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.

When Jim and joanne whitley

transform an old farm into a working horse stable,

they believe they've achieved their dreams.

But the whitleys don't realize

their hard work has stirred a dormant presence

dead set on evicting the living.

As their family crumbles,

joanne resolves to take back her life

and fight for what is hers.

Between the world we see and the things we fear,

there are doors.

When they are opened,

nightmares become reality.

For centuries,

the state of New Hampshire was a battleground.

Here, native-American tribes fought over the fur trade,

while French and English armies slaughtered each other

for control of the new world.

Today, the gray granite stones jutting above the land

name only a fraction of the souls...

Lying beneath.

[ Horse whinnies ]

Joanne was raised farm-girl tough.

Joanne: I'm an honest, hardworking person.

Narrator: If there's a problem, she fixes it herself.

I started working on farms when I was 9,

and basically I knew as a child

that's what I wanted to do with my life.

Narrator: Her husband, Jim, is cut

from the same self-reliant mold.

It's a way of life they've instilled in their son, David.

We're gonna need you on this one, buddy.

The whitleys moved to Kingston, New Hampshire,

with dreams of opening a horse stable

and breathing crisp country air every day.

But an ominous force challenged those simple goals,

and now joanne is fighting not just to preserve her dreams,

but to preserve their lives.

[ Screams ]

[ Siren wails ]

[ Indistinct radio chatter ]

Man: Vitals?

BP, 90 over 60, pulse, 110.

Bay 2 trauma, as fast as you can.

We're prepping now.

Joanne fears David has permanently damaged his spine

in a bike accident.

Joanne: I felt totally helpless.

He was in trouble.

I just couldn't do anything for him.

I just want to go see him.

Just give the nurse a second.

Narrator: For the whitleys,

this is the scariest moment of their 20-year marriage.

I was like, "oh, it's the end of my world."

It had to be the worst day of my life.

Here's what's going on.

This line right here? He has a fractured vertebrae.

But he's gonna be okay?

Probably. It's lucky it didn't cut into his spinal cord.

Doctor? Excuse me.

Narrator: Joanne has no doubt that David's injury is the latest attack

in her family's long battle with the supernatural.

It's hurt our son.

Joanne: I didn't know what could happen next.

Somebody could die from this.

Narrator: But Jim isn't so sure.

I was really scared,

but I didn't know if that was just a bad string of luck

or there was something else going on.

Nobody's life is like this!

I've got to do something.

There's nothing else we can do.

I'll find a way.

Narrator: That night, from her stable office...

Hello, my name is joanne whitley.

I understand you might be able to help me cleanse my property.

Narrator: Sue bernier practices shambhala,

a discipline that balances residual energy

transcending time.

Everything is comprised of energy.

Our thoughts have energy. Our words carry energy.

Narrator: Sue's heard many stories just like joanne's.

What sort of things?

Bernier: People call it poltergeist, demons, spirits.

Narrator: But they all have the same effect.

Bernier: Negative energy will start to take you over.

The stronger the force, the bigger the incident.

You've suffered a lot.

And those are just some of the things

that have been happening.

Bernier: I started seeing her property.

I started feeling nauseated,

shortness of breath,

which typically signals there is a negative energy.

Do you think you can help?

Well, I can try.

What exactly does that involve?

I heard the despair in joanne's voice,

and I knew I was in for more than your typical clearing.

Narrator: The next afternoon,

as sue approaches joanne's home,

she senses the property's former inhabitants.

Bernier: Using shambhala,

I can see a picture book of eras.

I saw a native-American.

I saw kids playing.

♪ Ring around the rosy, pocket full of po... ♪

It was as if I was going back through time.

I hear the people.

I feel the people.

What moods they were in, how they died.

[ Tap on glass ]

Hi. Hi.

[ Chuckles ]

Hi, I'm joanne. Thanks for coming out.

Nice to meet you.

Wow, you have a really interesting property.

We've done a lot of work.

It was in terrible shape when we first saw it.

Narrator: Joanne tells sue the story

of her family's history on the farm.

When they first found the property,

it had sat abandoned for years.

This is it, Jim. This is perfect.

I wouldn't say "perfect."

The 300 acres of open land are just what joanne needs

to fulfill her lifelong dream... Opening her own horse farm.

Horses and her... They're like one.

Her love was that great for them.

Narrator: Jim is an electrician by trade.

There's certainly enough land for your business.

But he's skilled in all areas of home repair.

Mom, I can help fix it up.

David shares his parents' excitement.

You got plenty of land, especially being a young boy,

you get to go out and explore.

Come on. Lets go check it out.

It was a mess, but we knew we could turn it around

and make it a beautiful home.

Narrator: Over the next year,

joanne invests all her resources into renovating the property

and preparing her business.

Finally, joanne is ready to recruit boarders and students.

Joanne: I expected to be happy

and have healthy horses and have happy students

and just live my dream.

This is very nice.

Thanks, Helen.

[ Horse neighs ] [ Clears throat ]

Just a little wiring problem. We'll get it fixed.

Joanne: The lights just wouldn't stop going on and off.

But it was a very creepy, strange feeling.

And these students started becoming very uncomfortable.

Narrator: Later that night...

Did you sign up the new students?

Well, I was taking them back to my office to sign,

and the lights started flickering on and off.

Jim: I was in disbelief.

I wired that myself.

I'm a licensed electrician.

And when I do something,

I make sure everything's tight and meets the code.

It's no biggie. They'll sign anyway.

But even when the lights are on,

it's pretty dim in there.

You'll want to add some more lights.

I'll check the wiring before I go to work tomorrow.

But new lights are gonna have to wait.

Fine.

Narrator: The next morning,

the inspection leaves Jim baffled.

Jim: And I checked through it, looked at the wiring,

the circuit breakers...

I couldn't find any problem at all.

[ Children laughing softly ]

And it sounded like there were some children out there playing.

I didn't see anybody.

Girl: ♪ ring around the rosy ♪

♪ a pocket full of posies ♪

♪ ashes, ashes, we all fall down ♪

Jim: It was a little frightening.

When you hear things like that, it just makes you wonder.

Girl: ♪ ashes ♪

I don't know where it came from,

but I just brushed it off and kept doing what I was doing.

Fix it?

There's nothing to fix.

There's got to be something wrong.

No, there's nothing. Huh.

Must have been a fluke.

Well, I've got to get to work.

Narrator: Joanne's business flourishes within months.

Joanne: We were full really fast.

Some of the horses were my own,

but the majority were student horses.

Narrator: To gain experience, some of joanne's students

help out around the stable before and after lessons.

Yeah, um, frisco won't eat or drink anything.

Have you taken him out yet this morning?

Yeah, that's what's odd.

Frisco is joanne's favorite horse,

but she's not worried because she knows his quirks.

Joanne: Each horse has their own personality.

The things that they do, sometimes,

just kind of boggles your mind.

[ Horse neighing ]

[ Rumbling ]

It felt like the earth was rumbling,

like horses were galloping.

[ Rumbling stops ]

What horses got out?

They're all here.

I heard galloping.

We haven't heard anything.

Joanne: I felt very uncomfortable.

I didn't know what it was. I couldn't explain it.

Hey. Everything all right?

Uh, did you just hear anything?

No. Why? What'd you hear?

I'm not sure.

It sounded like a herd of horses just stampeded past the office.

That's odd.

Yeah.

Has he been out there a while?

Long as I been out here.

You all right?

Yeah. Just thought I heard something.

I'm sure it's nothing.

Narrator: As the weeks pass,

frisco's eating doesn't return to normal.

Joanne: The horses to me are just like having children.

They need just as much care and just as much love.

Narrator: When several other horses begin acting sick,

joanne calls a vet for help.

It's weird. Only my horses are sick.

None of the student horses are.

What's he been doing?

Not eating. Seems to be uncomfortable.

Um, seems to have a bellyache.

It appears to be colic.

It could be from changing his schedule,

his water, his feed.

That doesn't make any sense.

They're all on the same schedule.

I feed them all hay and oats, and it's top-quality feed.

Joanne: I couldn't understand why they were getting sick.

If that's the case, I may have to run some additional tests.

I've worked on farms with 60 head of horses

and never had this many illnesses.

Something was happening.

It was a very negative feeling.

[ Horses neighing ]

Strange things like that continued to happen.

And I had this growing feeling that our lives...

Narrator: Sue is not surprised

that joanne's favorite horse had been feeling uneasy.

Bernier: Most animals are more susceptible to spirits.

The spirits or energy just keeps crossing them.

They don't know what's going on.

Frisco only got worse.

All my horses got worse.

Narrator: To hear the horses from the house,

joanne and Jim install an intercom.

There.

By the way, I ordered the lights you wanted for in here.

Thanks.

As the weeks pass,

joanne develops close friendships with her students.

I want you guys to think about riding in some competitions.

Maybe.

Narrator: Hanging out with them helps take her mind

off the negative feelings she senses on the property.

Ladies, please excuse me. I've got to get going.

See you later.

Kiss the baby.

Guys, I really think I could win a competition.

It's a little hard your first time, deidre.

[ Horse neighing ]

That's not my Sierra, is it?

No, that's definitely frisco.

We're still waiting for the tests to come back.

Oh, I'm sorry.

[ Man whistling ]

It was a man's whistling.

Your husband's a hell of a whistler.

That's not Jim.

He's out of town on a job.

Well, then, who is it?

I don't know.

Let's find out.

The students were scared to death.

[ Neighing ]

[ Snorting ]

Joanne: I felt like there was a presence watching me.

That made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

This is freaking weird.

I know.

What is going on here?

I don't know, deidre.

This whole place is freaking weird.

[ Horse neighing ]

Come on. Let's just call it a night.

Joanne: How could I fight this sinister feeling or thing

if it wouldn't show itself to me?

How could I get rid of it?

[ Telephone rings ]

Hey, Jessie. How's it going?

Yes, I know what deidre said, but that's just deidre.

No.

A-Allison's just not sure if she's going to stay.

I understand.

What am I gonna do next?

If everybody leaves, I'm no longer gonna be in business.

[ Horse shrieking ]

There was definitely something hugging my leg.

Hey, honey, I've got the lights.

Not now, Jim.

Not now? [ Chuckles ]

Come on. You've been riding me about this forever.

Something's here. Something just grabbed my leg.

To really make me say "yes, I'm a true believer,"

it would probably have to come up and bite me

right on the backside.

Joanne, I...

I know there's something.

I don't know exactly what it is.

Girl: ♪ ring around the rosy ♪

♪ ashes, ashes ♪

♪ we all fall down ♪

Narrator: With or without Jim's support,

joanne cannot sit idly by as her horses continue to fail.

One night, while Jim works overtime,

she meets with an acupuncturist.

Joanne hopes the alternative therapy will soothe her horses

while she waits on the vet's lab tests.

Thank you so much for coming out.

I just hope I can help.

Joanne doesn't realize

the acupuncturist has psychic abilities.

What's wrong?

This isn't just about the horses, is it?

Joanne: She turned to me and said,

"do you mind if I say something to you?"

There are spirits all...

She said, "do you realize you have many, many spirits here?"

Finally, somebody is seeing and feeling

what I have been feeling.

Why are they here?

Sometimes earthbound spirits are trapped.

Maybe they died a horrific death.

Maybe some force is holding them here.

Narrator: The healer suspects the answer lies buried in the land's past.

There are some rituals that may make peace,

at least for a little while.

It was like a big cloud of negativity over my farm,

and I needed to find out why and try to put a stop to it.

Can I have a look? Sure.

Narrator: Later that night, Jim is still away on his job.

Everything's fine.

Just been reading up on the history of Kingston.

You know a plague came though in the 1800s?

Wiped out half the town.

Jim: Wow. Scary.

I'm probably gonna be stuck here most of the night.

Yeah, do what you got do. We'll be here.

I knew you'd understand. How's David?

He's fine.

See you in the morning. Bye.

Every night, joanne goes to the stable

for one last check on her horses.

[ Click ]

[ Creaking ]

[ Footsteps approaching ]

I hear and feel someone walk by right next to me.

Mom!

Mom!

Honey, what's wrong?

I heard footsteps, but there was nobody around.

It's okay. Just calm down.

David: The feeling of fear, it was just overwhelming.

Joanne: Now it's going after my son.

He's my whole heart. He's my whole reason for being.

I had to put an end to it.

Narrator: Joanne has felt isolated from her husband

since first sensing a negative presence.

Joanne.

Joanne: He was a skeptic,

but I didn't know who else to turn to or who else to tell.

You know I've heard things.

David heard footsteps last night.

Footsteps? [ Chuckles ] Come on.

It's an old house with creaky floorboards.

If there's something here, how come nothing's happening to me?

Maybe you're just ignoring it.

Maybe you're just imagining it.

Jim: She was very angry.

If I don't believe something, I don't believe.

What do you want to do, move? Give up your business?

I'm not giving up anything.

This Saturday, I'm going to try to cleanse the property.

Cleanse the property?

The lady who came to help me with the horses...

She told me what to do.

Well, there's a source.

Just take David away that afternoon.

No, I was gonna go and...

I don't care what you were going to do!

Take him to town.

[ Telephone rings ]

Okay.

Hello?

Frisco's tests are in?

What does that mean?

I-I...

I-I don't know if I can do that.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Narrator: Nothing can be done to ease the horse's suffering.

Hey, it's gonna be okay.

[ Smooches ]

It's gonna be okay.

[ Sniffles ]

You don't have to be here for this.

I want to stay with her till the end.

For joanne, losing frisco is like losing one of her family.

Joanne: And I loved her beyond belief.

[ Frisco neighing ]

Narrator: But she will not be scared away by the negative presence.

Joanne: This was my property.

It was either them or me, and I wasn't about to give up.

Narrator: That Saturday,

joanne burns sage to cleanse the property.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

This whirlwind of voices and air,

and everything started happening.

I banish all negative energy.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

[ Rattling, wind howling ]

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy!

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy!

I cleanse this building with light and love

and banish all negative energy.

[ Rattling, howling stop ]

[ Sighs ]

Everything stopped.

And it was beautiful.

[ Exhales sharply ]

I just kind of sat back and said,

"wow, I did it. I beat it."

For a good while, things returned to normal.

Jim and I were getting along better.

I really wanted to build my business up,

and we had been saving.

So we decided to invest our savings

in an indoor riding arena.

What happened?

We hired a contractor, and he cleared that field.

Narrator: Sue realizes

that joanne has unwittingly provoked the spirits all along.

Having a home and property that is in constant change

will cause the spirits to uprise and start to attack.

Narrator: One night, not long after breaking ground for the arena...

[ Telephone rings ]

Hello?

What about all our money?

Thank you.

[ Telephone beeps ]

He's bankrupt, Jim.

Our contractor is bankrupt.

What?

Apparently he owes everybody money,

and he skipped town.

Nobody's heard from the guy in two weeks.

We had put our life savings, as well as our son's college fund,

into this project.

And to lose that money was absolutely devastating.

I know a lawyer. Maybe there's a way to get some money back.

He's gone, Jim.

We've got to try.

You, of all people, know that.

[ Indistinct voice ] [ Gasps ]

[ Breathing shakily ]

[ Man laughing ]

David: I felt like I was in a barrel

going down to the bottom of the ocean.

Mom! Mom!

What is it? I heard the man's voice.

Narrator: Joanne thought she had banished the negative presence...

I don't want to live here anymore.

But it was lying in wait.

I'll make it all right. I'll make it all right.

Narrator: Joanne's property is besieged by a negative presence.

I was ready to fight it

and fight it any way that I possibly could.

I'm calling a priest to bless this home.

Narrator: Joanne pleads with her husband for support.

Say that you believe me.

Jim: If I accept that there is something supernatural

happening on the property,

then I will have to do something about it.

And I don't know what to do.

You know I'm here for you, and I believe in you.

It's just that...

Girl: Mommy?

Daddy?

David's in bed, right?

That was a little girl's voice.

Call the priest.

Oh, god.

Jim: We both heard "mommy" and "daddy."

There was no denying it.

Narrator: A few days later,

the whitleys' parish priest blesses their home.

Priest: In the name of the father, son, and holy ghost, amen.

Peace be with this house and with all who live here.

May the god whom we glorify with one heart and voice enable us,

through the spirit,

to live in Harmony as followers of Jesus Christ,

now and forever.

Amen.

Narrator: For a while, the blessing helps,

but joanne still senses the lingering presence.

Don't you have lessons this afternoon?

Not anymore.

[ Neighing ]

What's gotten into you?

[ Screams ]

David!

Call the ambulance.

It's gonna be all right. You're gonna be all right.

All I could think of is,

"oh, my god, he could be paralyzed."

Everything is gonna be all right.

I felt totally helpless.

We can't deal with this anymore.

I'm scared for my son's life.

Narrator: Sue isn't surprised

that neither the priest nor joanne

could cleanse the property.

Bernier: The reason why blessings and smudgings

don't work on a property

is they don't hold enough strength,

enough vibrational strength to actually remove what is there.

It can subdue, but it usually comes back.

Do you think you can get rid of them?

I don't exactly "get rid of them."

In shambhala, we try to heal the negative energies

and help all the spirits to ascend.

Is that dangerous?

It can be.

I'd like you to meet my husband, Jim, and son, David.

Jim: When I first met sue, I says to her,

"I've met you before."

Not that I know of, I haven't,

but I felt very comfortable with her.

I'm going to take David into town.

Narrator: Sue thinks it's best

if no one is home during the cleansing.

When you confront whatever.

Joanne: She said that it's like opening a door to the other side.

These spirits, they could attach themselves to people around her.

Bernier: I was concerned.

There was evil on the property,

[ engine turns over ]

And it was the largest spiritual gateway

that I've come across.

Aren't you going with them?

I feel like I need to stay.

Well, I need to walk the property.

Narrator: Sue believes the presence has retreated

to the woods surrounding the farm.

I'll be in the stable. Good luck.

Joanne is used to doing everything herself,

but now she can only wait.

We were all hoping that this would work.

We were just hoping and praying that she could help us.

I could feel my hair starting to rise on the back of my neck.

What was coming at me was evil.

Bernier: When I walk a piece of property,

things come to me in different ways.

Mostly I sense.

I can sense who's standing beside me.

I can sense who is walking towards me.

I see the dimensions that are trapped there.

When working with energy, you can be harmed.

I have been stabbed.

I've been scratched, choked, pinned down.

Narrator: To cleanse the property,

she must convince the spirits to move on.

You are no longer alive.

You do not belong here.

Joanne: And the anticipation was incredible,

waiting to see what the outcome was gonna be.

I want to help you ascend to a better place.

Narrator: Sue senses the spirits want to ascend...

but something is holding them back.

Bernier: You are free to move on.

Every spirit has to be released.

It must.

My stomach starts turning.

My heartbeat starts racing.

I knew what was coming at me was evil.

Aah!

Leave my slaves alone!

[ Barking ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

[ Man laughing ]

Samuel.

Bernier: And I hear, "Samuel."

Man: Samuel. Samuel.

Narrator: Sue realizes it is Samuel

who has held the other spirits captive for centuries.

Bernier: The only thing going through my mind was,

"am I strong enough for this job?"

It wasn't a question of who was gonna win.

It was, I had to come out alive.

Aah!

[ Horses neighing ]

Aah!

Samuel is pulling my neck.

He was ready to rip it off.

Aah!

You're not alive! You do not belong here!

[ Screaming ]

When I pushed him down,

I released all of his negative energy,

and I could breathe again.

[ Breathing heavily ]

You are all free now.

You can go.

It almost made me want to cry,

just the release of their energy and the relief that they felt,

the ability to ascend, and the freedom.

Amazing. Amazing.

[ Sighs ]

[ Birds chirping ]

I could hear the birds chirping.

The sun was out.

It was like a big blanket had been lifted off of me

and off of my property.

Narrator: She is forever grateful to sue.

Joanne: Sue is the one true help that we've had here

throughout the years.

Narrator: The presence is finally gone,

but it has changed Jim and joanne forever.

I'm not sure where I've gotten the inner strength from.

It's probably from god.

But I know that I have the strength to fight anything

when it comes to the health and well-being of my family.

Jim: It's made me believe

that there is something else out there.

What?

[ Chuckles ]

It's hard to really explain, but there is something else.

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