All language subtitles for The.UnXplained.Special.Presentation.S01E24.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng].1

WILLIAM SHATNER: A man-made lake
with a deadly reputation.

A remote mountaintop summit

with a chilling past.

And an eerie hotel

where evil...

is said to reside.

(woman screams)

Did you ever have the feeling

that a dark energy
is lurking close by?

Or that you were
actually confronted

by an unearthly presence?

Could it be possible

that sinister entities
are hiding all around us

at so-called "cursed places,"

lying in wait

to possess our very soul?

If this is true,
how can we protect ourselves

when encountering evil?

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

♪ ♪

Deep within this mountain range
lies Lake Lanier.

Millions of people venture
to this popular vacation spot

to relax and unwind,

despite the fact
that every year,

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 will 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.

This lake seems to take people

in one gulp.

MITCH HOROWITZ:
Lake Lanier is 26 miles long,

it has 700 miles of shorefront.

And it's tempting

to attribute the inordinate
number of fatalities

to the size of the lake.

But the fact is

there are lakes
of commensurate size

in Northern Georgia

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

So, clearly, there is something
about Lake Lanier

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 is 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,
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

be the result of a curse?

It may sound far-fetched
to some.

But for decades,

researchers have been examining
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.

JACK W. 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.

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 Mounds,
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,

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

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 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,

how not to disturb them,
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.

SHATNER:
It's fascinating

that in spite
of Lake Lanier's morbid history,

vacationers continue
to frolic in its murky waters.

But there's a mountaintop

located more than 5,000 miles
away in Russia

that locals simply refuse
to visit.

It was the site
of a violent massacre

that some believe was the work

of evil forces.

SHATNER:
Nine mountaineers

from the Ural
Polytechnic Institute

embark on a perilous journey
through Russia's Ural Mountains.

Their destination:

a remote mountain peak
known as Otorten,

which in the local
Mansi language means,

"Don't Go There."

STONEHILL:
They went out

on this very strenuous trek
or mission

to show that the mountain
could be conquered.

As far as we know,
they were all experienced.

Igor Dyatlov,
who was in charge of the group,

had about seven missions
to his name, similar missions.

They were supposed just
to study the mountain

to show that they can
withstand the incredible cold

in this desolate place
and come back.

SHATNER:
A few days into their trek,

the hikers move
through a mountain pass

with high winds
and poor visibility,

causing them
to veer miles off course.

Realizing their mistake

and faced with the bitter cold
of the coming night,

they choose to stop and camp

on a slope called
Kholat Syakhal,

which in Mansi translates
to "The Mountain of the Dead."

(wind whistling)

STONEHILL:
It's a very a windy area.

When I say windy,
the winds are horrible.

And they should not have
put the tent on that slope.

They could have done it easily
100 meters away in the forest.

They went against
all the knowledge

that experienced trackers
should have.

So why would
they put it out there?

What drove them?
Nobody knows for sure.

SHATNER:
Weeks later,
when it becomes clear

that the group has failed
to return from its expedition,

a military search and rescue
operation is launched.

They find
the campsite abandoned,

and a tent
that has been torn to pieces.

Curiously,
the investigators determine

that the tent was cut
and ripped open from the inside,

and the hikers appear to have
fled in socks or barefoot.

We're dealing with a group
of experienced hikers

who escaped their tent
in the middle of the night

without any reason

unless something happened
to their minds.

SHATNER:
In search of the hikers,

the investigators move
to the edge of a nearby forest.

What they eventually find
has defied explanation

for more than 50 years.

STONEHILL:
Four of them
were discovered initially,

and five of them
were found later.

And they all died differently.

Some of the bodies died
from exposure and were intact.

Some of them
were dressed completely.

Most of them were naked,
so to say.

Others had horrible wounds
on them.

Their bones were crushed
inside their bodies.

Others, their skull was crushed.

One woman lost her tongue
and parts of her face.

Others were burned,

like somebody put their feet
in the fire

or they put it themselves.

-He's here!
-Aah!

STONEHILL:
They escaped like some force,

something scared them.

SHATNER:
The official causes of death
for the hikers claimed

that six had died
from hypothermia,

and the other three
from fatal injuries caused

by an "unknown
compelling force."

But the inquiry was forced
to an abrupt end

by the Soviet government,

and the chief investigator
refused

to sign off on the final report.

STONEHILL:
There were two investigators
initially,

and they were told
to shut up and close the case,

with the determination
that the cause of death

was an invisible force of nature
that killed them.

NOORY:
In some cases, the fact

that some of them died
from the bitter cold--

okay, that makes sense.

They're in a region
that's freezing.

But what about the other people?

Fractured skulls, crushed lungs.

There's something weird here.

SHATNER:
What was the compelling force

that inflicted such brutal

and grotesque harm
on these victims?

While some have speculated

that it could have been
an avalanche

or even an attack
by Mansi tribes,

there was virtually no evidence
to support these claims.

Others point to local legends
of some kind of monster--

a creature capable
of tearing people apart

with its voice.

STONEHILL:
There are descriptions

of Mansi warning people
not to go to this mountain,

not to go to this area
because the sounds

that come from there
can kill you.

The entity that lives

in that mountain emits
horrible shrieking sounds...

(eerie, otherworldly screaming)

...that can destroy
human beings.

(growling)

SHATNER:
Recently,
a new theory has surfaced.

One that suggests

this mountain pass
may be just as deadly

as the Mansi name
for it implies,

not because
of some supernatural monster,

but for a surprisingly
scientific reason.

(wind whistling)

So, this is a very windy pass
in the Ural Mountains.

Uh, in 2014, there was
some study that was done

that showed that the wind

kind of whipping through,
because of the topography,

caused low-frequency sound,
kind of a hum.

(wind whistling,
eerie bellowing)

And low-frequency sound can
cause the eyeball to vibrate,

can cause people to see shadows
out of the corner of their eyes,

especially
if you're in an environment

that is desolate,

which is what that was
to begin with.

(eerie bellowing)

MICHAEL DENNIN:
The dimensions

and the physics
of the actual pass

are likely to lead
to very low frequencies,

which is exactly
what infrasound is.

Infrasound is just referring
to any sound

that's below our normal hearing.

But sound itself
is just pressure waves

and vibration of the air.

(eerie bellowing)

So your body
is still detecting it,

your ears
are still reacting to it,

your eardrums are moving,

and that's still generating
electrical signals

in your brain.

So there is an impact
of the infrasound

that we don't
fully understand yet.

TRAVIS TAYLOR:
Being exposed to this sound--

it's fatiguing your body.

Any type of fatigue

that's long-term can cause
significant psychosis.

In fact, there were
several cases

on the Mir space station
where the Russian cosmonauts

were exposed
to various vibrations,

and it caused them
to actually have psychosis.

I have a friend
who worked on consoles for Mir,

and he said that once,

one of the cosmonauts
actually pulled a knife

on one of the other cosmonauts

because of this type
of exposure.

STONEHILL:
It's not like a rock falling
on somebody's head.

It's happening
inside their minds.

An infrasound
is a powerful weapon,

and apparently,
it's affecting those

who are coming to the mountain.

That's why
it is a hypothesis now

that is being explored
more and more in Russia

as to the cause of death
of the Dyatlov tourists.

I don't subscribe to the theory

that heavy winds
created an atmosphere

where these people went nuts.

I think there was
something else afoot,

something very evil and strange

that happened
to these nine hikers.

And I hope
we get the answers to it.

But again,
maybe we don't want the answer.

Maybe because
it's so hideous and so evil,

we don't want to know it.

SHATNER:
While modern science may offer
a possible explanation

as to what caused the terrifying
event at the Dyatlov Pass,

for many, the incident
can only be described

as an invisible force of evil
that lurks on the mountaintop.

And a similar sense of dread
surrounds a notorious landmark

in Los Angeles
that, for decades, was known...

as the suicide hotel.

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 face down

in one of the water tanks
is the decomposing body

of 21-year-old hotel guest
Elisa Lam.

On the last day of 2012,
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 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 face down

inside a sealed water tank

at the roof of the hotel.

(siren blaring)

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

"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 link to the hotel.

And those are
just reported ones.

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?"

HOROWITZ:
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

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

long before the hotel was built.

Another interesting aspect
of curses

and cursed places
particularly is

that there's always a reason
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.

(gunshot)

So, the local tribe,

the Tongva tribe,
suffered greatly.

(yelling)

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... 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.

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, like the Cecil,

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

given such a macabre history.

Was the Cecil Hotel home

to dark forces
beyond our comprehension?

Given the numerous deaths
on the property,

it certainly seems possible.

But perhaps
what's even more frightening

than a cursed location
is the possibility

of coming face to face
with pure evil,

like in the case of renowned
blues musician Robert Johnson,

who, according to legend,

received a deadly gift

from the devil himself.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
This small town,

located within an area known
as the Mississippi Delta,

has been called
the birthplace of the blues.

FISHOF:
Delta blues music

basically started
in the early '20s,

and it came from Mississippi.

And it was
African American musicians

who sang very soulfully...

(guitar playing)

...very fiercely
with their guitars,

with their harmonicas.

And it wasn't usually
a whole band.

It was usually
an individual person.

SHATNER: Of all the blues
musicians to play in Clarksdale

during the 1920s and '30s,

one of the most influential
was a guitarist, singer

and songwriter
named Robert Johnson.

SYLVESTER HOOVER:
Robert Johnson,

before he got really famous,

he would go down on the corner
and play his blues music.

But early on
in Robert Johnson's career,

he wasn't that good.

And the Delta people
would tell Robert Johnson,

"You go to the cemetery
and play,

"and you would have
a big audience

and nobody would complain
how bad you play your music."

(playing guitar slowly)

FISHOF:
Robert Johnson,
in his early part of his career,

was an okay harmonica player,

not a great guitar player.

He just basically thrown out
of places

because he really wasn't
considered very good.

ANTHONY SHERROD:
He really wasn't good at all,

but he kept on...

wanting to do it,

to show people
that he had potential.

SHATNER:
When faced with the prospect

of having
his musical ambitions thwarted,

according to legend,

Robert Johnson chose to enlist
the help of a higher power--

by making a deal

with the Devil.

(insects trilling)

HOOVER:
Peoples in the Delta would say,

if you play blues at midnight
at the crossroads,

you gonna meet
a lot of strange peoples.

And you might meet Satan himself
at the crossroad.

And so Robert Johnson
went to the crossroad

that Saturday night.

He really went
to the crossroads,

gave his guitar to the Devil.

The Devil strummed it a few
times and gave it back to him.

And from that moment on,
he sold his soul to the Devil

and became an amazing
guitar player overnight.

And that's how the legend goes.

He came back maybe two and
a half or three hours later.

(playing guitar skillfully)

And so this guy
was a different person.

After he left the crossroad,

he was doing stuff
that he couldn't do before.

Whatever he did,

he never was the same again.

Honeyboy said
he could play so great,

people would come
from here and yonder

to hear this guy play his music.

This guy seemed
like he had a magnet

after he left the crossroad.

FISHOF:
From that point on, he became
an amazing guitar player.

It was just a lot different,
what any musician could do.

Robert Johnson's legacy
will live for many, many years.

You cannot listen to a song
from the Beatles,

Eric Clapton,

Led Zeppelin
or from the Rolling Stones

without giving credit
to Robert Johnson's style

that many
of these musicians copied.

And even Keith Richards said

he could play the guitar
like three musicians together.

He had that ability.

(playing bluesy guitar)

SHATNER:
Today, Robert Johnson
is widely considered

to be one of the greatest
blues performers of all time.

And his songs are among
the most influential recordings

in the history of popular music.

But there are many who point
to the lyrics of his songs

as evidence that he really did
make a pact with Satan

in order to achieve greatness.

FISHOF:
Robert Johnson,

in his music,

refers to the Devil
basically by saying,

"I went to the crossroads
and fell on my knees."

And he asked the Lord for mercy.

BROCK:
If you believe that the Devil
is ever-present,

that you can encounter him
on the crossroads,

then that's a really critical
idea in forming this notion

of the Faustian bargain,
the deal with the Devil.

This promise of their souls

in exchange
for something else from Satan.

This is key
to the fear of the Devil.

That Satan could be so knowing,

so ubiquitous, so powerful

that he could know
your secret wants

and he could offer
something to you

and you might be willing
to take it,

depending on your circumstance.

SHATNER:
Did Robert Johnson
sell his soul to the Devil?

It's a question
that is hard to answer.

But the mysterious circumstances
surrounding his death in 1938

have helped perpetuate the myth.

FISHOF:
Robert Johnson's death
is basically a mystery.

Many say that

he met up with a jealous husband

after flirting with his wife,

and the husband gave him
a bottle of whiskey

that was filled with poison.

There's many other theories
of how he passed away.

But many people say he just died

and maybe it was time
for the Devil to take his soul.

HOOVER:
That mystery, it throws
a monkey wrench in it,

and some people
gonna believe this,

some people gonna believe that.

Ain't nobody know
the full story of this guy,

because that's the way
he portrayed himself,

you know? Seeing...

And that's just the way it is.

The mystery of the crossroad.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
Is the tale of Robert Johnson

meeting the Devil
at the crossroads

merely a piece
of intriguing folklore?

Or does the story suggest

that evil is lurking nearby?

Perhaps some clues can be found

by examining a harrowing
condition that is referred to

as demonic possession.

SHATNER:
Father Michael Maginot,

the pastor of St. Stephen Martyr
Catholic Church,

meets with Latoya Ammons
in her home.

But this is not
a common pastoral house call.

Because Father Mike, as he is
known by his parishioners,

is also an exorcist,

and he has been asked
to rid this home

of a demon.

Latoya moved into
this particular house in Gary

in November of 2011.

She was the mother
of three children.

And once the family moved in,

they were noticing
all kinds of phenomena

happening in the house.

Flies were swarming
in the middle of winter.

They would hear noises
through the house.

(creaking)

Footsteps coming up the stairs
from the basement.

They would see shadow figures

pacing back and forth
in the living room

and turn on the light

and see muddy footprints
left on the floor.

Her children, uh,

were also exhibiting
some really odd behavior.

One of the boys was seen
talking to an imaginary friend

that resided somewhere
within the house.

And reports also suggest
that the daughter

was seen levitating several feet
above her bed at night.

MAGINOT:
And so Latoya was convinced

something beyond explanation
was happening to her family.

But no one
would really believe her.

During that time,

the children--
they were getting sick.

And then child protective
services were getting reports

that they were missing
a lot of school.

So they actually were
investigating Latoya.

-(crying)
-She was saying

that it was demonic possession.

And so they were giving her
psychiatric examinations.

But they couldn't find any
psychological illness with her.

SHATNER:
Not only did the authorities
fail to find

any trace of mental illness
in Latoya's behavior

or any inconsistencies
in her story,

they also witnessed an event
involving her son

that made them realize
that something

really was happening
to this family.

Something unexplained.

During the family's
psychiatric evaluations,

the youngest child

began rolling eyes
in the back of his head,

growling.

And then the case worker

as well as several members
of hospital staff

witnessed the boy
walk backwards up a wall.

MAGINOT:
When they witnessed the boy
walk up the wall backwards,

yeah, they were believers.

They knew there was
no explanation for that.

And so I got called
to investigate this case

by the hospital chaplain.

And I went to visit Latoya.

It was a four-hour interview.

And it was in the midst of that

that I placed the crucifix
on her forehead,

and she began to convulse.

Then I took it off,
and she stopped convulsing.

And that's one
of the main things

that fits the signs
of demonic possession.

After considering the evidence,
I was convinced

that the only way
to get rid of it

was a church-sanctioned
exorcism.

And so, I reported that
to the bishop,

and he gave permission.

An exorcism is a ritual,
a spiritual battle.

And so, you need
to somehow upset the demon.

One of the instruments

that I would use
would be a blessed crucifix

to put on the person's forehead.

A second thing
is sprinkling holy water.

There are three sections
of the rite

where you're addressing
the demon,

and a second place
where you're addressing God.

And you can do it in English

or else
you could also do it in Latin.

In Latoya's case,

when we were addressing
a demon in Latin,

Latoya would be convulsing,

but when we were addressing God,
she would stop convulsing.

I'm the only one there
that knew the Latin,

and... and I found that
kind of amazing.

A demonic entity will fight

for the territory
that they have gained,

but then, eventually,
it starts to lessen.

With Latoya, finally,
she fell asleep,

and that was kind of
an indication that it left.

Once she got cleared, um,

then the children were
also fine after that, as well.

SHATNER:
What saved Latoya Ammons
and her children

from their deep physical
and emotional torment?

Was it really
the spiritual power

of the ritual
that Father Michael performed?

Or was it the psychological
or psychosomatic effect

that simply performing a ritual

had on Latoya and her family?

Latoya's case
is really interesting

because it's a case that
actually made national news.

Herself and her children
were exhibiting symptoms

that could not
be explained rationally

by modern medical science.

But in the end,
after all of their attempts,

it was the exorcism itself

that actually produced
the positive effect.

We have evidence
of exorcism rituals

dating back 3,000 years ago
in ancient Babylon.

(groaning)

To those that say that exorcism

shouldn't exist
in modern society,

they really need to appreciate
just how successful

exorcism can be as a ritual,

how it's able to help people.

ARIEL BAR TZADOK:
Exorcisms are not just performed
by one religion or another.

They're performed
by all the different religions.

It happens everywhere,

because we're dealing with
a commonality of human souls.

We recognize that
the nature of a possession

is an earthbound soul

which is unable to
or afraid to move forward

in its spiritual progression.

And we perform rituals,

because the nature of ritual

is being an expression

of inner psychological ideas
and beliefs.

And therefore, as such,

exorcisms become
required practice.

(screaming)

SHATNER: Can the ancient
practice of exorcism

actually purge demonic entities
from the human body,

as cultures around the world
have believed for centuries?

It's an intriguing possibility.

But some people argue
that the best way to fight evil

is not by performing rituals

but rather by harnessing

the cleansing power of fire.

SHATNER: Members of a church
group set two houses on fire

and burn them to the ground.

The blaze is intended to purge
the village of evil spirits

believed
to have been responsible

for the recent deaths
of 20 people.

These houses were older houses,

but they had been
traditionally associated

with magical practices

and the reports
of witchcraft being practiced.

WHITEHEAD:
And as they burnt the places
down to the ground,

some of the villagers
reported seeing a demon

come out of the ashes.

And they've reported all kinds
of really creepy things

that happened once they tried
to burn down those houses.

So the question is,
were they successful

in getting rid of evil
in that place?

Or did they actually
just aggravate it more

by burning those houses
to the ground?

THOMPSON:
Fire is a very common means
of spiritual purification.

And so many different traditions

incorporate fire in some sense,

very often
for its destructive properties

and yet, at the same time,
cleansing properties.

When we're talking about places

that seem to have negativity
to them,

many cultures have rituals--

whether it's burning

or other types of ways

that you can affect
the energy of the place.

It's all about
what the intention is,

which changes
the flow of energy.

I've had a lot of people
on my radio show

who have apparently cleansed
haunted houses

and haunted areas.

They talk about putting sage

around the perimeter
of the house

and things like that

that chase away
the evil spirits.

But by and large,
I'm not sure that works.

I think once a place is haunted,

it's gonna haunt.

It's gonna do what it does.

DAVID ONO:
I think there are energies in
life that we don't understand.

Either created
through our own minds

and our own physical energy

or perhaps the physical energy
of a place.

There are places
where people have died

either violently or tragically,

and that creates
this dark energy.

There might be
some negative spirits,

some ghosts.

And that force
that's happening within it

could also affect people.

DAVE SPINKS:
I've been to some of the most
evil and nasty locations

you could imagine.

And I've seen
people's lives ruined

by these negative, evil forces.

And in my opinion,
some of these locations

are stained forever

with the blood and the energy
of these tragic events,

these murders,

these suicides.

And to me,
that can never go away.

♪ ♪

So what do you think?

Do dark forces actually exist?

Or are supposed evil encounters

simply fabrications
of our human imagination?

Well, the truth is that it's
hard to scientifically prove

whether or not malevolent
entities are, in fact, real.

Which is why, in all likelihood,

people will continue
to both fear and fight

against evil forces
that remain unseen and...

...unexplained.

CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS