All language subtitles for The.Watcher.in.the.Woods.2017.WEBRip.x264-ION10-HI

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

[soft growling]

♪ Ring around the rosy

♪ A pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes,
we all tumble down ♪

♪ Ring around the rosy,
a pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ash, ash, ash, ash ♪

We've all tumbled down.

[birds chirping]

This place is so...
nowhere.

This place, Jan, is Wales.

It's one of the oldest
principalities in Europe,

going back to
the Norman conquest.

The Norman conquest was in 1066.

Want to know when
the Magna Carta

was signed?
I can tell you.

There'll be another
Brain Brawl in the fall, Ellie.

All you got to do
is get through the summer.

I know, three months in Britain

means the next 30 years
at Adams College.

That's my kind of math, Kate.

- I do not sound like that.
- Oh?

Well, it is my kind of math.

In ten years' time,

this summer will seem like
the blink of an eye.

Let's see if that works.

Nope, it's still there.

We're gonna make the best
of this, Jan, right?

Make like we're in Cleveland?

Okay, whatever.

[mysterious music]

[♪♪]

[bell chiming]

Wow, this place
already feels like fun.

Jan, have some respect.

Sorry.

[♪♪]

Nope, still there.

[♪♪]

Ah, it's so pretty.

Okay, here we are.

[chiming continues]

Wow, those bells sure
are ringing a long time.

It's tradition.

The bell rings once for
every year of the man's life.

It will see him safely
to the other side.

You must be the Carstairs.

I'm Mrs. Thayer,
your real estate agent.

- Pleased to meet you.
- You as well.

If you want to grab your things,
I'll meet you in the office.

Well, the place is quaint.
I'll give it that.

Yeah, if by quaint you mean old.

Remember our deal, Jan.

It's like out of Brothers Grimm.

They collected over
200 fairy tales.

- Did they?
- Yeah, they missed one.

Northrop is more than quaint.
It's dripping with history.

Yeah, you could drown in it.

Look, can't we just
live somewhere else?

Dad's college is in Middleton.

It's, like, three times
the size of this.

We talked about this.

If we're gonna live in Wales
for the summer,

we're gonna have the real
Welsh experience,

and your father needs
all the quiet he can get.

And an office
with enough wall space

for my long-form equations.

We'll find something.

And you'll need a great kitchen.

You know you will.

Now, this one has a big kitchen,

but the roof
is in need of repair.

We're only here for the summer.

I hope that was clear
in my message.

Very clear.
It doesn't limit your choices,

but you will want
to find a place within the week.

After that,
any nearby hotel rooms

will be booked up
for the festival in five days.

What's the Northrop Miracle?

That's what
the festival celebrates.

In June of 1348,

the Black Plague swept
across the countryside

surrounding Northrop
and killed 100,000 people

but not a soul in this village.

- Not one person?
- Not one.

The plague passed around the
village and surrounding woods.

What are the odds
of that happening?

It's a miracle.

- Well, why June 21st?
- That's the date of midsummer.

It's the longest day
of the year,

when the sun is highest
in the sky.

So you will want
to find somewhere

before this place turns
into a fairground.

What was that first listing,
Mrs. Thayer?

I think we skipped it.

Ah, Aylwood House.

Well, that place
is far too large for your needs

and only has electricity
in a few rooms.

Well, the electric
can be fixed, right?

Why, yes.

- A ghost would rent it.
- It does look haunted.

- When was it built?
- 1348.

The year of the Black Plague.

Uh, why, yes.

What month?

It doesn't say.
Why?

Well, I was just wondering
if it was built

after the plague swept here

or before.

I mean, I wouldn't want
to be living in a house

where skeletons marched through
carrying sickles, killing...

Jan, you're gonna scare Ellie.

I'm okay.

I'm not scared of that house.

Well, neither am I,

and it seems like the real
Welsh experience.

I just need a few minutes
to shut up the office,

and then we can go
see Aylwood House.

Sounds great.
We'll meet you at the car.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

You okay, Ellie?

Look at that doll.

Can I have it?

Aren't you
a little old for dolls?

You're always saying
I'm growing up too fast.

You're right as usual,

and you're making
the best of Northrop.

Come on.

- You coming, Jan?
- No, thanks.

Suit yourself.
Don't wander off too far.

[woman humming
"Ring Around the Rosie"]

[dramatic flourish]

You're going to Aylwood House?

Uh, yeah, I am.

The last one like you

had a pocketful of posies.

But she didn't fall down.

She disappeared.

Who disappeared?
Where?

There.

What are you talking about?

And how did you know
where I was going?

Don't let that daft
Helen Taylor spook you too much.

She just heard Mrs. Thayer
say it to your family.

Oh, yeah.
Thanks.

But if you are visiting
Aylwood House,

I suggest sticking
to its grounds.

Why?

You just should.

[door bell jingles]

- Look, Jan.
- She's pretty.

What's her name?

I have to think about it.

It has to be just right.

The rent is half
what you'd normally pay

for a place this size.

You can fix the electric?

I've already spoken
to Jack Fleming,

a local farmer who doubles
as a handyman for Mrs. Aylwood.

So somebody's
living there right now?

Not for much longer.

Aylwood House is yours
to rent if you wish.

And there's the road there.

Turn left.
I said turn left.

Turn left, turn left, turn left!

Sorry, sorry.

Why aren't we taking
the road through the woods?

The road around them
suits me better.

[mysterious music]

[♪♪]

Jan, roll up your window.

Sorry, sorry.

[♪♪]

Here we go.

Welcome to Aylwood House.

That's mine to say,
and I do not welcome you.

Meet Mrs. Aylwood.

Who are you?
What do you want?

I warned you, Mrs. Aylwood.

If you refused to install
a telephone,

I would be making
surprise visits.

[♪♪]

This house is not for rent.

Mrs. Aylwood,
you know as well as I

that you must rent out
this house

and take up residency
in the cottage.

Ellie.

[echoing] Ellie.
Ellie, Ellie!

- What?
- Didn't you hear me?

Where were you going?

I don't know.

Come on.

What's going on, you two?

Jan's trying to scare me again.

No, I wasn't.
She wandered off.

It was like
she was sleepwalking.

I was not sleepwalking.

Right, that settles it.

Let's go take a look, shall we?

Sure, sure.

[♪♪]

Excuse me.

[♪♪]

[distorted] Hide.

[♪♪]

- Hide.
- Is someone there?

[♪♪]

[dramatic flourish]

What did you say to her?

Were you singing your rhymes?

[♪♪]

[clock ticking]

[dramatic flourish]

What sort of person are you?

Do you sense things?

I'm sorry.

I don't know what you mean.

I think I shall have to take
a chance on you.

[♪♪]

Mom, Dad.

[tense music]

[♪♪]

[dramatic flourish]

Mom says only two rooms
got electricity,

so we have to sleep together.

No. Where's Mom?

I don't know,
but Dad's in his new office.

27 feet and then some,
big enough for two blackboards.

- Where's Mom?
- Off to look for the kitchen.

These appliances are so old.

Too bad, huh?

Sorry, Mom.

The view from the office window

is nothing but woods for miles.

If Einstein had this view,

he never would've gone
to Princeton.

Oh, well.

I guess I can cook here.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

You look so happy in that photo.

Excuse me?

Your wedding,
was it in the spring?

- The summer.
- Your anniversary must be soon.

What's the date?

I don't believe in keeping
track of dates

of things that are dead.

I'm sorry.

He passed away?

You ask a lot of questions
for a child of 15.

I'm 16.
Today's my birthday.

Oh, well, then happy birthday.

I thought you didn't believe
in anniversaries.

But you're alive, aren't you?

Yeah.

How did your husband die?

He died from me.

Whoo!

What did you wish for?

I want to make Northrop my
home, at least for the summer.

I'll drink to that.

Thought you were gonna
ask for a car.

To a wonderful summer.

Ellie.

[soft laughter]

You were lying at the table.

What are you talking about?

You don't want Northrop
to be your home.

- How do you know what I want?
- I just know.

[crickets chirping]

[♪♪]

[birds squawking]

[♪♪]

Well, you're wrong.

I want Mom and Dad to be happy.

I want you to be happy.

- Then stop scaring me.
- I'm not scaring you.

You did when
you grabbed me yesterday.

Ellie what was I supposed to do?

You were sleepwalking
into the woods.

[distorted whispers]

There she goes again, Nerak.

Nerak? What's that?

Her name.
What do you think?

How did you come up with that?

I kind of just heard it.

Well, when did you hear it?

I don't know, just now.

Just now.
Then who said it to you?

- I don't know.
- Ellie, what did it sound like?

Was it a whisper?

Did it sound like it
was coming from the woods?

Stop asking me
all these questions.

You're freaking me out.
It's just a name.

Yeah, you're right.

I'm sorry, Ell.

Nerak's a great name.

Will you be my
new sister, Nerak?

Sure.
I won't try and scare you.

♪ Ring around the rosy,
pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes ♪

[♪♪]

What's wrong?

Don't you see her?

No.

[♪♪]

[glass shatters]

[crack]

[bird squawks]

[♪♪]

I still can't believe

you scared Ellie like that, Jan.

The lengths you went to.

Cracking the mirror?

All this after you
made us believe

you were actually gonna
give this a shot.

She was lying.
I knew it.

We said we weren't gonna
talk about this anymore.

Look, I know it sounds crazy,

but there was a girl
in the mirror.

- She was holding flowers.
- I don't remember any girl.

I just remember you saying
I was sleepwalking.

You've never sleptwalked
in your life.

Sleepwalked.

- Forget the grammar.
- I don't want to answer

any more questions about
the woods whispering to me.

Whispering? What's this about
someone whispering to you?

I only asked you once.

The mirror cracked
in a perfect X.

What are the chances
of me doing that?

Pretty good when you're
determined

to scare us out of this town.

You're lucky Ellie wasn't cut.

[birds chirping]

You're not coming in the store?

I thought you wanted to buy some
supplies to fix up your room.

Oh, no, my room is just perfect.

The house is perfect.
Northrop is just perfect.

Leave her alone.

You made Dad really mad.

There was a girl in the mirror.

I didn't see any girl.

What is wrong with you?

Maybe something
is wrong with me.

I'll tell you
what's wrong with you.

You've taken the Aylwood place.

Yeah, we have.

And where's Mrs. Aylwood
to live?

With you, I suppose.

She lives in the cottage.

That's good.

Good for you, I mean.

Mrs. Aylwood is a devil dodger.

A devil dodger?
What's that?

A devil dodger is...
Mark Fleming.

Mark Fleming?

Tell your father I have

dug up some real
treasures this week.

Sure, Mrs. Taylor.
He'll be happy to take a look.

Your father is a good man,

but I drive a hard bargain.

He respects you for it.

Hi.

Hi.

I'm off.

Well, she's not weird at all.

Helen Taylor?

She's harmless.

I'm Mark, in case
you didn't catch her

yelling at you a second ago.

I'm Jan.

I just moved here
from Cleveland, Ohio.

Ohio.
It sounds far.

- You have no idea.
- Well, I just live at

the other side of the woods.

My family has a farm.

And your dad buys Helen's junk?

- Is it worth anything?
- No.

Helen lives in
a caravan near us,

and whatever she digs up
my dad buys,

so she can get food and stuff.

- Has she always been like that?
- As long as I can remember.

But they say she wasn't like
that when she was a girl.

Why, did something
happen to her?

I think it's what happened
to her best friend,

or at least that's what
my mother says.

What happened to her friend?

Mrs. Thayer said something
about a Yank girl

in town who liked to ask
a lot of questions.

Girl Yank?

Yank, Yankee.

Oh, a Yankee.
That's a first.

Asking a lot of questions,
I get that all the time.

- Hello.
- Hello. I'm Mark Fleming.

My father takes care
of Aylwood House.

Ah, your father is the farmer
Mrs. Thayer mentioned.

I can come by now
and do the wiring if you'd like.

- That would be great.
- I'll just need to run home

and get my tools.

You could come if you want.

I could use some help
carrying it all.

- I don't know.
- I think that would be okay.

Ellie's always wanted to see
a real farm.

Haven't you, Ellie?

Yes.

So what do you think
of Northrop now?

I think it's a good place
for you to be quiet.

Say hi to Lucy.

[dog barks]

So why doesn't anyone drive
through the woods around here?

The old folks in town say
there's something in there.

- Like what?
- A spirit.

They call it The Watcher.

The Watcher?

It's weird. I'm not sure
if it's the stories,

but I remember walking
through the woods

as a boy and feeling it.

So you don't walk
through the woods anymore?

- No one around here does.
- Really? So...

You should save
some questions for my mom.

She knows a lot more
about this town than I do.

Okay.

[sheep bleating]

Here we go.

It was 36 years ago this
Friday that she disappeared.

Helen Taylor's best friend?

Many kids would've called
Karen their best friend.

She was pretty and pretty
puckish to boot.

- Puckish?
- She was a starter.

Karen liked to play tricks.

Her face was her alibi.

[eerie music]

You okay?

Yeah.
Sorry.

I just feel like I've seen her
before, somewhere.

There was only one Karen.
Everyone adored her.

Her disappearance
was the biggest shock

this village has ever had.

They don't talk
about it much anymore,

but when I was younger,
you'd hear about the girl

who walked into the woods
one night and never walked out.

Never to be seen again.

No body, no evidence
of foul play,

no crime scene,

not a trace of Karen Aylwood.

Aylwood?

Is she related to Mrs. Aylwood?

Karen was her daughter.

I'm sorry, I thought
Mark told you already.

[♪♪]

[♪♪]

I didn't say anything

because I wanted you
to hear it from my mother.

And you wanted an excuse
to drive me.

[laughs]

Can you blame me?

I also didn't want to say
anything in front of Ellie.

[♪♪]

Thanks for that.

Nerak.

Do you think
Karen's disappearance

has anything to do
with The Watcher?

I don't know.

[♪♪]

Karen.

[♪♪]

Thanks, Mark.

Hey, can you not

tell my parents about Ellie
writing on the window?

You have to.

They'll think I've been
scaring her again,

that I caused it so that
we can leave this place.

Are you scaring her?

No.

I just feel like you're not
telling me everything.

Fine.

You want to hear everything?

Then, I'll tell you everything.

Come on.

The woods whispered, "Hide,"

and then the mirror
cracked like this.

- It's a clean break.
- Yeah, too clean.

But it could happen.

And the woods whispering to me?

Maybe it was just the wind.

The girl I saw in the mirror,

she looked just like
the picture of Karen Aylwood.

Your mind's just
playing tricks on you.

Is that why you won't walk
through the woods anymore

or even drive through them?
You said it yourself.

There's something in there.

The Watcher.

The Watcher in the Woods
is a local legend,

and it scares me, too,
but it is just a legend.

Yeah, well, that legend
is talking to me.

I mean, what am I
supposed to do,

sit around and act
like I don't hear it?

What if it wants to take me
like it did Karen Aylwood?

I'm not gonna let that happen.

So what do you want to do?

Travel back in time.

[soft music]

[♪♪]

It's all yours, binders
of paper and boxes of microfilm.

Microfilm?

It's from the '80s.

You put it in that machine.

You said you wanted
to go back in time.

[♪♪]

You said she disappeared
36 years ago,

the same date of the midsummer
festival this week.

My mother said it happened
at the midsummer festival.

Karen just disappeared
into the woods.

Wait.
Slow it down there.

"Local girl goes missing."

[♪♪]

"Pond dragged."

"Karen Aylwood missing
for a week."

"Constance Aylwood brought
into Middleton police station

for questioning."

"Braden Aylwood hospitalized
and put under suicide watch."

Helen Taylor said to me that
Mrs. Aylwood is a devil dodger.

- What is that?
- Never heard of it.

But there is a rumor that she
put a spell on the woods.

No animals will go in there,
not even birds.

Do you think it's true?

When my dad was a kid,

he hunted rabbits
and squirrels there,

but ever since
Karen disappeared,

he hasn't seen either.

When I asked Mrs. Aylwood
what her husband died of,

she said, "Of me."

What if the rumors are true,
and Mrs. Aylwood is a witch?

What if she killed her
own daughter in a blood ritual,

and her husband knew it?

- Maybe we should take a break.
- Take a break?

But we just started.

Jan, I like you,
but you're sounding a bit crazy.

Witches, blood rituals.

She's just an old lady.

What's wrong?

You're the one who brought up
her casting spells.

I know.

I just thought all of this
was a bit of fun at first.

I never knew Mrs. Aylwood

was a suspect in her
own daughter's disappearance.

My mother never told me that.

Yeah, well, she's just
protecting the village.

No one wants to think one
of their neighbors is a killer.

I guess that's true.

What if something happens to me?

- It won't.
- You don't know that.

Ever since you got here,
I don't know what I know.

Things have gotten
really serious.

The investigation, maybe you
could put it down for a day.

The midsummer festival
is this weekend.

We could go together,
have some fun.

Fun at a Black Plague fair?

You Americans celebrate
Halloween,

which is monsters
and dead people.

Mexicans have Day of the Dead.

Well, you make a good case
for someone from a little...

Someone from a little what?

Someone from a little village.

Look, I didn't mean
it like that.

- I didn't mean...
- Of course you did.

You think this place for farmers

and simpletons,
and you may be right,

but I'll tell you
something you don't know,

Jan from Cleveland.

This little village has lived
through centuries of invasion,

floods, a plague that
wiped out 1,000 people

and didn't kill
a single person here.

Why didn't it kill
a single person here?

- It was a miracle.
- It was a miracle.

Back in Puritan times,
they called miracles witchcraft.

We're not in Puritan times.

Look, I... I'm really sorry.

I respect you and everything
this village has been through.

It's okay. Let's just forget
about it and move on.

So do you want to come
to the festival with me?

I know my parents. I'll have
to be home by midnight.

The Eclipse is at midnight.

It's the high point of the fair,

and your parents
will want to come too.

So will you?

Okay.

I'll ask my mom.

Ask me what?

- What are you guys doing here?
- We live here.

Can we give you a ride home?

Yeah.

So this weekend then.

Sounds good.

- What's going on this weekend?
- I'll tell you later.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

- You like Northrop now.
- Shut up.

I mean,
you really like Northrop now.

- I said shut up.
- Okay.

I'll shut up.

[♪♪]

I don't care.

She's a harmless old woman.

Mark was right.

[♪♪]

I heard that.

You like Mark.

Mark is pretty cool, right?

He's okay.

Go to sleep.

Okay, I'll admit
he's pretty cute.

Hey, you can't be
asleep already.

Hey.

[dramatic flourish]

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak,
Nerak, Nerak, Nerak!

Mom.
Mom, Dad!

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak,
Nerak, Nerak, Nerak!

- Get her inhaler.
- Nerak, Nerak!

It's okay.

- Nerak, Nerak!
- Breathe in deep.

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak, Nerak!

- Quickly.
- Nerak, Nerak, Nerak, Nerak!

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak, Nerak,
Nerak!

[screams]

Nerak, Nerak,

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak, Nerak,

Nerak, Nerak, Nerak, Nerak!

This is the end of you scaring
Ellie and scaring all of us.

Jan didn't scare me.

We were joking about Mark
when... when I went to sleep.

Or I thought I did.

Kate, you haven't said a word.
You want to chime in?

The mirror.

The mirror from the bedroom?
I thought we settled that.

Not that mirror.

This mirror.

You dropped it, and it hit
the floor in the right place.

Cracked in a perfect X.

Paul, it cracked
before I dropped it.

So you gripped it too tight.

Ellie was wheezing,

and you got caught up
in the heat of the moment.

[sighs]

It's time to go back to bed.

Come on, Ellie.

Who do you think is doing this?

Mrs. Aylwood,
a spirit in the woods.

I don't know exactly, Mom.

But I know whatever it is,

it's watching us.

Watching us?

That's crazy.
Your father is right.

I gripped the mirror too tight,
and you've been scaring Ellie.

- But I didn't say...
- Whether you know it or not.

Just, this talk right here
has me scared.

- Yeah, because it should.
- That's enough, Jan.

I'm serious.

I don't want to hear
any more about this.

Good night.

Hey, Daisy!

[sheep bleating]

Come on, come on.

[shouts]

I thought you said you were
gonna

forget about this
till after the festival.

I can't.

Ellie started chanting the name
again last night.

Nerak.

Right, Karen spelled backwards.

Are you taking me seriously?

Hey, watch your step.

You're not taking me seriously,

and you haven't been
this whole time.

Jan, Jan. I'm sorry,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

- You don't believe me.
- I don't know what to believe.

I've never met a girl
like you before.

I really like you,

but I sure as hell don't
understand

your mystery.

I'll help you with
the first mystery

if you help me with the second.

I need to find out
what happened to Karen.

It's the key to knowing
what's happening now.

All right, you've got a deal.

You can't have a look
at this file.

Karen Aylwood's disappearance
has been a closed case

for over 20 years.

Yeah, the public has
a right to read it.

I'll let you have 15 minutes,
no more.

[soft music]

[♪♪]

Mrs. Aylwood was questioned
three times in three weeks.

She wasn't the only
one questioned.

Her husband?

A friend of the family.

The Aylwoods?

No.

Yours.

[♪♪]

The band had three friends.
Let's start there.

[birds chirping]

The last one like you had
a pocketful of posies,

but she didn't fall down.

Yeah, she disappeared.

You told me.

She disappeared just like that.

You saw Karen Aylwood disappear?

Why she started that
terrible dare I'll never know.

Wait. What dare?

It was the afternoon
of the festival.

[children laughing
and screaming]

[carnival music playing]

There were four of us...

me, Tom Colley,

and John Keller

and of course, Karen.

Guys, the eclipse is tonight,

and I dare the three of you
to come with me to the pond.

- To go skinny-dipping? I'm in.
- No.

That part of
the woods is haunted.

No way I'm going down there.

Neither am I.

Fine.

But you're going to miss out
on the best view of the eclipse.

There's too many lights here.

Are you both afraid?
I'm not.

I'm not afraid.

Then neither am I.

Good.

We'll meet here
just before midnight

and then go into the woods.

And so we did.

[laughing]

Is it making you look taller?

At least the three of us did.

Guys, I can't find Karen.

Where did she go?

She probably got scared
or something.

Come on, let's go home.

No. She said for us
to meet her there.

I'm not backing out so she can
call me a chicken later.

[carnival music playing]

[♪♪]

[maniacal laughter]

[♪♪]

It's not here.

Karen!

Karen?

[♪♪]

[low rumbling]

[♪♪]

It's strange.

I know.
Where is she?

I told you, she got scared.

Karen's not afraid of anything.

No, it's strange that's
the only tree that's charred.

Only you would notice
something like that, Helen.

No, she's right, Tom.

[♪♪]

♪ Ring around the rosy,
pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes, we all fall down ♪

It's coming from the tree.

- She's right.
- Impossible.

♪ Ring around the rosy,
pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes, we all fall down ♪

[screams]

[laughs]

How do you like this costume
I found in my mom's attic?

Pretty freaky, right?

Karen, that is not funny.

Yeah, why would you
do that to us?

I think it's great.

[low rumbling]

♪ Ring around the rosy,
pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes, we all fall down ♪

Karen?
Karen, Karen.

Karen.

Karen, what's going on?
Karen.

Help.

- Karen.
- Karen!

- Karen.
- ♪ We all tumble down ♪

Karen!

[whimpering]

[shouts]

[screams]

Thank you.

See you soon, Helen.

That's all she could remember.

All she'd let herself remember.

Yeah, well,

if that's even partially
what happened to Karen Aylwood,

I'd go a little crazy too.

All three of them couldn't
have gone crazy, could they?

That was all put
to rest 36 years ago.

The girl ran off to London,
probably took another name.

She was always up to tricks.

Yeah, but she was 15.

She wouldn't have just
left her ma.

Wouldn't she?
When was the last time

you talked to sweet
old Mrs. Aylwood?

The day before yesterday.

I live in her house now.

Oh.

Well, they'll be looking
for you soon.

Well, that was super helpful.

[knock on door]

[dogs barking]

Lucy.
Lucy.

Lucy, come here.

Can I help you?

That night has haunted me
my whole life.

I really loved her, you know.

I didn't know.

You don't talk to anyone
in the village, never have.

I'm the rich nose in the air,
I know, but I did love Karen.

[soft music]

It's like Helen said it was.

Don't tell anyone
in Northrop I said that.

I don't want anyone knowing
that that nutter

and I have anything in common.

But you do.

You both saw Karen Aylwood
disappear into thin air.

Yeah.

Helen and Tom and I
saw Karen disappear.

Neither of them would come
on the search party,

but I did,
both my parents telling me

to keep my mouth shut
about the game.

They'd arranged it
with the local police

to keep my name out of it.

Family reputation and all that.

And they did the same
for Helen and Tom.

Mm-hmm.
Neat and clean.

Karen really haunts you.

Yeah.

She haunts me.

Do you think Mrs. Aylwood
killed her daughter?

I know what I saw.

Mrs. Aylwood loved her daughter.

She had nothing to do with it.

[♪♪]

[♪♪]

I'll see you soon,
my lovely girl.

[♪♪]

[tense music]

[gasps]

What are you doing here?

I saw you get up.
I followed you.

You have to go home.

Not without you.

Fine, but stay close

and don't make a sound.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

Where is she going?

Into the woods.

Shh.

[♪♪]

[♪♪]

Ellie.

Ellie.

Ellie.

- Are you okay?
- Jan, where are you?

Ellie!

[dramatic flourish]

Run!

[tense music]

[♪♪]

[muffled screaming]

- Jan!
- Jan!

Ellie!

[♪♪]

Ellie!

Where's Jan?

[♪♪]

Now, just what were you
doing out there so late?

And why would Mrs. Aylwood
want to drown you?

- Because she's a witch.
- Get up to bed.

Run along now, honey.
I'll be up soon.

We were taking a walk,
and I guess

we just wandered into the woods.

Wandered into the woods.

Nobody in Northrop just wanders
into the woods.

Mrs. Aylwood, there you are.

Seems like history
has reared its ugly head,

and here we are again,

but this time, the girl lived.

- That's not true.
- I saw her hold you

under the water
with a tree branch.

I saw it too.

Why else would
she have followed you?

There's no other explanation.

There is another explanation.

She didn't follow me.

I followed her.

I'd heard rumors about
Mrs. Aylwood being a witch

and putting a curse
on the woods,

so I followed her
into the forest.

I wanted to prove it.

Turns out she was
just taking a walk.

Then I got too close
to the pond, and I fell in.

Mrs. Aylwood wasn't trying to drown me.

She was trying to save me,

just like she would've done
for her own daughter

if she could have.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

Why did the woods
tell me to hide?

I know you didn't kill Karen.

- How dare you.
- I know you want her back.

I saw you kiss her picture.

You love her.

I know you didn't kill Karen.

[♪♪]

It's not the woods
whispering to you.

It's The Watcher.

So The Watcher is real?

Oh, yes.

He's telling you
where he's trapped.

Hide?

"Hide" is Gaelic for
"a wooded land."

Why is he trapped,
and why is he telling me?

Why indeed.

That's why I allowed you
to stay in my house.

I thought you were conjuring
the voices,

that you were a witch.

Helen Taylor calls you
a devil dodger.

Devil dodger.
I suppose I am.

Or at least I was
when I was a young girl.

I used to go to church
just to listen to the music

and then slip away
during prayers.

A devil dodger.

So if you're not a witch
who killed her daughter,

where is Karen?

I don't know.

Who took her?

Was it The Watcher?

I wish I'd thrown away
that robe and mask.

What are you talking about?
What robe and mask?

Karen found them.

When we first moved
to this house,

she found them up in the attic.

[♪♪]

At first, I thought it was some
kind of masked ball costume.

[♪♪]

But then she found the book.

It was the symbol
of the Hippocratic oath, 1348.

The man was a doctor,

and the costume
was not a costume.

It was his surgical garb.

He was the village doctor

when the plague swept
through the British countryside

and killed thousands

but not a single death
in Northrop.

It wasn't a miracle.

The doctor had been way
ahead of his time

in telling the villagers
to boil their water,

to bathe regularly,

and wash their hands after
coming in from the fields,

and when the plague
arrived in Wales,

he warned them to keep
to their houses

and to travel nowhere

outside the surrounding woods.

The good doctor should have
followed his own advice.

He traveled to Middleton
to treat a child

who might be saved.

He thought the robe and mask
would save him from the plague.

[men shouting]

But he was wrong.

So upon his return,

when the disease appeared
on him,

he was murdered.

[screaming]

What a horrible way to die.

And The Watcher
hasn't forgotten.

This is the nursery rhyme
Helen said

Karen was singing
when she disappeared.

[♪♪]

"Ring Around the Rosy."

Yeah, it's a children's song.

It's about the Black Plague.

Rosy was the red sore
it left on your skin,

and a pocketful of posy

was what you carried
to mask the smell of death.

[♪♪]

That's why The Watcher
took my Karen.

She was wearing
his doctor's outfit

and singing about the plague.

He thought she was
making fun of his death.

And now he's got her with him
in some terrible place.

I saw you talk
to Karen's picture.

You said you'd see her soon.

The Watcher said he's not
angry anymore with Karen.

But he must have his peeling.

What's a peeling?

I don't know,

but he knows I'm not going to be
around forever,

and he needs somebody
to care about the child

he keeps until he gets it.

That's why I made a bargain
with The Watcher.

What kind of bargain?

I'm getting old.

I'd do... I'd do anything
to see Karen again.

What kind of bargain,
Mrs. Aylwood?

I promised him

a young girl in Karen's place,

and The Watcher has agreed.

You offered him me.

No.

I offered him Ellie.

[♪♪]

Forgive me.

[♪♪]

Ellie's in danger.

Not again.

We said no more of this.

I thought you weren't
scaring me anymore. Stop it.

I'm sorry, but you have to know.

Mrs. Aylwood's daughter
was taken by the woods in 1981.

The woods took her.

The spirit who lives
in the woods

who lives inside a burned tree.

Right, so first it was
a witch, and now it's a ghost.

Please, just listen to me.

It's the spirit of a doctor
who died during the plague.

He was murdered by the villagers

because he brought
the disease here.

He's called The Watcher.

He's willing to give back
Karen Aylwood if...

if he can have Ellie.

- The woods want me?
- Right, go to your room.

- But, Dad...
- Enough is enough!

Enough is enough.

I'm sorry.

This is all my fault.

What's your fault?

I filled the young girl's head
with superstition.

It wasn't Jan who wanted to
scare you away from this place.

It was me.

Wait, you've been scaring us?

No, she's lying.

I'm not lying,

but you won't have to worry
about my mischief anymore.

I've made an arrangement

to go to a home
for the aged in Middleton.

Movers are coming
for me tomorrow.

Will we have to vacate?

Oh, no.

That won't be necessary.

Again, I'm sorry.

I'm telling you, she's lying.

[eerie music]

[♪♪]

Hide.

[♪♪]

Mrs. Aylwood?

Mrs. Aylwood?

[♪♪]

You can't leave.

Ellie isn't safe
from The Watcher.

Last night I made a bargain
with The Watcher.

When you went into the woods?

Yes.
Ellie is safe.

You can go back to your life now

with no worries
for your little sister.

All is put right.

But what about Karen?

Karen will have
to stay where she is.

It's the price I have to pay

for putting another
mother's daughter in danger.

How dare I.

How do you know Elli's safe?

Did The Watcher tell you?

No, but I reminded him
of his Hippocratic oath,

that even if he was wronged,

he's still a doctor,

and taking another child
in Karen's place

would go against everything
he believed in and died for.

But keeping Karen goes against
everything he died for.

Karen keeps him company.

It's my punishment
for putting Ellie in danger.

I think The Watcher
will leave you alone now.

Hide.

Hide.

[tense music]

Hide.

Hide.

[♪♪]

Hide.

Hide.

Hide.

[whimpering softly]

[♪♪]

Ellie.

[♪♪]

Ellie.

[♪♪]

Ah, good, you're dressed.

We leave in ten minutes.

- Okay, I'm ready.
- Let me help you with that.

Could you do me a favor and say

as little as possible
to your father tonight?

Maybe for the rest
of the summer.

Okay, I can do that.

Listen, I know it seems like

a lifetime from now,

but we'll be back in Cleveland

and back to normal
before you know it.

- Ok?
- Okay.

I hope so.

[♪♪]

[engine turns over]

[♪♪]

Hey, what are you doing, girl?

I know how you can
get Karen back.

- It's madness.
- It's the only way.

The woods are gonna take Ellie.

I'm sorry I couldn't undo
the bargain.

You should get your family
away from here.

They won't listen to me.

We have to reenact
the events of 36 years ago.

That way The Watcher
will take me.

But you could be trapped
for all eternity,

and there's no guarantee
he'll give Karen back.

Maybe if I could figure out

what this peeling is
The Watcher wants.

Is it the peeling of the burned
bark or some kind of skin?

What if he won't tell you?

Then he'll have me,

and I'll have saved Ellie.

I can live with that.

But you could also die with it.

[dramatic music]

[♪♪]

Looking for Mark?

Yeah, we're hanging out tonight.

- Oh, no, you aren't.
- It's okay, Paul.

She's been a victim of that old
lady just like the rest of us.

Now, can we just forget
any of this ever happened

and have us some fun?

We meet back at the car
at midnight, after the eclipse.

- Okay?
- Okay.

Look, just promise me you stay
close to Mom and Dad tonight.

Okay.

You want to go in here?

Why don't you get on, honey.

Pick a horse, come on.

Hi.

Hi.

I got your message.
Are these okay?

Yeah, they're perfect.
Where'd you get them so quickly?

The mask was on sale over there,

and this robe is my
grandfather's old Mason's gown.

Are Helen, John, and Tom here?

Just back there,

together for
the first time in 36 years.

This is outrageous.

I won't have any part of it.

Oh, yes, he will.

That is, unless he wants
the last ten years

of his tax dealings
scrutinized to the nines.

I'm scared.

Don't be scared.

I'm the one
The Watcher's gonna want.

You sure you know
what you're doing?

I don't, but I know
that if I don't do this,

my little sister,
by midnight, will be gone,

and I'll spend the rest
of my life regretting it.

I have to at least
try to save her.

I'll take my chances
with The Watcher.

You're a brave one.

I hope so.

Let's go find out.

[carnival music playing]

[♪♪]

Mommy, Daddy, Jan and Mark
went into the woods.

What? Where?

Over there somewhere.

I don't want those
two alone in the woods.

They weren't alone. They were
with some people, grown-ups.

Paul?

Perhaps they were just
taking a shortcut home.

With strangers?

Let's go home and find out.
We can go from there.

[tense music]

[♪♪]

Come on, we have to hurry.

Come on.

- Jan?
- Jan?

Jan!

Jan, baby, where are you?

Jan's not here.

- Where is she?
- What the hell is going on?

Is this more
of your scare tactics?

Maybe my daughter was right
when she called you a witch.

If I was a witch,
I would've stopped her

doing what she's about to do.

Jan is a headstrong girl.

What is she about to do?

[♪♪]

It's getting close to midnight.

Are you sure
you want to do this?

Yeah.

The only thing I'm afraid
of more than it working

is that it doesn't work.

First thing tomorrow,
she's on a plane back to Ohio.

She can stay with my mother.

- Let's just find her.
- Out in the woods at midnight?

What kind of game
is she playing?

It is a game, isn't it?

Answer me honestly.

Jan believes she's saving Ellie.

- And what do you believe?
- I believe this is no game.

♪ Ring around the rosy ♪

♪ A pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes, we all fall down ♪

♪ Ring around the rosy,
a pocketful of posies ♪

♪ A tissue, a tissue,
we all fall down ♪

[indistinct whispering]

♪ Pocketful of posies ♪

♪ Ashes, ashes ♪

♪ We all fall down ♪

[rumbling]

[♪♪]

[gasps]

[♪♪]

[screams]

[gasps]

[screams]

[somber music]

[♪♪]

I didn't think it would work.

- She's gone.
- Gone?

What are you talking about?

Where's Jan?
Where's my daughter?

Hide.

She's with Karen now.

Jan saved Ellie.

[♪♪]

Karen!

Karen Aylwood!

Karen!

Karen.

Karen Aylwood.

Karen.

Karen Aylwood.

Karen?

Karen Aylwood.

Karen, Karen.

Karen.

Karen, Karen.

Karen, I'm here
to take you home.

- Home?
- Home.

Home to Aylwood House,
home to your mother.

My mother?
Who are you?

I'm a friend of your mother's.

I'm a friend of yours,
Karen Aylwood.

I don't know how long you've
known me, but I want to go home.

I've been lost all day.

- You've only been here a day.
- Well, maybe it's only been

a few hours or so,
but it feels long.

I bet to your mother,
it feels even longer.

Come on.

You'll not find her anywhere,
Mr. Carstairs.

She's with The Watcher.

Jan was telling me
the truth the whole time,

and I didn't listen.

Hopefully The Watcher will.

[tense music]

[♪♪]

We want to go home now!

You were burned alive here
for following your medical oath.

You were killed
for helping another person!

You want your peeling.
We can help you.

Please, just tell us what it is!

[screams]

You admitted you tried
to scare us away,

and now your games have led
to my daughter's disappearance.

This isn't helping.

What does this Watcher want?

He wants his peeling.

- What is that?
- I don't know.

That's what Jan is
trying to find out.

I can't believe
I didn't think of this before.

He doesn't want a peeling.
He was murdered.

He never got a proper burial.

He wants his pealing.

[♪♪]

Please.
Please, tell us what you want.

- What do you want?
- You want justice?

Just tell me how.

What is the peeling
that you want?

[♪♪]

[bell chiming]

[♪♪]

[chiming continues]

[♪♪]

What is that kid doing?

Of course.

The Watcher wants his pealing,

the pealing of the bells.

Like the funeral.

One ring for each year
of the man's life.

The sound that sees him safely
to the other side.

[soft rumbling]

What?

What do you want?
Please, just... please don't.

[both scream]

[♪♪]

What?
She was telling the truth.

[rumbling]

Mom!

- My baby!
- Mom!

[soft music]

[♪♪]

Don't you ever do anything
like that again.

I don't think I could
if I wanted to.

- Ellie.
- Jan!

[♪♪]

Oh.

Karen.

Oh, Mom.

I thought I'd never
see you again.

[♪♪]

- How long was I gone?
- It doesn't matter.

You're home now.

Here, you should have her.

Thank you.

I think I'm gonna have
to take a chance on you.

Whatever do you mean?

What about we take you home?

Ready to go home?

Yeah.

All right, let's all go.

[♪♪]

Come on.

[pleasant music]

[♪♪]