"[Woman moaning in her sleep]" "[Voices whispering]" "Aah!" "[Voices screaming]" "[Voices screaming]" "Aah!" "Where are you?" "JAMIE:" "Keep the change." "Lotsa luck." "Thanks." "[Gasps]" "Hi." "JAMIE:" "You guys coming in?" "You coming in?" "See ya." "[Knocking]" "Grandma?" "Grandma, it's me." "It's Jamie." "Grandma?" "[Chatter on police scanner]" "Not exactly Starbucks, is it?" "I'm Detective Armbrister, and they said you were waiting." "Hi." "Jamie Lowell." " And Miss Soames is your..." " My grandmother." "I came out from California today, and she's gone." "Please." "[Telephone ringing]" " Right here." " Thanks." "Could she be visiting friends?" "JAMIE:" "She doesn't have any." "Do you speak to her often?" "Yeah, all the time." "She doesn't have a phone in her room... so I leave messages at the front desk... and she calls me back." "Uh, Miss Lowell, here's what we do in missing person cases." "If the person's gone for twenty-four hours..." "But she hasn't answered my calls for over a week." "Well, you said she didn't have a phone in her room." "She uses the one in the lobby." "ARMBRISTER:" "In nine out of ten cases... people turn up within twenty-four hours." "That's why we have this policy." "JAMIE:" "I've already been to the hospitals." "She's not there." "Something's wrong." "JAMIE:" "Look, two months ago, out of the blue... she sold her house and moved herself into this... this complete dump... like, five minutes before it's condemned." "She stopped returning my calls, and now I come out here... and I find a bible open next to her bed." "JAMIE:" "You have to understand..." "she's been a lifelong atheist." "You say the building was condemned?" "JAMIE:" "I found an eviction notice on her door." "So she's out looking for another apartment." "You might want to camp out there till she shows up." "Thanks for the encouraging words." "Aah!" "Nice." "[Children laughing]" "Good evening." "Hi." "Hi." "You... you guys live over there, right?" "JAMIE:" "We met today in the elevator." "Remember?" "You want to play?" "MAN'S VVOICE ON VVIDEO GAME:" "The House of the Dead." "You see, you take the gun, and you point it at the bad guys... and you pull the trigger." "And the more you kill, the better..." "WOMAN'S VVOICE ON GAME:" "Don't come!" "Aah!" "Have fun." "MAN'S VVOICE ON GAME:" "I don't want to die!" " Strange little kids, huh?" " You said it." "I mean, where are their parents?" "Why are they out so late at night alone?" "I don't know." "They don't say nothing, they don't buy nothing." " How much?" " Five bucks." "OK." "Thank you." "Well, at least they play like normal kids." "They ain't normal." "Sir... do you recognize this lady?" "JAMIE:" "Her name's Hattie Soames... and she hasn't been home in a couple of days... and I'm a little worried." "Sorry, miss." "OK." "Thanks anyway." "[Gasps]" "Kill!" "What?" "Kill!" "Oh." "You mean this?" "You're welcome." "Hello." "JAMIE:" "You Jerry?" "I'm Jamie Lowell... the one who's been calling for her grandmother, Hattie Soames." "You told me you were putting my messages... under her door, remember?" "Oh, I don't know where she lives." "JAMIE:" "I told you... 407." "JERRY:" "Don't stress about it." "[Train horn blowing]" "[Children laughing]" "[Children laughing faintly]" "Uhh." "Eww!" "[Children laughing]" "Aah!" "Want to tell me what you're up to, hmm?" " I'm looking for my grandmother." " She's not in the basement." "You think she came down here and padlocked the door from outside?" "It was already unlocked." "I didn't do it." "Keep out." "Out of my way, fuckface!" "You, too, bitch!" "Don't take it personally, hon." "He's like that with everyone." "[Door slams]" "Oh." "[Chuckles] I'm Tiffany." "Hi." "I'm, uh, I'm Jamie." "[Music plays]" "TIFFANY:" "Lunches, night shifts, Fridays and Saturdays." "You should come." "It's good." "It's called the Fun Club." "It's near the airport." "I mean, all the guys are kind of jerks, but..." "I kinda like the cops." "I'm not too big on cops at the moment." "TIFFANY:" "Yeah, well, they are the worst tippers... but at least they don't grab you when you're table dancing." "Huh." "God, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind... after ten years of classical ballet... but you gotta do what you gotta do, you know what I mean?" "So when did they give you your eviction notice?" "Oh, my God." "About a week ago." "I stopped paying rent months ago." "Obviously..." "look at the place." "TIFFANY:" "But instead of fixing it, they evicted us." "Why would my grandmother move into a place... two months before it's condemned?" "TIFFANY:" "I don't know." "That is strange." "Were you guys, um..." "I mean, are you close?" "Um, yeah." "Sort of." "She's a very independent person." "Not too communicative, if you know what I mean." "I was hoping we'd get closer after my parents died, but..." "Oh, um..." "How did they, uh..." "A house fire a couple of years ago." "TIFFANY:" "Jeez, that must be rough." "Yeah." "It was." "Look, I should let you get ready for work." "Don't worry about it, hon." "I got a twelve-hour shift ahead of me." "TIFFANY:" "Hey, listen." "I'm really sorry to hear about your grandmother." "If you need anything, you just let me know, OK?" "I will." "Thanks." "JAMIE:" "That's really nice of you, Tiffany." "Yeah, well, I'm alone in the world, too." "WOMAN SINGING:" "You'll take me away" "Oh, make..." "[Keyboard clicking]" "[Knocking on door]" "Jerry." "I'm sorry I didn't give your grandmother the messages." "That's OK." "I don't think she was here to get them anyway." "JERRY:" "Listen, I was just going up to the roof to barbecue." "Been on the roof yet?" "It's a great view." " No." " Oh!" "Fresh picked!" "Yeah, I know." "Someone tried to throw some through my window earlier." "Oh, dude." "JERRY:" "Come up to the roof." "You gotta eat." "JAMIE:" "Um..." "OK, um..." "Look, I've got some work to finish up... but I'll be up in a few minutes?" "OK, great!" "OK." "[Whispering] God..." "Mmm!" "[Children laughing]" "Where did you two come from?" "Aaaahh!" "[Carnival music continues]" "[Turns music off]" "[Gasps]" "Jamie:" "Hi." "Again." "You guys, you shouldn't be up there, you know?" "It's not safe." "Where exactly do you guys live?" "JAMIE:" "And when do you live there?" "[Gasps]" "[Train whistle blows in the distance]" "Jerry!" "Hey, Jerry, I like the Martha Stewart touch... on your door." "Jerry?" "Jerry, your steak's burning." "Just thought you wanted to know." "Hmm." ""And the sins of the father shall be revisited on the sons."" "[Voices whispering]" "Aah!" "Where are you?" " This way, Hattie." " I'm coming!" "VVOICE:" "This way." "Coming!" "[Train horn blows]" "[Gasps]" "Grandma?" "JAMIE:" "Grandma!" "Grandma, is that you?" "Wait!" "Grandma!" "Oh, grandma." "I'm down here." "It's me." "It's Jamie." "It's Jamie, grandma." "Grandma?" "JAMIE:" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah-aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "[Creaking]" "ARMBRISTER:" "Brought you some coffee." "Just the way you like it." "JAMIE:" "It's been twenty-four hours." "And no grandmother." "So what are you gonna do?" "Your grandmother's got an interesting history." "I got the impression you weren't much interested... in her situation." "Well, uh, I took an interest." "ARMBRISTER:" "This fire she survived as a kid..." "What fire?" "She never told you about it?" "No." "ARMBRISTER:" "It was a tent revival that went up in flames." "She was really lucky, apparently." "Twenty or so other children were killed." "It was a cult, although they didn't call it that back then." " A religious cult?" " Yeah." "ARMBRISTER:" "They thought adults were the agents of Satan." "They killed themselves because they were about to be shut down." "A cult of kids." "Are you all right?" "ARMBRISTER:" "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "Um, do you mind if I use your phone to call a cab?" "Why don't I give you a ride?" "That way I can check out your grandmother's apartment... see if there are any clues." " Yeah, sure." "OK." " I'll get my keys." "Eeww." "Yuck." "[Turns water on]" "[Clatter]" "[Gasps]" "Shit." "Here." "This is what we've put together so far." " Thanks." " You're welcome." "ARMBRISTER:" "So they never determined the cause... for the fire that killed your parents, did they?" "You know, it is an odd coincidence." "What?" "ARMBRISTER:" "Your grandmother and your parents and two fires." "Yeah." "Yeah, I guess it is." "Ah-ow!" "Mmm." "TIFFANY:" "Oh, my God." "What the hell are you doing in here, kid?" "God, you scared me half to death." "You shouldn't be in here." "Where's your mother?" "Dead." "Look, I don't know how you got in here... but I want you out of here now." "What are you doing?" "TIFFANY:" "What are you doing?" "Aah!" "Aah-aah!" "Quiet down, you fuckin' whore!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Go to a motel and fuck your brains out, you fuckin' bitch!" "Aah!" "Hey, listen to this." ""The boy preacher Abel of local fame..." ""seduced God-fearing children into leaving their parents..." ""and following him." ""They worshipped in the cornfields..." ""hidden from prying adult eyes." "JAMIE: "When the sheriff and his men..." ""were closing in on one of their revivals..." ""the children lit the tent afire and burned themselves alive." ""Only one young girl escaped the fire with her life."" "My grandma." ""The site of the tragedy..." ""has been sold to the Hemco real estate company..." ""who will begin groundbreaking on a swanky new building..." ""the Hampton Arms, within two months."" " Oh, my God." " What?" "The boy preacher Abel." "I found a picture of him with Grandma Hattie." "It's the same boy." "[Children screaming]" "[Gasps]" "CHILD:" "Help me!" "[Children laughing]" "Unh." "Unh." "[Child laughing]" "[Children laughing]" "The Hampton Arms from sixty years ago." "God, all those children died right here." "They're back." "From the dead?" "No." "Back in the sense that they've started up again... as a cult." "Cornfield's back." "Everything the way she left it?" "Yeah." "I mean, I slept in the bed, but..." "She do this?" "Well, I didn't." "Were you two on the outs?" "No." "They're sleeping pills." "What's this?" "What does it look like?" "Um..." "You got any plastic baggies?" "Uh, yeah, I'll see." "But what does it look like?" "Um... blood." "JAMIE:" "No baggies." "Good news." "It's not your grandmother's." " It's not?" " It's Hershey's." "Chocolate?" "Yeah." "I guess you had me going there with your paranoia." "Glad I didn't take it to the lab." " That's strange." " What's that?" "Her hat..." "it was hanging right here." "[Children laughing]" "You bastards!" " You want some coffee?" " Sure." "So, uh, what do you think?" "ARMBRISTER:" "Well, there's no indication of foul play." "Well, what about the broken picture?" "It fell off the table probably." "What about the kids?" "What kids?" "The kids hangin' around in the street." "The kids in the building." "The kids that nobody seems to notice except for me." "Me and that priest." "What priest?" "[Sighs] Look, let's just go with this." "My grandmother survived a mass suicide." "Right here." "I mean, maybe she's come back... out of some sort of misguided survivor's guilt or something." "I don't know, maybe they did something to her." "But you're talking about something that happened... sixty years ago." "Yeah." "Well, they were fanatics." "I mean, Charlie Manson's family... is still devoted to him thirty-five years later." "But wouldn't that put them in their, uh... what, eighties by now?" "OK." "Maybe the original people, but, uh... maybe they're a whole new generation or something." "You should have seen those kids." "They acted like they were brainwashed or... hypnotized or something." "JAMIE:" "They certainly didn't act... like they were from the 21st century." "Eesh, you should have seen them playing a video game." "ARMBRISTER:" "I do not believe that your grandmother... was abducted by a group of hyper-religious kids." "Sorry." "You have any matches?" "[Gasps]" "[Blows]" "Maybe not." "Keep it." "[Sighs]" "ARMBRISTER:" "Look, why don't you get a motel or something?" "You probably shouldn't stay here." "You told me to, in case she came back." "Well, that was before." "Before you thought she wasn't coming back." "No, before I saw this place." "Oh." "ARMBRISTER:" "OK, uh, why don't you stay at my place?" "I'll sleep on the couch." "Actually, I don't have a couch, but I'll sleep in the tub." "Well, technically, it's a shower stall... but, you know, it's very roomy." "No, really, thanks." "Hey, at least let me buy you dinner." "I'll pick you up when I get off." "7:00?" "Um, can we make it 9:00, actually?" "I have an article deadline." "OK. 9:00's good." "[Door opens]" "[Metallic squeaking]" "[Wind whistling]" "[Children laughing]" "Pipe down, you fuckin' brats!" "Fuckers!" "God damn you, you kids!" "Don't you..." "You little bastards!" "What the hell are you doing?" "You stupid little..." "Stop!" "MAN:" "Come on, you bastards!" "Come on, stop this!" "Stop, stop!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "[Children laughing]" "Aah!" "[Giggling]" "[Laughter grows louder]" "CHILD:" "Psst." "[Children chanting]" "[Wind whistling]" "CHILDREN:" "... in the sky, in the sky." "I will stand..." "[Children continue chanting]" "[Chanting stops]" "WOMAN:" "Jamie!" "Uhh!" "Grandma?" "[Woman speaking indistinctly]" "[Breathing heavily]" "[Child whispering]" "[Breathing heavily]" "[Giggling]" "[Floor creaking]" "[Wind whistling]" "[Bell on door rings]" "Hello?" "Is anybody here?" "Hello?" "[Rustling]" "Hey, wait!" "Where'd you get that hat?" "Hey, wait up!" "[Bell on door rings]" "[Chorus singing eerily]" "[Train horn blowing]" "[Children laughing]" "Jerry!" "Jerry, I want to talk to you!" "Excuse me!" "Sir!" "Sir?" "Hello!" "Hello!" "Tiffany!" "Tiffany, are you there?" "Is anybody here?" "[Panting]" " [Banging on door] - [Gasps]" "[Banging continues]" " Come on, let me in." " No." "MAN:" "Well, I can't talk to you, while..." "All right, never mind." "Look, I came by to tell you that I'm leaving, OK?" "You're the last one here." "What do you mean, I'm the last one?" "Found one of these on your door yet, huh?" "No." "Don't you think it's a little bit early for Christmas?" "What do you think, huh?" "Look..." "I'm out of here." "You watch yourself." "Watch yourself." "[Chorus singing eerily]" "[Grunts]" "[Electricity humming]" "[Grunts]" "[Panting]" "[Man muttering]" "MAN:" "Go on." "[Gasps]" "What do you want?" "What do you want?" "[Gasping]" "Huh!" "Aah!" "Uhh!" "Uhh!" "[Groaning]" "Uhh!" "BOYSINGING:" "Alleluia" "[Electricity crackling]" "[Object shatters]" "[Shuts off faucet]" "CHILDREN SINGING:" "Miss Lucy had a steamboat" "The steamboat had a bell" "Miss Lucy went to heaven" "The steamboat went to..." "Hello, operator" "Give me number nine" "And if you disconnect me" "I'll kick you in your..." "Behind the 'frigerator" "There was a piece of glass" "Miss Lucy sat upon it" "It went right up her..." "Ask me no more questions" "I'll tell you no more lies" "Hi." "JAMIE:" "I'd like to talk to you guys for a second." "I promise I won't hurt you." "[Both giggling]" "Wait!" "Wait, don't go away." "[Door squeaks]" "[Door squeaks]" "[Deep breathing]" " Aah!" " Wait for dada." "JAMIE:" "Ohh!" "You'll be dead if you ever do that to me again." "Jesus!" "She must have been a very willful child to resist him." "Who?" "Where are your parents?" "Dead." "I see." "What?" "Communion wine." "No." "I don't believe in that." "I'm not asking." "[Muttering]" "So what do you see?" "You." "You're unfinished business." "How do you mean?" "Your grandmother Hattie should have died in the fire." "PRIEST:" "Hence, your parents and you... should never have been born." "According to who?" "He who walks behind the rows." "Who is "he"?" "You mean the devil?" "[Scoffs]" "Well, sorry, but I don't believe in him, either." "No offense, but he doesn't need your vote." "Remember Gatlin?" "Gatlin?" "A whole town murdered by children possessed." "JAMIE:" "Yeah, well, thanks for the history lesson... but what does that have to do with my grandmother?" "What I need to know is whether she's alive or dead." "She's dead." "PRIEST:" "But probably not gone." "And what is that supposed to mean?" "Can't you for one moment... conceive of something in this universe... that's larger than you?" "I spent my whole life trying to make others understand... and I don't have a lot of time left." "Your only chance of survival is if you leave here." "Evil walks this place, and it wants you." "There's a crazy, fanatical religious cult... that abuses children... and if I find out that they hurt my grandmother..." "I'm gonna see to it that they fry." "Hattie came here to save you from them." "Now I'll pray for your soul, because if you do not leave... they'll make sure that it's you that fries." "[Eerie whispering]" "[Gasps]" "Kill." "[Whimpering]" "[Panting]" "OK, I'll..." "JAMIE:" "I'll get your game." "OK?" "I'll find your game." "[Panting]" "There." "[Pushing buttons]" "So, um... do you know the old lady who lives here?" "I think you do." "[Heavy breathing]" "I, um..." "I think you and your friends know where she is." "Don't you?" "[Gasps]" "I know where she is." "Show me." "[Door opens]" "[Gas hissing]" "[Siren]" "It was find by a clerk at around 8:00." "She came to relieve him." "She does the cash register at night." "Right, and where is she now?" "She was pretty shook up." "E.M.T. S took her to the emergency room." "She was... she was pretty bad, detective." "Ah." "All right, thank you." "Any weapons found near the remains?" "Yeah, you might call it a weapon." "What does that mean?" "Well, we found it on the shelf over there next to Yorick." "Child's tomahawk." "So how long do you think he's been in there?" "MAN:" "Two, three hours." "And what kind of weapon, absent the tomahawk?" "I'm gonna call it a curved blade." "There's some rust around the neck here." "Could be a farm tool." "Like a sickle maybe?" "Yeah, somethin' like that." "[Stairs creak]" "[Loud clicking]" "Oh, my God." "[Breathing heavily]" "[Whimpering]" "Oh, you..." "You can't." "You're dead." "You said you'd show me where my grandmother is." "MAN: [Echoing] She betrayed us." "She ran away like a frightened little child." "She was a frightened little child." "Where is my grandmother?" "She's right here, where she belongs... where you belong." "[Gasps]" "[Hattie's voice] I'm sorry, dear." "Grandma!" "I tried to warn you." "HATTIE:" "Run!" "Aah!" "Aah-aah!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Uhh!" "[Gasping]" "[Running footsteps]" "[Footsteps fade away]" "Aah!" "Uhh!" "Uhh!" "Aah-aah-aah!" "[Crying]" "Ohh!" "Ohh!" "[Screaming]" "[Gasping]" "[Panting]" "[Gas hissing]" "[Giggling]" "Uhh-uhh!" "Aah!" " Aah!" " Aah!" "[Both screaming]" "[Jamie screaming]" "[Crying]" "[Chorus singing eerily]" "BOY: [Man's voice] Give yourself." "It's his will." "So that's it, then?" "[Echoing] Join us." "[Gas hissing]" "All right." "But there's something you should know." "These little wreathes of yours... they're a real fire hazard." "Aah!" "[Gasps]" " Aah!" " There is no escape!" "BOY:" "It is destined!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "[Screaming]" "[Gas hissing]" "[Panting]" "[Eerie groan]" "[Groan]" "[Electricity crackling]" "[Groan]" "Aah!" "Aah!" "[Jamie screaming]" " [Cracking] - [Gasps]" "[Gasps]" "[Gasping]" "[Screaming]" "[Chorus singing eerily]" "[Voice snarls]" "[Hissing]" "No!" "Aah!" "No!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "No!" "No!" "Aah!" "No!" "[Voice snarls]" "Aah!" "[Jamie screaming]" "[Hissing]" "ARMBRISTER:" "Aah!" "[Boy singing]" "[Chorus singing peacefully]" "[Boy singing]" "[Chorus singing eerily]"