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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Deadly forests.
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Haunted houses.
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(children laughing)
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Mountains where visitors
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never return alive.
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Are there such things
as evil places?
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Places that are really born bad?
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There are those who believe
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that not only is such
an incredible notion possible,
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but that there are literally
thousands of these places
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all around us.
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But how could
a seemingly harmless destination
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like an amusement park
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really be thought of as cursed?
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(chuckling):
Well...
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that is what we'll try
and find out.
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âȘ âȘ
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SHATNER:
In central Japan,
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60 miles southwest of Tokyo,
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lies the Aokigahara forest.
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Located at the base
of Mount Fuji,
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it is considered by the Japanese
to be sacred.
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Although, in recent years,
many believe
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that these woods have become
not a holy place,
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but a place of evil.
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Each year,
shockingly high numbers
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of people come here
to end their own lives.
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So many, in fact,
that the place has become known
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as the Suicide Forest.
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If you ever walk through
any other woods or forests,
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you always hear the birds,
and you hear rustling,
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and you hear
all sorts of things,
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but not in Suicide Forest.
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In Suicide Forest,
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it's just completely
and absolutely silent.
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(silence)
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I didn't see a living thing
other than those plants,
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and I certainly didn't
hear anything.
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So, it's the silence
that really hits you at first.
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It definitely had
a different feel to it,
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and that kind of raises
the anxiety.
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A lot of locals will tell you
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that as they grew up
near the forest,
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they were told
never to go there.
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It's a dark, scary place.
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It's not a place for you.
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Stay away from it.
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DOMINIC STEAVU:
Aokigahara literally translates
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as "the field of green trees."
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This forest is also known
as the Jukai,
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"the sea of trees."
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Many people go
and commit suicide,
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typically by hanging, or also
by prescription drug overdose.
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Officials have stopped
publicizing the numbers
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so as to not encourage
more people to go there,
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but it really has become
a magnet for suicides.
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SHATNER:
At the entrance to the park,
signs are posted
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advising those who enter the
forest with suicidal thoughts
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to stop and turn back.
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It is a warning
meant to prevent people
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from being swallowed up
by the darkness of this place,
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a darkness
from which there is no return.
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These signs tell people,
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please don't commit suicide.
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Think of your parents.
Think of your family.
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They give you information
on who to call
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if you need some help.
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It's very clear that this
is a concern of theirs.
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They know it's a problem,
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and they ask you,
"Please don't do this."
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And you'll see
those signs everywhere,
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which remind you
of how prevalent the problem is.
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STEAVU:
Aokigahara is also
a nonâcamping forest.
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So camping
is strictly forbidden,
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yet people
who contemplate suicide
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sometimes bring their tents.
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We do have lots of these traces
of the departed
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that remain in the forest,
from personal effects
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to thread marking the paths.
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ONO:
Part of the mystique
of Suicide Forest is
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quite often people
who want to commit suicide
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will bring these ribbons
because they haven't figured out
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whether they really want
to do it or not.
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So they'll tie the ribbon,
and if they change their mind,
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they could find their way out.
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But if they don't change
their mind,
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at the end of that ribbon,
you may find a body.
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SHATNER:
The Suicide Forest
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has one of the highest
suicide rates
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of anywhere in the world.
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But unlike other such places,
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like the Golden Gate Bridge
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or Niagara Falls,
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where people jump
to their deaths,
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here they come to experience
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a different
and arguably more disturbing
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method of release.
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In Japanese belief,
any person who dies
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has to receive a proper,
um, ritual treatment
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in order to transition
to the world of the dead.
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If they don't receive
these very specificââ
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generally Buddhistââ rites,
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there's a belief that the soul
of the deceased person
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will linger in the physical
plane of existence.
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If someone commits suicide
in the spot, it's believed
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that the yurei, the ghost,
will be hanging around that spot
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where they committed suicideââ
they're tied to it there.
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So it becomes
a potential danger spot
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if other people
are just walking through it.
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They can get lured by the yurei,
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who's gonna
influence them somehow
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to commit suicide themselves.
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Aokigahara becoming
a suicide spot
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is a relatively
recent phenomenon
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that started in the 1960s.
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It can be traced back to a novel
called The Tower of Waves,
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in which two of
the main protagonists
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could not live out their love,
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and then decided
to commit suicide
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together in this forest.
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This is one of the reasons
why the forest became
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a very famous suicide spot.
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DAVID WHITEHEAD:
It's rather strange
that they say
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around a hundred bodies a year
are found in that place.
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And it begs the question,
is there something
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about the place itself
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that attracts people to go there
to commit suicide?
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GEORGE NOORY:
It probably started off
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as just a dense forest,
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but as more and more people
killed themselves in this place,
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I think the evil permeates
all over the place,
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and it's probably affecting
people who go in there.
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SHATNER:
Evil...
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permeating the atmosphere?
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Could such an extraordinary
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and frightening notion be true?
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I think everybody has gone
to a certain spot
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and they feel uncomfortable
with it.
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They just don't know
exactly why,
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but they just don't feel right.
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They feel like,
"Something's wrong here."
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"This doesn't feel good to me."
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"It's kind of evil."
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There are certain regions
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that have had bad things
happen to it.
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And you can feel it.
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We have to realize
that the human body
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is one of the most ultimate
pieces of scientific equipment.
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You have so many different types
of sensors on your body.
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You can see, smell,
hear, taste, feel.
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And all that information
that you're receiving
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from your environment causes you
to feel the way you do
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at any given second.
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So, if your body
is not feeling right
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and your brain is telling you
something's not right here,
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it is possible that
it's an evil location, right?
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SHATNER:
In recent years,
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scientists studying
the morbid phenomenon
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of Japan's soâcalled
Suicide Forest have suggested
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that the answer
to the mystery might be
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not a paranormal one,
but geological.
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One of the really interesting
things about Suicide Forest
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is it didn't exist, uh, until
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the last massive eruption
of Mount Fuji,
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which was more than
a thousand years ago,
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and that's what laid out
this enormous bed of lava
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that eventually hardened.
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There are chambers
within the ground.
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And in these chambers
is where people will go into
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and commit suicide.
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Some of them will
just take pills and lie down,
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and eventually,
you'll find a body
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inside one of these chambers.
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There's a possibility
that the volcanic regionââ
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the rocks, the basaltââ
might have some sort
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of piezoelectricâtype material
within them
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that could generate electric
and magnetic fields.
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And it's also known
that electromagnetic fields
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do impact the brain activity.
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I would think,
from the evidence,
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that this geomagnetic field
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is having some impact
on mass depression.
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The connection
between magnetic anomalies
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and chemical reactions
in the brain could lead
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to a type of depression
that would enhance suicide.
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You can imagine a person
who is suicidal
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or thinking about suicide,
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but is fundamentally
uncomfortable with the idea,
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moving into one of these areas.
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And this interaction makes them
just comfortable enough
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that now they will carry through
on the suicide.
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SHATNER:
Could hundreds
of ritual suicides
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really be the result of
magnetic anomalies in the brain
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caused by the unique properties
of volcanic rock?
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Or, as many Japanese
themselves believe,
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could the cause be something
even more incredible?
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There's an old saying that says
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what we do in life
echoes in eternity.
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And if we have a forest
where hundreds of people
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have gone to that forest
to commit suicide
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for over 60 years,
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could the dark energy
of all of the departed souls
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be lurking there?
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Could that energy
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be what is attracting people
to come to the forest?
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SHATNER:
Tragic souls of the departed
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luring others in...
to join them.
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A farâfetched notion, perhaps.
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But no more bizarre
than what has been happening
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at the Aokigahara forest
for the past six decades.
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And no less disturbing
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than what happened
to a group of hikers
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on a mountaintop
nearly 4,000 miles away.
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A mountain that the locals
have named...
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"Don't Go There."
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SHATNER:
January 1959.
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00:11:02,829 --> 00:11:06,207
Nine mountaineers from
the Ural Polytechnic Institute
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embark on a perilous journey
through Russia's Ural Mountains.
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Their destination:
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00:11:12,589 --> 00:11:16,217
a remote mountain peak
known as Otorten,
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which in the local
Mansi language means:
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"Don't Go There."
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STONEHILL:
They went out on this very
strenuous trek, or mission,
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to show that the mountain
could be conquered.
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As far as we know,
they were all experienced.
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Igor Dyatlov,
who was in charge of the group,
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had about seven missions
to his name.
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Similar missions.
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00:11:38,531 --> 00:11:41,201
They were supposed just
to study the mountain,
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to show that they can withstand
the incredible cold
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in this desolate place,
and come back.
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SHATNER:
A few days into their trek,
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the hikers move through a
mountain pass with high winds
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and poor visibility,
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causing them to veer
miles off course.
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Realizing their mistake,
and faced with the bitter cold
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of the coming night,
they choose to stop and camp
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00:12:07,977 --> 00:12:10,396
on a slope called
Kholat Syakhl,
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which in Mansi translates
to "The Mountain of the Dead."
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(wind whistling)
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STONEHILL:
It's a really windy area.
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When I say "windy,"
the winds are horrible.
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And they should not have
put the tent on that slope.
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They could have done it easily,
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what, 100 meters away,
in the forest.
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They went against
all the knowledge
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that experienced trackers
should have.
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00:12:33,253 --> 00:12:35,922
So, why would they
put it out there?
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What drove them?
Nobody knows for sure.
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(wind whistling)
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SHATNER:
Weeks later,
when it becomes clear
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00:12:42,428 --> 00:12:44,764
that the group has failed
to return from its expedition,
253
00:12:44,764 --> 00:12:49,102
a military search and rescue
operation is launched.
254
00:12:49,102 --> 00:12:52,230
They find the campsite abandoned
255
00:12:52,230 --> 00:12:55,441
and a tent
that has been torn to pieces.
256
00:12:55,441 --> 00:12:58,194
Curiously, the investigators
determined that the tent
257
00:12:58,194 --> 00:13:00,488
was cut and ripped open
from the inside,
258
00:13:00,488 --> 00:13:04,659
and the hikers appear to have
fled in socks, or barefoot.
259
00:13:04,659 --> 00:13:08,538
We're dealing with a group
of experienced hikers
260
00:13:08,538 --> 00:13:10,832
who escaped their tent
in the middle of the night
261
00:13:10,832 --> 00:13:12,250
without any reason,
262
00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:14,294
unless something happened
to their minds.
263
00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:16,838
SHATNER:
In search of the hikers,
264
00:13:16,838 --> 00:13:18,840
the investigators move
to the edge
265
00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,633
of a nearby forest.
266
00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:22,510
What they eventually find
267
00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:26,806
has defied explanation
for more than 50 years.
268
00:13:26,806 --> 00:13:28,808
STONEHILL:
Four of them were
discovered initially,
269
00:13:28,808 --> 00:13:30,685
and five of them
were found later.
270
00:13:30,685 --> 00:13:32,979
And they all died differently.
271
00:13:32,979 --> 00:13:36,691
Some of the bodies died
from exposure, and were intact.
272
00:13:36,691 --> 00:13:40,403
Some of them were
dressed completely.
273
00:13:40,403 --> 00:13:43,322
Most of them were naked,
so to say.
274
00:13:43,322 --> 00:13:45,992
Others had horrible wounds
on them.
275
00:13:45,992 --> 00:13:48,494
Their bones were crushed
inside their bodies.
276
00:13:48,494 --> 00:13:51,664
Others, their skull was crushed.
277
00:13:51,664 --> 00:13:56,252
One woman lost her tongue
and parts of her face.
278
00:13:56,252 --> 00:13:58,254
Others were burned,
279
00:13:58,254 --> 00:14:00,173
like somebody put
their feet in the fire
280
00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:01,382
or they put it themselves.
281
00:14:01,382 --> 00:14:03,593
(alarmed shouting)
282
00:14:03,593 --> 00:14:07,764
They escaped like some force,
something scared them.
283
00:14:11,184 --> 00:14:13,853
SHATNER:
The official causes
of death for the hikers
284
00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:16,481
claimed that six had died
from hypothermia,
285
00:14:16,481 --> 00:14:19,067
and the other three
from fatal injuries
286
00:14:19,067 --> 00:14:23,488
caused by an unknown
compelling force.
287
00:14:23,488 --> 00:14:26,282
But the inquiry was forced
to an abrupt end
288
00:14:26,282 --> 00:14:27,784
by the Soviet government,
289
00:14:27,784 --> 00:14:31,079
and the chief investigator
refused to sign off
290
00:14:31,079 --> 00:14:32,872
on the final report.
291
00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:35,625
STONEHILL:
There were two investigators,
initially,
292
00:14:35,625 --> 00:14:38,377
and they were told to shut up
and close the case
293
00:14:38,377 --> 00:14:41,464
with the determination
that the cause of death
294
00:14:41,464 --> 00:14:45,885
was an invisible force of nature
that killed them.
295
00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:48,387
NOORY: In some cases,
the fact that some of them died
296
00:14:48,387 --> 00:14:51,390
from the bitter cold, okay,
that makes sense.
297
00:14:51,390 --> 00:14:53,392
They're in a region
that's freezing.
298
00:14:53,392 --> 00:14:55,103
But what about the other people?
299
00:14:55,103 --> 00:14:57,814
Fractured skulls, crushed lungs.
300
00:14:57,814 --> 00:14:59,899
There's something weird here.
301
00:15:02,110 --> 00:15:04,946
SHATNER:
What was the "compelling force"
302
00:15:04,946 --> 00:15:08,533
that inflicted such brutal
and grotesque harm
303
00:15:08,533 --> 00:15:10,368
on these victims?
304
00:15:10,368 --> 00:15:13,704
While some have speculated that
it could have been an avalanche
305
00:15:13,704 --> 00:15:16,374
or even an attack
by Mansi tribes,
306
00:15:16,374 --> 00:15:20,086
there was virtually no evidence
to support these claims.
307
00:15:20,086 --> 00:15:24,715
Others point to local legends
of some kind of monster.
308
00:15:24,715 --> 00:15:27,593
A creature capable
of tearing people apart
309
00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:30,096
with its voice.
310
00:15:30,096 --> 00:15:32,765
There are descriptions
of Mansi warning people
311
00:15:32,765 --> 00:15:36,561
not to go to this mountain,
not to go to this area,
312
00:15:36,561 --> 00:15:40,523
because the sounds that come
from there can kill you.
313
00:15:40,523 --> 00:15:43,609
The entity that lives
in that mountain
314
00:15:43,609 --> 00:15:46,612
emits horrible
shrieking sounds...
315
00:15:46,612 --> 00:15:49,282
(shrieking)
316
00:15:49,282 --> 00:15:52,201
...that can destroy
human beings.
317
00:15:52,201 --> 00:15:53,744
(shrieking)
318
00:15:56,372 --> 00:15:59,792
SHATNER:
Recently, a new theory
has surfaced.
319
00:15:59,792 --> 00:16:02,253
One that suggests
this mountain pass
320
00:16:02,253 --> 00:16:05,923
may be just as deadly as
the Mansi name for it implies.
321
00:16:05,923 --> 00:16:09,260
Not because of some
supernatural monster...
322
00:16:09,260 --> 00:16:10,928
(wind whistling)
323
00:16:10,928 --> 00:16:13,931
...but for a surprisingly
scientific reason.
324
00:16:16,976 --> 00:16:19,520
So, this is a very windy pass
in the Ural Mountains.
325
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:21,689
Uh, in 2014, there was
some study that was done
326
00:16:21,689 --> 00:16:23,900
that showed that the wind
kind of whipping through
327
00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:25,568
because of the topography
328
00:16:25,568 --> 00:16:28,487
caused lowâfrequency soundââ
kind of a hum.
329
00:16:31,073 --> 00:16:34,368
And lowâfrequency sound can
cause the eyeball to vibrate.
330
00:16:34,368 --> 00:16:35,870
It can cause people
to see shadows
331
00:16:35,870 --> 00:16:37,330
out of the corner of their eyes.
332
00:16:37,330 --> 00:16:38,873
Especially if you're in
an environment
333
00:16:38,873 --> 00:16:43,127
that is desolate, which is what
that was to begin with.
334
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,633
DENNIN: The dimensions and
the physics of the actual pass
335
00:16:48,633 --> 00:16:50,718
are likely to lead
to very low frequencies,
336
00:16:50,718 --> 00:16:52,470
which is exactly what
infrasound is.
337
00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:55,097
Infrasound is just referring
to any sound
338
00:16:55,097 --> 00:16:56,849
that's below our normal hearing.
339
00:16:56,849 --> 00:16:59,769
But sound itself is just
pressure waves
340
00:16:59,769 --> 00:17:01,270
and vibration of the air.
341
00:17:01,270 --> 00:17:05,191
So your body is still
detecting it,
342
00:17:05,191 --> 00:17:07,276
your ears are still
reacting to it,
343
00:17:07,276 --> 00:17:09,654
your eardrums are moving,
and that's still generating
344
00:17:09,654 --> 00:17:11,530
electrical signals
in your brain.
345
00:17:11,530 --> 00:17:13,574
So there's an impact
of the infrasound
346
00:17:13,574 --> 00:17:16,369
that we don't fully
understand yet.
347
00:17:17,578 --> 00:17:19,830
TAYLOR:
Being exposed to this sound,
348
00:17:19,830 --> 00:17:21,415
it's fatiguing your body.
349
00:17:21,415 --> 00:17:23,960
Any type of fatigue
that's longâterm
350
00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,712
can cause significant
psychosis.
351
00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:29,090
In fact, there were
several cases
352
00:17:29,090 --> 00:17:32,677
on the Mir space station
where the Russian cosmonauts
353
00:17:32,677 --> 00:17:35,596
were exposed
to various vibrations,
354
00:17:35,596 --> 00:17:38,307
and it caused them
to actually have psychosis.
355
00:17:38,307 --> 00:17:41,686
I have a friend who worked
on consoles for Mir,
356
00:17:41,686 --> 00:17:44,063
and he said that once,
one of the cosmonauts
357
00:17:44,063 --> 00:17:46,524
actually pulled a knife
on one of the other cosmonauts
358
00:17:46,524 --> 00:17:48,609
because of this type
of exposure.
359
00:17:48,609 --> 00:17:51,195
STONEHILL:
It's not like, uh, a rock
360
00:17:51,195 --> 00:17:52,863
falling on somebody's head.
361
00:17:52,863 --> 00:17:54,448
It's happening inside
their minds.
362
00:17:54,448 --> 00:17:57,285
And infrasound
is a powerful weapon.
363
00:17:57,285 --> 00:17:59,829
And, apparently,
it's affecting those
364
00:17:59,829 --> 00:18:01,455
who are coming to the mountain.
365
00:18:01,455 --> 00:18:03,791
That's why it is
a hypothesis now
366
00:18:03,791 --> 00:18:06,210
that is being explored
more and more in Russia
367
00:18:06,210 --> 00:18:10,131
as to the cause of death
of the Dyatlov tourists.
368
00:18:10,131 --> 00:18:13,551
I don't subscribe to the theory
that heavy winds
369
00:18:13,551 --> 00:18:17,346
created an atmosphere
where these people went nuts.
370
00:18:17,346 --> 00:18:19,807
I think there was
something else afoot,
371
00:18:19,807 --> 00:18:21,934
something very evil and strange
372
00:18:21,934 --> 00:18:23,769
that happened
to these nine hikers.
373
00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:25,771
And I hope we get
the answers to it.
374
00:18:25,771 --> 00:18:28,608
But again, maybe we don't want
the answer.
375
00:18:28,608 --> 00:18:31,652
Maybe because it's so hideous
and so evil,
376
00:18:31,652 --> 00:18:33,696
we don't want to know it.
377
00:18:40,411 --> 00:18:43,998
Did the harsh winds
of the Dyatlov Pass
378
00:18:43,998 --> 00:18:46,292
really create
a lowâfrequency noise
379
00:18:46,292 --> 00:18:49,045
that caused the hikers
to lose their minds
380
00:18:49,045 --> 00:18:51,297
and brutally kill each other?
381
00:18:51,297 --> 00:18:54,342
Or could it be that
a mysterious, unknown monster
382
00:18:54,342 --> 00:18:57,136
was responsible
for the hikers' deaths?
383
00:18:57,136 --> 00:19:00,139
For the nine men and women
whose bodies were found
384
00:19:00,139 --> 00:19:02,683
horribly mutilated,
the question is academic.
385
00:19:02,683 --> 00:19:05,394
As far as they were concerned,
386
00:19:05,394 --> 00:19:09,190
evil... happened here.
387
00:19:09,190 --> 00:19:11,192
And it's an evil
that isn't only found
388
00:19:11,192 --> 00:19:15,738
on remote mountaintops,
but right next door.
389
00:19:15,738 --> 00:19:19,950
And often in
the unlikeliest of places.
390
00:19:23,704 --> 00:19:25,748
Mercer County, West Virginia.
391
00:19:28,626 --> 00:19:33,422
Here on the bank of Lake Shawnee
stands the abandoned remnants
392
00:19:33,422 --> 00:19:38,552
of what was once a simple,
wholesome family amusement park.
393
00:19:38,552 --> 00:19:40,846
(carnival music playing)
394
00:19:40,846 --> 00:19:45,184
Opened in 1926,
the park thrived for decades,
395
00:19:45,184 --> 00:19:49,355
until it was abruptly closed
in 1966.
396
00:19:49,355 --> 00:19:53,192
According to local historians,
the reason for the closure
397
00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:56,070
was that what started
as a playground for children...
398
00:19:56,070 --> 00:19:57,571
(children's laughter echoing)
399
00:19:57,571 --> 00:20:00,282
...became the site
of numerous tragic
400
00:20:00,282 --> 00:20:02,201
and disturbing incidents.
401
00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,829
(children's laughter echoing)
402
00:20:04,829 --> 00:20:09,458
In the 1940s, a little girl
was riding the swings,
403
00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:11,627
and a soda delivery truck
delivered soda
404
00:20:11,627 --> 00:20:13,129
to the concession stand.
405
00:20:13,129 --> 00:20:15,881
(children's laughter)
406
00:20:15,881 --> 00:20:17,717
And whenever he did,
he backed up
407
00:20:17,717 --> 00:20:20,803
into the path of the swing,
and it killed the little girl.
408
00:20:20,803 --> 00:20:23,139
SMITH:
They tried to play it down
409
00:20:23,139 --> 00:20:26,600
because it was a child
getting killed.
410
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,270
She wasn't the only child
killed here.
411
00:20:29,270 --> 00:20:31,647
There were several kids
that drowned.
412
00:20:31,647 --> 00:20:34,233
One was a really sad story,
and I would hope
413
00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:35,484
it wouldn't happen nowadays.
414
00:20:35,484 --> 00:20:37,486
(splashing, children's laughter)
415
00:20:37,486 --> 00:20:40,614
A mother brought
her nineâyearâold here
416
00:20:40,614 --> 00:20:42,950
and dropped him off
to go swimming.
417
00:20:42,950 --> 00:20:44,744
And she went on her merry way.
418
00:20:44,744 --> 00:20:47,747
She came back
when the park was closing,
419
00:20:47,747 --> 00:20:50,249
and she couldn't find her son.
420
00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:53,627
And they looked for the son
until 10:00 at night,
421
00:20:53,627 --> 00:20:54,879
when they found him.
422
00:20:54,879 --> 00:20:56,464
His arm was stuck
423
00:20:56,464 --> 00:20:58,632
in the drain
of the swimming pool,
424
00:20:58,632 --> 00:21:01,469
and it had sucked him in,
and he couldn't get out,
425
00:21:01,469 --> 00:21:04,764
and he had just drowned.
426
00:21:04,764 --> 00:21:06,265
There was another incident
427
00:21:06,265 --> 00:21:08,934
where there was a family out
on an outing.
428
00:21:08,934 --> 00:21:11,479
They was riding a canoe
in the lake.
429
00:21:11,479 --> 00:21:13,939
âThe canoe overturned...
â(boy screaming)
430
00:21:13,939 --> 00:21:16,066
and a little boy drowned
in the lake.
431
00:21:18,778 --> 00:21:21,447
SHATNER:
Before its doors were closed,
432
00:21:21,447 --> 00:21:24,533
six children had died
in the park.
433
00:21:24,533 --> 00:21:26,994
And that might have been
reason enough for the park
434
00:21:26,994 --> 00:21:29,830
to remain closed...
but it didn't.
435
00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:34,126
In 1985, local resident
Gaylord White
436
00:21:34,126 --> 00:21:37,630
purchased the property
with hopes of reopening it.
437
00:21:39,799 --> 00:21:42,802
JEWELL WHITE:
In the 1950s,
Gaylord, my husband,
438
00:21:42,802 --> 00:21:45,554
worked here
when he was in high school.
439
00:21:45,554 --> 00:21:47,848
He fell in love with it.
440
00:21:47,848 --> 00:21:49,683
So that was his wish,
441
00:21:49,683 --> 00:21:52,144
that someday he would
own the park.
442
00:21:52,144 --> 00:21:55,022
And somebody had sent us word
443
00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,024
that the heirs
had finally decided
444
00:21:57,024 --> 00:21:58,692
they were going to sell it.
445
00:21:58,692 --> 00:22:01,070
That's how we bought it.
446
00:22:01,070 --> 00:22:05,157
We wanted to have
a children's ride park.
447
00:22:08,953 --> 00:22:12,665
SHATNER:
For years, locals believed
that the park was haunted.
448
00:22:12,665 --> 00:22:15,584
Maybe even cursed.
449
00:22:15,584 --> 00:22:17,837
Then, in the late 1980s,
450
00:22:17,837 --> 00:22:21,131
the White family
made some curious discoveries.
451
00:22:23,008 --> 00:22:25,135
CHRIS:
We started finding
a lot of pottery
452
00:22:25,135 --> 00:22:30,182
and Native American tools
and arrowheads, stuff like that.
453
00:22:30,182 --> 00:22:33,853
So we stopped doing
the bulldozing.
454
00:22:33,853 --> 00:22:35,938
We called Marshall University.
455
00:22:35,938 --> 00:22:38,190
They put together
an archaeological team
456
00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:40,442
that would come down
to the park.
457
00:22:40,442 --> 00:22:42,945
They started uncovering bodies.
458
00:22:42,945 --> 00:22:46,448
So that's when we knew we had
a Native American burial ground
459
00:22:46,448 --> 00:22:47,992
on the property.
460
00:22:49,952 --> 00:22:52,288
I know that one
of the burial sites
461
00:22:52,288 --> 00:22:55,583
was a Native American
14âyearâold girl,
462
00:22:55,583 --> 00:22:59,587
and the belief is that she died
from giving childbirth
463
00:22:59,587 --> 00:23:02,506
because the child was buried
next to her.
464
00:23:06,135 --> 00:23:08,637
SHATNER:
A series of tragic deaths
465
00:23:08,637 --> 00:23:11,599
at an amusement park
built on the site
466
00:23:11,599 --> 00:23:14,059
of a Native American
burial ground?
467
00:23:14,059 --> 00:23:16,770
âA coincidence?
â(children's laughter echoing)
468
00:23:16,770 --> 00:23:20,774
As far as paranormal
investigators are concerned...
469
00:23:20,774 --> 00:23:23,277
not a chance.
470
00:23:23,277 --> 00:23:27,406
SPINKS:
The first time I stepped foot
on Lake Shawnee Amusement Park,
471
00:23:27,406 --> 00:23:30,034
I felt like I was being watched.
472
00:23:30,034 --> 00:23:34,747
It was an ominous,
just negative feeling.
473
00:23:38,042 --> 00:23:41,754
I don't necessarily believe
that places are born bad.
474
00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:46,258
I believe that things
have to occur
475
00:23:46,258 --> 00:23:50,012
for a place to become
negative in nature.
476
00:23:50,012 --> 00:23:53,265
CHRIS:
People said whenever
they come to the park
477
00:23:53,265 --> 00:23:56,602
that they see the swings
move on their own,
478
00:23:56,602 --> 00:23:58,729
or maybe they see an image
of the little girl
479
00:23:58,729 --> 00:24:00,105
that's riding the swings.
480
00:24:03,734 --> 00:24:06,362
SMITH:
Seeing only one swing move
when I look at it,
481
00:24:06,362 --> 00:24:08,030
and no one else sees it,
482
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:10,491
or it stops as soon
as someone else is looking,
483
00:24:10,491 --> 00:24:11,951
that's pretty scary.
484
00:24:11,951 --> 00:24:14,954
More than scary,
it's unexplained.
485
00:24:16,622 --> 00:24:19,375
We tend to be scientists now,
all of us.
486
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:21,126
We know everything
that's going on.
487
00:24:21,126 --> 00:24:24,004
And when you see something
that you don't understand,
488
00:24:24,004 --> 00:24:26,131
it gets to be creepy.
489
00:24:26,131 --> 00:24:28,801
AUERBACH:
Millions of people
have had these experiences.
490
00:24:28,801 --> 00:24:31,345
Not just hauntings,
but also of ESP experiences
491
00:24:31,345 --> 00:24:33,013
andâand related experiences.
492
00:24:33,013 --> 00:24:35,933
These are questions that science
should be looking at
493
00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:37,601
very carefully and closely.
494
00:24:37,601 --> 00:24:39,520
And to say,
oh, it's mass hallucination
495
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,647
or it's this kind of explanation
496
00:24:41,647 --> 00:24:43,649
without looking into
the experience itself,
497
00:24:43,649 --> 00:24:45,442
either the singular
or the general patterns,
498
00:24:45,442 --> 00:24:47,236
is not scientific.
499
00:24:47,236 --> 00:24:48,821
It's highly unscientific.
500
00:24:50,197 --> 00:24:51,991
SHATNER:
Is the dark history
501
00:24:51,991 --> 00:24:53,784
of the Lake Shawnee
Amusement Park
502
00:24:53,784 --> 00:24:56,829
the result of a curse
placed upon anyone
503
00:24:56,829 --> 00:24:59,581
who dares to desecrate
this sacred ground?
504
00:24:59,581 --> 00:25:04,461
Or was the area always
a place of evil?
505
00:25:04,461 --> 00:25:07,673
A place where bad things
will always happen,
506
00:25:07,673 --> 00:25:10,009
regardless of what
is built there?
507
00:25:10,009 --> 00:25:13,345
Perhaps the answer can be found
by examining a place
508
00:25:13,345 --> 00:25:16,557
where some people believe evil
not only happens
509
00:25:16,557 --> 00:25:19,143
but can actually be measured.
510
00:25:19,143 --> 00:25:22,980
Not only in fear and suffering,
but scientifically.
511
00:25:22,980 --> 00:25:25,607
And can be proven
to be as tangible
512
00:25:25,607 --> 00:25:28,360
as flesh and blood.
513
00:25:36,118 --> 00:25:38,203
SHATNER:
Cayuga, Indiana.
514
00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:41,874
February 16, 2019.
515
00:25:41,874 --> 00:25:45,210
Paranormal investigator
Dave Spinks
516
00:25:45,210 --> 00:25:47,713
and his associate Haley Sharp
517
00:25:47,713 --> 00:25:50,799
have traveled here
to this small town
518
00:25:50,799 --> 00:25:53,302
to investigate a house
that many consider
519
00:25:53,302 --> 00:25:57,014
to be the most evil place
in North America.
520
00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:00,392
Referred to as Willows Weep,
521
00:26:00,392 --> 00:26:03,771
it has been the site
of a series of gruesome deaths
522
00:26:03,771 --> 00:26:07,024
since it was built
in the 19th century.
523
00:26:15,699 --> 00:26:17,743
Brenda Johnson
owns Willows Weep.
524
00:26:17,743 --> 00:26:19,620
âHi, Brenda.
âHi, Dave.
525
00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:20,913
SHATNER:
She dismissed the rumors
526
00:26:20,913 --> 00:26:22,748
about it being an evil place
527
00:26:22,748 --> 00:26:25,501
and purchased it
only a few years ago,
528
00:26:25,501 --> 00:26:27,169
with plans to renovate it.
529
00:26:27,169 --> 00:26:28,420
âThis is my assistant, Haley.
âHi.
530
00:26:28,420 --> 00:26:29,630
âHi.
âIt's nice to meet you.
531
00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:31,048
SHATNER:
But recent events
532
00:26:31,048 --> 00:26:33,133
have convinced her
that she may have made
533
00:26:33,133 --> 00:26:35,135
a terrible mistake.
534
00:26:35,135 --> 00:26:38,097
To this end,
she's invited Dave and Haley
535
00:26:38,097 --> 00:26:40,099
to come and investigate
the house,
536
00:26:40,099 --> 00:26:43,936
and see if her strange
experiences can be verified.
537
00:26:43,936 --> 00:26:46,772
SPINKS:
So... how are you doing?
538
00:26:46,772 --> 00:26:48,148
(chuckling):
Not good standing here.
539
00:26:48,148 --> 00:26:50,776
All night last night, I was sick
540
00:26:50,776 --> 00:26:53,779
thinking about coming over here
around this house.
541
00:26:53,779 --> 00:26:55,114
So tell us a little bit
about the house,
542
00:26:55,114 --> 00:26:56,156
some of your experiences here.
543
00:26:56,156 --> 00:26:58,367
Well, when I bought the house,
544
00:26:58,367 --> 00:27:00,285
we started working on it,
545
00:27:00,285 --> 00:27:02,287
and then my son was
working on the ceiling,
546
00:27:02,287 --> 00:27:06,291
the boards come flying off
at him and hurt him, and...
547
00:27:06,291 --> 00:27:07,960
I've been scratched in there.
548
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:09,878
Six claw marks down my back.
549
00:27:09,878 --> 00:27:13,298
Doors slamming on you,
banging underneath the floors.
550
00:27:13,298 --> 00:27:15,634
SPINKS:
I understand there's been deaths
in this house.
551
00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:17,594
Can you kind of go
through those a little bit?
552
00:27:17,594 --> 00:27:18,762
Yeah.
553
00:27:20,389 --> 00:27:24,476
The man that built the house,
he died in the bathtub.
554
00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:28,814
There was two suicides,
and then another hanging.
555
00:27:28,814 --> 00:27:34,111
And I heard that three men
had been poisoned.
556
00:27:34,111 --> 00:27:37,072
About six months prior
before I bought it,
557
00:27:37,072 --> 00:27:40,200
there was a man that,
he committed suicide in there.
558
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:41,994
He fell into the chair and...
559
00:27:41,994 --> 00:27:43,662
SPINKS:
That's where they found him?
560
00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:45,622
They found him, what,
a couple days later, right?
561
00:27:45,622 --> 00:27:48,834
âJOHNSON: A week.
âSPINKS: A week?
Week later. Okay.
562
00:27:50,586 --> 00:27:52,838
Do you think what's
in that house is evil?
563
00:27:52,838 --> 00:27:54,339
Yes, I do.
564
00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:56,842
âWithout a doubt?
âYes, I do, without a doubt.
565
00:27:56,842 --> 00:27:59,344
If it wasn't evil,
it wouldn't be hurting people.
566
00:27:59,344 --> 00:28:01,680
I don't think there's
nothing good in there.
567
00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,017
âThe house was built
in the late 1800s, correct?
â1890.
568
00:28:05,017 --> 00:28:08,353
âYes.
âSPINKS: So, regarding
the shape of the house,
569
00:28:08,353 --> 00:28:10,272
it's in the shape of aâa cross.
570
00:28:10,272 --> 00:28:11,523
Upsideâdown cross.
571
00:28:11,523 --> 00:28:14,526
âSPINKS: Strange.
âJOHNSON: Yes.
572
00:28:14,526 --> 00:28:17,195
(chuckling):
Very strange.
573
00:28:17,195 --> 00:28:19,865
SPINKS:
Do you think the guy was
into some weird stuff,
574
00:28:19,865 --> 00:28:22,200
like occult stuff,
that built it?
575
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,036
Why would you build
a house like that
576
00:28:24,036 --> 00:28:25,203
if you wasn't into something?
577
00:28:25,203 --> 00:28:26,705
SPINKS:
Absolutely.
578
00:28:26,705 --> 00:28:28,582
So we're getting ready
to go into this house
579
00:28:28,582 --> 00:28:30,792
and investigate it.
Would you like to join us?
580
00:28:30,792 --> 00:28:33,003
No. No way.
Never go back in there again.
581
00:28:33,003 --> 00:28:34,880
âEver.
âAll right. We're gonna
582
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,341
âget in there and investigate.
âAll right.
583
00:28:40,552 --> 00:28:42,679
âSPINKS: Here we go.
âSHARP: All right.
584
00:28:45,223 --> 00:28:47,893
Pretty heavy in here.
585
00:28:47,893 --> 00:28:49,144
SHARP:
Definitely.
586
00:28:51,229 --> 00:28:53,273
Well, where do you want
to get set up?
587
00:28:53,273 --> 00:28:55,108
âRight here.
âOkay.
588
00:28:55,108 --> 00:28:58,737
SHATNER:
To see if the house
might contain strange anomalies,
589
00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:01,823
Dave and Haley will use
a temperature sensor,
590
00:29:01,823 --> 00:29:04,326
which can detect fluctuations
in both temperature
591
00:29:04,326 --> 00:29:07,287
and electromagnetic fields.
592
00:29:07,287 --> 00:29:10,749
All right, 41, 40 degrees,
and it's going down.
593
00:29:18,048 --> 00:29:19,967
SHARP:
It really likes this area.
594
00:29:19,967 --> 00:29:24,554
SPINKS:
Yeah. It's going nuts.
595
00:29:24,554 --> 00:29:26,932
SHATNER: The temperature sensor
has been dropping steadily,
596
00:29:26,932 --> 00:29:29,351
by as much as nine degrees.
597
00:29:29,351 --> 00:29:31,770
But why?
598
00:29:31,770 --> 00:29:33,647
So, this room is appearing to be
599
00:29:33,647 --> 00:29:35,524
âpretty active so far.
âYeah.
600
00:29:35,524 --> 00:29:37,442
I mean, the whole house
really is.
601
00:29:37,442 --> 00:29:41,947
But we've got a lot of hits
right here, uh, on this device.
602
00:29:41,947 --> 00:29:44,783
SHARP:
This is the chair
that Brenda was talking about.
603
00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:46,660
SPINKS:
Yeah, look at the blood on it.
604
00:29:46,660 --> 00:29:50,038
It's a really sad,
heavy feeling right here, too,
605
00:29:50,038 --> 00:29:52,249
in the pit of my stomach.
606
00:29:52,249 --> 00:29:56,003
Almost immediately, the device
started going off in the chair,
607
00:29:56,003 --> 00:30:00,465
where a man who killed himself
in the house several years ago
608
00:30:00,465 --> 00:30:03,218
âwas found in.
âSHARP: Something there.
609
00:30:03,218 --> 00:30:04,970
SHATNER:
Could the strange changes
610
00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:06,471
in the temperature of the house
611
00:30:06,471 --> 00:30:09,182
be caused by some
explainable force?
612
00:30:09,182 --> 00:30:11,476
A sudden drop
in barometric pressure
613
00:30:11,476 --> 00:30:15,856
caused by the presence of a deep
underground well, perhaps?
614
00:30:17,315 --> 00:30:21,319
Or could it be caused by...
something else?
615
00:30:21,319 --> 00:30:24,489
Something that can't yet
be explained?
616
00:30:24,489 --> 00:30:27,492
I'm getting the sickness,
the headache.
617
00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:31,329
Definitely something negative
in here, in my opinion.
618
00:30:31,329 --> 00:30:33,582
âI agree.
âAll right, so let's
get out of here.
619
00:30:33,582 --> 00:30:34,833
âLet's go.
âAll right.
620
00:30:34,833 --> 00:30:37,419
SHATNER:
Dave and Haley are beginning
621
00:30:37,419 --> 00:30:39,171
to suspect that the stories
622
00:30:39,171 --> 00:30:41,923
of Willows Weep
being an evil place
623
00:30:41,923 --> 00:30:45,969
might be based on more
than fear and superstition.
624
00:30:47,179 --> 00:30:48,930
SHARP:
The house is scary.
625
00:30:48,930 --> 00:30:51,516
I wouldn't want to be
in this house alone.
626
00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:53,685
I'd say this house
does have some evil in it.
627
00:30:53,685 --> 00:30:55,854
It does not give you
a good feeling.
628
00:30:55,854 --> 00:30:58,440
It wants to suck the life
out of you.
629
00:31:00,859 --> 00:31:02,861
SPINKS:
I've been to many locations,
630
00:31:02,861 --> 00:31:05,697
and this one stands out
above all of them so far.
631
00:31:05,697 --> 00:31:09,367
In my personal opinion,
there are many spirits
632
00:31:09,367 --> 00:31:11,369
and entities in this house.
633
00:31:11,369 --> 00:31:14,539
There are human spirits
and possibly demonic spirits
634
00:31:14,539 --> 00:31:18,043
that influenced the humans
that have lived in this house
635
00:31:18,043 --> 00:31:22,464
and quite possibly have
caused them to harm themselves.
636
00:31:24,508 --> 00:31:27,552
SHATNER:
Once outside, Dave and Haley
give owner Brenda Johnson
637
00:31:27,552 --> 00:31:30,889
a report on their findings,
but not before
638
00:31:30,889 --> 00:31:34,601
Dave makes Brenda
a rather surprising offer.
639
00:31:34,601 --> 00:31:36,394
I know you really don't
like this place.
640
00:31:36,394 --> 00:31:39,022
âNo.
âAnd I know that you want
to get rid of it.
641
00:31:39,022 --> 00:31:42,484
âYeah.
âBecause I'd like to purchase
the house from you.
642
00:31:42,484 --> 00:31:43,944
(laughs)
643
00:31:43,944 --> 00:31:45,612
âMmâhmm.
âOkay.
644
00:31:45,612 --> 00:31:47,364
âYes.
âSHATNER: Dave is willing to be
645
00:31:47,364 --> 00:31:49,407
âthe next owner of Willows Weep.
âAll right.
646
00:31:49,407 --> 00:31:51,076
âAll right. Thank you.
âThank you, hon.
647
00:31:51,076 --> 00:31:53,578
SPINKS:
I told Brenda,
if I owned this house,
648
00:31:53,578 --> 00:31:56,248
I could investigate it
much further
649
00:31:56,248 --> 00:31:58,458
and much more inâdepth,
650
00:31:58,458 --> 00:32:01,294
and possibly come
to a conclusion
651
00:32:01,294 --> 00:32:04,965
as to what's causing the evil
that lurks within its walls.
652
00:32:04,965 --> 00:32:07,592
That is, if something
doesn't happen to me first.
653
00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:08,802
JOHNSON:
You, too.
654
00:32:08,802 --> 00:32:10,262
SPINKS:
Luckily for me, she agreed.
655
00:32:10,262 --> 00:32:12,848
She really couldn't wait
to sell the place.
656
00:32:14,850 --> 00:32:18,812
Was Willows Weep really built
to attract evil spirits?
657
00:32:18,812 --> 00:32:22,274
For Brenda Johnson,
Dave Spinks and Haley Sharp,
658
00:32:22,274 --> 00:32:26,611
the answer
is a very disturbing yes.
659
00:32:26,611 --> 00:32:29,114
But why would someone
660
00:32:29,114 --> 00:32:32,492
deliberately want to construct
an evil place?
661
00:32:32,492 --> 00:32:37,289
Unless, perhaps, it wasn't meant
to attract demonic spirits,
662
00:32:37,289 --> 00:32:39,791
but to entrap them,
663
00:32:39,791 --> 00:32:43,003
in an effort to create
a deadly warning
664
00:32:43,003 --> 00:32:46,590
that demons are real.
665
00:32:52,345 --> 00:32:56,099
SHATNER:
Honduras, February 2015.
666
00:32:56,099 --> 00:32:57,392
(birds chirping,
insects trilling)
667
00:32:57,392 --> 00:32:59,311
Deep in the heart of the jungle,
668
00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:03,356
a team of American explorers,
journalists and archaeologists
669
00:33:03,356 --> 00:33:05,525
make a dramatic discovery:
670
00:33:05,525 --> 00:33:07,152
evidence of an ancient city
671
00:33:07,152 --> 00:33:11,656
that has been lost
for more than 500 years.
672
00:33:11,656 --> 00:33:14,534
We were standing there
on the banks of this river,
673
00:33:14,534 --> 00:33:17,579
and the archaeologist was
pointing to this wall of jungle
674
00:33:17,579 --> 00:33:19,247
and saying, across the river,
675
00:33:19,247 --> 00:33:22,209
"That's the beginning
of the lost city."
676
00:33:24,294 --> 00:33:26,546
So we crossed the river
677
00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:29,841
with the soldiers with machetes
cutting a path for us.
678
00:33:31,968 --> 00:33:35,305
And all of a sudden, there it is
rising up out of the jungle.
679
00:33:35,305 --> 00:33:37,140
Just straight up, practically.
680
00:33:37,140 --> 00:33:39,643
It was the most amazing thing.
681
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,608
And then what we saw
was a cache of sacred objects
682
00:33:46,608 --> 00:33:49,486
carved out of stone
that had been left
683
00:33:49,486 --> 00:33:52,280
at the time
the city was abandoned,
684
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:55,867
and this was a gigantic mystery.
685
00:33:55,867 --> 00:33:59,079
Why did these people leave
all of a sudden?
686
00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:04,209
SHATNER:
The expedition announced
687
00:34:04,209 --> 00:34:06,878
that they had uncovered
the top level of a vast city
688
00:34:06,878 --> 00:34:10,632
which has been buried under
centuries of jungle vegetation.
689
00:34:10,632 --> 00:34:13,468
Soon afterwards,
many began to speculate
690
00:34:13,468 --> 00:34:16,930
as to whether the ruins
were those of a legendary place
691
00:34:16,930 --> 00:34:19,891
known to Hondurans
as Ciudad Blanca,
692
00:34:19,891 --> 00:34:22,435
or the White City,
693
00:34:22,435 --> 00:34:26,356
a place that was believed to
have been deserted centuries ago
694
00:34:26,356 --> 00:34:29,693
because of a deadly curse.
695
00:34:29,693 --> 00:34:33,280
When we went to do
our ground expedition in 2015,
696
00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:37,450
many of the local Hondurans and
the Honduran Air Force people
697
00:34:37,450 --> 00:34:39,786
that were with us
and the special forces people
698
00:34:39,786 --> 00:34:41,913
said, "Oh, yeah, my grandmother
or my grandfather told me
699
00:34:41,913 --> 00:34:43,957
"all about the lost city
when we were kids,
700
00:34:43,957 --> 00:34:45,792
and they said it's cursed."
701
00:34:45,792 --> 00:34:50,672
They said, "If you go there
and you pick any of the flowers,
702
00:34:50,672 --> 00:34:53,466
you will die,
you will never come back."
703
00:34:56,970 --> 00:34:59,180
TOK THOMPSON:
In the case of the White City,
704
00:34:59,180 --> 00:35:02,892
there is a very interesting
tradition of a Tawahka Indian
705
00:35:02,892 --> 00:35:05,312
who came to live there
with them,
706
00:35:05,312 --> 00:35:08,523
uh, and they refused him
shelter, chased him out.
707
00:35:08,523 --> 00:35:11,276
And in turn, he cursed the city,
708
00:35:11,276 --> 00:35:14,529
âand he cursed that area...
â(man screaming)
709
00:35:14,529 --> 00:35:18,783
so that it became, basically,
a poisonous area to live in
710
00:35:18,783 --> 00:35:21,286
and the people had to abandon
their city and leave.
711
00:35:24,623 --> 00:35:26,833
PRESTON:
You know, we heard
these stories,
712
00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:28,835
but, you know, we're scientists.
713
00:35:28,835 --> 00:35:33,381
We're anthropologists,
archaeologists, ethnobotanists.
714
00:35:33,381 --> 00:35:35,800
You know, we don't believe
in curses.
715
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,761
Or so we thought.
716
00:35:37,761 --> 00:35:42,515
But, you know, sometimes curses
are based on the truth.
717
00:35:43,808 --> 00:35:46,269
âȘ âȘ
718
00:35:46,269 --> 00:35:49,731
ELKINS:
After we completed
our first ground expedition,
719
00:35:49,731 --> 00:35:52,442
everybody came back alive,
nobody got injured.
720
00:35:52,442 --> 00:35:54,069
We're shaking hands,
721
00:35:54,069 --> 00:35:56,696
tipping a beer and going,
"Great, we made it."
722
00:35:56,696 --> 00:35:58,365
You know, everyone survived.
723
00:35:58,365 --> 00:36:00,283
We all had hundreds
of bug bites.
724
00:36:02,077 --> 00:36:06,122
Didn't think anything of them
until about a month later.
725
00:36:06,122 --> 00:36:11,670
And 60% of our crew,
including the Hondurans,
726
00:36:11,670 --> 00:36:14,005
they had a bug bite
that didn't go away.
727
00:36:14,005 --> 00:36:16,132
It got bigger.
728
00:36:16,132 --> 00:36:21,680
Eventually, it became a big
open wound, a big open ulcer.
729
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,932
A couple other people
became very, very ill.
730
00:36:23,932 --> 00:36:26,393
Two of them almost died.
731
00:36:26,393 --> 00:36:29,729
And then we had them diagnose it
at NIH, and they said, yes,
732
00:36:29,729 --> 00:36:32,774
you have leishmaniasis, but not
even just regular leishmaniasis.
733
00:36:32,774 --> 00:36:34,609
This is an entirely new one.
734
00:36:34,609 --> 00:36:36,820
We just did a genetic sequence,
735
00:36:36,820 --> 00:36:39,906
and it's a really virulent one
we've never seen before.
736
00:36:41,950 --> 00:36:45,453
SHATNER:
More commonly known
as "fleshâeating disease,"
737
00:36:45,453 --> 00:36:48,665
leishmaniasis is a rare
parasitic disease
738
00:36:48,665 --> 00:36:51,710
that is spread by the bites
of certain sandflies.
739
00:36:51,710 --> 00:36:54,254
The affliction eats away
at the skin
740
00:36:54,254 --> 00:36:57,090
of the limbs, nose and mouth.
741
00:36:57,090 --> 00:36:58,925
The new strain
that infected the explorers
742
00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:00,802
is particularly aggressive
743
00:37:00,802 --> 00:37:04,055
and, if not treated properly,
fatal.
744
00:37:05,515 --> 00:37:08,643
But even so, a parasitic disease
745
00:37:08,643 --> 00:37:11,813
is hardly proof
of an ancient curse.
746
00:37:11,813 --> 00:37:14,357
Or is it?
747
00:37:14,357 --> 00:37:17,152
WHITEHEAD:
What's interesting
about the legend of this curse
748
00:37:17,152 --> 00:37:19,446
is that it actually does
appear to be true.
749
00:37:19,446 --> 00:37:22,407
How can we explain that hundreds
of years ago,
750
00:37:22,407 --> 00:37:25,118
a man left a curse saying
that, forevermore,
751
00:37:25,118 --> 00:37:28,455
people will be ravaged by
disease and all of these things,
752
00:37:28,455 --> 00:37:30,790
and then we actually
see it happen?
753
00:37:32,125 --> 00:37:34,085
SHATNER:
Was it merely a coincidence
754
00:37:34,085 --> 00:37:36,504
that the American team
happened to contract
755
00:37:36,504 --> 00:37:39,340
a deadly and previously
unknown disease
756
00:37:39,340 --> 00:37:41,301
at a site believed to be cursed?
757
00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:46,890
Or could the curse
have been real?
758
00:37:46,890 --> 00:37:48,892
As far as journalist
Doug Preston is concerned,
759
00:37:48,892 --> 00:37:50,935
the answer is obvious.
760
00:37:50,935 --> 00:37:53,605
PRESTON:
I used to think that curses
were just kind of silly,
761
00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:55,440
but not anymore.
762
00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:59,027
Next time I go somewhere
and I'm told that it's cursed,
763
00:37:59,027 --> 00:38:01,237
I'm really gonna
think twice about it.
764
00:38:02,489 --> 00:38:06,034
SHATNER:
If evil places really do exist,
765
00:38:06,034 --> 00:38:08,244
is it possible to cure them?
766
00:38:08,244 --> 00:38:10,121
To rid them of the pestilence
767
00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:13,166
that infects anyone
who gets too close?
768
00:38:13,166 --> 00:38:17,003
There are those who believe
the answer is a profound yes.
769
00:38:17,003 --> 00:38:19,756
And it involves fighting fire...
770
00:38:19,756 --> 00:38:21,132
(man screaming)
771
00:38:21,132 --> 00:38:23,134
...with fire.
772
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:37,190
SHATNER:
Dogotuki Village, Fiji,
July 2018.
773
00:38:37,190 --> 00:38:40,652
Members of a church group
set two houses on fire
774
00:38:40,652 --> 00:38:42,487
and burn them to the ground.
775
00:38:42,487 --> 00:38:45,031
The blaze is intended
to purge the village
776
00:38:45,031 --> 00:38:47,617
of evil spirits believed
to have been responsible
777
00:38:47,617 --> 00:38:49,953
for the recent deaths
of 20 people.
778
00:38:53,873 --> 00:38:56,417
These houses were older houses,
but they had been
779
00:38:56,417 --> 00:39:00,046
traditionally associated
with magical practices
780
00:39:00,046 --> 00:39:03,633
and the reports of witchcraft
being practiced.
781
00:39:03,633 --> 00:39:06,678
WHITEHEAD:
And as they burnt the places
down to the ground,
782
00:39:06,678 --> 00:39:08,471
some of the villagers reported
seeing a demon
783
00:39:08,471 --> 00:39:10,932
come out of the ashes.
784
00:39:10,932 --> 00:39:13,935
And they've reported all kinds
of really creepy things
785
00:39:13,935 --> 00:39:16,855
that happened once they tried
to burn down those houses.
786
00:39:16,855 --> 00:39:20,108
So the question is:
Were they successful
787
00:39:20,108 --> 00:39:22,193
in getting rid of evil
in that place?
788
00:39:22,193 --> 00:39:26,155
Or did they actually just
aggravate it more
789
00:39:26,155 --> 00:39:28,491
by burning those houses
to the ground?
790
00:39:30,076 --> 00:39:32,704
THOMPSON:
Fire is a very common means
791
00:39:32,704 --> 00:39:35,206
of spiritual purification.
792
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:40,211
And so many different traditions
incorporate fire in some sense,
793
00:39:40,211 --> 00:39:44,632
very often
for its destructive properties,
794
00:39:44,632 --> 00:39:48,219
and yet at the same time,
cleansing properties.
795
00:39:48,219 --> 00:39:51,681
I've had a lot of people on my
radio show who have apparently
796
00:39:51,681 --> 00:39:55,310
cleansed haunted houses
and haunted areas.
797
00:39:55,310 --> 00:39:57,896
They talk about putting sage
798
00:39:57,896 --> 00:40:00,481
around the perimeter
of the house
799
00:40:00,481 --> 00:40:04,193
and things like that that chase
away the evil spirits.
800
00:40:04,193 --> 00:40:07,989
But by and large,
I'm not sure that works.
801
00:40:07,989 --> 00:40:11,492
I think once a place is haunted,
it's gonna haunt,
802
00:40:11,492 --> 00:40:13,703
it's gonna do what it does.
803
00:40:13,703 --> 00:40:17,832
ONO:
I think there are energies in
life that we don't understand.
804
00:40:17,832 --> 00:40:20,335
Either created
through our own minds
805
00:40:20,335 --> 00:40:22,211
in our own physical energy,
806
00:40:22,211 --> 00:40:25,965
or perhaps
the physical energy of a place.
807
00:40:25,965 --> 00:40:30,178
There are places where people
have died either violently
808
00:40:30,178 --> 00:40:34,223
or tragically, and that creates
this dark energy.
809
00:40:34,223 --> 00:40:38,728
There might be some
negative spirits, some ghosts.
810
00:40:38,728 --> 00:40:40,939
And that force
that's happening within it
811
00:40:40,939 --> 00:40:42,732
could also affect people.
812
00:40:42,732 --> 00:40:47,320
SPINKS: I've been to some of the
most evil and nasty locations
813
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:51,324
one could imagine, and I've seen
people's lives ruined
814
00:40:51,324 --> 00:40:54,118
by these negative evil forces.
815
00:40:54,118 --> 00:40:58,206
And in my opinion, some of these
locations are stained forever
816
00:40:58,206 --> 00:41:03,419
with the blood and the energy
of these tragic events.
817
00:41:03,419 --> 00:41:07,131
These murders, these suicides.
818
00:41:07,131 --> 00:41:09,801
And to me,
that can never go away.
819
00:41:15,473 --> 00:41:18,309
Fire,
820
00:41:18,309 --> 00:41:22,480
cleansing the evil that infects
certain cursed places.
821
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:23,856
Nonsense, right?
822
00:41:23,856 --> 00:41:25,274
As far as you're concerned,
823
00:41:25,274 --> 00:41:26,901
there's no such thing
as evil places.
824
00:41:26,901 --> 00:41:30,405
Well, then maybe you'd like
to spend the night
825
00:41:30,405 --> 00:41:33,533
at Willows Weep, hmm?
826
00:41:33,533 --> 00:41:38,037
Or ride the swing set
at Lake Shawnee Amusement Park.
827
00:41:38,037 --> 00:41:42,166
Or perhaps you'd like
to have a picnic lunch
828
00:41:42,166 --> 00:41:44,836
at Japan's Suicide Forest.
829
00:41:44,836 --> 00:41:47,255
No?
830
00:41:47,255 --> 00:41:49,924
What's the matter,
are you frightened?
831
00:41:49,924 --> 00:41:53,052
Or are you just too smart
832
00:41:53,052 --> 00:41:55,930
to tamper with things
in the world
833
00:41:55,930 --> 00:41:59,767
that are The UnXplained?
834
00:41:59,767 --> 00:42:02,812
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