"Probably another hour or so." "Everything should be there." "The movers were working all week, putting all the rooms together." "How did they know where to hang the photos?" "I told them." "If something's in the wrong place, we'll fix it." "We'll fix it." "Paul?" "Are you up?" "Paul?" "Thank you." "I can feel him here." "What?" "I can feel Bobby in this house." "Annie, the reason we moved up here..." "I know, I know." "Moving away from the city isn't the same as moving away from the memories." "He's always going to be with us." "Annie, honey, yes, in our hearts but not in the house." "I really don't care how far he has to drive." "We had the inspection over a month ago and I've called several times already." "But the report says there's nothing wrong..." "I understand, but the smell in the cellar needs to be taken care of." "Now." "It smells like smoke." "Have you seen any smoke, sir?" "No, I haven't seen smoke but I think I know what it smells like." "It's a hundred degrees down there." "All right." "We'll send somebody out in the morning." "Thank you." "I'll see him then." "Well, the electrician is finally coming out..." "Look." "Oh, hon." "Did you drop it?" "No." "I found it like this." "Well, I'll just get another frame when I go into town tomorrow." "You don't think it means something?" "What?" "He never liked this photo." "Remember how we always hid it when girls came over?" "Yeah." " He used to say that he thought his smile was..." " Crooked." "And you think he still doesn't like it?" "Expecting anyone?" "No." "Find a spot for the photo and we'll get a new frame tomorrow." "I told you someone was home." "I'm Dave McCabe." "This is my wife Cat." "We live down the road." "We're your neighbors." "Hello." "I'm Paul Sacchetti." "This is my wife Anne, and we live here, and we are your neighbors." "Very nice to meet you." "Well, we've been two weeks and you're the first folks to come by." "Two weeks?" "That is a surprise." "Usually there's a bit of chatter in town when someone moves into this old house... you know, with the history and all." "Oh, where's my manners?" "I'm sorry." "Would you like to come in for a drink?" "Oh, well, thank you." "Thank you very much." "Pardon the mess." "We're still getting a little settled in." "Oh, no, it's, uh..." "This is lovely." "Lovely." "Thank you." "Oh, uh, what can I get for the two of you?" "A tea or..." " Oh, don't bother." " A coffee maybe." " Whiskey?" " Oh." "That'll be very nice." "Sit, Cat." "Go ahead, sit." "So, um, what was this history you mentioned, Dave?" "We heard it was a funeral parlor around the turn of the century?" "But, I've got to say, the price they were asking wasn't about to scare us away." "Good." "Good." "So, the realtor told you all about the Dagmars." "Yes." "That was the family..." "Thank you..." "Who first lived here, right?" "Yes." "Yes, that's right." "I mean, the town built this house for him back in 1859." "Well, cheers." "Oh, yes." "To new friends, and new beginnings." "1859." "You don't say?" "Yeah." "It wasn't long after that that the trouble began." "Old Dagmar had been running the parlor no more than a couple of months when... well, what do you know, word got out that they were selling the bodies and burying empty coffins." "People were saying he was selling the corpses to the university over in Essex County." "Some even said he was selling them to the Orientals over in Boston, turning them into chop suey." "The town ran him and his wife and the little girl out on a rail." "It was just the saddest thing." "They moved to Providence but his family just couldn't stand the sight of him." "Old Dagmar drank himself to death no more than a year later." "They say he was no more than a shell of a man at the end." "He was more than a shell." " No, we hadn't heard anything..." " You told us..." "Honey, it's all right." "No." "You're quite right, kid, you're quite right." "Yes." "I'm so sorry." "Here I am with you nice folks no more than five minutes and I'm already knee-deep in devils." "She's an old, old house, this one, yeah." "Well..." "We should be off." "We're in a bit of a hurry." " So soon?" " Yes, yes." "We were just driving into town and saw your light and wanted to stop by." "Well, feel free to stop by anytime." "Oh, thank you, thank you." "We will." "You take care of this old place." "It needs a family." "Thanks, Dave." "It has been 30 years since we've had fresh souls in the Dagmar House." "I think we can call it the Sacchetti House now." "Yeah, well, it's... it's still Dagmar's House." "Come on, Cat." "Cat, come on." "Watch the bottom step." "Whew." "You can feel it, can't you?" "Of course, I can." "It's hot as hell down here, Mr. Sacchetti." "What do you got over there?" "Old foundation, needs to be replaced." "Nothing back there?" "No." "Well, look." "Unless you want to hang out in the sauna with me, feel free to go about your day." "I'll give you call out if I need anything." "Thanks, Joe." "You're a life saver." "All right." " Just give me shout." " Yeah." "Hey, kiddo." "How are we doing?" "Not bad." "Minus last night, has the weirdness died down?" "It's not weirdness." "You know what I mean." "Yeah." "I still feel something here." "So what are we going to do about it?" "What if Jacob and May came up for the weekend?" "May has always been interested in this stuff." "She told me once that people pay her to do séances." "People with too much money." "And you like Jacob." " He is always so..." " Stoned?" "Earthy." "And they wrote us that lovely note after the accident." "They said they'd always be there for us." "I just think they might be able to help." "You already invited them, didn't you?" "Yeah." "Alright." "Hello?" "They told me if we were okay with it, they'd invite Harry up for the weekend, too." "Why would Harry want to spend a weekend with his parents and the parents of his dead room..." "Sorry." "That was rude." "Like Dave said, this house needs a family." "Ah!" "Oh, shit." "He's burned bad!" "Annie, call an ambulance!" "I don't care if you have to disconnect the boiler," "I don't want a health hazard like that in my goddamn basement." "It almost killed my electrician this afternoon." "You do realize that it's a really old boiler..." "I don't want excuses." "I want it fixed." " Yes, sir, of course." " Great." "Thank you." "Do you want me to call Jacob and May and tell them not to come?" "No." "It's alright." "Just tell them it might get a bit chilly if the boiler does crap out." "I'm sure they'll be fine." "Yeah, just throw a little more Maui Wowie on the fire, they'll be fine." "I need a whiskey." "You want one?" "Sure." "It'll be nice having May here." "I know you think it's silly... but I really can feel something here, Paul." "Oh!" "What happened?" "What's that smell?" "Smoke." "Well, I just don't get it." "What's not to get?" "Annie wants us up there for the weekend." "Yeah, but why?" "She says the house has a strange aura." "Ever since they moved in, she feels Bobby's there watching them." "Well, maybe it's nice Bobby is there." "I mean, after the crash, Anne was in such a bad place." "I mean, if Bobby's up there with her, maybe that's..." "I don't know." "It's kind of sweet." "If Bobby is still with them, it means he is not letting go." "They want us up there to help find out what's going on." "Okay." "Well, you can't make me believe that Paul is buying any of this." "I mean, I just feel like there could be a lot of negative energy if we get there and we all get off on the wrong foot." "I mean, I just don't want Annie thinking that we're gonna walk in there and just start waving, you know, dark crystals around and exorcise the demons." "We're just company." "We're not going to say anything." "Annie, they're here." "Annie!" "She's driving?" "!" "That's, uh..." "Progressive." "Be good." "Annie." "How are you holding up?" "I'm just really glad you're here." "Paulie, how ya doing, man?" "Sorry." "Just a little work around the house." "Salt of the earth." "Way to go, man." "Oh, now this is living!" "How are you, Paul?" "Good, May." "How are you?" "You know, Harry is coming out later with his girlfriend." "Yeah." "It will be good to see him again." "He and Bobby sure were... inseparable." "They might still be." "That's why we wanted him here." "Bobby was so wonderful." "We think about him all the time, Annie." "Thank you." "Pull the car around back, if you like." "Oh, okay." "Let's go inside, drop these bags and maybe you guys can show us around town." "Well, there's nothing more than a burger joint." "Buffalo Bill's." "Well, yeehaw!" "You guys eating'?" "Yeah." "Four, please?" "Tables are in the back." "This is going to be weird, isn't it?" "No way." "We're just going to hang out, you know?" "Mom and Dad are going to wave around a few crystals and we head back to the city on Sunday." "They really believe in that stuff, don't they?" "Oh, yeah." "And since Bobby and I were roommates freshman year, they figured, you know, we got some sort of connection." "What happened to Bobby?" "Car crash, about two months back." "He was just on his way home from school and got hit by a flatbed." "All kind of creepy." "You know, Mom says Mrs. Sacchetti thinks that" "Bobby is with them in the new house." "Thanks for the invite." "So they're in our living room, not even 30 seconds." "They both practically inhale their scotches and then he just goes off." "And his poor wife just sits there listening to him give us this story about the old owner being run out of town for selling corpses and then killing himself." " Wait, what?" " Yeah." "Hang on." "Your house has a history like this but you still think the energy you're feeling is Bobby's?" "Is it me or is this bizarre?" "Very." "This must be the place." "We can grab the bags later." "Let's see what they're up to." "Are you sure this place doesn't freak you out?" "Hey, when you've been around kooks like my folks as long as I have?" "No way." "Let's see." ""Kiddos, early dinner at Buffalo Bill's on Central Avenue." "Stop by if you're hungry or make yourself at home." "Icebox is stocked." "Love, The 'Rents."" "What do you think?" "I just want to relax." "Let's just eat here." "Deal." "Relax, babe." "Any better?" "Yeah." "Let's see." "This ought to take the edge off." "Thanks." "I guess they don't see a lot of new faces around here." "Well, I think we should try to avoid pissing them off." "Apparently they have a history of going all mob justice on the new faces." "It's really a nice place you picked, Paul." "What are friends for?" "I'm just going to enjoy my meal now." "Watch my back." "It's pretty good, though." "Aw, come on!" "Move it." "So, uh, what do we do now?" "Hello?" "What?" "I think they might be home." "Really?" "Yeah." "Well, nice." "Baby, what are you doing?" "I'm in the cellar." "Door's in the hall." "What?" "!" "Yeah, I heard a sound." "I thought maybe a raccoon or something was down here." "Of course, you would find the creepiest place in this house." "Is it just me or is it, like, majorly hot down here?" "Danny, you..." "You okay?" "Ah!" "What?" "Honey, are you all right?" "I don't know..." "Shit!" "Fucking shit!" "Goddamn it!" "Oh, fuck!" "Are you going to be okay?" "I think so." "I guess Harry and his girlfriend didn't make it." "Ah, they probably just stopped for the night." "Would anyone like a nightcap?" "Oh, I wouldn't refuse one." "You do not have to ask me twice." "Well, I gotta say, this is one weird fucking town." " Paul." " Ha!" "No, he's right." "You guys have moved in to one weird fucking town." "I think it was just a little spell." "You know, sometimes things get a little hazy." "Like a migraine?" "Yes, but on a spiritual level." "It's hard to describe." "Do you think it could be Bobby?" "I won't know until we make contact." "Is that something that you two regularly do?" "You know, you may not buy into it, Paulie, but I have seen things over the years that would knock your socks off." "Well, if you can disprove my skepticism," "I will be very, very impressed." "What do you think, honey, should we should him?" " Can you give me a moment?" " Yeah." "Yeah." "Can you give me a moment before we begin?" " I just need a little time to freshen up." " Sure." "Let me show you your room." "It's not really set up yet but the bed's comfy." "Migraine?" ""Oh, but on a spiritual level."" "Now, come on, Paul." "You said you'd cut them some slack." "I know." "Actually, Jacob's a lot cooler than I remember." "Still stoner, but good guy." "No beef with him." "You're going to get them set up with some fresh linens and then we are going to go back down to that living room and give this a chance." "Then I'm seriously going to need that glass." "If you promise to be civil," "I promise to keep pouring." "I promise." "Long night, eh?" "What'd those folks talk about?" "What folks?" "The only folks in here all night who I have not known my whole goddamn life." "Nothing really, just the house." "Are all four of them staying up there?" "I think." "We're closed!" "Oh, fuck's sake, will you please go find out who it is and tell them that we've already turned off the ovens." "No, we're all closed up..." "Oh shit." "I didn't know you were coming down." "I wouldn't have sent the new girl to the door." "Yeah." "You heard they were here, huh?" "Yeah." "No thanks to you, Maddie." "I'm sorry, Dave." "What about the other couple?" "Not much." "Hippies." "They were telling them they could sense something." "Is that so?" "And that they should leave." "Maddie, you tell me every word they said." " Maybe you should..." " Sit down!" "You do realize what will happen if they leave, don't you?" "Yeah." "Do you really, Maddie?" "Do you?" "The town didn't realized it back in '49." "And when that darkness didn't get a new family, it spread like plague until it found many." "The Dagmars will get them." "After what this town did to that family, they'd kill God himself if He walked into their house." "But they haven't, Maddie." "They haven't and it's time." "The darkness under that house wakes up every 30 years like clockwork and it's hungry." "If it doesn't get a new family this time, it's gonna swallow this town." "Then we'll do it ourselves." "Oh!" "Oh, I..." "Sorry." "I mean, I thought we were getting comfortable." "No, it's cool." "Just wasn't expecting you to be so relaxed with the policy." "Yeah, I'll smoke outside." "Sorry I took so long." "I was feeling the most unreal energy in the hall." "Yeah, no, it's total unreal, right?" "Are you comfortable?" "Yeah." "There is a real power in this house." "It's a heavy power." "Something that was born out of decades of secrets." "There is a darkness here." "Yeah." "I mean, it's here." "I don't feel Bobby here." "It's something that wants you to believe it's Bobby." "What?" "What does that mean?" "This house has an energy all its own." "So are we going to have a séance or something?" "No, no." " I means, that depends on..." " Depends on what?" "You said you knew how to contact him." "Annie brought you up here to find out what was in this house." " Paul..." " No." "May, you can't give Annie all this hope and then not deliver on anything at all." "We don't need to find the darkness here, Paul." "It's everywhere." "Hello?" "Jacob?" "Do you need something?" "May?" "No..." "Hello?" "No!" "No!" " May..." " No!" " May, May..." " There's so much death!" "Annie." "Annie, wake up." "Annie!" "Annie!" "You're alright." "You're alright." "You're alright." " You're okay." " Bobby?" "Did you hear that?" "We had, uh..." "We had an encounter last night." "Yeah, I, uh..." "You what, Paul?" "I saw something, too." "I don't know what I saw, I just want to know what's going on." "Well, I heard Bobby." "I need some air." "Um, I have to go out and get some groceries." "You should come along." "The boys can stay here." "A little male-bonding might do them good." "You guys think you can handle that?" "Yeah." "What do you think we're going to do, baby?" "Start conducting a séance the second you leave?" "Go on." "Go on." "Here are the keys, if you want to drive." "I'll drive." "Not my car, she won't." "Don't worry." "We can take May's car." "Back in an hour." "I love you." "Oh, no-no-no." "Can we take your car?" "Uh, Jake?" "Yes, Paul?" "What's going on, dude?" "We are conducting a séance." "Excuse me?" "You should've seen May last night, man." "She said she was surrounded by death." "And I just heard no séance." "You think she'd be okay with this?" "Absolutely not, which is why we're going to do it right now." "Come on, man, sit." "It felt like the weight of the world, just crushing my soul." "God..." "There's something in that house that feels infernal, something that I've never felt before." "What does that mean exactly?" "Something's not right in that house." "Is that so?" " Oh, hi, Dave." " Hi, Annie." "And who is this lovely young lady?" "This is my friend, May." "She and her husband are visiting with us for the weekend." "Oh, how nice." "Well, it's an honest-to-God pleasure, Miss May." "How's Cat doing?" "Oh, she's fine, just fine." "Check-up with the doctor." "And you're..." "Oh, just wandering the streets and eavesdropping on lovely young ladies." "Miss May, did I hear you correctly saying there's, uh... something not quite right with Annie's house?" "I'd be surprised if there wasn't," "I mean, with that kind of past." "That house probably has more demons than the Book of Revelations." "Is it true what happened up there?" "Running the Dagmars out of town?" "Oh, it's true." "Hand to the Lord." "Because I saw a family there last night." "You did?" "May has... abilities." "Well, I'd say she certainly does." "We need to get back, Annie." " I'm sorry, Dave." " Oh, no, it's fine." " Bye." " Goodbye, Annie." "Bye, Miss May." "So, I'm just going to read a few lines here and see if we can connect to whatever is in the house, okay?" "So, you just sit there and um, maybe close your eyes and just try to believe what we're doing is real." "It's just so helpful if you're in a zone." "We are addressing any spirits here." "This house belongs to the living." "Their names are Paul and Anne, and they have a connection to your world." "Their son Bobby is with you." "And if it's Bobby's spirit that we have felt, please, give us a sign." "This house welcomes his spirit and asks him to join us." "And with love and compassion, we will help him cross to the next realm... and peel... the skin... off... his... bones." "What did you say?" "It's a..." "it's a welcoming." "We try to connect to the... to the spirit by asking them into our circle." "And so, you know, I'm asking my son to join us." "My son." "Bobby." "My son." "Yeah." "Sorry." "Sorry." "I mean, it's a sacred blessing to those we hold dear, and so we ask Bobby to... rot... like... wasted... meat." "This is bullshit." "I'm done." " It's not Bobby." " What?" "It's not Bobby!" "Ah!" "Your boy is dead." "He's in the cellar." "He and his little whore." "They're downstairs burning." "The both of them." "Burning like my whole family." "Burning until the stars go dark." "Fuck!" "Paul!" "Paul!" " Paul, tie me up, man!" " Are you nuts?" "!" "Get a rope or something, man!" "Hurry up, man!" "Tie me up!" "Ah!" "What is it?" "That Dave?" "He seems a little off." "He's just a harmless old man." "I still don't see Harry's car." "May, don't worry about it." "I'm sure they'll be here soon." "I don't want them coming up here." "None of us should be staying here, Annie." "May..." "Help!" "Help!" "It's Jacob." "May, I believe it, all of it." "Help!" "Jacob?" "What's going on?" "Jacob, he lit some candles and he started digging up some weird..." " I don't know, auras or something after you left..." " Auras?" "!" "Whatever the fuck they're called, May!" "Look at him!" "Why, he's right!" "Dug up some devils while you were out." "What happened?" "This town is what happened." "This is my house." "He's..." "Dagmar." "What do we do?" "What?" "I told you to leave." "It's Dagmar!" "He's real!" "Dagmar... isn't what you need to be worried about..." "Fuck you!" " Liar!" " May!" "He's not dead!" "He's dead." "He and that little harlot he brought into my happy home." "My son's not dead!" "May." "No!" "Jacob?" "Talk to him, May!" "He's got to be in there!" "This is my house." "You should have known better." "Jacob, baby, are you in there?" "You've got to listen to my voice." "I need you to concentrate." "Think about me." "Think about us." "Oh shit." "After what you did to the people of this town?" "What?" "!" "After what I did?" "!" "You're going to listen to that old bastard?" "!" "We were good people!" "This town murdered my family!" "They sacrificed them to the gods they dug up when they built this place!" "Nobody knew what was under this house until it was too late." "Jacob!" "You've got to listen to my voice!" "They opened something awful and it needed a family." "I love you." "Please, fight it." "This is my house." "Ah!" "Oh, no, no." "Oh God." "Jacob!" "Jacob!" "Oh, May, don't look at him!" "We got to leave!" "We got to go!" "Go, go, go!" "Go, go, go, go!" "Go!" "Annie!" "Open the door, Annie." "It'll all be over soon." "I'm not alone, Annie." "Open the door." "No!" "Ah!" "Get upstairs!" "Mom, please, go!" "Did you hear that?" "Yeah." "It was Bobby!" "Come on, Annie, you were right." " We got to keep moving." " That was our son!" "I know!" "I heard him and he told us to fucking leave!" "You see anything?" "Nothing." "Ah!" "Go." "Go." "It's not much..." "They're upstairs!" "Ah!" "Get the fuck off of me!" "Ah!" "Go!" "Go, go, go." "Ah!" "Ah!" "Lem!" "Ah!" "Is there any other way upstairs?" "I..." "I don't..." "Ah!" "Lem!" "Ah!" "We're going to get out of here, Annie." "Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!" "Dagmar!" "What in Hell is going on?" "Huh?" "These folks been in this house two weeks and they're still alive." "Why?" "Something special about them?" "You wanted this house so bad you were willing to kill for it so we just let you." "Having you here made every sacrifice after you a hell a lot easier." "Whatever anger you had that kept you here," "I am grateful for it, but you know what has to done." "You know what you're supposed to do." "Now get it done." "Annie!" "Well, well, it's my new neighbors." "Come in, come in." " What do you want?" " Back up." "It's not what I want." "It's what this house wants." "You're not leaving here." "You stay, you satisfy the darkness." "And really, why would you want to go and leave your little boy here all alone, huh?" "Annie, you know he is very much here." "You brought him with you when you moved in." "Now is your chance to be with him always." " Oh, fuck you, old man!" " Paul!" "Paul, look at your wife." "Go on, look at her, man." "He's your son." "You know it's for the best." "Don't fight it." "Just accept it." "You see what happens when you try to fight it?" "Huh?" "Every 30 years or so the goddamn place just wakes up and it demands new blood, and our town is forced to deliver it." "Ah!" "Ah!" "Don't be afraid, Mom." "I'm here." "They're still here." "Annie." "Annie." "Hey, Bobby."