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.

Latin guitarist Eddie benitez moves out west,

hoping to resurrect his music career.

But his optimism soon fades as his new life is shattered

by the vicious attacks of a deadly force.

Now he must confront his ultimate fears

to protect his family from the evil

that is determined to destroy them all.

[ Screams ]

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

there are those who walk this earth

that possess the ability to see the dead amongst the living.

For many, this special gift gives hope of life after death.

But the spirit world can be deadly,

creating a living nightmare...

for those who can never escape.

[ Slow music plays ]

The year is 1976.

Carmen benitez and her son Eddie

enjoy a beautiful day in Brooklyn.

[ Screaming ]

Narrator: The ranting of a madman

suddenly shatters the afternoon calm.

[ Screaming continues ]

Eddie: This man was very hostile,

physically violent with other people around him.

Go in the house. Go in the house.

I knew that there was something wrong with him

beyond the human norm.

[ Growls ]

Narrator: Carmen is known throughout the neighborhood

as a spiritual healer.

Eddie: Everybody would go to my mother for some type of help.

Narrator: But Eddie is shocked.

He never fully realized

the strength of his mother's gift.

Eddie: To see a woman have control over this man

was an amazement in itself.

Señora Carmen, De favor.

Man: I think our friend's possessed by a demon.

You got to help us out. He ain't got nowhere to go.

[ Screaming ]

Bring him into the house.

Narrator: Carmen orders them to bring the possessed man inside her home.

[ Screaming continues ]

No!!

In here. In here.

Narrator: Using holy water,

Carmen prepares to perform an exorcism.

This ritual originated in Puerto Rico

and has been passed down through many generations of her family.

Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos...

Santificado sea tu nombre...

Narrator: As she repeats the lord's prayer,

Carmen places the man's hands over a goblet of water,

which weakens the evil spirit

and prevents its escape from the man's body.

Quickly, Eddie... a plate and a glass of water now.

Nos perdona nuestras ofensas

como así nosotros perdonamos los que nos ofenden...

Narrator: To complete the exorcism,

she holds a glass of water and plate over the man's head.

Then she taps the glass three times...

[ Screams ]

Narrator: And expels the demonic spirit

from the man's body,

trapping it between the plate and glass of water.

Eddie: You could see that there was an immediate change

not only in the way he looked physically,

but in everything else in the room.

You could feel it.

Gracias, señora. You saved me.

After viewing what my mother did,

that led me to ask a lot of questions about my mother,

the power she possessed, and who gave her that power.

[ Mid-tempo acoustic-guitar music plays ]

Narrator: Eddie's considered a musical prodigy

and already has made a name for himself

as one of the industry's hottest Latin jazz guitarists.

Eddie: When I was 14, I was signed to a record deal

by one of the largest Latin labels in the world.

My first album, "night life," was out and became gold.

Fantastic, Eddie. That was great. It's a wrap.

Eddie: All right, thanks.

Thank you.

Ahh.

So, what do you think so far?

About what?

The album.

Look, it sounds great. You're doing fantastic.

Don't worry about that.

Can you come by tomorrow, cut some more tracks with me?

Yeah, absolutely... Right after school.

Sounds good. Sounds good.

You ready to go?

Yeah.

Okay, let's go.

Straight home, okay?

No stops anywhere else, all right?

Man: Got it.

Hey, you have a great day, man.

See ya. You take care.

Thanks.

Where you going?

Brooklyn... 128 hayslip.

You got it.

[ Light jazz music playing ]

Hey, um, b-Brooklyn's that way.

Hey, man, where are you going?

Hey. Hey, why are we stopping, man?

Hey, he said no stops.

I'm talking to you, man. Why are we stopping?

Carmen: Estoy preocupada por tí, mi amor.

Perdóname, madre, I got into a cab...

Narrator: Eddie tries to explain what just happened.

Eddie: You could see the transformation in this man.

He took on this appearance of evil.

It's okay, Eddie. Oh, Eddie.

Narrator: Carmen believes that he was confronted by a demon

for the first time.

I need to talk to you.

She tells Eddie that he has the ability

to interact with the spirit world...

You have a special gift.

A gift that runs in their family.

For the rest of his life,

Eddie will have encounters with the supernatural,

but that there is no reason to be afraid.

The spirit world is just part of life.

The dead cannot harm you.

Although he is uncertain of his newfound gift,

Eddie finds comfort in his mother's words.

Eddie: The moment had a big impact on me

because it started what I call my search for the truth,

seeking more about religion

and understanding the spirit world.

Narrator: And over the years,

Eddie eventually accepts this ability as a part of his life.

In the 1970s, Eddie tours the world,

playing with some of the biggest names in music.

Eddie: I've toured with tito puente,

Larry Harlow, mongo santamaria,

Barry white, George Benson... You name it.

Narrator: At the age of 23,

Eddie takes a break from the music scene.

He gets married, goes to college,

and starts a family of his own.

In 2003, Eddie returns to the stage,

playing a private concert for 200 of his closest fans.

[ Mid-tempo jazz music plays ]

He's ready to relaunch his solo career.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Eddie: Before, I was more commercial,

and now my music has matured a lot.

I made it more spiritual because of a lot of the things that have happened in my life.

Narrator: Always there to support him

are his wife, Myrna, and son, Eddie Jr.

Myrna: Being married for so many years,

it's been quite exciting.

You meet a lot of different, interesting people

in the music world.

Eddie Jr.: Me and my dad are really close.

He'd say we're like brothers.

We've always been a close, tight-knit family.

Narrator: In 2004,

Eddie's beloved mother passes away.

Nearly a year later,

he and his family decide to leave New York

and start a new life elsewhere.

Eddie: We figured Arizona would be a nice spot

because it's close to California, close to Vegas,

where I could still be able to do my thing

in the music industry.

[ Sighs ] I'm really going to miss this place.

You okay, dad?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Guys, I think that's everything.

We are ready to go. Ready, huh?

Yes, but I've made some lunch.

You want to grab some lunch first?

Food, food. Let's start with that.

Go.

Narrator: Eddie is suddenly reminded of his unique gift.

Narrator: A week later,

the benitez family arrives at their new home

in tempe, Arizona.

How you doing?

Ahh!

[ Smooches ]

[ Laughs ]

[ Mid-tempo jazz music plays ]

Narrator: Although they are miles away from New York,

they welcome this new phase in their lives.

Myrna: We just loved the house.

We were like, "this is a fabulous place to be at."

Eddie: We were happy.

We were content.

Everything was there that we needed.

And we would be even more united as a family.

Myrna: It was a house that we would be able to stay in

for a very long time.

♪ I dream of holding you so tight ♪

♪ I dream of loving you all through the night ♪

Narrator: Weeks after they move in,

Eddie begins working on his new album.

He prefers to record late at night

when the house is quiet

and there are fewer distractions.

[ Mid-tempo jazz music plays ]

[ Bang ]

[ Music stops ]

Myrna?

Eddie?

[ Music resumes ]

[ Banging ]

[ Music stops ]

Eddie: Being from New York,

you start to speculate maybe an intruder.

Narrator: Eddie finds no sign of a break-in.

Eddie: There was nobody around.

Narrator: Over the next month,

while Eddie works on his album,

the rest of the family settle into their new lives.

Myrna gets a job as an elementary-school teacher.

Well, well, well. Buenos días.

How's it going?

What?

The album.

[ Chuckles ] It's coming. It's coming.

Yes, I know. You kept me up all night.

Well, I was working very hard all night long.

I'm very glad.

Narrator: Eddie Jr. also finds work

as a manager at a large drugstore chain.

Help yourself, honey. [ Chuckles ]

Ooh, more sugar.

Where are you going?

Off to work.

Eddie: With a ball?

Oh, yeah, that reminds me...

I met some friends at the gym,

so we're gonna play basketball after work.

Have a good day.

Okay. Uh... buena suerte, chico.

He says so.

[ Both chuckle ]

He looks happy.

Me too. Yes, he does.

Narrator: That night...

[ Charge plays ]

All: Charge!

[ Charge plays ]

Charge!

[ Breathing heavily ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

Eddie Jr.: I had no idea what was going on.

I could just feel my heart just beating out of my chest.

It felt like I was having a heart attack.

Eddie?

Eddie, what's wrong?

My chest. I can't breathe.

It's my chest. I can't...

Calm down. Calm down.

I can't breathe!

[ Telephone dialing ]

Myrna: It's my son.

I-I don't know what's wrong with him.

Please hurry and come. Thank you.

[ Siren wailing ]

Narrator: Doctors run a series of tests on Eddie Jr.

Well, I've gone over his chart.

Blood pressure's fine. His heart's fine.

Looks like he probably just had a panic attack.

Panic attack?

I'd never had any problems healthwise.

It just didn't make sense at all.

Yeah, he's normally calm and relaxed.

That cannot be right.

Well, you know, it could be anything.

It could be the stress of the move, could be a new job.

Anything can set off a panic attack.

Look, I'm gonna write you a prescription

for a mild sedative.

I think it'll help calm you down

if you have any of these attacks in the future, okay?

The doctor told me that there doesn't seem to be anything

medically wrong with him.

Oh, by the way,

when you experience one of these anxiety attacks,

think about writing it down in a journal.

Try to think of what's on your mind, what's going on.

Just keep a record of what happened.

Give us a call if you have any problems.

Hmm. Panic attack.

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator: Over the next month,

Eddie Jr. continues to suffer from these inexplicable attacks.

His doctors are baffled,

unable to remedy his mysterious condition.

[ Indistinct voices ]

[ Gasps ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

Eddie Jr.: There had to be something causing this,

and it's just very frustrating not knowing what to do about it

or not having some kind of answer for it.

Narrator: Eddie Jr.'s health continues to rapidly deteriorate.

Eddie Jr.: It just physically beat me down.

I wasn't able to work.

I wasn't able to leave the house.

[ Knock on door ]

Eddie?

Eddie Jr. would basically lock himself in the room

and just keep to himself.

He didn't want to talk to anyone.

Would you just shut those curtains and get out of here?!

It was very hard seeing him seclude himself.

Eddie, come on, please.

You've been in your room for days.

Get out of my room!

Don't talk to your mother like that again.

He wasn't himself, like there was somebody else in his body.

You don't look so good.

You're really pale, and you need some fresh air.

Just get the hell out of my room and don't bother me again!

Narrator: One night, Eddie prepares a special dinner for his family,

hoping to distract them from the problem at hand.

♪ If it's love you want, then love you're given ♪

♪ I'll give that to you ♪

Eddie Jr.: Under the doctor's advice, I'd started keeping a journal

and just writing down the thoughts

that was going through my head or whatever I was feeling

or whatever happened to me that day.

Narrator: Eddie Jr. hopes that it will help end these attacks.

♪ Chevere ♪

♪ que chevere ♪

♪ I dream about... ♪

[ Radio tuning, static ]

Male voice: Get out.

[ Tuning, static continue ]

[ Tuning, static continue ]

Get out.

Narrator: Eddie is stunned.

He is beginning to believe that they are not alone in the house.

Eddie: At this point,

I'm realizing that it's paranormal what's going on.

[ Indistinct voices ]

Male voice: Get out.

Dad!

I don't know what happened.

I was writing in my journal,

and... i must have blacked out or something.

The next thing I know, "Rick, Rick, Rick."

Eddie Jr.: I didn't know what to think or what to make of it.

I just was baffled.

It's all over the pages.

That's not even my handwriting.

What's running through my mind is that there's an entity

or spirit who's around who is being harmful.

Narrator: Eddie suspects that it could be the cause

of his son's mysterious condition.

He now wonders if anybody else who has lived in the home

has been affected by this presence.

Eddie invites his neighbor over

in hopes that he can tell him anything about the previous owners.

Good.

Good, good.

I see you're getting some work done to the house.

We've been having some issues with the house... minor stuff.

Oh, man, sorry to hear about that.

Anything I can do to help?

You know...

Do you know how to get in contact

with the previous owners?

Maybe they can help us fix whatever's wrong with the house.

I don't think that's gonna work, there, partner.

You know, the guy that used to live here... he's dead.

The rumor is is that he killed himself.

The hairs on my arms and my back just started standing up,

and I knew that there was something more to this.

[ Cellphone rings ]

Oh, listen, I got to take this call.

Listen, you're in luck.

The guy that used to live here...

His daughter, she lives down on the corner,

and if you talk to her, she can probably help you out, okay?

Thanks.

My pleasure. Take care.

The only lead we had was her father had died there,

and he had to be the cause of this.

Narrator: Eddie believes that Rick could be this woman's father

and decides to pay her a visit.

Eddie: I was hoping to learn the circumstances

of her father's death...

[ Doorbell rings ]

the type of person he was,

and maybe make some sense as to what was going on in my house.

Hi. Can I help you?

Joan? Yes.

Hi. I am Eddie benitez.

I just moved a few houses from you. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I think where your father used to live.

Yes, he did.

Is that all?

Listen, I don't want to intrude, but I need to speak to you.

It's about your father, Rick.

Listen, please.

There's many strange things happening in my house.

My son is getting sick.

I believe it's your father causing this.

Look, I have no idea what you're talking about.

My father's name was Christopher.

Now, if you don't mind, I've got things to do!

Listen, please...

Narrator: Eddie is more confused than ever,

and now he has absolutely no leads as to who Rick is

and why he is hurting his son.

I had to try to find out other ways

of figuring the situation out and what was going on with him.

So I'm at the beginning of the road again.

Narrator: That night, Eddie tries to work on his album,

but is unable to concentrate.

[ Mid-tempo jazz music plays ]

Although he has never been harmed,

he now believes that the spirit world

is far more powerful than he ever imagined,

and he fears that he may not be able to help his son.

[ Music stops ]

[ Sighs ]

L-Listen, take it.

Take whatever you want.

Just don't hurt my family.

[ Speaking indistinctly ]

Narrator: Eddie realizes that the man is not an intruder,

but the ghost that is haunting their house.

[ Breathing heavily ]

So now I become at a point where I'm more desperate,

and this is where I say to myself,

"okay, I need outside help."

Narrator: He begins scouring the Internet.

Eddie: One organization that caught my eye

was the Arizona desert ghost hunters.

Narrator: He immediately sends them an e-mail,

hoping that they can remove the entity from his home.

That weekend, a team of investigators

arrives at the benitez home.

Anne Martin is the founder

of the Arizona desert ghost hunters.

We decided to go and see if we can help him

because he was having so much activity

that we felt it was warranted to go and look.

Narrator: Also a part of the team is Debbie Bennett,

an intuitive who reads tarot cards,

which give insight into the past, present, and future.

The images on the cards trigger psychic visions,

providing her with a deeper knowledge

of what's going on in the house.

It opens up psychic responses

to where all cards have different meanings,

but whatever the question is, it's gonna apply

and give you the answer for that specific question.

When I got the hanged man,

I felt the impression of the entity taking his own life.

The 10 of swords represents somebody

who chose not to move on.

What does it all mean?

I'm sensing pain.

Debbie: I could feel the presence of a very angry man.

He didn't want me there.

I could feel the energy of the entity getting angrier.

Who is it? What's its name?

I only see the letter "r."

Male voice: Get out.

Get out.

He wants you to get out of this house,

and he'll do anything in his power to get you out.

I'd like to perform a ritual

to help you remove the evil spirit from your home.

Whatever you can do.

Narrator: That night Debbie performs a smudging on the house,

a native American ritual where sage is burned

to cleanse the house of negative energy.

Smudging is used for protection from the spirit world.

Narrator: Immediately after the ritual,

Debbie no longer senses the ominous presence,

believing that the spirit has gone to the other side.

Over the next few days,

there are no signs of any paranormal activity

in the house,

and Eddie Jr.'s health appears to be getting better.

Eddie: The question was, would this return or not?

Because you usually don't get rid of these things that easy.

Narrator: Then one night...

[ Mid-tempo jazz music plays ]

Myrna: I only want what's best for you, Eddie.

Eddie Jr.: Shut up! Shut up!

[ Shouting indistinctly ]

Eat, Eddie! Sleep, Eddie! Take your bath, Eddie!

What the hell is wrong with you?!

Are you stupid or just deaf?!

I want you to get off my back and leave me alone!!

Eddie, Eddie! [ Crying ]

He just looked at me

with this scary, awful look on his face

and just lashing out at me, cursing at me.

I was in shock.

Tell her to stay off my back!

Get off of me.

Don't you touch me.

Eddie!

Eddie, Eddie! [ Crying ]

Tell her to stay off my back!

Eddie: Ed, what's wrong with you?!

There was a darkness in him...

Don't you touch me!

Something of evil, and I could feel it.

Get me the holy water... now.

There.

Open it up.

I'm trying.

Ien El nombre del padre, del hijo y del espíritu santo!

I threw holy water on him.

He's screaming, "I'm burning! I'm burning!"

Yeah, bring that chair.

Grab my mother's goblet... My mother's goblet.

This? Yes!

I was gonna perform the ritual

that I had seen my mother perform many years ago.

En El nombre del padre...

del hijo...

Y del espíritu santo.

Amén. Dios todopoderoso.

Quickly, Eddie... a plate and a glass of water now.

What?

A glass of water and a plate!

Hurry!

En El nombre del padre,

del hijo y del espíritu santo.

Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos...

Hágase tu voluntad, aquí en tierra,

como en El cielo nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden

y no nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos del mal. Amén.

Dios todopoderoso.

What's going on, Eddie?

Narrator: Like his mother,

Eddie places the glass and plate over his son's head,

hoping to trap the evil spirit infesting his body.

Hágase tu voluntad aquí en la tierra, como en El cielo.

Ien El reino!

Hágase tu voluntad aquí en la tierra, como en El cielo.

Ipor siempre, señor!

Ila Gloria!

[ Roaring ]

Ipor siempre, señor!

Iespíritu santo!

Toma... toma.

[ Crying ]

Eddie. Eddie.

Eddie.

Right here, Eddie.

What happened?

We're here. We're here, Eddie.

[ Crying ]

Narrator: Soon after,

life returns to normal for the benitez family.

Eddie: The house was at peace.

We were very hopeful that it would continue.

Narrator: Several days later,

Eddie receives a surprise visit from Joan,

the daughter of the previous owner.

I'm sorry about the other day.

You really caught me off guard.

I understand.

God, it's been so long since I've been in this house.

It really brings back a lot of memories.

Look, when I told you my dad's name was Christopher,

that wasn't entirely true.

His middle name was Richard.

Only his closest friends and family called him "Rick."

It was like the puzzle was starting to fall in place.

It's just really hard to talk about my dad.

He went to prison for a long time,

but when he got back,

he just had a really hard time adjusting.

Of course, I wanted to help, you know?

Sure.

So I rented him this house.

Would you mind if I took a look around upstairs?

Oh, no. Sure.

Just for a minute.

Sure.

Narrator: Joan asks to see her father's old room.

Everything's in the same place.

Eddie: Rick had the bed in the same position my son did,

the dresser, and the flag on the wall in the exact same area.

Dad! Dad, wake up!

Wake up, please.

Wake up.

He went to prison for a long time,

but when he got back,

he just had a really hard time adjusting.

Dad! Dad, wake up!

I think I know why my father's trying to hurt your son.

Why?

Why would he want to hurt him?

If my father were still alive today,

he would be doing everything in his power

to harm you and your family.

Narrator: Eddie now understands that Rick was a violent racist,

carrying on in death as he did in life,

that he and his family were just targets of his hatred.

Eddie: We were basically in his house.

My son was still in his room,

and he wanted to get rid of us no matter what.

Narrator: Weeks later...

Eddie: I started feeling weird.

My breathing became distressed.

My body was trembling.

And, uh, I don't know.

I just felt like I was dying.

Male voice: Get out.

Get out!

[ Siren wailing ]

Narrator: Eddie lapses into a deep coma...

And doctors are unable to determine why.

Three days later,

he mysteriously and miraculously regains consciousness.

He's opening his eyes!

[ Crying ] Eddie.

It's me... Myrna.

Mm. [ Laughs ]

Oh, my god.

Eddie: I believe that maybe Rick

was trying to make one final attempt to take a life

and he wanted mine.

[ Myrna sobs ]

Narrator: Eddie fears for the safety of his family...

Scared of who Rick will target next...

And decides to move out of the house.

Because of this experience,

Eddie's views on the supernatural

have completely changed.

Although he cherishes his unique gift,

he now believes that the spirit world can be dangerous.

Eddie: You know, I learned that evil can come in

and take control of your life if you don't put a stop to it

and deteriorate your body, your mind, and your spirit.