Original subtitles

In this world, there is real evil.

In the darkest shadows and in the most ordinary places.

These are the true stories of the innocent and the unimaginable.

When a family looking for stability invests their hopes in an old house,

restless spirits prey on their fears, tormenting them until they leave.

But when another family moves in, the dead become angry and will stop at

nothing until the house is theirs.

Between the world we see and the things we fear, there are

doors.

When they are opened, nightmares become reality.

Union, Missouri.

A small town about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis.

European settlers helped establish the place more than 180 years ago.

For most, their souls have moved on.

But for others, the memory of a tragic past fuels their anger, compelling them

to hound the living.

In May of 2001,

Stephen Lachance and his three children are beginning a new life.

Hey, Eli, I found our glove.

Hey, guys, come on, picture time.

We just took one yesterday.

Stephen is a corporate trainer.

He specializes in improving relationships between management and

employees.

Recently divorced, he has sole custody of his three children, Eliza,

Elliot, and Eli.

Okay, there we go.

The house is a rental, but until Stephen is ready to buy a place of his own, it's

a perfect solution.

It was nice and large.

We had been living in an apartment where we were on top of each other.

I felt very at home right away.

It felt like I was in the right place.

Stephen's oldest, Eliza, is 13.

I thought the house was really neat. I didn't have to be really close to my

brothers because our rooms had always been close together.

And they weren't so close together in that house.

Eli is 12 years old.

Elliot, the youngest, is 11.

I haven't seen them like a bazillion years. This is so big compared to what

we had.

I was just like, sweet.

Come on, guys.

Wait a minute. We had invested so much into this move emotionally.

Come on, Dad.

It wasn't just a normal move for a family. It meant something.

Stephen works hard to make their new house a home.

It was the first good thing that we had had happen for us in a long, long time.

Dad, where are you putting that?

What do you think?

I thought about it right over there.

Awesome. I'm going outside.

Okay, sweetie.

Now stay there.

Stephen sends Eli and Elliot to the basement to get the garden hose.

Eli? Yeah?

Come on up here and give me a hand for a second.

I gotta get the hose, Dad.

Elliot, you get the hose. Eli, come on up.

Okay.

Stupid

hoes.

It's all wet. Jesus.

What's the matter?

I heard something come up after me. Like, boom, boom, up the steps.

That just freaked me out, so I took off.

Was it a basement monster? Shut up, it's not funny. Come on, you guys, knock it

off. Go ahead. You guys, come on, I'll take it. No, I'm not going back down

there. Come on, come on. I'm not going.

I'll go with you. No.

Okay. What I was trying to justify to him that... It's the monster in the

closet thing. You know, open the closet, there's no monster.

I was doing the same thing with the basement. You take him to the basement,

there's no monster.

It was in your imagination.

Here. See?

Nothing in the basement. Down there? Yeah, there is.

It's all right. It's just an old house. Come on, buddy.

We'll go hook this up. Come on.

Come on, come on, come on.

At night, the boys must camp out in Stephen's room until their new beds

arrive.

Eliza usually joins them before going to sleep in her own room.

Eliza, stop changing the channel so much. Watch the Cardinals game.

I don't want to watch hockey. It's baseball.

Whatever. I'm trying to find a movie or something.

One more commercial and it's bedtime.

Dad, I have to go to the bathroom.

Okay.

Ellie,

come on, buddy. Don't be silly.

Will you go with me?

Come on, buddy, don't be silly.

There's nothing to be afraid of. Oh, except the basement monster.

Shut up, Eliza.

You'll be all right. You'll be all right.

We'll watch this, because I can't find anything else.

I was never that scared in my life.

Dad!

Dad! Dad!

What's the matter? There's something in the hallway.

What?

I think it's the thing from the basement.

I was very worried about Elliot.

At that point, I wasn't quite sure what was going on. I thought maybe it was the

emotions of the move.

What's this house?

Oh, it's there.

Come, honey.

Nothing out there. Come on, I'll take you down.

Now even Eli and Eliza feel sorry for their little brother.

We left him alone about it because it seemed like it bothered him pretty bad.

A couple of nights later, the family returns home from a visit with Stephen's

parents.

Who left all the lights on?

It wasn't us!

There's something wrong here.

Thinking someone might have broken in, Stephen checks all the doors and

windows.

but finds the house is secure.

Excuse me a second.

Kids, I want you in bed in five minutes.

Sorry. Stephen calls his landlady.

Can I ask you something? We just came home, and when we got here, every light

in our house was on.

All the lights.

I was wondering if you had been here.

I would not come in the house without your permission. That would be illegal.

Maybe you left the lights on.

Well, maybe.

An electrical charge passes through Stephen's body.

It was like this tickling inside that would work its way out.

It scared me quite a bit.

Because I didn't know what was going on.

Dad.

Dad. What?

I want to sleep in here tonight.

What? I want to sleep in here.

Every kid's going to be afraid of the dark at some point in their life.

That's how I justified it.

She was just experiencing that thing that all kids do.

No, I want to sleep in here.

You saw it, didn't you? Go back to bed.

Move over, guys. No, we're trying to go back to sleep.

Move over.

I know you saw it.

Stephen wonders if the children will ever feel comfortable in the old house.

There's something wrong with it. I don't know what it is. The next day, Stephen's

father, who is a general contractor, comes over to inspect the electrical

wiring.

Stephen hopes he'll be able to offer a logical explanation for the electrical

shocks and the temperature variances.

There's no door on it, but this is a relatively recent box.

No shorts.

There's nothing here that would cause a shock.

down here or upstairs.

That does need a door to protect the kids from it.

Hey, Steve.

Yeah?

Look at this.

What? That's a butcher's shower.

Three-quarters of a century ago, the butcher's shower was used by farmers to

cleanse themselves of blood after slaughtering an animal.

The sink was used for cutting and cleaning the meat.

Hello? Yeah, Dad.

No, uh-uh.

What was

that?

Was that you? Probably just Dad.

screaming coming from I don't know where in the house and I don't know who was

screaming.

I'm slamming the doors up there!

Finally, everybody believes me.

There was no doubt.

You guys are in?

Everybody saw something.

I was like happy and terrified at the same time.

The family moves in with Stephen's parents until they can find a new home.

Once my children were put in danger, there was no way I was ever going to

step back in there.

Once again, the big old house is available.

It isn't long before another family falls in love with it and signs a lease

for the spacious home.

The new tenants are Linda Marsh and her husband, Emmett Bryson, and their

13-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Emmett is a maintenance worker at a nearby nursing home.

Linda is a sales associate at a local department store.

They've moved from a trailer park on the edge of town.

We thought we'd hit the jackpot.

You just felt so comfortable in there, and it was like home.

In the days that follow the move, Linda takes some time off work. to decorate

the house while Ashley's at school and Emmett is at work.

Amen.

Welcome.

Hi.

My name is Emily.

I live down the street. I made you a pie. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Oh, thank you. It's key lime. I hope you like it. Oh, I'm sure I will. It's not

too sweet.

Oh, I'm sure it's fine. Down the street. Which one?

Thank you. Bye.

Most of my thoughts were that someone was in the house.

I didn't know what I was going to run into.

It was scary.

And I'm thinking it's me.

Later that night.

Mom?

Dad?

Is that you?

Mom?

And can you read this? I just can't read that.

Who was upstairs?

Oh, no one. You want some dessert?

Your dad brought some ice cream home. Who was slamming doors?

Well, I thought that was you.

I don't know what that was.

It's just an old house. You're going to have to get used to it.

I heard something.

You're not going to tell me that you think this place is haunted too, are

you?

I love my wife and my kids.

And I don't want to hear about that, you know? I ain't got time for that.

I'm trying to think about how I'm going to get food on the table and, you know,

pay the rent and stuff like that.

What did you hear?

It was nothing, baby, really. It was nothing.

You're both crazy, and I'm going to bed.

Ashley, come here. Sit down, baby.

Linda is beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the house.

That's, I think, the first time I really started thinking, okay, this house is

haunted.

There's something going on here that we have no answer for.

Stephen Lachance thought the old house was out of his life forever, but an

ominous dream pulls him back into its clutches.

It was a reoccurring nightmare that happened, but it frightened me.

I had it enough times that something was trying to tell me something.

Hello. My name's Steve Lachance, and I used to live here with my family, and I

was wondering if I might be able to speak to you about the house.

A shocking nightmare compels Stephen Lachance to warn the new tenants of his

former home.

I did not want to go to the house.

I was afraid of it.

But I wanted to make sure everything was going all right.

Honey?

This is Steven... LeChance.

Emmett Bryson. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. He used to live in the

house before us. Is that right?

Yeah. Would you like some coffee?

I would, thank you.

Do you mind if I speak frankly?

Go right ahead.

Well, when we first rented here, some strange things started to happen.

Yeah.

This is a bit difficult, but, I mean, I don't know you, and you don't know me,

but... Why don't you just say what's on your mind?

It's haunted.

The house is haunted.

Yes.

That's the reason why we moved out.

I felt so good to know that it had happened to them, too. I wasn't the only

one. I felt then like, okay, I'm not crazy. My daughter is not crazy.

There are a lot of unanswered questions, but that's the reason. You mean to tell

me that you moved out of this great house because you thought it was

haunted? For the sake of my children, yes.

I did. I didn't know the guy that well. And that's why I wanted to come over and

talk to you. Oh, Lord, here we go.

What kind of things did you see?

My son in the basement.

My daughter upstairs.

Look, we're not moving away from here if that's what this is all about.

You think our landlady is going to give us the security deposit back just

because you think this place is haunted?

It was a lot of money.

Anyway, I don't believe in all of this nonsense.

We're going to deal with them the best way we know how, but we don't need your

help.

Look, it was very nice to meet you, okay?

But I have to get to work.

I'm sorry.

No, it's all right.

I didn't believe it happened to me until I saw it for myself.

It took me a long time to understand.

My advice to Linda from the beginning was get out.

I mean, it made the whole house shake.

If it could do that, don't tell me it can't hurt you.

I know it can hurt you.

Linda describes her own experiences in the house.

The one thing Linda and I both decided is we wanted to find out why these

things were occurring.

And I was doing this as much for myself as I was doing it for her.

Because I was dealing with my own demons, I guess you could say.

Steven is determined to find someone to help solve the haunting.

Yeah, I know. I don't even know anyone in the school.

I don't even want to go to classes anymore. It's so creepy. Sometimes I

hear weird noises when I'm upstairs.

And I ask Mom or Dad about it, and Dad's just like, oh, you're crazy.

Mom seems like she's hiding something from me, but I don't know.

I gotta call you back.

No, I just, I gotta go.

What?

There was a baby in the troops hanging upside down.

Ashley, at that point...

I was really concerned that she was having some kind of mental problems.

No, I'm not smoking anything.

And my first concern was drugs.

Mom, I swear to God I saw a baby in the tree. I accepted the fact that she was

hearing noises because I did too.

But as far as seeing things, I was not seeing the things that she was. You

don't believe me?

Ashley, there's nothing there.

Forget it.

Just leave me alone!

Linda is shocked to learn that Ashley has been skipping school.

She didn't like school.

She didn't go to school.

I know, everyone here is so lame.

She was just very unhappy.

Ashley, we need to talk.

I gotta go. I'll call you back.

Listen, I have something very serious to talk to you about. What?

I know that you've been missing school.

Are you spying on me?

No, I got a letter from your school.

An excuse absence is Ashley.

Ashley, Ashley, Ashley.

Oh, God, what have you done to yourself? Don't touch me.

Ashley, what have you done?

I cut myself, see?

Why would you do it? And I'll do it again because it makes me feel better.

I was just so concerned that she was going to commit suicide that...

I checked her in the hospital.

Linda's doctor explains that cutting is a phenomenon among teenage girls who are

trying to alleviate stress and anxiety.

The cutting releases endorphins. It's a substance that makes the body feel good.

I was very upset.

I just wanted to get her some kind of help.

Ashley is committed to the hospital for a period of observation until the

doctors can decide the best therapy for her.

Stop cutting yourself.

But Linda is afraid none of the doctors will accept what she believes, that

Ashley's suffering is caused by something supernatural.

I had a really bad feeling that somehow...

She was possessed.

Emmett reluctantly consents to an investigation.

I have to tell you, Steve, I don't like this.

When Stephen finds someone who might help put an end to the haunting.

Stephen, it's nice to meet you.

Betsy Burnett Berlanger is the director of a paranormal investigative team

called the St. Louis Spirit Search.

When we first walked into the home, we felt spirit activity.

I could tell that it was not human and that it was something otherworldly and

exactly what it was, I had no idea.

What was it? What did you feel?

We did feel some activity as we came in.

What I need is my meter.

Betsy and her partner quickly prepare for a thorough investigation of the

house.

And what we plan to do is to start upstairs in the bedroom.

Emmett thinks bringing the investigators into the house is unnecessary.

When you lived here. And dangerous.

Where did you feel most of the activity going on? I believe in that dead dog's

life.

And I told him, you're going to keep messing with stuff around here and

you're going to stir up something that you really ain't looking for.

So I need you to stay here while we go through the house and then we will

return here and I will tell you exactly what we find.

Okay, all set.

Is it clear?

No, I can't understand it.

It's coming from here.

We did pick up...

a voice now we could not make out what the voice was saying it was very garbled

and very muffled but it drew us to that direction

the emf meter

picks up electromagnetic fluctuations there's a presence i

can sense a presence

betsy senses an old man standing in the

corner

He was not shying away from us. He was just observing what we were doing and

why we were there.

We decided to be very, very quiet and see if we could pick up the actual words

of what this man was saying to us.

And what we picked up immediately was a voice saying, this is my house.

So we got almost a scenario of his life, that this had been his house for a long

period of time.

He had no intention of leaving.

In Ashley's bedroom, Betsy feels a powerful negative energy.

I don't know if it's spirits or... It's hard for me to describe to you the

amount of negative energy that we were feeling in there.

It was not pleasant.

It was not a pleasant place to be.

Why don't we sit down and try and figure out where this energy is coming from?

We sat there for a good 15, 20 minutes, trying to absorb, to figure out if there

was actual entities there or if this was poltergeist activity that was generated

by this adolescent girl.

Poltergeist is a German word meaning noisy ghost.

Now, a lot of people believe that poltergeists are actual entities.

I'm not one of them.

I believe that it is energy, and it is energy that is usually negative.

Betsy concludes that Ashley possesses psychokinetic abilities.

She has created a physical embodiment of her own negative energy.

This entity was very excited and was very

agitated by the fact that we were there trying to find out who it was.

Betsy stepped into a psychic force field, a vortex of spiritual energy.

It's like standing in a wind tunnel almost. I mean, your clothes aren't

blowing around, but you can feel that vibration in your body.

I've felt enough.

Betsy believes that energy vortexes originate deep inside the earth and can

attract spirits.

Especially spirits who are wandering.

who don't understand where they are trying to find their way.

You're welcome.

There's a lot of energy that's going on in this home.

I did not advise Linda to move out of that house. It wasn't my place to do

that.

I did tell her that if she could not come to terms with living with the man

upstairs or having the entity in the basement, that might be something she

might consider.

Who exactly are these spirits? That we don't know. Betsy tells Stephen that

traumatic events of the past could be responsible for the haunting.

Stephen decides to take the matter into his own hands by researching the history

of the Union House property.

In the county records and local library, he uncovers a history of violence and

misery.

Stephen's research indicates that the property may have belonged to a

Confederate officer and slave owner.

Another Confederate officer, a renegade named Captain Wilson, was executed by

firing squad on the property.

After the war, it was also the site of many shootings and murders.

The bloody and tragic activity continued to modern times.

And what we found out is there's probably many reasons that, you know,

yeah, it probably is haunted, and there's probably good reason for it to

be haunted.

Emmett? Emmett? Emmett, what's wrong?

Emmett?

Emmett!

I saw something.

Where?

At the foot of the bed.

It looked almost human.

Emmett.

I tried to tell you this, but you wouldn't listen.

So now I've seen it.

Now. I believe it. That's because I've seen that myself.

Hoping to rid the house of the spirits, Stephen arranges for a Roman Catholic

priest to perform a blessing.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the name of

Jesus Christ.

I command you to go back.

I bless this house in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost.

I'm going to have to leave.

Father, you didn't do all the upstairs bedrooms.

It's not necessary to do all the rooms in the house.

But my son and the psychic said there was a lot of activity in the basement.

He seemed like he was just very uneasy the whole time he was in the house.

He just seemed like all he wanted was to get out.

It's been a pleasure, and I hope to see you in church.

Although the blessing was brief, Linda remains hopeful that it worked.

It was choking me.

What was choking you? I don't know.

It had its hands around my throat.

It was just a dream.

Emmett, it wasn't a dream.

He was trying to kill me.

I told him. I don't know what it was, but it felt like there were hands around

my throat.

I can't do this anymore.

We'll leave.

Hello?

Neva? What's wrong?

She was obviously headed to a nervous breakdown.

I would rather take pills and die than to

keep going like this.

Now listen to me. I said, pack your bags.

I said, I'm coming to get you, and we're getting you out.

I'll be over there in five minutes.

Stephen believes that the evil in the house is tearing Linda apart.

I wasn't sure what was going on in the house.

Linda!

Linda.

Linda. Kate. Kate, sweetheart, are you all right? Come here, come here, come

here. I saw the bruises on her body. I did that to you.

Spirit. Oh, come on. Come on, come on.

Come on, let me help you. Get up.

At that point, she was suicidal.

Linda

is

admitted to the hospital.

She remains there under close observation for four days.

She is examined by psychiatrist Dr. Imran Chishti.

At that time, she was depressed and felt hopeless and suicidal.

Linda.

Tell me about the footsteps.

It is not until her third meeting with the doctor that Linda told him the real

reason she wanted to die.

Do you hear voices?

What would you say if I told you that my house was haunted?

You'd think I was crazy, wouldn't you?

No. I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't think you're crazy at all.

My reaction was, I believe you.

Your house may have been haunted. Tell me more.

Dr. Chishti believes he has a unique perspective on the world of spirits.

I'm Muslim by faith, and we grew up reading the Koran.

The presence of these beings, of their world, is documented in all

religious books.

What I'm going to do is I'm going to give you a prescription for your

anxiety. Linda is diagnosed with depression, but Dr. Chishti believes she

does not suffer from a mental illness that might cause her to have

hallucinations or hear voices.

He encourages Linda to stop her investigations into the hauntings and

move out of the house immediately.

I don't know of many people who have challenged spirits and

walked away.

What would you do if someone broke into your house in the middle of the night?

You would chase them out.

It is their place.

And if you stand there and say, well, I don't believe in you, then they might be

compelled to show you something to make you believe in them.

Linda arranges to move in with a relative who lives nearby.

Ashley is released from the mental health facility.

She'll be staying with her mother until Emmett finds another place suitable for

the whole family.

Since we left the house, things are so much better.

Our whole family life has just improved a lot. It's pretty much back to where it

used to be.

For Stephen Lachance, What haunted the Union House remains a mystery, but he

does have a theory.

Whatever is there, for some reason, is targeting everyone's worst fears.

Eliza's afraid of closets, so her closet door opens at night.

Elliot's afraid of clowns, he's seen clowns.

My worst fear would be me not being able to get to my children.

I think this place is a predator.

I think it thinks.

I know that sounds crazy, but to live through what I've lived through and to

see how it would pick certain things that you shouldn't have known but it

didn't know, how else would you explain that?

Soon after Linda and Emmett move out, another family with six children move

into the house.

Within six months, they too move out.