Original subtitles

Singapore's complex mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian communities

have all contributed to the country's unique tapestry

of traditions and practices

unlike anything else in the world.

Invisible from the mainland,

just across the Serangoon Harbor sits Pulau Ubin,

a lush, mostly deserted jungle island,

whose beautiful scenery masks hidden dangers,

including wild boars, venomous snakes and even tigers.

But according to the locals, at night, the island's threats become the undead,

specifically a vengeful female spirit

known across Southeast Asia as the Pontianak.

Over the last few decades, Pulau Ubin's population has plummeted

from a few thousand residents to just a few dozen.

Most shockingly, in recent months,

several visitors have gone missing,

and they've even turned up dead.

I'm sending my film crew there now

to find out if sinister forces

have turned Pulau Ubin to the island of the damned.

Across every ocean...

[man 1] It is not too secure, safe to get there.

...lurking deep within the darkness,

evil forces are preying upon the living.

[man 2] Exorcisms are on the rise in Mexico.

[Zak] I am sending a camera crew across the globe

to document these events.

I am Zak Bagans,

and this is Destinations of the Damned.

My crew wants to talk to people

who've had dangerous paranormal encounters at Pulau Ubin,

so they know what they're getting into

before going there themselves.

[Zak] In early 2023, a social media video went viral

about a terrifying night of camping on the island.

My team catches up with its creator, Isabelle, in Singapore.

She refuses to return with them to Pulau Ubin.

[Isabelle] I mean, it was in the middle of the night

when I looked up at the trees surrounding us,

and I saw a bunch of spirits in white

just sitting on the branches of the trees.

The next morning, I actually asked my friends

if anyone else had experienced anything.

And my then boyfriend said that shortly after I woke him up,

he woke up himself and he also saw what I saw.

People have called me crazy.

Or, like, I need to get some mental checkup done

because I shouldn't be able to see these things.

Most Singaporeans actually do believe in the paranormal.

So there is a superstition in Singapore

that tells you, especially at night,

not to look up into the trees wherever you are,

just so you don't see any one of these things

because they are known to hang around trees.

[Zak] Ghosts living in the trees

is only one of the many legends haunting Pulau Ubin.

Another, perhaps even more prolific,

is the spirit of what is referred to simply as the German Girl.

In the early 1900s, there was a coffee plantation on the island

owned by a German family with a teenage daughter.

[gunshots]

[Zak] In 1914, World War I spreads across the globe.

At the time, Singapore was a British colony,

so British soldiers were ordered to round up

all of the German nationals on Pulau Ubin.

As these troops closed in on the coffee plantation,

the young daughter escaped and fled into the forest.

Days later, her corpse was discovered covered in ants.

To this day, her death remains shrouded in mystery.

This tragic event left a profound mark on the island.

A shrine was built as a final resting place for her remains.

Lorenzo, a paranormal investigator

who has explored the island before,

initially planned to accompany us to Pulau Ubin,

but now he's suddenly had a change of heart.

Recently becoming a father, he expresses concerns

about bringing anything potentially dangerous

back from Pulau Ubin to his newborn son.

I don't want any spirits to follow me home

and cause harm to me and my family.

[Zak] A few years ago, he visited the island with a group of friends.

On this occasion, they brought a spirit board and conducted a seance.

[Lorenzo speaking]

[Zak] He has no recollection of what transpired next.

[Lorenzo speaking]

[Zak] Is it possible Lorenzo's experience was directly related

to the spirit of the German Girl?

[Zak] He felt compelled to revisit the island a few years later,

curious to discover if the spirit would still recognize him.

[Zak] Lorenzo's friend, who was with him the night he was possessed,

originally agreed to go to the island with us,

but has also suddenly backed out.

As night falls and my crew prepares

to leave for the island to begin their investigation,

a third paranormal witness named Melvin also suddenly backs out

of returning to the island with them.

Melvin, the next interview, did not want to come.

He's a bit too scared.

Scared of what? Scared to go to the island?

-He won't go back. -Yeah. He's just like totally--

Second person that won't go on the island.

-[Griffin] Yeah. -That's right. Third.

-If we add in Isabelle. -Oh, that's right.

That's three people that won't go back

-that have been there. -[Griffin] Yeah.

[Zak] What is happening on this island

that has people who've been there before

too terrified to return?

Despite warnings from three locals

against traveling to Pulau Ubin at night,

my crew and two paranormal investigators

load on to a small boat to begin the journey.

As the crew arrives on the island for the first time,

they are greeted by what's left

of the small village on the southern shore.

And are surprised to find a festival dedicated to the spirits of the dead.

[Zak] Vesak, also known as Buddha Day,

is the most sacred festival in Buddhism,

marking the birth, enlightenment and death

of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago.

[man speaking]

[speaking other language]

[Zak] There are no chairs for the audience watching the stage performance

because the performers aren't there for the living.

[speaking other language]

[Zak] This deeply spiritual island is plagued

by yet another entity, the Pontianak.

[woman groaning]

[Zak] This creature of the undead takes the form of a woman

who tragically died with her stillborn child in her womb.

The Pontianak is frequently seen beneath tall trees,

-and is often preceded by the sound of an infant... -[baby crying]

...crying in the stench of rotting flesh.

At first view, the Pontianak appears as a beautiful woman

who lures in unsuspecting men.

Once trapped, its victims witness it transform into a hideous monster

before it disembowels them and drinks their blood.

Mr. Yeo is my crew's driver for the night.

His sister, Madame Yeo, was born and raised on the island.

She currently operates a bicycle shop.

[speaking other language]

[Zak in English] She shares the belief that the island is home to many spirits,

including the dangerous Pontianak spirit.

[man speaking]

[speaking other language]

[speaking other language]

[in English]

[speaking other language]

[Zak in English] Noel has been investigating

Southeast Asia for the past 15 years.

He and his friends visited the island ten years ago.

But what he experienced has left a profound mark on his memory.

[Noel] Ten years ago, I came here,

I could hear somebody singing. It was a female.

That was the most beautiful voice ever, man.

[Zak] A female spirit, whom he believed to be a Pontianak,

attached herself to him.

She's very beautiful. And then once I come closer to her,

and then you see this, this ugly, decomposed face.

When I close my eyes now, after ten years,

I can still hear her voice.

And the day after that, I started waking up with this fever.

I was vomiting, and I would dream of her,

and I couldn't move in this dream.

And it went on for about a week.

I started losing a lot of weight.

I didn't want to go out of my house.

So a friend brought me to a Thai medium.

Uh, they can go into trance, and they will know what's wrong with you.

And he said that a female from a cemetery

is in love with me, and she wants me.

Uh, he did prayers and all.

And then, after a while, those dreams stopped.

Here goes nothing.

[Zak] As Noel dangerously steps foot

into the jungle forest of Pulau Ubin,

memories of being attacked here ten years ago come rushing back.

[Noel] Oh, now, I remember this place.

[chuckles] Okay.

It's been ten years since I stepped into this place.

I'm ready to face you again.

If you are that female that was singing,

can you please give us a sign?

[Zak] Noel and his partner aren't picking up on any activity.

They regroup at the van, and Noel decides to go back in alone.

-[Justin] Got it. All right, go for it. -[Noel] All right, man.

-[Justin] Good luck. -[Noel] Thank you.

[Zak] He is braving a snake-infested jungle in pitch black darkness

on the hunt for Southeast Asia's

most dangerous entity, the feared Pontianak.

[Noel speaking]

[Zak] At this time, my crew meets with another paranormal team

who wants to investigate a different graveyard,

deeper within the jungles of Pulau Ubin.

This is the Chinese Cemetery.

World War II brought death and violence back to this tiny island.

During the Japanese invasion of Singapore,

Pulau Ubin was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army,

leading to one of the darkest chapters in Singapore's history.

The infamous Sook Ching Massacre resulted in the killing

of thousands of Chinese civilians

suspected of anti-Japanese sentiment.

The memories of these tragic events

linger in the haunting atmosphere of the cemeteries,

serving as a solemn reminder

of the island's tumultuous past.

The entities found in our part of the world,

they tend to be very angry and, uh, vengeful.

So I--

As a regular guy, I wouldn't go around provoking them

simply because you have to figure out

how to get rid of them after that.

So that's always the trick, right?

Like, it's easy to get a response.

But what if they follow you home?

I've met investigators who have had these things,

um, follow them home.

And the difficult part after that is,

what if it starts affecting your family?

[Zak] Back on the other side of the island,

Noel starts doing exactly what you shouldn't,

provoking and directly engaging with the Pontianak.

[Noel] Just know that ten years ago, man,

things were really, really bad for me because I came here.

I'm here to tell you I don't mean you any harm

because there's no way that I can harm you,

but you obviously can harm me.

[breathes deeply]

So I want to know why did you do that to me?

Simple.

So maybe you can show yourself,

and then we can have this conversation

I've been waiting to have for ten freaking years!

[soft croak]

[Noel] Whoa! What's that sound?

[Noel] I am out of breath.

I'm near the top.

I hear voices.

Like, whispers.

I'm going to leave here stronger than ever before, man,

knowing that I conquered this.

[Zak] Kym and Shyam take my crew

to the shrine of the German Girl,

the young girl who died here during World War I.

Her shrine is a well-known hot spot for paranormal activity.

[Kymberliy] According to the driver,

while exhuming the body, they found some hair,

uh, a small part of the bone of the girl.

-[Shyam] Some coins, right? -[Kymberliy] Yeah.

-Like, a German coin. -[Shyam] Mm-hm.

[Kymberliy] Um, on the body.

[Zak] It's odd to see such an elaborate shrine

for a German girl who died mysteriously,

and to know that some locals believe

this girl's spirit can also possess them.

The investigators have to be careful entering her shrine.

And they make an offering of snacks so she doesn't possess them.

[Kymberliy] I'll leave it here.

I think it's mine.

[praying softly]

It shows that it's a sign that, um, she received the offering.

Yeah.

Thank you.

[Zak] Our investigators are heading to a popular beach camping site.

Many people have reported experiencing paranormal activity here,

including Isabelle, who made the viral video

in which she warned against visiting Pulau Ubin.

Melvin, another paranormal witness who backed out of meeting us

due to concerns about his safety

had camped on the island during a school trip back in 2005.

What started as a night of fun and laughter turned into a scene of horror

when several students, including Melvin,

overheard a loud voice, like that of a rough man gasping and struggling,

coming from the tent of one of their classmates.

Rattled, Melvin called for a teacher

and started walking towards the tent to investigate.

After unzipping the tent, they saw one student sitting up,

hugging his legs and rocking his body back and forth.

The boy had been possessed and developed a high fever.

Melvin tells us that this student

had been shining a flashlight at the trees earlier in the night.

Hey.

Hey, hey.

Hey.

[Zak] As Kym uses dowsing rods,

which detect spiritual energy,

she noticeably begins acting strange.

Immediately, Kym notices something is next to her, and the rods respond as well.

Just a minute. Sorry.

[Zak] She then becomes physically affected in her ears.

[grunts]

Okay.

Did you manage to capture that?

So, um, as I walked past calmly,

I just felt something next to me,

and I just stopped.

And fair enough, the rods started swaying and swaying.

And then [chuckles] my ears got, um...

I don't know. It's just, kind of, blocked.

Yeah.

I don't usually get this kind of feeling.

Um, yeah.

[Zak] Although Kym attempts to continue on with her investigation,

she quickly becomes overwhelmed.

I'll just leave this place right now.

Sorry. I don't feel quite comfortable.

I'm so sorry.

I'm just, uh... I'm just gonna--

Because I--

Because I don't know what exactly it is.

But yeah.

I'm just, kind of, making sure that the energy doesn't follow me.

[chuckles nervously] Sorry.

[Zak] Evil entities on Pulau Ubin

have a tendency to follow people home,

as if the living

are a way for them to escape the island.

[Zak] These investigators have determined there is too much risk to continuing

and have decided to leave whatever is attacking people on this beach alone.

After departing Pulau Ubin, my crew discovered a piece of video

circulating throughout Singapore's media outlets.

It reports that a security officer

captured the apparition of The German Girl.

[eerie sound]

But some also claim this is actually the Pontianak.

[Zak] Next, we go to a mysterious island

more than 8000 miles from Singapore,

where extensive mining may have unleashed an ancient evil

on a small, unsuspecting town.

[mysterious music playing]

There are places in this world that harbor ancient darkness,

and one of those places is Bell Island,

located in Newfoundland.

Though Canada's First Nations people visited this island,

they left no archaeological trace.

This must mean they avoided this land.

Could it be they knew something dangerous was lurking underground?

[man] One hundred and six miners that died in the mines themselves,

their spirits are trapped forever

in the mines that they died in.

[Zak] Did miners accidentally unlock

a vortex of ancient darkness,

releasing monstrous entities

that have laid dormant for thousands of years?

I'm sending my crew to Bell Island to find out.

[ship horn blares]

[Zak] My crew boards the Legionnaire ferry

for the trip across Conception Bay

to this mysterious island.

Canada is home to more than 52,000 islands.

But by far, Bell Island stands above all others

as the darkest and most haunted.

There's been a lot of tragedy here on Bell Island over the years.

In 1942,

German U boats sank two ships

right off the shore of Lance Cove.

[Henry] One hundred and six miners lost their lives in the mines as well.

Folklore has it that if you die in the mines...

your soul is trapped there...forever.

[ship horn blares]

[Zak] For centuries, Bell Island was virtually untouched by man.

On occasion, its rocky shores served

as a temporary refuge

for pirates, stowaways,

and bootleggers.

But in 1895, iron ore deposits were discovered

and something significant happened.

Not only were countless tons of iron

released from the ground,

so too was something sinister.

[eerie sound]

To get some answers, my crew is going to speak with Henry Crane,

a lifelong resident and a historian of the island.

I've lived on Bell Island for 47 years.

Bell Island was settled in 1740,

as a farming community.

But in 1895, it really took off,

when the iron ore was discovered.

And because of the mega mining town,

it attracted people from all over the globe at the time.

From Germany, China, the Mideast, Malta,

and needless to say England, Ireland, Scotland, et cetera, like that.

And we became one large community,

where at one point in time,

there was close to 16,000 people living here on this island.

[Zak] The mining began under the island,

then quickly spread out beneath Conception Bay.

In fact, Bell Island's network of tunnels

is the most extensive undersea mining in the world.

As the island was slowly hollowed out by the mines,

there was soon talk of fairies and other creatures

lurking in the marshes in the shadows.

When people hear of fairies, they often think of whimsical creatures

filled with joy and magic.

But that's not how fairies have been perceived for most of human history.

In Europe and elsewhere, fairies could be very dangerous.

They've been known to even kill their prey.

As night falls, Henry takes us to Dobbin's Garden.

Known to be haunted by a woman named Mary,

who was killed by German U boat sailors during World War II.

[eerie sounds]

No man on the island will enter this area alone at night.

World War II spawned the ghost of Dobbin's Garden,

and you look behind and you'll see a young woman.

What you think first is a young woman,

dressed in a white frock.

And then the frock starts to go from white to brown.

And now you know this thing's not a young girl anymore.

What she is is some kind of creature.

They all right over there? What's going on?

He saw something?

Oh, hold on.

Come on. Let's go check it out.

-Griffin's photo-- -I was just taking pictures of you guys.

And you caught something?

[Griffin] Well, the first...

But when you zoom in...

Do you see something right there?

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?

-It looks like a woman in a dress. -Looking down, right?

-What'd you see, boss? -[Henry] And you didn't hear anything?

-Nothing. -[Henry] Nothing?

What do you see right here in this photo?

-Holy [bleep]. -Right?

Where did that come from?

-[Griffin] I took that. -[Henry] Just took it?

[Griffin] This is just the zoomed out version.

This is where we're filming.

-Yeah. -[Griffin] Right in the middle...

If you zoom all the way in, what does that look like?

[Henry] That looks like a woman in a dress.

[Griffin] Yeah.

-Jesus Christ. -As you were talking about it.

[Zak] Did my crew just capture proof of the lady in white?

Next, we need to get underground

to search for the fairies of Bell Island.

We are finally about to get our first look underground.

Henry is leading us out of Dobbin's Garden toward one of the four mines

that did not spread out beneath the ocean.

We are headed to mine number four.

This mine was the site of countless tragic deaths.

It is also said to be occupied by the deadly fairies,

who were blamed for causing fatal accidents.

Like the marsh,

it was a place the miners were always fearful to enter.

Some were so scared they tore out a page of the Bible

to keep in their pocket for protection.

Just down that way is number four mine collar.

It is one of the six mines that were operational here on the island.

And it is one of the four underground mines that was here.

It was opened in 1916.

[Zak] Painted crosses represent the exact location

where a miner lost his life.

These, tragically, are just 100 feet from the exit.

You'll see right here there's a cross.

And right over here,

there's also another cross.

[Zak] The men who endured this treacherous profession

often spoke of evil fairies

living within Bell Island's dark labyrinth.

But there was one creature that was feared above all others.

The Dark Fairy Queen.

[Henry] When I was a little boy,

my grandmother would say, "If you see a beautiful young girl

with long black hair walking toward you,

and you've never seen her before,

don't look, go the other way, as fast as you can.

You've just met the Fairy Queen."

[Zak] This omnipotent creature is a shape shifter

that appears as a beautiful woman,

before revealing its true hideous self.

The Dark Fairy Queen, also known as the Bell Island Hag.

is so famous here, that Canada even put her image

on an official postage stamp.

She can be what she wants to be.

[screaming]

If she gets into your house,

basically, you're, you're... you're done.

[Zak] The evil that surrounds Bell Island is profound.

Could the origin of this ancient darkness

live deep down in one of the mines?

[eerie sounds]

Could these mines be tapping into a vortex

that is so powerful it crosses our world together?

My crew gets a tip

there are some locals at a coffee shop who want to tell them

about a strange phenomenon that occurred here in 1978.

[woman] There was a strange...

something from the sky that hit a house in Lance Cove.

Moved this house from the foundation, I believe.

And no one seems to know where it came from

or where it originated from.

[male narrator] Three buildings were hit by something,

in one end and out the other.

This was a TV set.

A barn, oddly blown apart, no burns.

Dead chickens bleeding from the eyes and mouth. No burns.

Nearby in the snow, three depressions.

And you heard the big blast.

It was like...

Like thunder, really.

-It really...it shook. -It shook.

And the power went and came back on.

[Zak] The Bell Island boom occurred on 2 April 1978.

It was described as being like thunder,

but different from any thunder the locals had ever heard.

One witness described a loud boom that shook the ground,

followed by a ball of light

and then a second ball of light.

At first when I saw it, I just...

well, it was about three feet in diameter

and it was a circle and it was mostly blue.

But it had a little bit of orange on the edge of it,

with sort of, like, sparks, with honey sparks coming from it.

[Zak] Others claimed they heard a ringing sound before it happened.

[male narrator] Just before the boom, some people heard a sharp noise,

like a tone,

while across the bay, people saw

a strange beam of light strike the island.

[Zak] The incident attracted a lot of media attention at the time,

but has never been definitively explained.

Could this phenomenon be linked to the dark and ancient energy

that lives deep beneath the soil here?

Do you know anything about the fairies?

If my brother had been here, he left yesterday,

he could tell you some stories.

And they're really...

well, from what I was told, real true stories.

-Okay. -You'll probably find

some people that know about it in here,

in the Dicks. Go in the Dicks.

[Zak] It seems as if everyone in town

has a story to tell about fairies.

Just steps away, my crew meets another local

who also knows of these fairies.

Usually, they're in the marshes, the bogs, the mines, the swamps.

[Zak] This gentleman offers to take my crew

to an abandoned mine

located on the edge of the ocean.

[dramatic music playing]

[Zak] This area is extremely dangerous due to the brittle nature

of the stone that makes up these cliffs.

In fact, what the crew is traversing are stones that have fallen

from hundreds of feet above their heads.

Like, be very, very careful all around here.

[dramatic music playing]

[Zak] Could access to these long-forgotten mines

actually offer us a glimpse

of the notorious Bell Island fairies?

Now we're getting into the good stuff.

We're here to see fairies.

Oh, my God.

Whoa. Look at all these trunks.

Yeah, so...

these are dated back 100 years ago.

[Zak] Suddenly, our local guide realizes his phone is missing.

I don't know if I may have dropped the cell phone.

It's definitely not on me.

[Zak] He says this is a trick

that the entities down here will pull to get people alone.

Now this, this right here...

is a fairy trick.

They'll do something like this.

So then you're not going back alone.

You got it? Someone has to go with you.

They said specifically,

the ghost comes out when one man is alone.

[Zak] Even though they retrace their steps outside,

the local guide never finds his phone.

It is what it is.

Like I said, the fairies are fairies, you know, I mean they...

they weren't exactly happy to have us down there.

So, one of us had to lose something.

[Zak] Despite the warning that the entities

in the mines don't want us there,

my crew re-enters

and discovers something disturbing.

That's a...that's a sculpin.

So, that's a fish head?

Yeah, so something got that up here and ate it.

There's something living here.

That thing looks like it was about five or six pounds.

[Zak] The darkness and activity on Bell Island is extreme.

Did my crew stumble upon a fairy feeding room?

Are there entities here,

waiting to possess anyone they can catch alone?

[Zak] What are these dark entities

that seem to reside deep in the mines of Bell Island?

What are the restless spirits?

Like the woman in white?

Or the evil fairies who attack you when you're alone?

[high-pitched screaming]

To try and answer these questions,

my crew is meeting with local paranormal investigator, Justin Foley,

who lives in the nearby town of St. John's,

to see if we can communicate with any of the entities that roam this island.

[Griffin] You must be Justin.

I am, yes. Justin Foley. How are you?

-Good to meet you. -You as well.

Here in Newfoundland,

we have a very strong folklore

of both ghosts and fairies,

and a bunch of the other classics as well.

And I've always had a deep interest in it,

and now I'm really excited

to have a chance to actually get out here

and see if I can find some proof of it.

[ominous music playing]

The ground gets kind of uneven here.

[quiet footsteps]

I heard something from out this way.

[scanner noises]

I'm looking for the spirit of the lady who was killed

by German soldiers in this area.

Are you here?

[static]

Do you chase people because you're lonely?

Yeah, I heard that.

Holy crap.

[Zak] My crew captures an unexplainable light in the distance

that brightens and then disappears

and is never seen again.

That's a little bit unnerving.

Are you here in front of us? Like, right now?

Are you playing games?

What, are you trying to say hello?

[Zak] Suddenly, my crew hears a woman scream nearby.

I just took it out to show you guys just then,

just to kind of get a sense of what was going on.

[Griffin] Did you hear that?

-No, I didn't. -[Griffin] It was a girl screaming.

I just heard a girl scream.

Holy [bleep].

Kind of close.

[Griffin] Totally heard that.

Yeah.

[Justin] People say that when they see you,

you're chasing them, are you?

Do you mean them harm?

[static]

[indistinct laugh]

Whoa!

Holy crap!

That was a laugh, and that was not a very nice laugh.

[Zak] This is compelling because Justin has been using

his ITC device for quite a while,

and no voices have come through.

But now a female, menacing laugh is heard

and shakes up my crew.

[indistinct laugh]

Whoa!

[indistinct laugh]

Whoa!

[Zak] The activity in Dobbin's Garden seems strong.

There's the picture that my crew believes

shows a woman in a dress from the night before,

and now this evidence that Justin believes he's captured.

But what does it want?

Justin and my crew head to mine number two

to continue the investigation.

[static]

[indistinct chatter]

You all right? Watch your head.

How do you feel about us being in here?

Yeah. See that flash?

Flash?

Yeah. There was, like, a flash.

We've been talking about fairies a lot.

There's fairies.

There's also fairy lights is something that we hear about

and has been part of legends.

Try the MF reader again.

What?

[Griffin] You don't hear a loud banging?

[Zak] Farther down the mine,

this loud banging is captured

on one of Justin's microphones he left rolling.

Then, after this occurs, an unexplained,

unintelligible whisper,

is then captured on the microphone.

Right after this event,

without alerting anyone,

my producer, Griffin, immediately leaves the mine

with a debilitating migraine

and begins to vomit profusely.

He would then complain of strange dreams and headaches

for close to a month.

What are the banging sounds,

flashing lights, and whispers in mine number two?

Is this residual energy playing on a loop?

Or is this something more sinister

that lives in the catacombs of the mines,

wanting to draw the living deeper and deeper into the darkness?