All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S11E07.Nightmare.Island.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

Are you trying to scare me?

"Yes."

On this episode
of "Expedition X"...

There's a building.

This is so weird!

My team continues
their investigation

into the terrors of Trinidad.

Is Obeah capable
of manifesting

something like a soucouyant?

A group of high school girls

report being possessed
by demons...

...leading Heather
and Phil to investigate

the island's secretive
and mysterious religion.

Oh, my God!
Look at this.

- Jawbone.
- Are you serious?

- And a candle.
- Oh, my God!

As they confront the curses
of the Caribbean.

So far, my team's trip
to Trinidad has revealed

a very bright culture...

...with a very dark past.

Phil and Heather investigated
stunning claims

of unique evil entities,

like the sinister childlike
"douens."

Look at that.

That looks like
a child's footprint.

And the soul-sucking
soucouyants.

Are you a soucouyant?

The activity led them to one
of the deadliest islands

in all of
the Caribbean...

That's not creepy at all.

Oh, my gosh.

...Chacachacare,
an abandoned leper colony where

the flora and fauna
are even more frightening

than the ghosts.

Wait, wait.

This is the manchineel tree,
the death tree.

Everything about this thing
is toxic.

If you eat that fruit,
you die.

If you burn its wood,
the smoke will blind you.

Heather believes something
deliberately lured Phil

into danger in
the decaying dormitory.

Look at the ground.

Whatever that noise is,

it literally took you
to very dangerous ground.

That was under the house.
We gotta get down there.

Let's go.

And it may not be finished
with him yet.

You are literally underneath
a crumbling building.

All right,
I'm moving.

You need some water?

Are you OK?

Yeah, water, water.

Here.

You good?

Yeah, I think so.

- What just happened?
- I don't know.

It just felt like my throat
was closing.

I've had reactions like that
before to something like

peanuts that I'm allergic to,
but I've never had a wave

hit me so strong,

and now it's just dissipating.

Oh, no.

I mean, we were under
the manchineel trees

for a long time.

Maybe there's a delayed
reaction to that.

Yeah, but I feel like

they would be affecting me
as well.

I mean, everybody's gonna
react differently

to those things.

You were literally underneath
the building where those

soldiers felt like they were
being choked, and now

you're telling me
you couldn't breathe.

Oh, my God.

I mean, they all claimed
they felt physical hands

on them.

I can't necessarily say
I felt that.

But you felt the sensation
of choking?

Yeah.
Pretty damn close.

But not seeing any

dark cloaked figure around.

I did see a lot
of poisonous trees.

So by my money,

that's what it is.
- Agree to disagree.

- You feeling better?
- Feeling better now.

I think I'm going to be OK.

Convinced it was
the environment affecting me,

I want to investigate
the old hospital,

the place where countless lepers
tragically died.

Inexplicable choking has been
reported there, too,

and I wonder if the same toxic
trees could be the real cause.

Meanwhile, Heather is heading
to the chapel, another location

of so-called
"paranormal attacks."

First thing I'm going to do is
look down, because this island

is full of very
venomous scorpions.

It is time to shine.

They glow under UV light.

Oh, my God, look at that,
right away.

Scorpion one.

So that is the Trinidad
thick-tailed scorpion.

They're one of the most
venomous in all of Central

and South America.

About one in 50 people die
when they get stung by this.

Finding one right away?
They're probably everywhere.

This is definitely creepy.

Oh, this must be the chapel.

OK.
It's all just crumbling.

Look at those floorboards.

Literally falling in.

I mean, there's open sky there.

Let's be careful
where we walk under.

This is where a young girl saw
a hooded shadow figure,

where she was
physically choked.

And whatever
just choked Phil,

I wonder if it's all
the same thing.

Witnesses have
repeatedly described

a dark-hooded woman
during their choking fits,

strong evidence that

a soucouyant may be
behind the attacks.

If that's the case,
I need to protect myself

before trying
to communicate with it.

I say a prayer to St. Michael,
who defends believers from

the devil and his minions.

St. Michael, the archangel,
defend us in battle.

And, following Neigeme's advice,
I also lay out salt

to distract
any evil spirits.

I'll choose a pendulum.

I invite those spirits,

those creatures, those entities

to communicate with me
through this pendulum.

This pendulum will move
in this direction for "yes,"

this direction for "no."

If there's anyone here with me,
can you say yes?

"Yes."

Thank you.

Are you a jumbee?

Are you a douen?

Big no.

Is it a soucouyant I need to be
worried about?

"Yes."

Big yes.

Did you hear that?

There is nothing above me,

and I swear I just heard
a sound above me.

It sounded like footsteps.

Are you above me right now?

"Yes."

We're definitely
not alone.

Are you trying to scare me?

"Yes."

What was that?

I think that was the shutter.

This shutter was in the window

when we first
entered the chapel.

That is heavy.

That's...

so heavy.

That did not take
some light force.

That's insane.

I was asking, "is something
trying to scare me?"

And then that happened.

It's wild.

Oh!

What is this?

There's a building here.

This must be
the leper hospital.

There could be some animal
living in here.

Oh, boy.

Look, we are underneath another
manchineel tree right now.

The most poisonous tree
in the natural world.

That is a manchineel tree.

This is a manchineel tree.

This one is.

They're everywhere above us.

You can smell the fruit.

I don't know if it's just
my imagination.

My eyes are...

starting to burn a little bit,
and I'm wondering

if it's from the tree.

I'm not leaving.

I'm trying to understand
this activity.

I'm trying to understand
what's going on.

Was that you that ripped
the shutter off its hinges?

"Yes."

Are we welcome
on this island?

"No."

Is that why something tried
to harm Phil earlier?

"Yes."

Is Phil in danger?

"Yes."

Whoa!

Look at this place.

I found very often that
structures made by humans

can sometimes end up being
perfect homes for things

that could surprise you.

Whoa.

I just got goosebumps.

Look.

When I was laying on the ground
in the Coast Guard dormitory,

Heather told me to say out loud
what I was seeing in my head,

It was this.

I keep getting this image
of a square hole in the wall.

I don't know why that keeps
popping in my head.

I assumed it was in a wall
across from me,

but it could just as easily
have been on the ground.

This is so weird.

Why did I see that?

Maybe I'm supposed
to go in here.

I don't even know what
this room was used for.

Is there anything
in this hole?

Oh!

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God!

I think so.

All right.

Whoo!

That was rough.

OK.

Wow!

I just fell
through the floorboard.

Like, what the hell?

This place kind of has it out
for me.

You know what Heather's
going to say?

"It was a trap."

In this case, that sure felt
like a trap.

Phil, you OK?

A little sore.

I can explain that later.
What's going on with you?

Look, I've definitely been
communicating with something,

and it told me you were
in danger.

No way!

Heather,

I just fell through
a damn floorboard.

Are you kidding me?

And now you were calling me
to say you got a message

that I was in danger?
- Yes.

I think we're safer together.

In this case, I think I'm
starting to agree with you.

Are you still in the chapel?

Yeah, I think you should head
my way.

OK, I'll meet you there.

Copy that.

Hey.

- You OK?
- Yeah.

You fell through a floorboard?

I mean, you're not gonna
believe it.

Remember what I told you I saw
when I was laying down

and you told me
to clear my mind?

Yeah, something
through the wall.

I thought it was a wall.

I came across
a building back there,

and I realized it was

the exact same square
cut out into a floor.

No way.

I walk in there, try to figure
what's in that hole,

and boom, foot falls right
through a floorboard.

I'm down.

That's the third time
you were lured into danger.

I knew she was gonna say that.

Yeah, according to whoever
I was communicating with,

we're not welcome here.

Well, I admit most of time

I feel pretty welcome
in the jungle.

Right now, I'm not so sure
about this place.

Well, clearly, there is a lot
going on here.

And if Obeah is at the heart
of it all, we need to regroup

and learn as much
as we possibly can about it.

- Let's go.
- OK.

With Heather certain that Obeah

is somehow shaping
the activity here,

we head back to the mainland
to learn more

about this secretive religion.

But first, it's time to update
Josh on our findings.

There are my castaways.

So how's the most
haunted island

of the most haunted island
in the Caribbean?

Well, something almost choked
Phil to death.

Yes, I was choking, but to be
fair to me and my larynx,

I was at the time
surrounded by toxic trees

known to cause swelling
of the throat.

And these trees are also known
to cause visions

and communicate threats.

Well, that part wasn't
in my botany guide.

Wait, what?

Are you saying you think
the island was trying

to communicate with you guys?

Yeah, something identified
itself as a soucouyant,

which is an Obeah woman
that made a deal with the devil.

Honestly, I feel like

I have to find an Obeah
practitioner to really

understand the activity
going on here.

Well, if that's the case,
I have just the place for you.

There is a remote village there
called Moruga,

that is considered
the capital of Obeah.

And there are reports of

some very disturbing
paranormal activity,

including, get this,
a mass demonic possession

at the local high school.

That is a seriously
shocking claim.

Are there any witnesses
to this?

Witnesses?
Oh, yeah.

This was all over the news.
Check this out.

Wow.
That is next level serious.

Are there any witnesses

willing to actually talk
about this?

Look, Obeah is considered very,
very dangerous by a lot

of people in Moruga, so much
so that getting anyone to agree

to go on camera to talk about it
has been a huge challenge.

But I have managed to lock down
one of the students that was

actually hospitalized in
this reported attack,

as well as
a current school teacher.

That's huge.
Let's head to Moruga now.

And, Josh, while
we're heading down there,

can you try and lock down
some people who know

more about the Obeah
faith itself?

For sure, I will look into it.

But listen, guys,
be really careful out there.

There are really strong beliefs
around Obeah.

Folks think that it is
extremely powerful.

So tread carefully.

You are headed into the eye
of the tropical storm.

OK.
We'll be careful.

It's a three hour drive from
Port of Spain to the remote

village of Moruga, a route

that cuts through miles
of rugged jungle roads.

That's the school.

Let's see what
they have to say.

Yeah.

We're meeting teacher
Lee-Anna Boyce

and former student
Whitney Khan,

who lived through
a truly terrifying experience

at the village's high school.

The reports say this was some
kind of, what, demonic attack?

- Mm-hmm.
- Do you agree with that?

Yeah.

Can you tell us what
you remember of what happened

that day?

What happened?

And you saw that, what,
in your mind or walking around?

Oh, no.

And you don't have any memory
after that?

No, I can't remember
anything else.

So what's the next
thing you remember?

When did you come to?

You could have been
seriously hurt.

Do you think that Obeah played
a role in what happened?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- Mother Cornhusk.
- Yeah.

Mm.

With Mother Cornhusk as
a potential suspect behind

the activity reported
in Moruga, Phil and I split up

to speak with two Obeah
practitioners that Josh found.

Mama Akilah.

Mm.

Thank you for meeting with me.

Iya Akilah Jaramogi practices
Obeah as "Mama Akilah,"

offering healing and protection
to those who seek her counsel.

Before we speak, she pours

a libation for her ancestors...

a ritual offering
in their honor.

And places a white cloth
over me so that I'm in harmony

with the spirits.

I wanted to meet
with you today to learn

the Obeah ways.

Mm-hmm.

Can you tell me
about the origin?

Ye-ye-oh, mama.

So, for you, it is connection
to your ancestors.

It's connection to the earth,
to the elements.

Yeah.

But if someone wanted revenge,

could they use it in that way
as well?

Mm.

What is the process
of communicating with your

ancestors, with your spirits,
through Obeah?

While Heather speaks
with her expert, I'm meeting

with Morgan Forgini,
who practices

Obeah as "Papa Dogood."

He trained with the infamous
Mother Cornhusk,

the Obeah practitioner
who some say

is behind the negative activity
reported all over Moruga,

even though she's been
dead for years.

What is Obeah capable of?

Is Obeah capable of manifesting
something like a soucouyant

or douen?

You would feed the spirit
goat's blood?

So what kind of signs
would let me know

that a spirit is present?

I just had an incident where
I had difficulty breathing

in an area where people had said
there is a strong

female spirit.
Why do you think it did that?

In seconds?

Where in this village do
you think is the heart of Obeah?

What kind of rituals?

Do you think that some
of the activity that is here

in Moruga could come
from that property?

Why?

Multiple people have died
on her property?

Mm-hmm.

Papa Dogood claims that
the paranormal activity

Trinidad is suffering from, can
be traced back to one place,

Mother Cornhusk's
abandoned sanctuary.

We need to find the ruins of
her church, where she performed

Obeah rituals for over 50 years,
hidden deep in the jungle.

We'll have to bushwhack our way

through dangerous terrain
to get there.

But if Papa Dogood's claims are
right, it'll be nothing

compared to the spiritual
danger we'll supposedly face

if we find it.

The Obeah man I spoke with
warned me that this area

is incredibly dangerous.

He said that these spirits
could manifest

in many different ways.

They can make one of us want
to kill another person.

And he said, in fact,
people have died back here.

So if any of us start to feel
off, we need to call it out.

- Yeah.
- Which one?

Yeah.
Let's try this way.

Watch where you step.

The good news is all
the regional hospitals are

the best at dealing
with snake bites.

The bad news is that's because
there's lots of snake bites

around here.
- Great.

There's a building!

Oh, yeah.

Wow.

Look at this.

Whoa.

Definitely seems like no one
has been here

in a very long time.

No.

This is crumbling.

This does not look
like a church.

Maybe this is where she would
have lived.

This is where
she would have lived.

I mean, look at this.

She could have sat right there.

Yeah.

To think that such a powerful
woman, her life was right here

in this home.

True, but she didn't do
rituals for people in here.

That was done in her church
somewhere else

on this property.

True.

But before we find that,
we have to do something

for her here.
- OK.

My Obeah woman said
we need to pour a libation out

to show our willingness
to communicate.

Mother Cornhusk,
I offer you this libation

as a sign of our respect.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

- What was that?
- I don't know.

- It almost sounded like a voice.
- Yeah, like a yell.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Let's go find out.

- You see anything?
- Nothing.

It opens up over here.

Look, another building.

Wow.

Shh, wait, wait, wait.

- Whoa!
- Eyeshine.

What is that?

Oh, my God.

Are those goats?

That must be what we heard.

Why would someone keep
goats here?

Do you know what the Obeah man
I spoke to said?

What?

If you are to do
an evil curse on someone,

you need goat's blood.
- No!

Look at these guys.

Hey, little goat.

What are you doing out here?

Oh, my God, look at these.

- See that wound right there?
- Yeah.

This one has one, too.
I recognize this.

These are marks from vampire
bats visiting these goats

probably on a nightly basis,
latching onto them

and drinking their blood.

You just said people use
goat's blood for evil curses.

True.

So how do you know
that's not this?

I guess I don't
technically know.

But if these goats get visited
tonight, I want to know

if it's a bat

or a person.

So maybe we should set up
a camera trap.

- OK.
- Right on here.

Got a good angle on that?

Yeah, I think so.

What was that?

Did you hear that?

That sounded like
someone yelling.

Yes.

It was not a goat.

No.

- Let's go this way.
- OK.

Ooh! There it is again.

Up there.

Oh, my gosh!

Got a building.

Not a whole lot of them left.

The jungle's completely
taken over.

Gotta figure out what this is.

Oh!

Heather, this is for sure
the church.

I got a cross.

I think I have
something better.

- What do you mean better?
- Look at this.

I think this potentially could
have been her altar.

Wow.

- Heather, you seeing this?
- What?

- Some feathers here.
- Oh, God.

Is that a bad thing?

I mean, to me, that's evidence
of another ritual.

- Oh!
- What?

Oh, my God.
Look at this.

Jawbone.

- Are you serious?
- And a candle...

right here.
- Oh, my God.

100% people are doing rituals
here inside the ruins

of this church.

This was
Mother Cornhusk's altar.

And to come in here and try
and harness that to control it?

You couldn't ask for something
more dangerous.

And based on what
I've learned...

some people trying to do that

met a pretty awful fate here.

Right.

But we have to try
and communicate here.

You going to sit up
on the altar?

Oh I'm definitely
not touching that.

I'm gonna set up over here,
but keep it in sight line.

OK.

Clear line of sight for me.

OK.

I want to try to communicate
with Mother Cornhusk by calling

on the four elements,
the way Mama Akilah taught me.

Soil.

I lay out soil to root myself
in the earth.

Pour water
for the Obeah ancestors.

For wind, I will use my voice
to ask questions.

And fire.

And fire will
provide the answers.

If the flame leans
towards me or Phil,

or flares up suddenly,
I'll take it as a "yes."

I ask to be
one with nature

and to communicate
with whatever entities,

spirits, or creatures
may be here.

- Recording.
- OK.

Mother Cornhusk,

are you here with us?

You can twist this flame,
move this flame,

grow this flame.

- That's a lot of movement.
- It's dancing.

There's no...

no breeze.

Mother Cornhusk,

is the activity here on Trinidad

because of Obeah?

Now it's leaning towards me.

OK, I'll take that as a yes.

Did it all come from here?

Wow, it's pointing right at me.

So, based on your system,
that means what I just said

is true?
- Yeah.

Have you been with us
this whole time?

Are you the same one
that we spoke to at Lopinot...

at Chacachacare Island...

here tonight?

It's definitely
leaning towards you, Phil.

Those students of that school,

were they possessed

by something evil?

"Yes."

Are you the one that possessed
those students?

"No."

Have there been curses
done here

to harm others?

"Yes."

Altar's right there.

What if I move the flame
a little closer?

Just put it right here.

That was a big noise.

You hear that?

It sounded like footsteps--

Ooh!

One of the first great
practitioners of Obeah was

a woman known
as "Queen Nanny."

Born in Africa, brought
to the Caribbean in chains,

she would become one of
the region's most extraordinary

freedom fighters.

Legends say Queen Nanny's
powers allowed her to spy

on her enemies,

leading her troops, known
as the "Windward Maroons,"

to many victories.

Eyewitnesses swore she could
catch bullets in her hands,

hurling them back
at her attackers.

Others said she could cloak
her warriors in shadow

until they struck.

Queen Nanny was so feared
that in 1740, the British signed

a treaty granting her and
the Maroons freedom.

Her defiance inspired others,
terrifying the colonizers

so much that they eventually
outlawed Obeah itself.

Today, Queen Nanny is
considered a hero

across the Caribbean.

Her picture is featured
on Jamaica's $500 banknote,

a priceless reminder
of her resistance and strength.

What the hell was that?

Something just flew
into the flame and died.

Oh, my God.

Right when you moved it
closer to the altar,

we heard those noises,

and that...

That is a sign
that eyes are on us.

What you see is like
a warning shot?

Yes.

It's a living sacrifice.

It doesn't matter
how small it is.

That very well could have been
a sign that we're intruding.

Or it's just a bug
that flew into a flame.

That happens all the time.

We have been interacting with
something this entire time,

something evil.

I got an affirmative at Lopinot,
at Chacachacare,

that it was a soucouyant.

It is very clear to me
that Obeah is a force.

It is very powerful.

And just like nature, it can be
used for good or for evil.

I'll admit, Obeah and nature
are undeniably intertwined.

I just think it's nature
influencing Obeah beliefs

versus Obeah affecting nature.

Why did you turn off
my recorder?

I didn't.

I did not turn it off.

I have no idea when this died.

We had full battery.

Are you kidding me?

The recorder dying was
the last in an all-too-long

list of unsettling events
that my team encountered

while investigating
the terrors of Trinidad.

The digital recorder lost all
power at the same moment Phil

and Heather heard noises
in the brush behind them.

You hear that?

It sounded like footsteps.

And what it captured right
before it died is disturbing

to the extreme.

We've never recorded anything
like this before.

Heather believes this eerie
audio is proof that, for good

or ill, the spiritual energy
from Mother Cornhusk's Obeah

rituals still lingers

at her wilderness church

more than two decades
after her death.

After all, Mother Cornhusk
was renowned

for her incredible power.

What kind of rituals?

And there were many more

horrors from the team's time
in Trinidad.

They traveled to the island
to investigate reports

of malevolent forces.

Douens...

jumbees...

and soucouyants.

And frighteningly, they may
have found evidence

of all three.

Are you a soucouyant?

Heather believes
she was communicating

with a soucouyant,

the shape-shifting,
soul-sucking vampiric spirit

near the Lopinot plantation

and then again
on Chacachacare.

Is it a soucouyant I need
to be worried about?

"Yes."

As for douens,
the evil childlike entities

said to have backwards feet,
we analyzed the photograph

of the footprint Phil found
in the forest

behind the plantation.

It matched those
of an approximately

four-year-old child.

But, curiously, there are
no children of that age

in the closest village.

Phil notes that it could have
been just a kid who visited

the area going for a walk.

Heather asks why a child would
be walking alone that late

at night in the jungle,
doing so away from civilization

and possibly backwards.

And, lastly,
there were the jumbees,

supposed restless
spirits of the dead.

On Chacachacare Island,
the IR camera the team left

behind to monitor their boat
shows hours of gentle movement.

And then it records this.

The current under the boat
never changes, yet it's clearly

rocking more violently
than it naturally should.

With no obvious explanation,
Heather wonders if this could

be evidence of a jumbee,
perhaps one desperately trying

to escape this island
where so many perished.

Thankfully, there were
also a few things

that could be explained.

Although our trail cam failed
to catch any vampire bats

in the act, Phil showed images
of the goats curiously mutilated

tissue to a veterinary expert
who confirmed they are

consistent with marks
left behind

by the blood-sucking bats.

Phil is also convinced
his coughing fit under

the dormitory was caused
by breathing in pollen

from the deadly
manchineel trees,

finding dust from it
on his clothing.

He's incredibly lucky he only
got a minor taste

of these toxic trees.

So with some things
in Trinidad settled,

but some distinctly
unsettled,

there was one last
thing the team needed to take

care of before they left
the country, Phil's limbo loss.

All right, you won.

Just when he thought
he couldn't get any lower,

it was time for him
to face the music.

All right, we all know
that Phil Torres lost a bet,

and it's time for him
to pay up.

Phil Torres, come on down!

Anything you want
to say, Torres?

You know what, everybody?

I've learned something today.

You should never make a bet
with Heather Amaro.

Maybe we should get
one of these for Josh.

Maybe.