Original subtitles

Narrator: 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.

Newlyweds bill and icy Spencer are elated

when they find the perfect apartment

in a quaint Seattle neighborhood.

But their hopes for the future are soon shattered

when they're confronted by the supernatural.

Intruders with a dark history hold them captive,

making them the victims of their violent rage.

Between the world we see and the things we fear,

there are doors.

When they are opened,

nightmares become reality.

Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

the famous space needle towers above Seattle, Washington...

A symbol of the hopes and dreams

of those mariners and mill workers

who founded this city more than 150 years ago.

It was a place where people came to make a fresh start,

escape from the past.

But for some, the past is not easily buried.

It clings like a lonely shadow

and reappears when least expected.

October 2004.

I'm never gonna pass this midterm.

What's with the negativity?

You've got to have a positive attitude, my friend.

I have a positive attitude.

I'm positive I'm going to fail.

Myrisa Spencer, known to her friends as icy,

is a graduate student

working toward a master's degree in mental health.

So, how is married life?

You know, we've been so busy.

Icy's been married for a couple of months now

and eagerly welcomes this new phase in her life.

Icy: Everything's exciting.

Everybody seemed to be in that stage

that you're trying to get to know

all these things about this person.

We were having a lot of fun.

It was an adventure.

Speak of the devil. Hey, honey.

Narrator: Her husband, bill, is also a student,

studying for his bachelor's degree.

At night, bill works as a contractor

for a local courier company.

I hate to tear you away, but I found this apartment.

It looks great, so I set up an appointment to see it today.

Wow, this does look promising.

Is it okay if I steal her away from you?

Maybe when I see you next, you'll have a new apartment.

Let's hope. I'll see you later.

Narrator: Bill is anxious to leave the university district,

having grown tired of the rowdy college lifestyle.

Bill: It's more of a party atmosphere.

It's not really the best atmosphere

for a young married couple.

This almost looks too good to be true.

Don't jinx it, now. I know.

I'm just so ready to start our new lives in some new place,

away from all of this.

I got a good feeling about this one.

We wanted to go to an area that was more quiet,

more of a traditional family setting.

Narrator: When the Spencers arrive at the apartment complex,

they notice a pile of debris right in front of the building.

Hi, you must be the Spencers.

Hi, I'm bill. This is my wife.

It's myrisa, right?

Yes, but everybody calls me icy.

Well, bill, icy,

I really apologize for the mess out front.

We're finishing up renovations on the apartment today.

The apartment for rent?

Yeah, the previous tenants...

Icy: The building manager told us

that the former tenant left it in a bit of a hurry

and it wasn't looking very nice,

so they decided to rip everything apart

and just basically rebuild it inside.

It says in the ad all-new fixtures.

Whoever gets this gets a brand-new one-bedroom apartment.

Shall we go have a look? Yeah, come on.

The renovations will be complete today,

and after that, the place will be ready for new tenants.

Bill: To get a nice, newly remodeled apartment

in a great area of town for not a lot of money

was truly a stroke of luck, it seemed, at the time.

Narrator: The place has everything

the young couple is looking for,

yet bill can't help but feel apprehensive.

Bill: There was something about the apartment

that didn't seem right to me.

So, how does it look in here?

Everything seems to be okay.

That's it? Don't you think this place is perfect?

It's pretty good. Pretty good?

It's gonna be like we're living in a brand-new place.

It's in our price range, too.

What's wrong? You don't like it?

No. No, it's not that.

You know what? You're right.

I just can't believe we found a place this nice this soon.

But you're right. It's perfect.

So you like it?

I didn't say anything

because, well, it kind of seemed silly

to turn down a perfect apartment for a feeling.

Well, then, what are we waiting for?

Narrator: The following week, the Spencers move in.

Icy works on transforming the apartment into a home.

Icy: I felt like I wasn't alone.

It just felt so eerie.

Narrator: Icy convinces herself

that her mind is just playing tricks on her.

Icy: I thought, we're just moving in.

We have all this stress. I'm just tense.

I haven't slept in days,

so maybe I'm just not used to this place.

Narrator: Days pass, and icy,

preoccupied with her new role as a wife,

puts the incident out of her mind.

That weekend, bill tells icy

that they deserve a much-needed break

and announces that he's taking her out for the night.

What are we doing?

Well, you are full of surprises, aren't you?

I told you we could afford it. Get the blanket.

[ Giggles ]

To us.

[ Sighs ] You were right.

About what?

You did get us the best table in town.

Icy: I felt very fulfilled at that time.

It just signified a new beginning.

We were very excited about it.

[ Birds chirping ]

Narrator: The next morning,

bill rises early and lets icy sleep in.

For the first time in weeks,

the couple has no classes, work, or unpacking to worry about.

[ Rumbling ]

Bill: Just out of the corner of my eye,

some figure was moving.

Whoa! Jumpy this morning?

No, I didn't hear you come in. You startled me, that's all.

So, what's going on outside? It's nothing.

So, what do you want for breakfast, huh?

Hmm. Coffee sounds good.

There you go.

You're too good to me.

I really wasn't that concerned with it.

There didn't seem to be anything to it,

other than just creepiness.

Narrator: A month after they move in,

the Spencers finally feel settled in the apartment.

Icy can now concentrate on her schoolwork.

[ Keyboard clacking ]

[ Locks clicking ]

Honey? You're home early.

I'll have dinner ready in a second.

I just have to fire off this e-mail to my professor.

[ Footsteps approaching ]

Bill?

What are you doing?

There was somebody in front of the door, in front of me.

[ Breathing heavily ]

I was sure that I saw something.

Narrator: But an investigation of the apartment

reveals nothing is amiss.

Icy: I didn't really believe in ghosts.

I thought people made up all these stories.

I just didn't think it could be true.

It's not rational.

But I knew in the back of my mind

that there was something there.

I just didn't want to admit it.

Hey. How's your day?

Huh?

I said, "how's your day?"

What's the matter?

I need to tell you something,

but I'm afraid you're gonna think I'm crazy.

Anything's possible.

This isn't funny, bill.

All right, all right. Try me.

Something's going on in this apartment.

I don't know exactly what it is,

but I got the strangest feeling that...

That what?

That we're not alone.

What are you talking about?

I've been seeing things through the corner of my eye,

like shadows or something going past the doorways.

Bill: She was certainly afraid

and certainly concerned about what she had seen

and a little panicky.

And as soon as I look up, they're gone.

I don't know what you're seeing,

but I'm sure everything's fine.

I thought initially that it was an overreaction,

thought it might have been just a run-of-the-mill,

typical, standard story,

where things go bump in the night.

Have you considered the fact

that you're at a computer all day?

I kind of downplayed everything,

thinking that it's not that big a deal.

It's just my imagination?

No, what I'm saying is your eyes are tired,

and they're probably playing tricks on you.

I'm sorry. It's silly. I know.

No, it's not silly.

It's just, I'm here, so don't worry about it, okay?

Icy: He was so reassuring.

He wanted everything to be okay.

I felt like I was overdramatizing.

Narrator: October turns to November,

and icy is still on edge.

She doesn't like to be in the apartment alone,

but icy no longer feels

that she can talk with her husband about it.

I didn't feel like he was really listening to me.

He was just, "oh, it'll be okay. It'll be okay."

Narrator: She avoids going home after class,

killing time at a local coffee shop

until bill gets off work.

Icy: I tried to stay out as much as I could,

'cause I just could not bear

the feelings I was having in that apartment.

Narrator: Eventually, icy has no other choice

but to return to the apartment.

[ Sighs ]

What's for dinner?

Don't sneak up on me like that!

I'm sorry. I thought you heard me.

I got off work... what, you're not even gonna say hello?

You know, I thought about you at work today.

The funniest thing happened, and we started laughing so hard.

Could you just give me a little room here?

What's the matter with you?

I've got to finish making dinner.

And I've got this huge exam

that I still haven't studied for,

but I think it's great that you're having so much fun.

Her attitude seemed to change.

She went from being fun and outgoing and cheerful

to being more withdrawn, kind of moody.

It was quite disturbing.

That's a little obnoxious. I think you're overreacting a bit.

That's your answer for everything.

I'm overreacting now, just like I'm overreacting

about whatever the hell is in our house.

For crying out loud, is that what this is about?

Yes, that's what this is all about.

I thought we were past all this.

That's easy for you to say. You're never home.

I don't know what you want me to do.

I want to know that you're taking this seriously.

Why can't you just let this drop?

Fine.

You know what? I'm not hungry anymore.

You want dinner? Make it yourself.

It seemed like my wife was blaming me

for not having answers or solutions for what was going on.

It was very frustrating

to not be able to come up with something.

Narrator: That night,

bill and icy go to bed angry at each other

and do not speak until the following evening.

Hey, Mrs. Spencer, I'm sorry.

No, I'm sorry.

I've just been off lately, not myself.

You were right.

No, no, look, you were right.

I've been kind of a jerk lately.

No.

No, I have. You don't have to sugarcoat it for me.

I can take it.

Thanks.

This is much better, isn't it?

Much.

Was that our first fight?

Ah, the first ugly domestic squabble?

Yeah, I think so.

And, hey, we survived.

I suppose we did.

Hey, why don't you take a break from your studying tonight,

and we can get some leftovers for dinner

and pop in a movie and just relax?

What do you say?

Well... okay.

Bill, what is it?

Stay here, all right? I'll be right back.

[ Breathing heavily ]

What is it? What happened?

I saw somebody go down the hall into the bathroom,

but whoever it was... Whatever it was just...

It disappeared.

Bill: I saw a tall, thin, dark figure.

It was unnerving because I went into the bathroom,

and it wasn't there.

What did he look like?

I don't know. It was like a shadow of a person.

Oh, my god.

That's the same thing that I've seen.

What are we gonna do?

What can we do, all right? It was, uh... it was nothing.

Oh, god, bill!

You know there's something in this apartment with us.

I wasn't that sure

that I really believed in ghosts at that time.

It just didn't seem... It doesn't seem rational.

I can't keep pretending that there's nothing wrong.

You're making me feel like I'm crazy,

and I know I'm not.

Where are you going?

I don't know. I got to get out of here.

Well, wait. I'm gonna come with you.

[ Horn honks ]

Narrator: That night, the Spencers find refuge

at a local coffee shop.

There bill finally realizes that icy's fears are valid

and agrees that they must do something.

Bill: There was certainly no denying

that we had both seen figures in the apartment,

and we quickly realized

we both wanted out of that apartment.

Narrator: No matter how much

bill and icy want to leave their apartment,

they know they are tied to it.

Icy: We had nowhere to go.

We needed help.

So we went online and searched,

and we found the Washington state ghost society.

They were in Seattle.

Narrator: The next day at the Washington ghost society,

Shannon stidman comes across the e-mail from the Spencers.

Stidman has been a paranormal investigator for over six years

and has witnessed supernatural events.

Even still,

she broaches each message with caution.

A lot of things can be mistaken for paranormal phenomena.

So we like to take our time and make sure that they're credible

and that we're really dealing with a ghost.

Narrator: In her response, stidman outlines the basic steps

that she gives to all potential clients.

Stidman: Our advice initially

was for them to keep logs of the activity,

to keep in touch with us so we could monitor the situation

to see if things would get worse, get better, stabilize.

Narrator: If there is indeed a presence in their home

and the activity escalates,

stidman knows that it's only a matter of time

before they will hear from the Spencers again.

Oddly enough, over the next month,

bill and icy no longer sense a presence lurking in the shadows.

Promise me next time

you're gonna try really hard not to cheat.

Cheat? Are you calling me a cheater?

You better believe it.

I think someone's just a sore loser...

Can't take being beat by a girl.

Oh, yeah, yeah, it's killing me.

Look.

Leave us alone! This is our home!

You're trespassing!

Go away!

[ Echoing ] Please! Don't kill me!

I saw him. I s-saw his face.

A teenage boy.

Bill: It really looked like he had been hurt pretty bad.

It looked like his face had been severely damaged by something.

What do you mean, a boy? How?

I don't know.

Somehow I could see him, and y...

You're gonna think I'm crazy,

but I don't think that he's evil.

That doesn't make it any less creepy!

I don't want this thing in our home!

I know, I know, but I just get the feeling

he's trying to tell us something.

Narrator: Although the presence does not threaten the couple,

icy feels trapped.

Icy: I had nowhere else to go.

And it was pretty horrible to live that way.

It just felt really desperate.

[ Door opens ]

Bill?

[ Breathing heavily ]

Please! You've got to help me!

There's something in my apartment!

Please, you've got to believe me!

[ Laughs ]

[ Laughter echoes ]

[ Gasps ]

I was living a nightmare.

Narrator: Icy begins to feel helpless and desperate,

believing there is no way out of this apartment.

Icy: I'm a strong person,

but I felt like I was losing control

over everything in my life.

I just felt like death was all around me.

The whole apartment felt like it was a huge crypt.

Narrator: By December,

only two months after moving into the apartment,

icy becomes physically and emotionally exhausted.

I totally felt like I was becoming somebody else,

like I was moving under a spell.

Narrator: She is unable to keep up with the demands of school,

sending her deeper into depression.

Icy: I would be thinking these horrible things.

I felt like hurting myself.

I was always sad.

I felt like it was so unbearable.

Hey, icy.

Icy: I'm sorry.

How did you do on the final? I got to go.

At that point, I wasn't really talking much to anybody.

I was avoiding people.

I didn't want them to think that I was nuts.

Narrator: That night...

Where have you been?

You should have been home hours ago.

You could have at least called, told me where you were.

I just flunked my exam, okay?

That means I flunked the class.

Icy, I'm...

Oh, icy, I'm... what, exactly?

Get out.

Get out of our house. Leave us alone.

Do you understand me? I said get out!

Ugh!

[ Groans ] My chest!

Bill: All of a sudden, it was as if

somebody had put out a lit cigarette on my chest.

Ugh!

Narrator: Bill and icy flee the apartment,

terrified by the violent intruder.

Bill: Both of us were only concerned

with getting out of that place right then and there.

It could strike any time.

There was nothing that we could do

to defend ourselves against whatever this was.

Narrator: They contact the Washington ghost society again,

but this time the Spencers hope to convince them

that they are truly victims of the paranormal.

That day, investigator Shannon stidman

meets with the frightened couple.

Well, it certainly seems like a lot has gone on

since that first e-mail you sent.

Stidman: What struck me most about bill and icy's story

was that events were escalating.

It was becoming dangerous to live there.

So that's when we got involved.

I have a few theories about what I think might be going on,

based upon what you've told me so far.

One of the first things that you mentioned

was that the apartment had been renovated.

That stuck out to me from the very beginning.

Is that important?

Narrator: Stidman believes

that any entities trapped in the apartment

could have been unleashed during recent renovations.

Anytime you tear apart a structure,

it disturbs the psychic energy.

Stidman: Renovations in a haunted house

either make the hauntings go away entirely,

or they make them worse.

And in this case,

it seems to have contributed to the activity.

A common theme in hauntings

is that something traumatic happened.

The image seen by bill

was a sign there was something definitely going on in there,

something very powerful, something very strong.

But why attack bill?

We've been there for weeks,

and nothing like this has ever happened.

Narrator: Stidman explains that some entities

feed on emotions such as fear and anger.

Where have you been?

You should have been home hours ago.

You could have at least called, told me where you were.

The negative energy gives them the ability

to intensify the activity.

Is that what this is about? Yes, that's what this is all about.

I thought we were past all this.

Why can't you just let this drop?

Stidman: If they start to become afraid of it,

their energy will feed the entity.

It will do something more dramatic,

and it's just a matter of time

before something harms them physically in some way.

So what do we do now? Stidman: We go back.

No. No. No. No. No.

I can't go back there.

But we need you there

in case the investigators have questions.

Narrator: Icy is scared, but she realizes

that this may be the only way to take back some control.

Icy: It's like I was at their mercy.

I just didn't want these things to defeat me.

Okay, we'll go back,

but I'm not setting a foot in that apartment.

Narrator: Hours later, the ghost hunters arrive.

They hope to document any strange activity

so they can better understand

what is occurring in the Spencers' apartment.

The investigative team includes two paranormal specialists

and medium Lois Lee.

Lee: I first started suspecting that I had psychic abilities

when I was in my late teens.

When I got a little bit older,

I was able to describe ghosts that were in houses.

Is that the psychic?

Stidman: Yes, but I prefer that you stay right here

and have no contact with her until after she's finished

her investigation of the house and grounds.

We want her to be totally unbiased.

Stidman: This psychic goes in knowing nothing.

We do not want her to be influenced

by what we already know.

We want to be sure that any vibes she gets,

any impressions she gets are from her,

not from things that she's been told.

Can I have the key? Thank you.

Okay, thanks.

Narrator: Lois aids investigators

by providing a shortcut to the past,

sometimes even communicating with the spirits.

Lee: My procedure is to go into a place

and start putting my hands on the walls

or objects in the room,

to try and be able to see into the past.

The images come to me pretty naturally.

If I'm focusing hard enough,

they can become so real

that it's almost like they are there.

I didn't feel anything.

I didn't have my usual sensations

that there was a spirit there.

Boy: Please! Don't hurt me!

He was such a pathetic figure...

Young, maybe about 18, 17 years old,

and I felt so sorry for him.

Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!

Don't worry. I won't hurt you.

Narrator: Then another feeling,

menacing and dark,

begins to overwhelm her.

And I started to feel myself changing.

I was kind of getting the sensation

of being in the body of somebody watching him.

Please! Don't!

Please! Don't hurt me!

Please! Don't kill me!

And I could feel in my hand a gun.

Please don't kill me!

Please! No!

Boy: Please! Don't hurt me!

Please! Please don't kill me!

No!

[ Gunshot ]

Lee: The smell was just horrible.

The next thing I know, I was running.

[ Gags ]

[ Vomits ]

I've never really seen that much physical human Gore

in a vision before.

It's kind of like your first time in a morgue.

Oh, my god, Lois! Lois, are you okay?

I'll be fine. I just need to catch my breath.

Of all the investigations we've done,

she's seen a lot of things, she's heard a lot of things,

she's felt things, but she's never been...

I'd never seen her that badly shaken before.

What happened in there?

I don't know.

I've never experienced anything like this, never.

What did you see?

I saw a young boy.

That's exactly what I saw.

She had the very same impression of that youth

that I did,

and that was kind of a validation

that we were not crazy

and that we weren't just overreacting.

You two got out just in the Nick of time.

We don't know what's gonna happen next.

You can't go back in there.

Narrator: Stidman believes it unwise

for the couple to return to their home.

Stidman: If bill and icy had decided to stay in the apartment,

it would have just continued to escalate.

How bad it would have gotten, I don't know.

Narrator: Lois has a psychic impression

of what may have occurred in the apartment.

Lee: My conclusion on what I saw

was that it might have been drug-related.

It seemed like there might have been

some gang activity involved.

It felt like a retribution crime.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

Please! Please!

Don't kill me!

No!

Narrator: Although there are no clear-cut answers

to what occurred in the apartment,

the Spencers are satisfied

with the outcome of the investigation.

Icy: I don't know if I could go on in life

asking myself time and again

what was haunting that apartment and why.

A lot of pieces fit in together,

and that was basically enough for us.

Narrator: Soon after moving out,

the Spencers find a new home.

Icy: I would have to say

that it was one of the happiest days of my life.

The apartment we got was still in Seattle,

but not as good as where Ballard is.

But somehow I felt like it was a refuge for me.

At least I could have peace of mind there.

Say cheese.

Both: Cheese!

Narrator: In may 2007,

bill Spencer graduates from college.

Thanks.

No problem. See you at the graduation party?

You bet. Should we go?

Let's go. See you. Bye, guys.

Narrator: Despite the trauma they've endured,

the Spencers have come to terms with their experience

with the supernatural.

But it has also forever changed how they view the world.

Icy: I used to not believe in anything supernatural.

I always thought that if I can't see it,

if I can't touch it, it doesn't exist.

There are some things in this world that cannot be seen.

Don't kill me!

[ Gunshot ]