A Haunting

Narrator: IN THIS WORLD,

THERE IS REAL EVIL

IN THE DARKEST SHADOWS AND IN THE MOST ORDINARY PLACES.

THESE ARE THE TRUE STORIES

OF THE INNOCENT AND THE UNIMAGINABLE.

FOR THE BECKWITH FAMILY, A NEW HOME MEANS NEW BEGINNINGS

UNTIL SOMETHING FROM THE PAST RETURNS TO HAUNT THEM.

THE FAMILY CALLS IN A TEAM OF RENOWNED PSYCHIC INVESTIGATORS

TO MAKE CONTACT WITH RESTLESS SPIRITS

AND FIGHT THE WRATH OF AN UNHOLY DEMON.

BETWEEN THE WORLD WE SEE

AND THE THINGS WE FEAR...

...THERE ARE DOORS.

WHEN THEY ARE OPENED...

NIGHTMARES BECOME REALITY.

THE RURAL COUNTRYSIDE OF CONNECTICUT

HARBORS A REMARKABLE NUMBER OF HAUNTED HOUSES.

HERE, WHERE THE NAUGATUCK RIVER EMPTIES INTO THE HOUSATONIC,

NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE LIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

IN 1642, EUROPEANS BEGAN SETTLING HERE, AS WELL.

TODAY, IN THE HISTORIC TOWNS OF SEYMOUR AND DERBY,

THE LEGIONS OF DEAD BENEATH THE LAND

FAR OUTNUMBER THE LIVING,

AND LOCAL HAUNTINGS HAVE BECOME LEGENDARY.

IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1998,

THE BECKWITH FAMILY VISITS THE NAUGATUCK VALLEY,

HUNTING FOR A HOME.

SEAN, A HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING REPAIRMAN,

AND BONNIE, A REGISTERED NURSE,

WANT MORE LIVING SPACE

FOR THEIR TWO TEENAGE DAUGHTERS AND YOUNG SON.

THEY FIND THEMSELVES DRAWN TO A REPOSSESSED HOUSE,

ABANDONED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,

THAT LISTS FOR SUCH A LOW PRICE, IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

MOST OF THE FAMILY IS ENTHUSIASTIC,

EXCEPT BONNIE'S OLDEST DAUGHTER, WHO HAS A PREMONITION.

Bonnie: MY DAUGHTER SAID, "I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE.

THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT HOUSE."

I LAUGHED AND TOLD HER, "COME ON NOW, IT'S A HOUSE.

YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN IT YET."

COME ON. COME ON.

IT'S GONNA BE FUN. COME ON.

IF WE HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT WE KNOW NOW ABOUT THIS HOUSE,

WE WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT TWICE ABOUT TURNING AROUND.

Narrator: THE REAL ESTATE AGENT, LINDA DeFORD, OPENS THE DOOR.

THE FAMILY EXPLORES THE HULKING 19th-CENTURY HOUSE.

Sean: ALL RIGHT, JUST DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.

DAD, THIS IS HUGE!

I ALWAYS LIKED THEM. LOOK AT THE TRIM.

JEREMY! JEREMY, COME ON DOWN!

QUICKLY.

Narrator: THE FAMILY HOLDS A MEETING

TO DECIDE WHETHER TO TAKE THE HOUSE.

Bonnie: WE ASKED ALL THE KIDS, "WHAT DO YOU THINK?

IS THIS THE ONE? WE LOVE IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

MY OLDEST DAUGHTER WAS THE ONLY ONE TO SAY, "NO."

I DON'T LIKE IT, DAD.

SHE SAID, "IT'S EVIL. I DON'T WANT TO LIVE THERE.

I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE."

Narrator: BONNIE FEELS CONFIDANT THAT, IN TIME,

HER OLDER DAUGHTER WILL ACCEPT THE NEW HOUSE.

THEY DECIDE TO TAKE IT AND MOVE IN.

THE YOUNGER CHILDREN ARE EXCITED

ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN BEDROOMS --

9-YEAR-OLD JEREMY...

...AND 15-YEAR-OLD JENNIFER.

Jennifer: I PUT MY BED RIGHT AGAINST THE WINDOW.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO LAY IN BED

AND LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND HAVE A NICE VIEW.

I WAS VERY HAPPY IN THAT ROOM.

IT WAS SMALL, AND IT WAS VERY ME.

IT WASN'T LOCATED RIGHT ABOVE MY PARENTS.

I WAS A TEENAGER,

AND I WANTED TO KIND OF BE ISOLATED, BY MYSELF.

MOM, I HEARD NOISES.

Bonnie: IT'S A BIG, DRAFTY HOUSE.

IT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT HE WOULD BE FRIGHTENED, OF COURSE,

SO WE REALLY DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT.

Narrator: BONNIE TRIES TO CALM HIS FEARS

AND GENTLY TAKES HIM BACK TO HIS BEDROOM.

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT.

YOU KNOW THAT FLASHLIGHT THAT WE GOT YOU?

CAN YOU GET THAT FOR ME? SURE.

Bonnie: I HAD GIVEN HIM ONE OF THOSE TOY FLASHLIGHTS

WITH THE THREE-COLOR LENSES,

AND I TOLD HIM, "WELL, YOU SAY YOUR PRAYERS,

"AND IF YOU THINK THE MONSTER'S IN YOUR ROOM,

"YOU PUT THE GREEN LENS ON, AND THAT MAKES HIM GO AWAY.

IT'S A MAGIC FLASHLIGHT."

AND, OF COURSE, HE BOUGHT INTO IT.

ALL RIGHT?

YOU SEE ANYTHING THERE? NO.

MNH-MNH. I DON'T EITHER.

Narrator: JEREMY SEEMS REASSURED,

AND BONNIE GOES BACK TO BED.

THEN, LATER THAT NIGHT...

THIS WENT ON EVERY NIGHT, THE SAME TIME.

00, 12:00, HE WOULD WAKE UP SCREAMING.

ALL RIGHT.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

I HAVE TO MEET A TEACHER. I'LL EAT A GRANOLA BAR.

I MADE BACON AND EGGS. YOU ASKED FOR IT.

LAST NIGHT, WHEN I RAN INTO YOUR ROOM...

Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING,

JEREMY TELLS HIS MOTHER THE DISTURBANCES GOT WORSE.

SO DID YOU TRY THE FLASHLIGHT?

IT KEPT HAPPENING, AND IT WAS REALLY SCARY.

SHE IS UNSURE HOW TO COMFORT HIM.

AS WEEKS GO BY, JENNIFER, TOO, BEGINS TO FEEL TWINGES OF FEAR.

Jennifer: AT FIRST, I WOULD KIND OF IGNORE IT,

KIND OF SHAKE OFF THE FEELING

THAT SOMETHING WAS LOOKING AT ME,

SOMETHING WAS JUST STARING AT ME.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEBODY'S WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE.

JEREMY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?

HE WOULD SAY, "SOMEBODY'S GRABBING THE BLANKETS

AND PULLING THEM OFF OF MY BED.

SOMEBODY'S CALLING MY NAME, AND I CAN'T GET IT TO STOP."

AND HE WOULD SHAKE, AND HE WOULD BE VERY SCARED.

I WOULD JUST SAY, "GO BACK TO BED.

"YOU'RE HAVING A NIGHTMARE. YOU'RE DREAMING.

"THERE'S NOTHING HERE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SCARED.

THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S GOING TO HURT YOU."

I'M GOING TO SLEEP WITH MOM AND DAD.

THEY'RE GONNA BE MAD AT YOU.

Narrator: LATER THAT NIGHT...

Jennifer: I'M FEELING A FIST COME THROUGH MY MATTRESS,

Narrator: WHEN THE BECKWITHS MOVE INTO A HAUNTED HOUSE,

TWO OF THE CHILDREN FIND THEMSELVES UNDER ATTACK.

Jennifer: I KNEW WHAT I FELT,

AND I WAS VERY CERTAIN OF WHAT I FELT AND HOW IT FELT.

I ALSO KNEW THAT THERE WAS NO EXPLAINING WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

I KNEW IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.

I KNEW THAT WHAT I WAS FEELING

DEFINITELY FELT LIKE A HUMAN FIST.

Narrator: JENNIFER DECIDES NOT TO WAKE HER MOTHER.

INSTEAD, SHE MOVES HER BED,

HOPING THAT, SOMEHOW, THAT WILL PROTECT HER.

TWO NIGHTS LATER...

I WAS GONNA ASK YOU ABOUT THAT.

I WAS IN BED, JUST TALKING TO TWO FRIENDS OF MINE.

I WAS GONNA ASK YOU ABOUT THAT.

MY BED STARTED TO SHAKE, SO I JUST IMMEDIATELY FROZE,

AND I WAS SO SCARED, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THAT.

Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING, JENNIFER LOOKS FOR HER MOTHER

TO TELL HER WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING.

OH!

HI.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING?

I WAS HYSTERICAL. I WAS CRYING. I WAS VERY SCARED.

WE HAD TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING.

IT WAS JUST GETTING OUT OF HAND.

Bonnie: OF COURSE, I WAS IN DISBELIEF, AND I THOUGHT SHE WAS KIDDING.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR BED PICKED UP AND SHOOK?"

AND SHE WAS VERY SOLEMN AND TERRIFIED AND SERIOUS.

Narrator: BONNIE TAKES JENNIFER'S STORY TO HEART

AND CALLS AN EMERGENCY FAMILY MEETING.

I JUST DIDN'T THINK THAT YOU WOULD BELIEVE US.

Bonnie: NOW WE'RE COMPARING NOTES, AND NOW WE'RE FINDING OUT,

"OH, MY GOD, WELL, THIS HAPPENED TO ME."

"THIS HAPPENED TO ME." "THIS HAPPENED TO ME."

WELL, YOUR NORMAL PERSON, SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS,

YOU TRY TO RATIONALIZE IT THE BEST YOU CAN.

IT WAS JUST WAY TOO MUCH TO BE COINCIDENCE.

Jennifer: IT WAS VERY SCARY WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH.

YOU JUST KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG.

Narrator: BONNIE TELLS THE FAMILY

SHE'S GOING TO CALL ED AND LORRAINE WARREN,

A RENOWNED PSYCHIC RESEARCH TEAM

FAMOUS FOR HELPING RESOLVE THE AMITYVILLE HORROR.

BONNIE FEELS SURE THEY CAN HELP.

I WAS DEFINITELY VERY SKEPTICAL

ABOUT THE "GHOSTBUSTERS" COMING TO THE HOUSE,

AND HOW ARE THEY GONNA REALLY COME IN AND GET RID OF IT?

I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THIS STUFF WORKED

AND WHAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY DO WHEN THEY GOT HERE.

Narrator: THE WARRENS VISIT THE HOUSE THAT VERY NIGHT.

THE TWO INVESTIGATORS HAVE WORKED IN TANDEM

FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

AND ARE THE AUTHORS OF NINE BOOKS ON THE PARANORMAL.

ED IS KNOWN WORLDWIDE AS A RELIGIOUS DEMONOLOGIST,

A PROFILER OF OCCULT-RELATED HAUNTINGS.

LORRAINE'S PSYCHIC ABILITY TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF SPIRITS

HAS BEEN TESTED AND DOCUMENTED

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES.

Lorraine: WHEN I WALKED IN THE DOOR,

I PICKED UP THAT SOMETHING JUST WASN'T RIGHT,

AND IT WAS JUST AN UNCOMFORTABLE,

CHILLING-TYPE EXPERIENCE.

Bonnie: SHE SAID, "OH, MY, I FEEL SOMETHING HEAVY.

IT'S VERY HEAVY. THIS PLACE IS INFESTED."

THERE IS SUCH AN OMINOUS PRESENCE IN THIS HOUSE,

IT JUST FEELS LIKE SOMEBODY IS STARING YOU DOWN

VERY CLOSE TO YOUR FACE,

LIKE INCHES AWAY FROM YOUR FACE, WITH PURE HATE AND MALICE,