All language subtitles for The UnXplained S04E08 Uncanny Curses 1080p HULU WEB-DL AAC2 0 H 264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
A lake where a shockingly

high number of people
have drowned.

An ancient tomb

that is guarded by the soul
of an evil warlord.

And objects with the power
to harm anyone

who touches them.

All over the world,
there are places and objects

that are thought to be cursed.

But are curses simply
the product of our need to find

reasons for tragedies
that we can't explain?

Or could they actually be real?

Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
Deep within this mountain
range lies Lake Lanier.

Millions of people venture
to this popular vacation spot

Millions of people venture
to this popular vacation spot
to relax and unwind

to relax and unwind

despite the fact that every year

despite the fact that every year
a shocking number
of people drown

a shocking number
of people drown

within its placid waters...

...and many of their bodies
are never seen again.

LISA RUSSELL:
If you live anywhere

near Lake Lanier
in North Georgia,

you're gonna hear,
every summer, all of the deaths.

There are bad boating accidents.

And when somebody
goes overboard,

it's almost impossible to
find them before they drown.

BUCK BUCHANAN:
Lake Lanier, from the surface,
looks clear.

But we hear time and time again

when we respond to
these drownings,

people would say that,
"He didn't go into the water,

"come up, struggle, and drown.

He went in
and never came back up."

And this happens
time and time again.

And this happens
time and time again.
This lake seems to take people

This lake seems to take people

in one gulp.

MITCH HOROWITZ:
Lake Lanier is 26 miles long,

MITCH HOROWITZ:
Lake Lanier is 26 miles long,
it has 700 miles of shorefront.

it has 700 miles of shorefront.

And it's tempting to
attribute the inordinate

number of fatalities
to the size of the lake.

number of fatalities
to the size of the lake.
The fact is,

The fact is,

there are lakes of commensurate
size in Northern Georgia...

...that don't have
half that number

...that don't have
half that number
of fatalities or accidents.

of fatalities or accidents.

So, clearly, there is
something about Lake Lanier

So, clearly, there is
something about Lake Lanier
that is cause for alarm.

that is cause for alarm.

SHATNER:
Since the 1950s,

it is estimated that
more than 600 people

have lost their lives
in Lake Lanier.

It is such a staggering
number of fatalities that,

for decades, many
have come to believe

that these waters may be cursed.

RUSSELL:
Even though there's
a lot of people around,

there's just some
strange vibe about the lake.

I feel it's a majestic
body of water,

but you can't deny that there's
something odd about Lake Lanier.

BUCHANAN:
When you actually
get into Lanier...

...you get a feeling
that you're not alone,

when you should be alone.

I don't feel like someone's
reaching out to grab me,

but the water feels
thicker than it should.

And what I mean by that is,

a lady fell out of a boat,
and we actually witnessed it.

And we ran over there
and pulled her out of the water

and she was very upset,
and she said,

"I'm so embarrassed,"
and I said,

"Don't worry, we see people
do this all the time."

And she said,
"No, you don't understand.

I'm a lifeguard."

And she said just when she
found herself in that water,

And she said just when she
found herself in that water,
it was just like molasses.

it was just like molasses.

So all the things
that we see in this lake,

it finally got so bad and
scared the locals so much,

that we think

maybe we're just stuck with
a curse we have to live with.

SHATNER:
Could the numerous fatalities

that have taken place
at Lake Lanier

that have taken place
at Lake Lanier
be the result of a curse?

be the result of a curse?

be the result of a curse?
It may sound
far-fetched to some.

It may sound
far-fetched to some.

But for decades,
researchers have been examining

But for decades,
researchers have been examining
the possibility that Lake Lanier

the possibility that Lake Lanier

could be harboring
the power to inflict harm.

And according to
their investigations,

it may have something to do
with the history of Lake Lanier.

JASON OCKER:
Lake Lanier is the largest
lake in Georgia.

It's a man-made lake

meant to provide water and power
to the surrounding communities.

They actually made it
by flooding a valley

that had a town in it,
Oscarville.

So, they had to relocate
the people that lived there

and then they just drowned
the entire town under water.

SHATNER:
Oscarville wasn't the only town

that was affected by
the building of Lake Lanier.

In the 1940s and 50s,
the U.S. government acquired

the rights to more than 56,000
acres of land in Forsyth,

Hall and Dawson counties

to make room for
the 38,000-acre lake

and more than
700 miles of shoreline.

This included several
small towns,

and the remains
of these communities

are still submerged beneath
the surface of Lake Lanier.

BUCHANAN:
When they built the lake,

they left tons of
structure in the water.

We've got concrete,
roads, bridges.

We've got
a racetrack under there.

We've got standing timber

that stands as high as 40,
60, 70 feet from the bottom.

HOROWITZ:
There seems to be a great
deal of debris in the water,

so it's not
an ideal place for people

to be swimming or boating,
or jet skiing, or partying.

The fact is,
it's a dangerous place.

SHATNER:
Authorities claim that many
people drown in Lake Lanier

because they get
caught in the debris

lurking beneath its surface.

But researchers
studying the lake

believe this is only
part of the story.

And that the source
of the dark force

drawing people down
into its murky depths

is a Native American
burial ground

that was submerged
by the lake's construction.

Back in 2007 there was a drought
and the water went way low.

And because of that,
they found an area

called the Summerour Mound,
Indian Mounds.

It's considered a sacred area

that belonged
to the Native Americans,

the Creeks and the Cherokees.

Lake Lanier was built
by the Army Corps of Engineers,

and according to
the Army Corps of Engineers,

and according to
the Army Corps of Engineers,
they removed all the bodies

they removed all the bodies

while they were
creating Lake Lanier.

But back when they were
building these lakes,

they didn't have
ground-penetrating equipment.

So there's a great likelihood
that there are bodies

of the Native Americans
under the waters of Lake Lanier.

SHATNER:
Could the presence of
Native American remains

SHATNER:
Could the presence of
Native American remains
beneath Lake Lanier
have a connection

beneath Lake Lanier
have a connection

to the unusual number
of accidental deaths there?

Has the Native American
belief in the power

of ancestral spirits
cursed Lake Lanier?

TOK THOMPSON:
Certainly among Native American

TOK THOMPSON:
Certainly among Native American
traditions, we have a widespread

traditions, we have a widespread

belief in curses,
particularly land-based curses.

And this connects to an overall
sort of belief in animism,

that the material world is
infused with spiritual aspects.

Now, many Native American
traditions have long-standing,

very deep beliefs about
how to treat dead bodies

and how not to disturb them and
how not to disturb burial sites.

The desecration of those
is held in Native communities

to bring on a lot
of bad spiritual energy.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that Lake Lanier

is home to
dark spiritual energy?

Perhaps.

But what's most surprising

is that even though
this lake may be cursed,

people continue to enter
its waters every day.

BUCHANAN:
There's world-class divers
that will not dive Lake Lanier.

We have 11 to 14 million
people a year

that are coming here
and taking their chances

in spite of the fact that
there has been somewhere

between 600 and 700
drownings on this lake.

I'm not saying
that there's a curse,

but I'm saying there's
definitely some bad energy.

And if it's not cursed,
maybe it should be.

Can disturbing the sanctity
of human remains

Can disturbing the sanctity
of human remains
actually unleash a deadly curse?

actually unleash a deadly curse?

Well, there are those
who believe that

when archaeologists tampered

with the tomb of
an ancient warlord,

they triggered one
that was so strong,

it changed the course
of human history.

SHATNER: Near the center of this
ancient city in Central Asia,

is a mausoleum known
as Gur-e Amir.

It is also known as
the Tomb of the King...

...because inside
its magnificent dome

lie the remains
of one of the most feared

rulers in history.

Tamerlane the Great.

RICHARD SPENCE:
Tamerlane was often credited
as being the last of the great

Asiatic conquerors
in the mold of Genghis Khan.

He started off basically
as a minor tribal leader

and then he embarked
upon a 35-year career

of constant war and conquest...

of constant war and conquest...
-(clamoring)
-...during which

-(clamoring)
-...during which

he's often credited with
exterminating five percent

of the world's population.

Tamerlane was very adept at
psychological warfare

and putting his adversary
on the wrong foot.

His most chilling battlefield
signature was the erection of

His most chilling battlefield
signature was the erection of
large numbers of towers around
the city he'd just conquered.

large numbers of towers around
the city he'd just conquered.

And these towers were made up
from the decapitated heads...

...of the victims
of the latest conquest.

A really awful warning

to anyone else who might
think about rebelling.

"This is the fate
that awaits you

"if you even think about
any opposition.

I will destroy you
and destroy your city."

SHATNER:
In 1405, Tamerlane died
of a fever at the age of 69.

By that time, his empire
stretched from Siberia

to the Mediterranean Sea.

to the Mediterranean Sea.
But some claim
that even in death,

But some claim
that even in death,

Tamerlane wasn't finished
exerting his power on the world

because his tomb
is believed to be protected

because his tomb
is believed to be protected
by a deadly curse.

by a deadly curse.

Certain people attain
that level of, you know,

absolutely terrifying,
vicious person.

Something is evil in them,
so when they die,

whatever it is
that makes them evil,

a lot of people think
it still exists.

And where would it be?

It would be
wherever the body is,

so in the tomb of Tamerlane...

...would be this evil presence

that's now still
terrifying in his death.

SHATNER:
For centuries,
Tamerlane's tomb was untouched

by archaeologists,
for fear of unleashing

the dark forces inside.

But 80 years ago, his tomb
was finally disturbed,

and there are those
who believe that it set off

a chain of events that changed
the course of history.

Under the orders of
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin,

Russian archaeologists enter
Tamerlane's mausoleum

and open his tomb.

MAROZZI:
Stalin was interested
in the clues

behind Tamerlane's greatness.

Tamerlane was such
an incredibly powerful man...

...whose career had been
one of bloodshed and savagery.

And Stalin wanted to
send a very strong message

that he was
a 20th-century equivalent.

STEAVU:
When the expedition

arrived on-site, they were told,

"Tamerlane's tomb has remained
undisturbed for centuries."

And not to open the tomb,

that if they did, something
terrible would happen.

Of course, the expedition
proceeded to open the tomb...

...and this very powerful
smell of frankincense,

...and this very powerful
smell of frankincense,
of rose oil and camphor suddenly

of rose oil and camphor suddenly

burst forth
and envelops the expedition.

Some of the members of the
expedition believe that it was

the smell of a curse.

MAROZZI:
There are, supposedly,

two inscriptions
on the tomb of Tamerlane.

The first inscription reads:

The second inscription read:

And that's an indication

this is a sacred resting place.

This is not somewhere
to be trifled with.

It was not something that-that
should even be entertained.

SPENCE:
The body was removed

and it was taken back
to Leningrad

and it was taken back
to Leningrad
where the remains were
being studied

where the remains were
being studied

where the remains were
being studied
at that point in time.

at that point in time.

One of the things
that was in the paper

was a picture of
a Soviet archaeologist

was a picture of
a Soviet archaeologist
holding the skull of Tamerlane.

holding the skull of Tamerlane.

And in the article
accompanying this,

And in the article
accompanying this,
there is a reference that

there is a reference that

there were locals who were
disturbed about this.

SHATNER:
On June 22, 1941,

two days after Tamerlane's
tomb was opened,

Russia was hit
with a surprise attack

by Germany, its supposed ally.

Over three million Nazi troops
marched into Russia

in the most massive
invasion in history.

Nazi Germany invaded
the Soviet Union

without any warning.

Up until then, there had been
a pact of nonaggression,

so this came as quite
a surprise to the Soviet Union.

The Nazis called this surprise
attack Operation Barbarossa.

And they were very swift and
overwhelming in their attacks,

and they managed to get
very far into the Soviet Union,

rather quickly,
causing great devastation

and loss of life to the Soviets.

Tamerlane's body is removed
from its tomb on the 20th,

and the Eastern Front
erupts in flames two days later.

Remember, there was a curse.

"Whosoever will disturb
my tomb will unleash

an invader worse than I."

So a lot of people would say
the synchronicity

between the removal of
Tamerlane's body from his tomb

and the launching
of Operation Barbarossa

isn't an accident.

SHATNER:
As German troops continued
to overpower Russian forces,

SHATNER:
As German troops continued
to overpower Russian forces,
Stalin's advisors
began to question

Stalin's advisors
began to question

if the curse of Tamerlane's tomb
had been unleashed.

They urged him to return
Tamerlane's remains

to Uzbekistan
in the desperate hope

that it would turn
the tide of battle.

And to their astonishment...

And to their astonishment...
it worked.

it worked.

Tamerlane's remains
are put back in,

in December of 1942.

But the whole course of the war

at the Eastern Front changes

and from that point on,
it's just one long

nightmare retreat
for the Germans

back to Berlin in April 1945.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that returning
Tamerlane's remains to his tomb

broke the curse that triggered

Hitler's invasion
of the Soviet Union?

For many, the evidence
is hard to ignore.

MAROZZI:
I think for those who subscribe

to what we call
the Curse of Tamerlane,

there are these
two great coincidences.

Coincidence one,

the tomb is opened against all
the objections of the Uzbeks,

Hitler invades the Soviet Union.

Coincidence number two,

Tamerlane is reinterred
with full burial rights,

Tamerlane is reinterred
with full burial rights,
Hitler is defeated.

Hitler is defeated.

So it comes full circle.

So it comes full circle.
Two coincidences, or two proofs

Two coincidences, or two proofs

that the curse
was absolutely for real.

Take your pick.

The idea that the curse
of Tamerlane's tomb

somehow brought about
the Nazi invasion of Russia

is unsettling, to say the least.

But curses that don't have
such far-reaching implications

are no less alarming.

Consider the case
of a hotel in Los Angeles

where, for decades, there were
dozens of guests who checked in,

but never checked out.

SHATNER: Numerous guests
staying at the Cecil Hotel

file complaints
about low water pressure.

A maintenance worker

is dispatched to check
the water tanks

located on the hotel's roof

where he makes
a shocking discovery.

Floating facedown
in one of the water tanks

is the decomposing body

of 21-year-old
hotel guest, Elisa Lam.

On the last day of 2012,

On the last day of 2012,
New Year's Eve,

New Year's Eve,

was the last time
she was seen alive.

Elisa Lam was caught by
the camera in the elevator.

And then she disappears.

The LAPD, they released

The LAPD, they released
a video of Elisa Lam

a video of Elisa Lam

and it's a really bizarre,
bizarre video.

She's seen going in
and out of an elevator,

she seems to be interacting

or playing hide-and-seek
with someone.

She's frantically, erratically,

pushing all the buttons
in the elevator.

And then,
she was found facedown...

...inside a sealed water tank

...inside a sealed water tank
at the roof of the hotel.

at the roof of the hotel.

SHATNER:
After conducting
an investigation,

the Los Angeles County
Coroner ruled

that Elisa Lam's
death was an accident.

But the bizarre circumstances

surrounding her case led
some researchers to believe

that something more
insidious had taken place.

And that Elisa Lam was actually

the latest victim
of a deadly curse

that plagues the Cecil Hotel.

Since it first opened in 1924,

an alarming number of people
have taken their lives

while staying there,
earning it the nickname

"the Suicide Hotel."

HOROWITZ:
The Cecil Hotel

is a Beaux Arts structure.

It was built in the style
of grand American hotels.

Back in its day,
it was quite beautiful,

with columns, marble floors,
an expansive lobby,

and it was intended to be
a very high-class hotel

for an upwardly
mobile clientele.

BARTLETT: All hotels
have deaths in them,

but for some reason,
the Cecil Hotel

seems to have far much
more than the average number.

When I was doing my research,
I found 17 suicides

within the newspaper archives
that linked to the hotel.

And those are just
reported ones.

And those are just
reported ones.
Now, it doesn't
sound like a lot,

Now, it doesn't
sound like a lot,

but compared to
all the other hotels,

I would find maybe one or two,
almost without exception.

So it makes this
particular hotel stand out.

EBNER:
The Cecil Hotel had only
been open a few short years...

...and the sheer
number of suicides

was already coming to a peak.

W.K. Norton, he poisoned
himself in his room.

And Army medic
Sergeant Louis D. Borden,

he surgically slit his own
throat in the hotel room.

The list of unexplained deaths

goes on and on and on.

And people were like,
thinking, "Wow,

"could it be something
about the Cecil Hotel

that triggered this kind
of insane behavior?"

There are certain
places that seem to attract

an inordinate amount
of violent activity.

It's very easy for us to talk
in terms of coincidence

when we're discussing curses.

But if people hear that there
was an act of violence,

suicide at a certain place,

that seems to spark something
in the human imagination

including in the most
negative sense.

Hence, we have the phenomena of

people being attracted
to certain spots.

You might use the expression,
"I don't like the energy

You might use the expression,
"I don't like the energy
coming off of that place."

coming off of that place."

We use it metaphorically,

although there may be
something actual to it.

SHATNER:
What is it about certain
places such as the Cecil Hotel

that causes people to
harm themselves or others?

Could they really be cursed?

Some researchers claim that
if there is a dark energy

at the Cecil Hotel,

it may have already
existed at this site

it may have already
existed at this site
long before the hotel was built.

long before the hotel was built.

Another interesting aspect
of curses and cursed places

particularly is that
there's always a reason

particularly is that
there's always a reason
of why this became cursed.

of why this became cursed.

So for example, in L.A.,

this has been
a very contentious area

for a long time, ever since
the initial colonization.

So the local tribe, the Tongva
tribe, suffered greatly.

(shouting)

They were pretty much
massacred at the hands

of the Spanish colonists
who arrived in this area.

Or later, in 1871, where
they have the Chinatown massacre

where this was
an ethnic-driven violence

perpetrated against
the Chinese community in L.A.

that had been established here,
and it was horrific.

The idea is that there's
a curse on this area

that reflects these
atrocities and that

the curse is not gonna be lifted

as long as those atrocities
are not accounted for.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that the dark
history of the Cecil Hotel

was caused by a violent
energy permeating the area?

True or not,

the Cecil Hotel nevertheless
closed its doors in 2017

as a result of
its sinister reputation.

as a result of
its sinister reputation.
A lot of people, of course,

A lot of people, of course,

roll their eyes
at the idea of a curse.

But if you gave a person
the option of spending

a night alone in a place
that was rumored to be cursed,

a night alone in a place
that was rumored to be cursed,
like the Cecil,

like the Cecil,

most of the people who roll
their eyes would probably pause,

given such a macabre history.

Is it possible for a place
to be imbued with dark energy?

In the case of the Cecil Hotel,
it certainly seems possible.

But there are also
many who believe

that objects
can carry curses, too.

For instance,
there's a sports car

that has a reputation
for killing its drivers,

including one of the most
iconic movie stars of all time.

SHATNER:
At 5:45 in the afternoon,

a brand-new
1955 Porsche 550 Spyder

traveling west on US 466

collides with an oncoming sedan.

The impact instantly
kills the driver of the Porsche.

The impact instantly
kills the driver of the Porsche.
News of the ill-fated accident

News of the ill-fated accident

sends shockwaves
around the world because...

...the driver was none other

than the iconic American
actor James Dean.

At the time of his death,

James Dean was definitely
the one to watch.

He had his debut
movie star performance

in East of Eden,

and he had two
other movies in the can,

and he was launched
into becoming the face

of rebellious Hollywood.

But all that came
to a crashing end

on September 30, 1955.

SHATNER: James Dean's
death behind the wheel

shocked friends and fans alike.

Not only because the actor

was such a rising star
at the time...

...but also because even
at his relatively young age,

24-year-old Dean had already
proven himself to be

an accomplished race car driver.

When James Dean came to
Southern California in 1954,

he entered
the Palm Springs Road Races

he entered
the Palm Springs Road Races
as a novice driver.

as a novice driver.

He won his race

as a novice and qualified
for the Sunday main event

against veteran drivers.

He was a very serious
and aggressive competitor

He was a very serious
and aggressive competitor
with a lot of skill
as a novice driver.

with a lot of skill
as a novice driver.

SHATNER: James Dean's reputation
as a competent driver

was so well known,

that many found it difficult
to believe his death

could have been the result
of poor driving.

Over the years,
some people have claimed

that there is only one possible
explanation for the crash.

They believe
that James Dean's car

was cursed.

And as evidence of the curse,

they point to a fateful
encounter that Dean had

with a fellow actor shortly
before his untimely death.

Two days after James Dean
purchased his Porsche Spyder,

he was having dinner
with Alec Guinness.

During the course of the dinner,
James Dean told Alec Guinness

he had just purchased
a new Porsche Spyder.

he had just purchased
a new Porsche Spyder.
It was outside
in the parking lot

It was outside
in the parking lot

and he wanted to show him
the new car.

Alec Guinness, upon setting
eyes on that vehicle,

he had a very strange reaction.

Some strange thing came over me,
some almost different voice.

And I said,
"If you get into that car,

by 10:00 at night
next Thursday, you'll be dead."

EBNER:
Five days after Alec gave
that warning to James Dean,

James Dean died
in a head-on collision

with the only
other vehicle on the road.

Sir Alec Guinness recounted

that as soon as he laid
eyes on the car,

that as soon as he laid
eyes on the car,
he felt a sense of evil

he felt a sense of evil

emanating out of
the vehicle itself.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that James Dean's
car was possessed by evil?

Well, if that's true,
the curse was apparently

strong enough to survive
even after his tragic death.

Because in the years
following James Dean's accident,

several strange incidents
involving his car took place.

The exterior of the car was
pretty much obliterated...

...but the chassis and the
engine block remained intact.

Another race car enthusiast

Another race car enthusiast
by the name of
Dr. William Eschrich

by the name of
Dr. William Eschrich

took the engine block
from James Dean's car

and put it into his own car.

And then he parceled out
some of the parts

to a good friend of his
and colleague,

Dr. Troy McHenry.

So Eschrich and McHenry

So Eschrich and McHenry
are now driving their Porsches

are now driving their Porsches

with James Dean parts
in the same race.

with James Dean parts
in the same race.
Guess what happens next?

Guess what happens next?

McHenry loses control
of his Porsche

and drives head-on into
a tree and dies at the scene.

And Eschrich,

he flips his car and winds up
severely injured

in the same race.

RASKIN: George Barris
was a legendary

car customizer in California.

car customizer in California.
He got hold of the carcass

He got hold of the carcass

of James Dean's Porsche Spyder

and put it on display,

and loaned it to
the Los Angeles Safety Council

with the theme that
"Speed kills, drive safely."

He told stories about how
individuals touched this car

and injured themselves.

JOJI BARRIS-PASTER:
The stories that are from my
father are really interesting.

When the car was dropped off

When the car was dropped off
at the Barris Custom Shop

at the Barris Custom Shop

in North Hollywood and
first came to the shop,

his mechanic came out
to help him,

you know, unload the car.

you know, unload the car.
It rolls and breaks his legs.

It rolls and breaks his legs.

Rolls over his legs
and breaks his legs.

Incidents keep happening
and at that time,

these stories that he's
telling us, it's concerning.

And you could tell
he's realizing,

And you could tell
he's realizing,
"Hey, there's a curse
tied to this car.

"Hey, there's a curse
tied to this car.

This is serious now."

SHATNER:
Is it possible that the curse
on James Dean's car lived on,

even after it had been
wrecked and salvaged for parts?

It's an unsettling notion.

So disturbing in fact,
that some people believe

George Barris took
matters into his own hands.

RASKIN:
In 1960, George Barris
sent the car

to a safety exhibit
in Miami, Florida.

He said that
when the transporter

came back to L.A.,
the car was missing.

In all my research,

we cannot find any trace
of the missing car.

And looking at
all the speculation...

...revolving around the curse,

I believe that George Barris
disposed of the car

I believe that George Barris
disposed of the car
and it disappeared forever.

and it disappeared forever.

The question of the curse
and the death of James Dean

The question of the curse
and the death of James Dean
has been going on for 65 years.

has been going on for 65 years.

And looking
at those strange incidents,

they may have been coincidences,

or there may have been
an actual curse.

Unfortunately, we'll never know.

Was it merely a coincidence
that several people

who came into contact
with James Dean's car

were harmed, and two even died?

Or is it possible
that this vehicle

was actually a cursed object?

Perhaps the answer
can be found by examining

a collection of artifacts

believed to contain
such dangerous energies

that they are kept
under lock and key.

SHATNER:
Just outside the city,

on a normal suburban street
in an ordinary neighborhood

is the home
of Greg and Dana Newkirk.

From the outside, their home
is not much different

From the outside, their home
is not much different
from any other house
on the block.

from any other house
on the block.

-Get some fork action going on.
-Yeah.

SHATNER:
But inside,

it contains something
quite extraordinary.

Because there is a room in
the basement that is filled

Because there is a room in
the basement that is filled
with a collection
of strange objects

with a collection
of strange objects

sent by people from
all over the world

that are believed to be...

...cursed.

Greg and I lead normal lives,
and we go about our life

the same way
that everyone else does.

We just happen to be caretakers
for very strange objects.

The way that we got started
collecting cursed objects

The way that we got started
collecting cursed objects
was complete accident.

was complete accident.

It wasn't something that
we had set out to do.

Never would have imagined
myself doing this.

We were just interested
in-in general weirdness.

My wife and I investigate
all manner of high strangeness.

And we were both very interested
in the idea of cursed objects.

We slowly gained
a reputation as being

particularly
good people for this.

And so anytime anyone had
a problem with an artifact,

And so anytime anyone had
a problem with an artifact,
they would come to us and say,

they would come to us and say,

"I don't know
what to do with this.

"This thing is
affecting my life.

"Will you just
take it off my hands?

"It'd be easier
to just give it to you

"It'd be easier
to just give it to you
and let you deal with it."

and let you deal with it."

And so we built up
this collection

of very bizarre things.

SHATNER:
Visitors to the Newkirks'
home are given ample warning

that the basement is filled
with objects that are cursed.

We have a lot of
haunted robes...

We have a lot of
haunted robes...
SHATNER:
But curiously, every day,

SHATNER:
But curiously, every day,

SHATNER:
But curiously, every day,
the Newkirks receive requests

the Newkirks receive requests

from people who are eager
to view their cursed collection.

OCKER:
You'd think with cursed objects,
you want to avoid them.

But there is a draw to them.

When an object is said
to be cursed,

another word
you can use is "special."

It's special.
If this chair is cursed,

it's different from
every other chair in the world.

And that makes it unique,
that makes it interesting,

and that draws our attention
every single time.

And the fact that
that specialness

is that it hurts people,

that appeals
to a certain macabre,

a streak that we all
have as human beings.

DANA NEWKIRK:
People think of cursed objects
as being kind of fun and spooky.

But working with them,

it feels a lot less about that
and a lot more about

that kind of heavy
responsibility

to keep some of these
objects with us

under lock and key and
maybe out of the wrong hands.

And maybe in a place
that's safer

not only for everyone else
but for them.

SHATNER:
The Newkirks' collection

includes several objects
that are considered to have

the power to inflict harm
on anyone who comes near them.

This is the cursed deer skull.

We drove down to Nashville
to pick up from a woman

who saw this in an antique store

and took it back to her office,

and almost immediately,
her employees

started getting sick.

started getting sick.
One of her employees
was hit by a car.

One of her employees
was hit by a car.

And then, the wall that
this was hanging on,

actually fell down and took
half of the building with it.

DANA NEWKIRK:
There are certain objects
specifically in our museum that,

without people knowing

why they feel
the way that they feel...

...they will definitely have
heart palpitations, anxiety.

We've had people almost faint,

we've had people throw up,

we've had people dry heave.

People have very visceral
physical reactions

to being around
some of the objects.

SHATNER:
Among the cursed objects
in the Newkirks' collection

is a deadly ring that is claimed

is a deadly ring that is claimed
to kill anyone who wears it,

to kill anyone who wears it,

a Bible used during
a failed exorcism,

and a doll that is believed to
spread illness wherever it goes.

But of all the cursed objects
the Newkirks have come across,

there is one
that is so harrowing,

they refused to keep it
in their collection.

It is an unsettling wooden
effigy known as the Crone.

DANA NEWKIRK:
The Crone really is
the definition

DANA NEWKIRK:
The Crone really is
the definition
of kind of a cursed object.

of kind of a cursed object.

It is a carved
statue of a woman.

It is a carved
statue of a woman.
Someone at some point in time

Someone at some point in time

took this object and attached
the noose and the nails.

It was given to us
by some hikers who found it

in the Catskills, off
the beaten path in a cave.

They took it home and initially
started to experience

really frightening things.

Their animals were
behaving strangely,

they were finding wet
footprints on the ground,

they were finding wet
footprints on the ground,
and they didn't know what to do.

and they didn't know what to do.

Someone who we had
worked with previously

put them in contact with us,

and after, you know, having
some communication with them,

they-they sent the Crone to us.

GREG NEWKIRK:
People who would
get near the Crone,

they would be just
overwhelmed with anxiety.

This guy came
all the way from Canada

to come and see the Crone.

He begged us
to take it out of the box.

Almost immediately...

...his eyes roll up
in the back of his head

and he starts
to bleed from his mouth.

And he has a violent seizure.

And he has to be taken out
by the paramedics.

And that's when Dana and I
looked at each other

and we said, "We have to do
something about this."

SHATNER:
After a string
of frightening incidents,

Greg and Dana Newkirk

are convinced that a strange
object in their possession,

known as the Crone, is cursed.

So they've traveled
to this remote region

So they've traveled
to this remote region
of Upstate New York

of Upstate New York

to free themselves
of the evil object.

The Crone is one of
the objects that does fall

The Crone is one of
the objects that does fall
into that very small category

into that very small category

of objects that we didn't feel
like we could handle.

It got to a point where
the Crone was just too dangerous

for even us to take care of.

And what we wanted to do
was bring her back

to the Catskills,
which is where she is from.

SHATNER:
To remove the Crone's curse,

the Newkirks' plan
was to return to the area

where it was originally found
by two hikers many years before.

At which point,
they would remove the nails

embedded in the Crone
in a cleansing ritual.

DANA NEWKIRK:
We wanted to bring her back,

and every time a nail
was pulled out,

the intention was

that we were pulling
that curse out of the object.

We hiked into
the woods for miles...

...and I set up a circle.

...and I set up a circle.
The idea of setting up a circle

The idea of setting up a circle

was basically just to create
an energetic space

for containing this ritual.

And the whole time
we were doing this,

we were hearing footsteps...

...and strange sounds

that weren't animals
around our circle,

but...

but...
we couldn't see anything.

we couldn't see anything.

GREG NEWKIRK:
We were absolutely terrified,

but we start
performing the ritual.

but we start
performing the ritual.
I pull the nails out.

I pull the nails out.

As soon as that happens,

As soon as that happens,
we feel this almost electric pop

we feel this almost electric pop

we feel this almost electric pop
in the air.

in the air.

When we were done,
every coyote on the mountain

just started howling.

-(howling)
-And the ritual was finished

and what we were looking at
was just a block of wood.

And we just kind of knew

that we had done
what we went there to do.

Scholars of religion
have long known

the power of ritual,

that when a group
of people get together

and engage in
the same set of actions,

believing that there's a
supernatural origin behind them,

that brings people together.

And so, special movements
that you need to go through,

special sayings or songs
that you need to do...

(singing in unison)

...it's incredibly
powerful phenomena

that can help
rid us of the devil...

or whatever other force
has cursed us.

SHATNER:
Is it possible
that ritually cleansing

the Crone removed its curse?

Perhaps.

But of course, it all depends on

whether you believe curses
are real in the first place.

OCKER:
Whether you believe

in cursed objects or
don't believe in cursed objects,

they can still have
a power over you.

What that power is,

to what extent that is,
how it kind of comes out?

Who knows?

But they're still
powerful objects,

no matter how you look at it.

GREG NEWKIRK:
For people who don't
believe in curses,

what I would say is,

keep believing they're not real.

That's the best defense
you have against a curse,

is to not feed it.

So, what's your take on this?

Are curses real?

Are curses real?
Or is it simply
human nature to look for

Or is it simply
human nature to look for

a supernatural explanation
when bad things happen?

Well, until we know for sure,
it might be wise to avoid

those so-called
cursed places and objects.

Let them remain...

...unexplained.

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