Original subtitles

[rushing water]

(man) Where's the bottle opener?

(woman) Drawer next to the fridge.

[hot tub jets whirring]

[screaming]

The house was more than a mess. It was a disaster.

[knife pierces flesh]

She said she felt like there was something

wrapped around her neck.

[heavy footsteps]

(woman) Oh, God.

[screaming]

[gasps]

It felt like it was more than just a bad dream.

[man whispering] I'm gonna kill you.

[screams]

(woman) I had absolutely no explanation for it.

[screams]

I was starting to wonder if I wasn't imagining things.

(woman) What do you want?

Answer me!

There was something going on in that house.

[faint whispers]

[laid-back acoustic rock music plays]

♪ ♪

Something to keep the back row awake?

Got to do something to let the students know I'm not

that different, right?

You're young. We get it.

It's okay.

I don't mind being old.

If you're lucky, it'll happen to you, too.

How are you and your wife settling in?

Well, I think it's great.

And she?

Still misses Boston.

But I like it.

It's quiet. I can think.

Oh, sorry.

[music stops]

She'll get used to it.

(Steve voice-over) My wife Helen and I had lived in Boston

for about eight years. I teach history.

I'd been taking adjunct faculty positions here and there

until, finally, a full-time job opened up at a university,

and just a few hours outside of the city.

(Helen voice-over) I only smoked when I was stressed or bored or pissed off.

But, to be fair, Steve had warned me on our first date

that he wanted to move out of Boston.

He said he wanted to be closer to nature.

He wanted privacy and a safe place to raise a family.

At first, I thought I was seeing headlights from cars,

but there was no road through those woods.

I was just staring at them,

trying to figure out what they were...

When they just disappeared.

And I didn't give it a second thought.

[wind chimes gently ring]

Do you want to get in the hot tub?

Oh, I have, like, ten papers to get through,

and I have to prepare for a lecture.

[sighs]

Are you bored?

Are you kidding?

What about a part-time job, you know?

Something at the school, maybe?

I left Boston's biggest PR firm.

Well, you were a secretary.

Sorry.

I meant executive assistant.

Yeah, I get your stupid point.

- Sorry, that was-- - Yeah.

I'll figure something out.

Maybe I can learn how to be a lumberjack.

Sorry.

[footsteps and rope creaking]

[slight choking]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[glass breaks]

Helen?

♪ ♪

[gasping]

What happened? Are you okay?

I just felt like I was choking.

- On what? - I don't know.

What?

Oh...

♪ ♪

- Oh, God. - What--what happened?

- I don't know. - Okay. Okay.

I felt like someone was choking me.

She said she felt like there was something

wrapped around her neck, and the next thing she knew,

she was on the floor with the mirror shattered around her.

- So the mirror just came down? - Yeah.

All right. Okay.

I could definitely see how freaked out she was,

but I figured there had to be

some sort of logical explanation.

[songbirds chirp]

[sighs]

[car horn honks]

[five rapid honks]

Where were you?

Hardware store.

Tomato plants.

Yeah, I see that. And?

We should plant them. You know, fresh tomatoes.

Come on, how cool would that be?

Steve, my ancestors are from here,

but the family left a hundred years ago and moved to the city.

You know why?

Because the most exciting thing to do was plant tomatoes.

I don't think you're giving it a chance.

We were supposed to rent a place and try it out for a year.

That was the original agreement.

Now suddenly we've bought this place

and you have a two-year contract.

Two years isn't that long.

University jobs are hard to come by.

It'll be super quick.

It'll be the fastest two years you've ever experienced.

I wouldn't go that far, but okay.

I'm gonna go inside.

(Helen voice-over) I have relatives on my mom's side

who settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s.

I think Steve thought that would make me want to live out there,

but obviously he was wrong.

[screaming]

[gasps]

(Steve) You all right?

Huh?

Uh...yeah.

Okay.

(Helen voice-over) I knew it was just a bad dream,

but for some reason, it felt like it was more than that.

[wind chimes ring]

I felt bad, the way I was acting.

I knew Steve took the job to give us a better life,

so we could start a family and be happy,

but I was miserable living out there in the woods.

[thumping]

[wolf growling]

[gasps]

[growling]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

It looked like human flesh.

♪ ♪

[panting]

[wind chimes ring]

[gasps]

♪ ♪

[faint whispers]

[suspenseful music]

[wolf growling]

♪ ♪

[wind chimes ring]

[gasps]

[sighs]

(Steve) Okay, so the guy on the porch just vanished?

And the dog--or a wolf,

it didn't leave any footprints or anything?

No, but the--

The chunk of flesh, yeah.

I-I couldn't find it.

Well, it probably came back and ate it.

Whatever left it there in the first place.

Are you sure you saw someone on the porch?

♪ ♪

I don't like being here alone all the time.

It's maybe the safest place we've ever lived.

It's lonely and it's too quiet.

Except for the barking dog.

Don't be like that.

I don't know what to do.

All I want is for you-- for us to be happy.

If you're gonna be miserable the whole time, I'll just--

I'll quit tomorrow.

Your happiness is more important than the job.

Sorry.

No, don't quit.

It's just...

gonna take some getting used to.

Why don't you drive back to Boston for the weekend?

We still have to get the rest of the stuff in our storage,

and you'll see your mom and your sister.

Get the stuff, get out of town for a couple of days.

Yeah.

That sounds really good.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

[screaming]

[gasps]

The nightmares continued for the rest of the week,

but as soon as I got out of town that weekend,

they stopped.

(Steve voice-over) I was hoping the trip to Boston would cheer Helen up.

Part of me was looking forward to having a few days

alone in the house,

just to get some work done and have some time to myself.

[rock music plays]

♪ ♪

[footsteps]

[wind chimes ring]

[footsteps]

♪ ♪

[footsteps]

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[dog barks in distance]

♪ ♪

(Steve voice-over) At that point, I was starting to wonder if maybe Helen

wasn't imagining things.

I almost picked up the phone to call Helen

and tell her what I'd seen,

but then I realized that was a really bad idea.

I didn't want her to hate the place

any more than she already did.

♪ ♪

[owl hoots]

[footsteps]

So, everything okay today?

Yeah.

Why wouldn't it be?

No reason,

other than that you said you hated being here before.

I know. I'm sorry.

Honestly, knowing the city

is only a few hours' drive away really makes things better.

Good.

So, hot tub?

Okay.

- Let's go. - I'll get the wine.

♪ ♪

[hot tub jets whirring]

Where's the bottle opener?

Hold on!

[hot tub shuts down]

Where's the bottle opener?

Drawer next to the fridge!

[hot tub turns on]

[screams]

♪ ♪

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[hot tub turns on]

[screams]

♪ ♪

[screams]

What the hell happened?

He shoved me under.

- Who? - The man--the same one I saw.

(Steve) What?

I saw and felt someone push me under the water.

- He was right here. - I was attacked.

- He was right here. - Okay.

I swear he was here. He was there.

(Steve voice-over) We called the police.

They searched the area for hours,

but they didn't find anything.

That's when I decided to tell Helen

about what had happened to me while she was in Boston,

and she wanted to speak to someone who knew about the area.

I figured it couldn't hurt.

Hey, Professor.

(Steve voice-over) And maybe it would put her mind at ease.

This is my wife, Helen.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

Do you have a second?

Personally, I've never experienced anything

I couldn't explain away,

but we haven't solved all of life's mysteries, have we?

Where's your house?

27 Church Street.

The frontage road.

That was all farmland

before they sold parcels for development,

but there were houses out there before that.

Way before--late 1600s.

(Steve) Wow.

I think that's when my ancestors used to live here.

(Helen voice-over) I'd never really put the two together until then,

but then I started wondering if maybe all this had to do

with the fact that my mom's family was from that area.

There's some dark, uh, stuff

that's happened out that way.

Like what?

Salem's not the only town in Massachusetts

that persecuted witches.

A man named Francis Farlow lived right out by where you are.

Who was he?

A judge and an executioner, I guess.

He killed at least a dozen women he'd accused of being witches.

[screaming]

(Professor) He hanged some...

[screaming]

Drowned some...

[screaming]

Burned a few at the stake...

[screaming]

Used to go witch-hunting with his dog.

Legend has it that it was actually a wolf he domesticated.

What happened to him?

Karma. Some people turned on him and burned his house

to the ground with him locked inside.

I didn't know if what I had seen

was the ghost of that man or what.

All I knew was that I did see him,

and I didn't want to spend another minute in that house.

We started packing that night and were going back to Boston

to stay with my mom until we figured everything out.

(Steve) Everything okay in there?

Fine.

[screaming]

(Steve voice-over) When we got to the hospital,

they said her body temperature was 105 degrees,

but they had no idea what was causing it.

(Helen voice-over) I just knew that somehow there was a connection

between my family and the man who killed all those people.

I could just feel it.

(female voice-over) I remember my first thought when I saw the house

was that it looked like it had been through a lot,

and I could relate to that.

I'd hit rock bottom earlier that year.

It got ugly, but I survived.

The AA meetings helped,

but a treatment center helped more.

[door closes]

After I got clean, I got an offer from a good friend.

She charged me half rent on the house she just inherited,

but there were two conditions.

I had to stay clean, and I had to clean the place up

so she could sell it when she got back into town.

[zipper pulls]

My husband and I were separated but not divorced yet.

He was giving me a chance

to prove that I could stay sober outside of treatment,

away from him and away from our daughter, Alexis.

I remember not sleeping at all the first night in the house.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[wistful music]

♪ ♪

The house was more than a mess.

It was a disaster.

The flask looked old, like it might've been an antique.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

(Dana voice-over) It was another flask,

identical to the one I found inside the basement.

I was sure I left that flask on the table

when I went outside,

but I couldn't find it,

and I had absolutely no explanation for it.

Hey, Mom. How's the new place?

Big, dirty, plenty of room if--

You're still staying clean?

I'm taking it day by day.

So are you excited about the art show?

- You know, I can't wait to-- - It was last week.

Oh, honey.

I'm so sorry.

I know.

You can make it up to me this weekend,

but I got to go to bed. See you Friday?

Yes. I promise I'll make it up to you.

[two piano notes]

[tune begins playing on piano]

(Dana voice-over) It sounded like someone was playing the piano,

and it was coming from the basement.

[crowd talking and laughing]

[chatter and music grow louder]

What the hell?

[piano begins playing]

(Dana voice-over) I hadn't had a drink in over a month.

I thought I was past all the withdrawal symptoms,

but maybe there was something wrong with me,

and I was terrified to tell anyone.

[piano playing and crowd laughing]

How's your business?

[piano plays]

[screaming]

[screams]

(Dana voice-over) I was what they call a blackout drunk.

I've woken up in some strange places,

seen some horrible things...

A lot of them completely imagined--

but I was sober that night,

and none of it made any sense.

Hi. I'm Dana, and I'm an alcoholic.

(all) Hi, Dana.

- I have 33 days. - Good.

- Great. - Good job.

(Dana voice-over) I found an AA meeting at a nearby church.

It was supposed to be an important part of my recovery.

I've already had my withdrawals,

and now I'm having nightmares.

I'm seeing things when I'm awake, too.

I've been there.

You have?

Sorry, it's just-- that's a relief.

Everyone goes through this in their own way, you know?

Yeah. Yeah, I hope so.

You need someone to talk to, you give me a ring, okay?

Okay.

Thank you.

(Dana voice-over) I had been trading stories with other alcoholics for years,

but I had never heard anything like what I'd been experiencing.

I tried to tell myself Bernice was right,

that this was normal.

(whispering male) I'm gonna kill you.

[footsteps]

(Dana voice-over) But I knew this was not normal.

I didn't have my phone with me in the room,

so I had to make a decision.

Right then was when I started to question

if maybe this didn't have anything to do with me at all.

And if it wasn't the alcohol or the withdrawals,

I had to wonder if there was something going on

in that house.

Tom, I think it may be best if, uh--

if Alexis stays with you this weekend.

(Tom) I just--I guess I can't say I'm surprised.

(Dana voice-over) I wasn't sure what was happening in that place.

(Tom) I know this may not matter to you right now,

but your daughter--

she was really looking forward to seeing you.

You know you are her mother, remember?

(Dana voice-over) And I didn't want my daughter

anywhere near it until I figured it out.

I know, it's just, that, uh, the house is a wreck,

and I-I don't even know if I can stay here anymore.

(Tom) Excuses, right. You're still good at those.

Tom...

I didn't want my husband to think I was drinking again,

and I didn't want to disappoint my daughter.

(Tom) Dana, you need to take some responsibility for yourself

and for your daughter.

All right.

[phone beeps]

So I did something really stupid.

- Hi, Mom. - Hi, Alex.

Oh, I'm so glad to see you.

- Who's over here? - Hmm?

- Is someone inside with you? - No.

(Alexis) Oh. Never mind. I thought I saw someone.

Oh, I'm starving.

What do you have to eat?

This place isn't all that bad.

I was expecting a real dump.

It's getting better.

[gasps]

Are you okay?

Yeah.

(Dana voice-over) It was this really sharp pain.

A quick jolt, like a stab,

and then it was gone.

Alex and I stayed up talking until way past midnight.

She was growing up so fast,

and I had been missing so much of it.

I swore to myself that night

I'd never fall off the wagon again.

[three piano notes]

[piano briefly plays]

[piano begins playing tune]

[crowd hoots and laughs]

[gasps]

[footsteps]

Oh! What the hell?

[piano plays]

[piano plays, crowd laughs]

[gasps]

[footsteps]

(Dana voice-over) The last thing I remember was hitting my head on the floor

and seeing that man from my dream,

and when I woke up, the flask he was drinking out of

was sitting right next to me.

Alex?

Alexis?

[sobs]

(Dana voice-over) By then, I knew there had to be someone--

something--in that house causing all of this.

[intense music]

♪ ♪

Who are you?

What do you want?

Why are you doing this to me?

Answer me!

receiver rings]

(Dana voice-over) I didn't have anyone else to talk to.

(woman on phone) Hello.

Um, hi.

Bernice, it's Dana from the meeting.

So I took Bernice up on her offer

and asked her to come over.

(Bernice) What's the address?

The address?

Um, 14035 Pinewood Drive.

Hello?

Bernice? Are you still there?

(Bernice) I'm here, honey.

I'll see you real soon.

Okay.

[sighs]

(Bernice) I grew up here.

I know more about this town than I want to know.

This house here was a speakeasy during Prohibition,

run by Paddy Kuchen.

He ran this place as a speak and a brothel.

- What? - Anyway, he had his girl.

He pimped her out, and then would fly off the handle

with jealousy over her at the same time.

He killed her in a drunken rage one night.

Oh, my God.

Stabbed her in the chest.

I dreamt it.

I saw him do it.

(Dana voice-over) Then Bernice told me about how this guy Paddy died

inside my friend's house.

Well, she got the last laugh.

She spiked his flask with rat poison that same day,

so while he drank to celebrate being done with her,

he was being done in himself.

(Dana voice-over) I was right.

It wasn't me.

It was this house or Paddy or his ghost.

I--I don't know.

I called my friend and told her I was leaving.

I've been clean for three years now.

Alexis is starting college in the fall,

and her dad and I are still together.

My friend sold the house.

I've never met the new owners,

though I'm sure they've seen me

checking it out from time to time.

You ready for dinner?

(Dana voice-over) Sometimes I think about knocking on the door

and asking if they've experienced

anything weird in there.

Maybe one day I will.

Or maybe not.