Original subtitles

[John sighs]

[country music playing]

♪ ♪

[shouts]

[man wailing]

Everything was coming together perfectly.

I'd wake up gasping for air.

Something was pinning me down.

The baby wasn't moving as much after we moved into the house.

[gasps]

[baby crying]

I'd never experienced anything like it.

(Tori voice-over) Someone's inside the house.

[groans]

Somebody help me!

I wanted more than anything to get out of that house.

(John voice-over) I booked a freelance manager job

with a small oil outfit based out of Houston.

The on-site manager had quit without any notice.

Pay was decent, but, you know, it was lonely.

I was away from my wife and family

living in one of the company's corporate housing units.

Right at the edge of the oil fields

in the middle of nowhere.

And on top of all that,

I just couldn't get a good night's sleep.

[gasps]

[short breath]

[gasping]

I'd wake up gasping for air.

And the weirdest part was I couldn't move.

It was like something was pinning me down.

I'd never experienced anything like it,

but it kept happening night after night,

pretty much from the start of the job.

[country music playing]

♪ ♪

It was Texas in July.

Day, night, made no difference.

It was hotter than hell.

[sighs]

[metal scraping]

Hello?

Anybody there?

(John voice-over) I was the only person living in those units at the time,

and that place was miles from anything worth seeing.

If there was someone else around,

they weren't just happening by.

[shouting]

[laughs]

Man, Rick!

Are you a moron?

Guess I should've knocked.

Jeez. Freaking heart attack.

Oh, man, that was funny. [laughs]

You're early.

Yeah, well, there's no traffic at 5:00 a.m.

Oh, man, you should see your face.

[laughs]

- Want some coffee? - Oh, yeah.

(John voice-over) Rick was pretty much the only guy I'd gotten to know

since I'd been out there.

[Rick laughs]

(John) Not funny.

He was constantly playing stupid pranks,

but aside from that, he was an okay guy.

[knocking at the door]

Come on in.

Hey.

Hey.

I got the guys working on pump seven now.

It keeps hiccupping on the descent.

Oh, well, we got a full report due by end of week,

so I'd love it if we could get it running before then.

Shouldn't be a problem.

[clears throat]

You all right?

Yeah, I just--I haven't been sleeping well, that's all.

Well, maybe cut back on the Joe. You're mainlining the stuff.

Trust me, I know.

I'd pass out on the desk if I wasn't.

Well, the heat makes it tough to sleep.

You picked a rough time to start.

Winter's a lot easier.

Yeah, well, that's the thing about consulting.

You know, you take what comes in or the phone stops ringing.

[chuckles]

Listen, I'll drive out

and check on seven here in a few minutes, all right?

You know, come to think of it,

Tommy couldn't sleep either.

Oh, he was the last guy, the guy who quit.

(John voice-over) Rick told me the last guy that was in my place

was diagnosed with some kind of sleep disorder.

I'll tell the guys you're coming.

At first, I figured it was just a weird coincidence,

but if the guy before me was having trouble sleeping,

maybe there was something more to it.

Maybe the heat was affecting my breathing, or something.

My wife's a doctor, so I asked her about it.

She wanted me to go see a specialist,

but I knew that would mean one sleep study after another.

I just didn't have time to deal with that in the new job.

Check, check, check.

So I decided to do my own test.

My wife thought it was a stupid idea,

but it would have to do until I got to a real doctor.

[door creaking]

[breathing unsteadily]

[gasps]

[gasping]

It was so fast that the second it was over,

I was pretty sure it was just a dream.

But then, I remembered the recording.

[tape rewinding]

[clicks buttons]

[creaking wood]

[man gasps]

[creaking]

[man gasping]

[man breathing unevenly]

There. Right there, you hear that?

[tape rewinding]

[creaking wood]

Yeah, that's just a noisy air conditioner, buddy.

Talk to the boss, see about getting a new one.

Or maybe move into one of the other units.

I mean, they're all empty now, right?

Are you coming out to the field?

Yeah.

All right.

[door opening]

(John voice-over) Rick had a point. The AC was noisy.

[sighs]

But that didn't explain why I kept waking up choking,

or why I saw that old woman choking me.

The audio wasn't clear enough to give me any answers,

so I thought capturing video of myself sleeping

might clear things up.

[door opening]

[wood creaking] [electricity sparking]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[gasps]

[breathing unsteadily]

[gasps]

[gasps]

Huh!

[door opening]

[wood creaking]

[electricity sparking]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[gasps]

[gasping]

[panting]

(John voice-over) It looked like something passed by that mirror.

I'd seen it with my own eyes.

[gasps]

But I didn't know exactly what I was seeing.

I had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or something.

It was here, man, I'm telling you.

(John voice-over) But when I tried to play it back for Rick,

the whole file was damaged.

What the hell happened to it?

It-- Well...

That's what's--

Oh, look, you know what? Last guy got weird too.

I mean, it's the job, you know? It's just long days

out here in the sun, living and working and--

Plus, you got a sleep thing, man.

I mean, hell, go see a doctor.

No, seriously, we've been working this field for a year.

We can handle an afternoon on our own.

(John voice-over) Even though I really did think something else was going on,

I figured it couldn't hurt to finally see a specialist,

like my wife wanted,

especially if it meant that I could get some sleep.

All righty, well, for starters, your friend was right.

Cut back on the caffeine. Its effects are cumulative

and they're hitting you late at night.

But as for apnea, well, there's really no way I can tell

unless I have you wear this monitor

for a couple of nights.

So, you think that's what it is?

What about sleep paralysis?

No, there's nothing to worry about there.

You want a laugh? Look it up online.

People call it "the old hag syndrome."

Bottom line, sleep paralysis, nothing to worry about.

Apnea, however, could be dangerous,

so I want you to wear this monitor for two nights,

then bring it back. We'll go from there, okay?

- All right. - Take care, and get some sleep.

Thanks, doc.

(John voice-over) The specialist clearly didn't believe the stories,

but there were all sorts of people on the Internet

with experiences just like mine.

No one could explain it, but it couldn't be a coincidence

that so many people had seen her.

Did she have something to do with the unit I was living in,

or was she real?

The company had so many empty spaces,

I figured it couldn't hurt to at least ask about moving.

You want to move next door?

Yeah, the townhome's empty.

Yeah, but why?

Change of scenery.

It looks exactly the same.

[clears throat]

Listen, I'll move my own stuff. How about that?

Fine.

Number three, number four, makes no difference to me.

We have a new engineer starting tomorrow anyway,

so he can take your space. Leave it clean, please.

Thank you.

That's...funny.

"Take a number." That's great.

[imitates explosion]

[clears throat] All right.

Thank you.

(John voice-over) I switched units that same day.

The first two nights in the new place were great.

I slept straight through, both nights.

[chatter on TV]

Didn't wake up even one time.

I was already feeling better.

Maybe I really did just need to cut back on the coffee.

[thud]

[muffled music in the distance]

♪ ♪

Apparently, the engineer they told me about

had already moved into my old unit.

♪ ♪

[man gasping]

[wood creaking]

[man gasping]

[thud]

[glass breaking]

[thud and glass breaking]

[man gasps]

[man gasping]

[door opening]

[man yells]

[crash]

[gasps]

[groaning]

You want to move next door?

Yeah, the townhome's empty.

We have a new engineer starting tomorrow anyway,

so he can take your space.

[man gasping]

[door opening]

[man yells]

[crash]

Hello?

[knocking at the door]

Hello?

Hey, man?

Sounded like you fell up there. You okay?

Hey, man?

Hey, buddy, you okay?

[gasps]

Oh!

[sirens blaring]

So...you know this guy?

Uh, no, I just--

just came in the room and found him like that.

(John voice-over) The paramedic told me it was probably a heart attack,

but I didn't believe it for a minute.

I heard some noises and I came over to check it out.

(John voice-over) Whatever that thing was I saw in my unit,

I'm convinced it's the same thing that killed that engineer.

So I packed up my stuff and left that night,

called the next day and quit.

And I truly believe, if I didn't move out

of that unit when I did,

I wouldn't be here talking to you right now.

You're joking.

[laughs] Why would I joke about this?

H-how can we afford this?

Don't worry about it. Come on.

(Tori voice-over) My husband Mark and I had been trying

to get out of our apartment and into a house

since we found out I was pregnant.

Mark was a banker, and he'd been keeping his eyes peeled

for a foreclosure.

I was four weeks from my due date

when he told me they'd accepted our offer--

the one I didn't know we were making.

He said he didn't want to take a chance

and lose out on the house,

and he wanted it to be a surprise.

I was definitely surprised.

(Mark) What do you think?

This doesn't make sense. The inside must be a disaster.

Not exactly. Come on.

Mark and I got married when I was 20 years old

and still in college. He had just graduated.

And I was excited to be a young mom.

So the woman who owned it had been in assisted living

for over a year, and when she died last month,

it reverted back to the bank, and she still had

a few years left to pay on the mortgage,

and no heirs.

I mean, it needs some work and, you know, we'll clear out

all of her stuff, but I mean, it's huge.

(Tori voice-over) When Mark told me about the house,

it just felt like everything was coming together perfectly.

Looks like I'll have to put some rewiring on the to-do list.

Oh, this must be her.

It's kind of depressing, all by herself

in this big house.

She was married.

And she was pregnant.

I thought you said she didn't have any heirs.

She didn't.

(Tori voice-over) There was only one thing in the entire house

that was covered.

I thought that was odd.

[gasps]

[breathes sharply]

It's kind of depressing, all by herself

in this big house.

She was pregnant.

I thought you said she didn't have any heirs.

She didn't.

(Tori voice-over) There was only one thing in the entire house

that was covered.

I thought that was odd.

[gasps]

[breathes sharply]

[gasps]

Let's check out the nursery.

(Tori voice-over) I knew it was just the fact

that the mirror was warped or something

that made my stomach look flat in the reflection,

but still, suddenly seeing myself not pregnant like that,

it really freaked me out.

(Mark) That should be it.

(Tori voice-over) I guess everyone was right about that whole nesting thing.

Here, the blanket Aunt Carol made.

Hm.

(Tori voice-over) We made a trip back to our apartment

and started setting up the nursery that same night.

[music box chimes]

[winding music box]

[music box lullaby playing]

[distorted chimes]

♪ ♪

That's weird. It was working before.

(Tori voice-over) My mom had given me that music box

when she found out we were having a girl.

It was brand new.

Just have to get a new one.

[distorted chimes]

♪ ♪

Kick for me. Come on.

[sighs]

The baby was pretty active my whole pregnancy,

but I noticed she wasn't moving as much

after we moved into the house.

[sighs]

Mark convinced me it was because I was so close to my due date.

With three weeks left to go, it made sense.

My doctor said it was because the baby was getting bigger

and didn't have much room to move around,

but still,

I was nervous.

We'd gone through a really difficult miscarriage

the year before...

There you are.

(Tori voice-over) So I was on edge.

Whenever I couldn't feel her moving,

I couldn't help but think the worst.

[glass breaking]

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[chimes stop]

[eerie laughter]

[gasping]

[distorted lullaby chimes]

That's weird. It was working before.

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[chimes stop]

[eerie laughter]

[gasping]

[gasps]

Hey, easy, it's me.

What are you doing?

The--the shadow, it-- It--

It--

Never mind.

Okay, look, everything's fine.

You just need to get some rest. Come on.

(Tori voice-over) I couldn't explain what I saw in the nursery that night.

How was I supposed to tell Mark about it

without him thinking I was crazy?

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[porcelain breaking]

Huh. What happened here?

The music box?

Uh, it fell off the table.

Huh.

Another music box?

No. It's something that might actually help you relax.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

[heartbeat]

You hear it?

[heartbeat thumping]

[laughs]

I can hear it.

Good.

Now you can relax.

Yeah.

[heartbeat thumping]

[heartbeat thumping]

[heartbeat stops]

[heartbeat thumping rapidly]

[distorted lullaby chimes] [baby crying]

[gasps]

[panting]

(Tori voice-over) I was so exhausted,

I just couldn't be sure what had happened.

Did I fall asleep and dream I heard the music box again?

I couldn't sleep after that,

so I decided to go downstairs and make some tea.

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

[screeching]

[screams]

[door closing]

(Mark) What happened?

Someone's--someone's inside the house.

- What? - In there.

Stay here.

It's fine. There's no one here.

Then why is the window open?

You probably left it open,

and then the wind slammed the door shut.

(Tori voice-over) He just had one logical theory after another about it,

but after what I'd seen in that mirror,

I just didn't believe it was that simple.

(Tori voice-over) The next night, Mark was working late,

so I kept myself busy to avoid thinking about everything.

And that actually worked,

for a little while.

[pop music playing]

♪ ♪

[static and voices]

♪ ♪

[static and voices]

♪ ♪

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[wheezing]

[distorted lullaby chimes]

[wheezing]

♪ ♪

[wheezing]

[baby crying]

[gasps and screams]

[screeches]

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[wheezing]

[baby crying]

[gasps]

♪ ♪

[baby crying]

Help! Somebody help me!

[baby crying]

What is going on?

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[baby crying] [static and voices]

[gasps]

[sobbing]

(Tori voice-over) I started wondering if I was going insane.

Maybe my miscarriage had affected me

more than I realized.

At that point, I had to tell Mark what was going on.

You don't think it's exhaustion,

paranoia because of last time?

No.

I think either I've lost my mind

or there is something going on in this house.

I don't know what you mean.

(Tori voice-over) And then I remembered something.

The pictures.

(Tori) Just for a second, pretend you don't think I'm crazy.

Okay, I'll try.

Look at this.

She's pregnant here.

This one says, "April, 1952."

Okay.

And here in this next one, "June, 1952."

She's not pregnant. No kid,

and there's never a child or a husband again.

Okay, so maybe she lost the child.

Look in the window.

The nursery.

Who's that...

In the nursery?

This...

I think I saw that woman in the house.

When?

A couple nights ago in the mirror upstairs.

- That weird mirror? - Yes.

Tori, it's so warped from age, it's like a fun house mirror.

(Tori voice-over) He just didn't get it.

Look, I'll get rid of it tomorrow,

but can you just hold out for a couple more weeks?

Just keep it together?

(Tori voice-over) How could he,

when he hadn't been hearing and seeing the things that I had?

You're scaring me.

(Tori voice-over) I was scaring myself.

Yeah.

I wanted more than anything to get out of that house,

and to get away from whoever that woman was,

but we hadn't even been in that house for a week.

There was no way I could convince Mark to leave.

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[whispering] Mark.

Mark, you hear that?

Mark?

♪ ♪

Stay here.

♪ ♪

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

I threw that out.

I smashed it and I threw it out.

I know.

How did the window get open?

♪ ♪

[chimes stop]

[eerie laughter]

What was that?

I don't know.

[eerie laughter]

[distorted lullaby chimes]

♪ ♪

(Tori voice-over) We left the house that night and never went back.

A few weeks later, I did some digging

into the previous owners.

I couldn't find any information on the woman I saw in the house.

And then a couple years ago, I heard that the new owners

we sold the house to started remodeling.

And they found a grave

with the remains of four infants and a woman.

It had to be the woman I saw.

I think she lost those babies and died there.

I have no way of knowing who she was for sure,

but we just call her

the baby thief.