"[Carl] Children fear monsters." "Creatures of the night they imagine hiding under beds..." "Iurking in closets." "But as we grow older, we learn evil doesn 't announce itself with a mask or costume." "That the deepest, most dangerous terrors are those not disguised, but those hidden in plain sight." "N ice mask, freak show." "Give it back." "Make us." "Whoa!" "Freak show's got a knife." "Let me see it, doofus." " It's mine." " I said give it." "[boy] Leave him alone." " What you gonna do, Carver?" " What you gonna do, Blakely?" "That's enough." " Justin's got a knife." "We were..." " I'll handle it." "You boys run along." "You know knives aren't allowed at school." "They're not?" "Students caught with weapons are subject to expulsion." "Well, you're new here, so this time" "I'll just take the knife and leave you with a warning." "Yes, sir, Mr. Jeffries." "Thank you." "[man] That's not yours." "Mr. Seaver, this school has a "no tolerance" policy toward knives." "The knife's his." "Give it back." "I'm concerned about your son, Mr. Seaver." "He's withdrawn and lonely." "In my experience, children act that way when they have trouble at home." "You'll suffer for this." "[wind blowing]" "[eerie whispers]" "[eerie whispers]" "Hello?" "Is someone there?" "[eerie whispers]" "[screams] [banging]" "[man] Mr. Kolchak." "[Carl] Detective." "[detective] I hate this kind of case." "It always gets to you." "No matter how long you've been a cop, how many bodies you've seen." "You can imagine, being a crime reporter." "Yeah." "Well, you know, I'd like to get your particular insight into this case." "Let justice be properly served." "My thoughts about this case are unorthodox." "Not likely to stand up in a court of law." "Now you let me worry about the law, Mr. Kolchak." "Right now I'm just interested in understanding what happened here." "I find that open-minded of you." "Unusually so." "I wouldn't call it "open-minded"." "I just find this a strange and tragic case." "And I'd just like to set things right, now, as best I can." "I understand." "Well, now, this is, um..." "being videotaped." "So why don't we start at the beginning, and tell me what made you interested in this story in the first place?" "I mean, last week," ""Accidental death by lightning"?" "That can't properly be called a crime at all, can it?" "Except there was nothing accidental about it." "[Carl] "Mr. Arnold Jeffries, vice principal of McClintock Elementary School, found dead this morning by the school janitor."" "The man was struck by lightning." "It was a tragic, but accidental, death." "Lightning that tossed his body 30 feet in the air, impaling him on the school flagpole?" "In 1 978, a truck driver in Manchester, England, was struck by lightning, tossed 57 feet." "His body landed on his neighbor's roof." "I did a little reading on lightning." "So then you know about the Lichtenberg figure?" "Lichtenberg figure, yeah, of course." "Oh!" "Oh..." "Phew!" "What is that?" " That's the Lichtenberg figure." " Oh." "What is that again?" "Also known as arborescent lightning burn." "Recognized by pathologists as evidence of a lightning strike." "Oh, you are really turning me on right now." "I've seen it before in lightning strikes." "What's your point?" " Look where the mark begins." " Down by his waist." "Yeah." "Lightning always strikes high, near the head or neck." "Not low." "That's why I called Kolchak, because no one here's ever seen this before." "So the lightning hit something else first, bounced off and struck Jeffries." "Only, according to the Weather Service, no lightning struck within ten miles" " of the school last night." " I give up." "OK, so if lightning didn't kill this man, what did?" "I don't know." "But at least you're asking the right questions." " So, you went to the school." " Yeah." " [detective] To do what?" " [Carl] Just to ask questions." "[Perri] Jeffries was a popular administrator, well-liked, no enemies to speak of." "Yeah, the principal tells the same story." "I know it disappoints you, but I think this is exactly what it seems." "A simple, yet bizarre, accident." " Hey, guys." " What is it?" "I'm not sure, but that figure on Jeffries' body, and this tree, check this out." "[beeping]" "[Carl] They're the same." "I don't get it." "[woman] Draw what you feel inside." "When someone you know passes away, it's OK to feel sad, or angry, or scared." "But the principal, and I, and all your teachers want you to know that you're safe." "And nothing's going to happen to any of you." " Our school is a community." " So what are you going to do?" "[teacher] When we lose someone we care for..." " About what?" "...we come together, help each other through our sadness..." "You heard what your dad said to Mr. Jeffries yesterday." "My dad didn't do anything." "...we are all friends and what do friends do?" "He told him he'd suffer." "Everybody says it was an accident." "But it wasn't." "Was it?" "You're so lucky." "I'd give anything to have a dad like yours." "I know." "And I know you're scared." "But you've got to tell someone." " If you won't, I will." " [bell rings] [woman] All right, everyone leaves early today." "And you're convinced that this is the day Justin Seaver drew this?" "It was his assignment as part of grief counseling." "But nobody saw him draw it on this particular day." "Well, no one except Ryan Carver." "Right." "An 1 1 -year-old boy." "So, what, later that morning, you approached Ryan with your theory about Ezekiel..." "No, no." "He approached me." "[Carl] Can I help you with something?" "Um, yeah." "You were asking people about who was carving into that tree, right?" "That's right." "Is there something you want to tell us?" "It was my friend, Justin Seaver." "His dad got really mad at Mr. Jeffries for taking away his knife." "He told him he would suffer." "Would you know where we could find Justin's father?" "Over there, with Justin." "Do you think Justin's dad hurt Mr. Jeffries?" "I don't know." "I heard he hurt someone where Justin used to live." "That's why they moved here." "Do you know where that is?" "I don't know." "Justin doesn't talk much." "Doesn't have a lot of friends." "Well, except for you." "My dad says you should be nice to people less fortunate than you." "Ryan?" "What's going on here?" "I'm Carl Kolchak, with the Beacon." "I'm Dan Carver, with the LAPD." "You..." "You normally interview kids without their parents' permission?" "Uh, no, Dad." "Um, I came to them." "I was telling them about Mr. Seaver." "Yeah?" "What about Mr. Seaver?" "We won't print anything your son's told us, Mr. Carver." "Good thing." "So that's when it all began?" "Kolchak twisting up your mind?" "Isn't that right?" "No." "No, that's not how it happened." "He spoke to my son, that's all." "He didn't talk to you about evil?" "Possession?" "No." "Not then." "Come on, Dan." "You know who we're looking at here?" "Now, you're gonna go to prison." "The question is for how long?" "I know a guy like you couldn't do something like this, unless Kolchak fed you some pretty crazy ideas." "That he did." "Dan, I'm not asking you to do anything wrong." "I'm just asking you to lay the blame for this terrible tragedy where it belongs." "On Carl Kolchak." "So what made you so interested in Ezekiel Seaver?" "I mean, by your own account, you had nothing, except for the vague suspicions of an 1 1 -year-old boy." "[Carl] Well, that was enough." "Ryan said someone had been hurt there, and that's why the Seavers moved." "And he was right." "[Perri] What are we looking for exactly?" "[Carl] Anything that sheds light on the mysterious Mr. Seaver." " [buzzing]" " Oof!" "[Carl] Father of the year." " [woman] Who are you?" " Oh!" "Um, reporters." "I'm Carl Kolchak, this is Perri Reed." "We're with the L.A. Beacon." "Mona Sampson." "I live next door." "We'd like to ask you questions about a former neighbor, Ezekiel Seaver." "Oh, Lord..." "We were told he hurt someone here." "[snorts] "Hurt someone"?" "Can you tell us what happened?" "Truth is I never liked him." "Right from the start." "It was like he was hiding something." "And I always felt sorry for the boy." "Who did he hurt, Mrs. Sampson?" "Mrs. Hartsman." "Lived across the street." "The boy used to sneak into her pool, poor thing." "She complained to Ezekiel, and then, on a Saturday afternoon..." "Zap." "Lightning strike?" "Lightning?" "No." "High-voltage wire fell into her pool." "They say the water boiled." "Cooked her flesh through." "[detective] Mrs. Sampson denies saying that." "[Carl] Of course she does." "[detective] And your colleague, what was she thinking?" "[Carl] She was, uh, keeping an open mind." " [Perri] You' re excited now." " [Carl] See the pattern?" " I can see you see it." " Do I have to connect the dots?" "No." "All you have to do is explain to me how Seaver magically speared a man on a flagpole and cooked a woman in her pool." "That's the point." "There is no explanation." "Yes, there is." "They're called "freak accidents"." " So there's no story here?" " No, there's a story all right." "It's a very sad, very human one, though." "About a man abusing his son." "You work that angle." "That'll make Vincenzo happy." " And what are you going to do?" " Try to keep someone else from dying." "[Justin] You don't know what it's like." "Your dad is so nice." "You should tell somebody, Justin." "If you won't, I will." "No, don't." "I just wish I could live with you." "What's that?" " Dr. Lawrence?" "Carl Kolchak." " [bell rings]" " I'm a..." " I know who you are." "The reporter who's been asking crazy questions." " We need to talk." " Now's not a good time." "It concerns Justin Seaver." "You know why his father moved here." "The woman who was killed..." "I've heard the rumors, and I don't put any stock in them." "It just seems that anyone who crosses him ends up dead." "Are you trying to scare me?" "I'm asking for any information you have about Ezekiel Seaver abusing his son." "And why would I do that?" "Because publicly exposing him may be the only thing to stop him." "If Justin Seaver has any problems," "I'll report them to the Department of Social Services, not the newspaper." "Then report it anonymously, to protect yourself." "I hardly think that's necessary, Mr. Kolchak." " In case you change your mind." " Yeah." "I hope you do." "[door opening]" "[Dr. Lawrence] Hi." "I hear you guys have something to show me?" "Show her, Justin." "[Mr. Seaver] What do you think you're doing?" "Are you looking to get me in trouble?" "No." "They'll take you away." "You'll wind up in foster care." "Is that what you want?" "What I do... everything I do... is for you." "Remember that." "Now, let's fix this." "You people owe me an apology." "We owe you?" " What did you feed this boy?" " This is a joke." "No." "He's allergic." "Anything with peanuts, you coulda killed him." "What I saw on that child's back has nothing to do with peanuts." "Lucky for you, he's better." "Lift up your shirt, boy." "Do as I say." "I'm taking him home now." "I don't know what just happened, but you're not fooling me." "I know you hurt him." "[detective] Ryan told you about the incident at school." " lsn't that right, Dan?" " Yes." "What did you do when your son told you, being an officer of the law, and a responsible father?" "[Dan] I tried calling Dr. Lawrence, but she'd already gone home for the day." "And, um, by the next morning, it was too late." "OK." "[slow whirring]" " [eerie whispering] - [tapping]" "Hello?" " Hello?" " [eerie whispering]" "Anybody out there?" "[fast whirring]" "[squeaking] [explosion]" "[creaking] [screams]" "Been trying to reach you." "I heard the school psychologist was found dead." "Ceiling fan spun off its axle." "Severed her head at the neck." "How did that happen?" "Ah, it's just another freak accident." "[sighs] What's that?" "Justin Seaver's confidential file." "I lifted it from the scene." "Look, it says here Ryan found large, red welts on Justin." "When Lawrence confronted Ezekiel, the welts disappeared." "Dr. Lawrence confronted Ezekiel about his abuse, and now she's dead." "He killed her, just like he killed the others." "I think you're right." " What did you say?" " You're right about Ezekiel," " just not in the way you think." " What do you mean?" "Seaver doesn't have much of a record." "In fact, on paper he didn't even exist until he adopted Justin three years ago." "Adopted?" "And get this." "Seaver's only source of income for the past three years is as a commercial electrician, specializing in high-voltage work." "All these deaths, Jeffries, the woman in Val Verde, and the school psychologist, all involve electricity somehow." "He's staging them, to make them look like accidents?" "It's the first answer in this that makes any sense." "[detective] But you weren't buying her electrician angle, were you?" "I wouldn't say that." "[detective] Come on, you were focused on something bigger, that defied rational explanation." "[Carl] I just knew Ezekiel Seaver posed a danger." "[detective] You went to the school, to find Detective Carver." " Detective Carver?" " What are you doing here?" "I need to speak about your son." "You' re gonna stay over tonight." "Dad will never let me." " [Dan] What's the mystery?" " [Carl] You're aware that Ryan brought Justin to see the psychologist?" " Yeah, I know." " And that she was killed last night by a freak accident, only days after Mr. Jeffries." "What's your point?" "I believe these people died because they dared to confront Ezekiel Seaver." "You got any proof of that?" "No proof, no." "But I believe that Ryan, by trying to help Justin, may have put himself in danger." "It must have been unnerving, this man telling you that your boy was in danger." "No, I didn't listen." "You think Seaver's going to hurt my boy?" "Yeah, I think he will." "No, you listened, Dan, you stood there, and you listened, while this man messed with your head." "I heard what he was saying, but I didn't listen." "The evidence against Ezekiel Seaver is circumstantial, but I believe he's a threat." "Where did he go?" "Ryan!" "[eerie whispers]" "[Dan] Hey, Ryan!" "Hey, Justin, where's Ryan?" "[eerie whispers] [screams]" "Ryan!" "[detective] He had you right where he wanted you." "Didn't he?" "Come on, Dan." "Kolchak's timing?" "Warning you your boy would be taken, before it happened?" "You were ready to believe his wild theories." " Anything on Ryan Carver?" " Jain's down at the precinct." "The cops are questioning Ezekiel and Justin." "Lot of good that'll do." " What about you?" " I got Detective Carver to talk off the record." "It turns out Ezekiel's not Ezekiel." "Up until three years ago, Ezekiel was Arthur Somers, seminary novitiate." "He was studying to be a priest." "[sighs] So what happened three years ago?" "He got expelled from the church for conducting an unauthorized ritual." "An exorcism." "You're kidding." "Janet Seaver of Flagstaff, Arizona, claimed an evil spirit jumped into her." "Ezekiel, aka Arthur Somers, stayed with her for two weeks," " trying to drive it out." " And did he?" "In a manner of speaking." "She died from lack of food and water." " So was Ezekiel arrested?" " No." "And Janet left behind an only son, in the care of her spiritual adviser." "Justin." "Ezekiel adopted the son of the woman he killed." "What if, when Janet Seaver died, the evil spirit jumped out of her body, into Ezekiel's?" "Did you run that theory by Detective Carver?" "Yeah." "He didn't buy it either." "[detective] But you did buy it, didn't you?" "Coming at you with all that Linda Blair stuff." "You were beginning to believe him, even though you wouldn't admit it." "Not to him, not to anyone." "Yes." "I believed him." "[detective] While the police questioned Ezekiel Seaver about Ryan's disappearance, you took the opportunity to break into his house." "Detective Carver didn't know what you were up to, did he?" " I know what you're doing." " What I'm doing?" "You're building a case that" "I incited Detective Carver to commit murder." "I told you, Mr. Kolchak, I just needed your help with this." "You wanna prosecute me as an accessory in the hope that you can reduce Carver's sentence." "You were hell-bent, Mr. Kolchak." " Breaking and entering..." " Ryan's life was at stake." " Ryan?" " [phone rings]" "Perri Reed?" "Hang on a second." "What are you doing back?" " Cops let Ezekiel sneak out." " Ezekiel's been released?" " Yeah." " When?" "They finished 20 minutes ago." "I'll call you back." "Come on." "What?" "What is it?" "Kolchak." "He's at Ezekiel's." "Ryan." "[door opening]" "[creaking floorboards] [footsteps]" "[doorbell]" "Hi, I'm Perri Reed, with the Beacon." "Excuse me." "I just need to ask you some questions." "[hushed] Kolchak!" "Now!" "So, everyone thinks you kidnapped Ryan Carver." "You have to leave." "Now." "This is your chance to clear your name, Mr. Seaver." "[TV]" " You've wasted enough of my time." " I'll have to write the story anyway." " Write what you like." " l... [door closing]" "[cackling]" ""Malum"." "So what's it mean?" "It's Latin for "wicked" or "evil."" "You think Ezekiel put it in Justin's room?" "[Jain] What are you looking for?" "That picture you took of the tree back at the school." "[Jain] M, A, I." "Yeah, but what if it's not an "l"?" "What if it's the start of an "L"?" "M, A, L." "He was carving the same word. "Malum"." " Who?" " Justin." "It was Justin, all along." "[detective] So now it was a boy who was evil?" "Everything I've told you is true." "You want to solve this case?" "You need to believe that." "Dan Carver believed it." "Look where it got him." "Dan Carver didn't believe me until it was too late." "You were right." "Ezekiel didn't kidnap Ryan." " Who did?" " That evil spirit," "I don't think it jumped into Ezekiel." "It landed in Justin." "[elevator bell]" "[Perri] Kolchak, that boy is a victim." "If anybody's demonic, it's Ezekiel." "This guy's room is a religious shrine." "After Justin's mother died," " he chose the name Ezekiel." " The prophet?" "[Carl] Who believed he was the watcher of lost souls." "And that's what he's become." "Justin's responsible for everything we've seen." " [Jain] Justin is demonic?" " Both houses filled with candy wrappers, video games." "The kid's in charge." "Ezekiel's the prisoner." "Ryan told us that Ezekiel threatened Jeffries." "[Carl] What if he wasn't threatening him, but warning him about Justin?" "[Perri] What about the welts on his body?" "Dr. Lawrence?" " Justin did it himself." " Why would he do that?" "Same reason he left a tree-shaped mark on Jeffries' body, and used electricity to kill him." " Which is?" " T o draw attention to Ezekiel." "T o make him look suspicious." "T o get rid of him." "Boo!" "It's OK, Ryan." "It's just me." "Justin, get me out of here." "I can't." "My dad would kill me." "Just get a knife and cut the rope!" "I brought you something." "I'm scared." "I don't even know how I got here. [sobs]" "You've gotta help me." "Everything's gonna be OK, Ry." "Promise." "I just want to live with you guys." "Please!" "You gotta help me!" "You have to tell my dad where I am." "OK, buddy." "I will." "[eerie whispering]" "Hello?" "Mr. Carver?" "It's Justin." "You need to come quick." "It's about Ryan." "[Dan] Where are you, Justin?" "Are you home?" "Don't meet me here." "[Perri] Wouldn't it be easier for Justin to kill Ezekiel?" "[Carl] If he dies, Justin goes to a home." "That's not what he wants." " [Jain] What does he want?" " A brother and a new father." "Detective Carver?" "It's OK." "It's all right." "T ell me everything." "But my dad..." "I'll protect you, I promise." "I'm never gonna let him hurt you again." "I can show you where he is." "OK." "All right, good boy." " Did you find anything?" " No sign of Ryan." "But Justin's stuff is all packed." "Detective Carver's not answering." " [police radio] - [Jain] Wait!" "Listen Detective Carver requests emergency services, Ranch Road..." "Ranch Road." "I know where that is." "...and out." "Which way, Justin?" "What if my dad's there?" "Don't worry about that, son." "I'll deal with him." "Ryan!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Help!" "Somebody help!" "[yelling]" "At this point, you believed everything that Kolchak said?" "I just wanted to find my son." "Ryan!" "[Dan] Ryan!" "No!" "No!" "[yelling]" "He did this." "He caused this pain, this suffering." " I'm putting a stop to it." " No!" "[Mr. Seaver] I'm taking you back." "[screams]" "No!" "Kolchak had gotten inside your mind." "You were sure that this man was evil." "I thought he was gonna hurt my son." "[Dan] Get your hands off him!" " Get away from him!" " [Ryan screams]" "[Ryan sobs]" "I got there too late." "And this drawing that Justin allegedly did during grief counseling, you took it as proof?" "It is proof, that Justin set this whole thing up so that Detective Carver would kill Ezekiel." "Carver was cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting of Ezekiel Seaver." "The whole thing would have stopped, right there, if you had let it." "[siren]" "[Carl] Detective." "How can I help you, Mr. Kolchak?" "I hear you've become Justin's temporary guardian." "Yeah." "I hope to make it permanent after everything he's been through." "Everything we've been through." "Mr. Carver..." "Justin may not be the innocent victim you think he is." "What do you mean?" "All those things that we thought Ezekiel was doing," "I now think it was Justin." "So you admit it." "You put the idea inside his head." "No, I told him the truth!" "You were trying to unbalance him." "He still wouldn't believe me." "If he had, maybe we wouldn't be here right now." "We are here right now because of you, Mr. Kolchak, not despite you!" " I don't wanna hear this." " Detective." "Look, he's a little boy who stood up to an evil man." " He helped me save my son." " I only wish that were true." "I want you to stop bothering me and my family." "You understand what that means, Mr. Kolchak?" "He tried to tell me that he was evil, and I didn't believe him." "Until..." "Until what?" "Until we got home and, uh..." "Ryan started telling me that he was afraid of Justin, that Justin was gonna kill him." "And, uh... and then I found this packed in Justin's things, and I finally knew." "That it was true." "That everything Kolchak had told me was true." "Why didn't you tell somebody, Dan?" "I didn't believe Kolchak, why would anybody believe me?" " You won't believe me, even now." " Dan..." "I knew, that unless I did it, Justin was gonna kill Ryan... so he wouldn't have to share me with anybody." "So I held him down... and I put my hand over his mouth so he couldn't scream, and I slit his throat." "Using this?" "Only, that's not how it happened, Dan." "You didn't find this in Justin's things." "Kolchak gave it to you." "He drew it himself, and gave it to you to prove that Justin was evil." "He told you to kill that poor, defenseless little boy." "He tried to convince you that that was the only way to rid your house of this evil." "And in your confused, agitated state, having just lost and regained your son, having shot and killed the man who abducted him... you believed Kolchak's lies." "Isn't that right, Dan?" "Isn't that right?" "You're free to go." "After all that?" "Do me a favor, Kolchak, get out." "I don't want to see your face again." "So you're, uh... you're taking the blame for what happened?" "It is my fault." "No one else." "I have to ask you one more question, Detective." "Yeah, what's that?" "If you stabbed Justin to protect Ryan, why would you kill him in the room where you know your son would find him?" "Like I said, I'm responsible." "You'll go to prison, Detective." "But I know who killed Justin Seaver." "And it wasn't you." "[Carl] Evil hides, not just in darkness and shadows, but in lies and deceit." "Abusing kindness, trust, compassion, and turning the good against themselves." "So that the most kind-hearted fail to recognize the danger until... it's too late." "[eerie whispers]"