally crumbling
back here.

Let's get the thermal back up.

This is the first time
anybody's explored back here

in 40 years.

Whatever I saw in that window

was directly across from
this side of the building.

So let's see what's going on
in here.

Holy [bleep], look at this.

You can totally see why
this is closed off.

This place is literally
falling in on itself.

Look at the destruction
in here.

Let's go further.

- [clicking]
- Oh!

What was that?

Hello?

[clicking]

- Hear that?
- [clicking]

It's like a clicking noise.

Is somebody here?

[clicking]

What the hell is that?

[exhales sharply]

You could see up into that
second floor.

- [rustling]
- Whoa, what the?

OK, I think
we might've found

what was in the window.

Good Lord.

Those are pigeons that are
roosting in the room

into this building.
Oh my word.

That's probably what was in
that window, right?

A bird saw my light,
it moved off.

It certainly scared the hell
out of me.

[Heather] This... definitely
feels different.

This feels a lot
more oppressive.

[gasping]
We got one.

It looks like he's curled in
the fetal position.

Were you tortured here?

Is that why you're in
a fetal position?

Oh [bleep], it's gone.

[distant screaming]

Holy [bleep].
The [bleep]?

Did you hear that?

- Gates, do you copy?
- Go for Josh.

[Heather over radio]
Did you hear that?

[Josh over radio]
Hear what?

It sounded like
this wailing of agony.

Sorry, it sounded like
a person wailing?

Yes, like they were in
pain or something.

[Josh over radio]
I did not hear that at all,

but I'm really far
from your location.

[Heather over radio]
Look, I've been hearing things
all over this building.

My SLS has been going off.
You gotta get over here.

OK.
We're on our way over to you.

- Stand by.
- Copy that.

Let's head over to her,
come on.

- Hey.
- [Heather] Hey.

[Josh] What's going on?
Are you OK?

Yeah.

I got so much activity
on my SLS.

It looks like one spirit

was pushing and kicking
against the walls.

It looks like another one was
curled up in the fetal position

inside the cell.

This is, like,
the exact opposite of

my experience.
I got birds over there.

So, it sounds like we should
focus our efforts here.

Oh, yeah.

It seems like whatever is here
is still being punished.

I want to try to put myself in
the same headspace

that these prisoners were in
when they were locked up

in these cells.

You mean you want to actually,
what, sit in one of these cells?

Yeah, I want to experience
that isolation and see if that

triggers something.
- [Josh] OK.

In here.

[Josh] After capturing multiple
figures on her SLS,

Heather thinks getting into
the headspace of an inmate

could help her communicate with
whatever may still be

imprisoned in
the punishment block.

Using REM pods
and an audio recorder,

she'll undertake a call
and response session

while I monitor her
on the infrared cameras

back at base camp.

- OK, you ready for this?
- [Heather] Yeah.

Where'd you get these from?

[Josh]
I got them from the museum.

They are replicas, but they are
accurate to the period.

So this is what prisoners here
would have worn.

OK.

All right, so you are
locked in.

- I have the key.
- Now the hood.

Are you sure you really want
to do this?

This is the way the prisoners
were held, and I want to get as

close as I possibly can
to their headspace.

OK.
You ready?

- Can you see anything at all?
- [Heather] No.

[Josh]
OK, we've got an open walkie so
I can hear your audio.

I'm gonna go back to
the command center and monitor

you from there, OK?
- OK.

[Josh] All right, good luck.
Here we go.

[Heather] OK.

OK, we got good picture
from here.

Heather, can you hear me
through the audio?

[Heather] Yeah, I can hear
you loud and clear.

[Josh over speaker] OK, great.
I got it here as well.

I'm turning off my mic for
a minute, and good luck.

[Heather]
This is Heather.

I'm in the dark cell.

Is there anyone here with me?

Feel free to use
these REM pods,

feel free to make a noise.

[light thud]

Was that tap you?

[louder thud]

I just heard a tap on one side.

And a tap on
the other side of me.

Who's there?

Are you a prisoner that was
kept in the punishment block?

[light tap]

What'd you hear?

[Heather]
I heard the tap closer,
right outside of the cell.

Maybe try to move one of those
REM pods, if you can feel it,

closer to the doorway.
- OK.

OK.

Are you standing in
the doorway right now?

- [REM pod chiming]
- Whoa! OK.

Were you a prisoner?

Were you a guard?

Is that why
you're in the doorway?

[REM pod chiming]

OK.

Maybe William Reddy,
the notorious guard?

[Heather]
Are you William Reddy?

- [sustained chiming]
- [bleep]

Still going.

[light tap]

[heavy tap]

Oh.

[Heather]
Do you see anything
in this room?

Nothing, I can see that you're
reacting to something, but...

the cameras are totally clear.

There's nothing in there with
you-- wh-- what's happening?

[Heather]
I just heard a footstep
come into this cell.

[distant creaking]

- [shuddering exhale]
- [screaming]

Ah!

What's up?
Are you OK?

[Heather] I think I'm done.
I think I want out.

OK, hold on.
I'll be right there.

I'll be right there.

- Heather?
- [Heather] Yeah?

[Josh] Hold on.

Hey, are you OK?
What happened?

Let me turn this off.
What the hell is going on?

It-- it felt like something
was in the doorway.

And then I heard this noise,
this noise it was like--

[shuddering exhale]

[Josh]
In the room, you heard that?

- Do you think it was a person?
- Yeah.

You know, the REM pods were
going off when I was asking if

it was a guard,
if it was William Reddy,

and then that noise.

[distant creaking]

- [shuddering exhale]
- [screaming]

[Josh]
Look, the audio recorder's
still running, so hopefully,

if that noise was in this room,
we got it.

- [Heather] Yeah.
- [Josh] Are you OK?

I'm a little shook up.

It is very uncomfortable
being in this room

by yourself.
- [Josh] Yeah-- let's get you
out of these,

come on.
- [Heather] OK.

OK, come on,
let's get out of here.

- Let's get some fresh air.
- OK, yeah.

[Josh] Handcuffs.

[Josh]
We keep watch on our cameras in
the solitary confinement cell

and throughout
Spike's other hotspots.

But no new activity surfaces.

The next morning,
we get a welcome visitor

from the mainland.

Someone who knew Spike Island
well, when it was still

an active prison.
- [Heather] You must be Liam.

Hi, Heather.
Great to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.
- Hey, I'm Josh.

[Josh]
Liam Warner worked as a prison
officer on Spike Island

for 18 years, right up until
its official closure in 2004.

Yeah.

- A lot of activity.
- It was crazy.

It was a crazy night.

Even when
you were here, working?

[Josh] Wow.

[Liam speaking]

And did you ever see anything
down in the moat?

[Liam speaking]

- Chains?
- [Liam speaking]

Wait a minute, this guy
escaped Spike Island twice?

[Josh]
And was what, he was caught?

[Josh] Wow.

[Heather] The entire time?

[Liam speaking]

And so, this sound of chains
down in the moat,

may be old Henry Sweers?

[Liam speaking]

Along with the moat,

where else did you work
on the island?

And there are paranormal
accounts associated with

the abandoned cells?

By the prisoners?

Where were they getting
spirit boards from?

[Liam speaking]

I've never heard of
that kind of contraband

in a prison before.
Spirit board contraband.

The prisoners were trying to
communicate with ghosts.

[Liam speaking]

So they were so frightened by
what they saw there,

that they demanded to be
let out?

[Liam speaking]

Did they say what they had
conjured up in the cell?

[Liam speaking]

Where did this happen?

[Liam speaking]

[Josh] And my understanding
is these abandoned cells

are still considered
a real paranormal hotspot.

[Liam speaking]

Do you have them?

[Josh] Yes, very much.

- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yes.

[Josh] It looks like a head
right there and a body.

[Heather] That's tall.

[Josh] And this is taken
inside a cell?

OK.

- Ooh!
- Ooh.

[Heather]
That's freaking huge.

[Josh]
That looks like Nosferatu.

It really does.

You can see an arm and a body.
That is terrifying.

[Heather]
That is incredibly shocking.

So, all the time you spent out
here, did you leave...

believing this place
was haunted yourself?

[Josh] Liam, thank you so much
for the time.

I really appreciate it.

[Josh] It was a pleasure.

Thanks so much, Liam.

[Josh] As the sun sets
over Spike Island,

Heather and I head to

the abandoned cells,
where prisoners believe

they communicated with
a demonic presence.

OK, into the abandoned cells.

Pretty foreboding.

[Heather] Yeah.
What could go wrong?

Ooh.

[Josh] Wow, this place is...

abandoned, all right.
Look at it.

Oh, my word.

It just goes on in
both directions.

Wow.

Let's try to find that really
notorious cell-- B9, right?

- [Heather] Yeah.
- Let's check it out.

Oh, wow!

These aren't numbered.

OK, these must be the old cells.

[Heather]
This is definitely creepy.

Take a couple pictures.

[camera shutter clicking]

[Josh]
How creepy is this place?

- [Heather] Hey, Gates.
- Yeah?

[Heather]
Come here, check this out.

You know that one picture
that Liam showed us that

kind of looked like a person?

- [Josh] Yeah, with like
a head at the top?
- [Heather] Yeah.

Well, when you were looking
at the cell across the way,

your reflection was
on the plexiglass.

- Oh, really?
- I snapped a picture of it.

Check it out.

[Josh]
Oh, look at that.

It totally reflects off
of this plexi.

So maybe that's what somebody
snapped in their image?

[Heather] Yeah, that may be able
to explain it.

Totally, right?
If you were taking a picture

against this
highly reflective plexi,

and somebody he was
standing out in the hall

or across the hall...
- [Heather] Mm-hmm.

...it would look like a ghost.

- So that's me.
- [Heather] Yeah.

[Josh] And then,
this big shadow is you.

Yeah.

- Who's this?
- [Heather] What do you mean?

[Josh] The hell is this?

That's not me or you.

That's a face.

Spike Island has seen more than
its fair share of sorrow.

And sadly, its closest harbor,
named Cove,

has seen it as well,
playing a pivotal role

in two of history's most
horrifying maritime disasters.

Cove's waters were
the Titanic's last port of call.

On April 11, 1912,
the vessel boarded

its final 123 passengers
at Cove.

Four days later,
those passengers would drown

alongside the 1,500 others
who perished when the Titanic

hit an iceberg.

Just three years later,

more tragedy would return
to Cove's waters.

On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat
sunk the Lusitania,

killing almost 1,200 souls.

Many of the bodies were washed
back onto the Irish shore,

laid to rest in mass graves.

Today, memorials still stand
in Cove Harbor,

marking the enduring tragedies

of the two vessels
that never returned.

- That is a face.
- That is a face.

[Josh] Look at it.

You can see the bridge of
the nose, the mouth.

- You can almost see, like, hair.
- The eyes.

[Josh]
Black sockets for eyes.

[Heather]
You know what it looks like?

- Like the Gaunt Gunner.
- Right.

There's nothing in
the window itself.

No smears, no-- no...

[Josh]
No, I mean, it's a dirty old
piece of plexiglass,

but there's nothing in there
that, if you just take

a picture of it, it doesn't
reflect back as a face.

Let's try to find that really
notorious cell, B9.

- Right?
- Yeah, yeah.

That's where these prisoners
said they thought something

demonic showed up.

- Let's go.
- OK.

Nine.
B9, right there.

[door creaks open]

Oh, boy.

Oh.

This place is
so off-the-charts scary.

- I got a surprise for you.
- [Heather] What?

- No.
- Come on.

I mean, this is exactly what
we shouldn't be doing.

- You're always talking about
trigger objects.
- Yeah, but--

This is the trigger object of
all trigger objects for

this room.
- This is incredibly dangerous.

You shouldn't be doing this.

And who knows what the hell
they brought up in here.

- You think this works?
- [Heather] Yeah.

- This is not a game.
- It literally is.

they sell it at Target.

Just because they do doesn't
mean that they should.

We know there were prisoners
in this room using homemade

spirit boards,

and that
they contacted something.

Isn't that why we're here,
trying to figure out what's in

this room?
- I--I-- I don't disagree.

We just need to be extremely
careful while using this.

- We'll be careful.
- OK.

Let's do it.
Come on.

- [Heather] You ready?
- [Josh] I'm ready.

[Heather]
OK-- the most important detail
is, when we are done,

we have to close
the session down.

We are not gonna do what these
prisoners potentially may have

done and left something open.

We move the planchette to
"goodbye," we say "goodbye."

And then we remove
the planchette from the board.

[Josh] OK.
So, it's one hand, two hands?

- Two.
- [Josh] Two hands.

- One finger?
- [Heather] Yep.

- Ready?
- OK.

[Heather] OK.

If there's anyone here
with us...

can you move the planchette?

[Josh] Oh.

It's moving, it's moving,
it's moving.

[Heather] G?

Are you trying to communicate
with us?

Oh my God.

Yes.

- You're not pushing it?
- No, I'm not pushing it.

I'm not pushing it either.

Were you the face
in the window?

- [Josh] No.
- [Heather] No.

Were you a prisoner
in this room?

- Four?
- [Heather] Four prisoners.

Four prisoners in here.

[Josh]
When you were a prisoner here,

did you use a spirit board
like this?

And did that spirit board work?

- [Josh] Yes.
- [Heather] Yes.

OK.

Do you know what you contacted
in this room?

H.

E.

L.
Hell?

Hell, as in,
they thought there was

a demonic presence
in this room?

[Heather] Yeah.

Is there anything that
you want to tell us?

[Josh] R.

U.

- N.
- [Heather] Run.

- Run?
- [clattering]

- [screaming]
- [bleep]

[Josh] Whoa, what the [bleep]
was that?

Next time on "Expedition X..."

- You ready for this?
- Yeah.

Over here.

...we discover
the shocking hidden history

of Spike Island...

Both dead and the room locked
from the inside?

...exploring the former home
of a twisted surgeon

known as Dr. Death...

- It said "Help."
- What do you need help with?

...and venturing
into secret tunnels

below the fortress walls...

It's getting colder.

48, 47.

- What the [bleep].
- [Heather] It's dropping.

- It's dropping.
- What is happening?

There's a passage down here.

...as we try to solve
the mystery

of the most haunted place
in Ireland.

What the [bleep].
What is that?

[screaming]