"Jannie, it's mamma." "Look at me!" "Jane." "No!" "Oh, thank God." "You've had a nightmare, honey." "Let's get you into nice hot bath." "Can I do it later, please?" "All right." "But you have to get ready for your father." "It's his weekend with you." "What's this?" "I found it in the attic." "You know the attic's off limits." "Sorry." "Just don't do it again." "Okay?" "I know how you feel." "November 1849." "I hoped that no one would ever found cause to open this letter." "If you have, I must assume that unexplained or even supernatural events have become to occur." "The story of the Bell Witch had always been considered to be a tale." "This is not so." "Please read this journal with great care for it's contents may save your life." "Now where you're gonna go?" "Just one kiss." "No, Joshua." "Leave that young lady alone." "Did he try to kiss you again?" "Isn't there something you should be doing miss Bell?" "I'm sorry, mother." "I was thinking about someone else." "Probably about torturing poor Joshua." "You really should be nicer to him, Betsy." "A women must keep a man on his toes at all times." "Isn't that what you taught me?" "I taught you no such thing, Betsy Bell." "I'm gonna make Joshua love me forever." "Well then you better stop mistreating him." "Do you think I was too hard on him?" "Just a little bit." "What would I do without you?" "Oh, you'll just travel up and blow away." "And don't forget your school work." "I won't." "Good evening, mister Johnston." "Thank you." "Hi." "And then he took forward the wheel of the axle." "An then their carriage was up that snow bank as if ten men had hold of it." "Speak of the devil." "I thought you've gotten lost." "I'm not so stupid that I can't find my friend's door." "I was telling about you and that carriage." "Not yet!" "Who has the drink?" "He gets three shoots to the wind already." "I am so sorry, professor Powell." "Is there not a tradition connected to mistletoe, Professor Powel?" "Yes, but..." "Miss Bell, it's not appropriate for a student to put a teacher in such a compromising situation." "You know better than that, precious." "Well, it is Christmas, father." "And I am simply attempting to learn the traditions." "Who better to learn from?" "From one's teacher." "People always seems to have a ready answer for everything, John." "Would you settle for a dance, Betsy?" "Oh John, let them have their dance." "May I steal missis Bell for a dance?" "I promise not to step on your toes." "John." "John." "I heard noises on the roof." "It's coming from the attic." "Squirrels?" "No, it's too loud for squirrels." "The third time I've heard them in as many nights." "I haven't heard at all." "You sleep so sound." "You don't even feel me get out of bed." "Yes I do." "Listen." "It's stopped." "What was it?" "Probably that witch is trying to warm me up before tomorrow's trial." "John Bell." " The man's a lying pig!" " Miss Batts!" "He stole my land!" "Miss Batts." "We have heard your side of the story." "Please allow John Bell to finish his." "We offered her the use of our slave Samuel and the loan of a hundred dollars in exchange for our use of that small piece of her land I bought." "At twenty percent interest!" "We shook on it!" "Spit and shook!" "I gave you two harvests." "You didn't pay for, so you profit the land." "It was a fair price for it." "Twenty percent interest?" "Seemed like a reasonable charge under the circumstances given her reputation." "John Bell, you broke Church law." "Twenty percent interest on a Church canon is usury." "Miss Batts' land will be returned to her." "What about my timber?" "He took it off my land and sold it." "You would not have allowed to cut the wood, had you not received that money and the use of a slave." "But he broke Church law." "You have the hundred dollars and Samuel." "The profit on the land is John Bell's." "His loss - the loss of his good name." "His punishment is enough." "That's not fair." "That's their punishment for you, John Bell." "Just wait until you see mine." "You can't touch me, woman." "Treasure your land, health, and happy family, while you can." "For I swear a dreadful darkness will fall upon you." "You and your precious daughter too." "Kate Batts, well she was feared by everyone in the village." "They were all convinced she was a witch." "So the Bells took her coursing name very seriously." "At the time I didn't believe in curses, ghosts or spirits." "I do now." " John." " Father." "You alright?" "Yeah." "We got it, father." "The wolf?" "Wolf?" "We shot a deer." "Come see it, father." "Father." "I've heard it." "Right there." "Keep your eyes peeled, he's as black as night." "Mama, mama, mama!" "Betsy, what was that crunch?" "Mother, there's something in my room!" "It was a wind blew the window open." "I'll close it." "No!" "There's something in here." "He got inside." "It doesn't seem anything to be in here, Betsy." "It's probably just mice, darling." "I don't think so, mother." "Let's go find your brothers." "Come on." "Let's go find that scary mouse." "Everything alright?" "We're fine." "Let's get back to bed." "You could have killed us." "It was young John." " He shot a musket into the house?" " He discharged it accidentally." "He shot a musket into the house, John." "We were taking aback." "I can't get Kate Batts out of my head." "What's done is done." "The judge has a say and that's that so just put it out of your mind." "INDEPENDENCE." "New England Primer Way of Independence." "Now class, who were the couriers, ordered to ride to concord to warn that the British would come?" "Yes, Theny Thorne." "Paul Weer, Samuel Prescot, And William Daws." "Right Theny." "And did they succeed, Betsy?" "Betsy?" "All right class, let's leave this for a moment." "It's time for your physical exercise anyway." "Fifteen minutes only." "Are you all right Betsy?" "I'm tired." "Our house makes strange noises at night." "It's hard to sleep." "Betsy." "Betsy, are you hurt?" "Where did she go?" "Who?" "The girl who was swinging with me." "You were swinging alone, Betsy." "Did you see a girl?" "No." "Mama!" "Betsy!" "Mama!" "Betsy." " It touched me." " Where?" "Who touched you?" "I don't know." "I couldn't see." "It was just a bad dream, darling." "It was for real." "She's all right, John." "She's had a bad dream." "Let's just get you back to sleep." "It was just your dream." "It wasn't a dream." "There was someone on the roof." "What?" "I think maybe Kate Batts sent one of her slaves to turn on us." "When I find him, I'll whip him till the last inch of his life." "My God, John." "Look at this." " That son of a bitch." " John." "John!" "John, wait." "John, stop." "We don't know who did this." " I know who did this." " You don't!" "Listen to me." "Witch is not gonna hurt my daughter." "Go on then!" "Be a fool!" "What are the two foundations of any civilized community?" "Church and occupation." "And this man pioneer them both for our community with his money and with his hands." "He build the church and the church condemns him." "Usury." "I broke Church law." " But father..." " Moral turpitude." "Moral turpitude?" "He charged the interest that was just a little higher than church canon." "But what he didn't realize was who he was dealing with." "The boys are finally asleep." "That's good." "Now a few chapters from the Bible will take care of this house's troubles." "Quiet and generous." "Hannah prayed and said:" "My heart exalts in your heart." "My mouth is in lock." "... spirit that spoke to him." "And Jesus answered:" "Be silent." "And come out of there." "The spirit gave a loud cry." "And departed." "Please all join hands." "As one we shall speak this prayer three times." "Demon, in the name of Jesus Christ, be silent and leave this house forever." "Almost twelve and all is well." "I believe your home is safe." "I'm sure Kate Batts is connected to these disturbances." "Three nights ago I saw something." "Man, I think." "Moving about the property." "Who was it?" "Who can make it for sure." "It's probably the professor, he's the only one who lives nearby." "You don't think Richard has his eye on Betsy, do you?" "He's a teacher for goodness sake." "Halleluiah, Lucy." "God has answered." "It's midnight and your house is quiet." "Thank you, James." " I lost, Lucy." " Oh, did you?" " Good night all." " Good night." "I wasn't looking, John." "I was talking to your wife." "That game don't count." "Don't you blame that on me!" "I'll set up for another one." "I ain't gonna play if you're gonna cheat." "I don't cheat." "My move." "Help!" "Betsy!" "Open the door!" "Help me!" "Help!" "It's all right." "Demon, ghost, entity, call it what you will, it is not natural." "James listen to yourself, you're not being realistic." "There must be a rational explanation." "Listen Richard." "I have documented evidence." "It's a testimony of John Jordan at the witch trial of 1599." "First scraping on the walls." "Then knocking, after that shuffling and then it clapped the maid on the cheek half of score times." "Do you not think it is far more likely that Kate Batts unhappy with the ruling has sent her slaves to exact a pound of flesh from you?" "Well that's what I thought." "But this was not the work of slaves." "No, she was dangling there." "Two feet off the ground." "All right." "Incidents always happen at night." "And always in Betsy's room." "Correct?" "That's right, professor." "So it was dark." "It would have been quite easy for you not to have seen someone holding her." "She was suspended in mid air by something not of this earth." "John, the only logical explanation is that someone was holding her." "There was nobody in that room." "And what about the door?" "The strength of three of us couldn't break it." "Well, the rain that night could have caused the door to swell." "Yeah, could have." "And the slaps?" "How do we imagine them?" "That's a boy's trick." " Dried peas blown through a hollow reed." " A pea shooter?" "No pea shooter could smack her face that violently." "Did you actually see someone slapping her?" "No, I saw her being slapped." "But you did not see someone slapping her?" "No that's the point." "So it stands to reason you may also not have seen someone holding her." "Whatever happened it's very clear that confusion was about that room." "Professor, we do not all imagine the same thing." "There was something unholy in that room." "John, when the school week is over, I will come and spend the night at your house." "And I will prove to you that this is nothing more than someone trying to frighten you." "All right, time's up class." "Put your sheets on my desk, please." "Betsy." "Hurry up, we gotta get to the river before it gets dark." "Not today, Joshua." "We've been playing this for weeks." "I just don't feel like it." "Come on, Betsy." "I said no!" "Leave me alone!" " What did you say to her?" " Nothing." "This will pass, Betsy." "REMEMBER." "Remember what?" "Lucy!" "No, don't!" "Lucy, what's happening?" "Richard you should not be watching it." "John!" "Open your eyes, John." "He'll be all right, missis Bell." " And the palpus?" " You keep them roots on his head a while." "Well, that's a pierce to suffer from violent nightmares." " Did you see my sister?" " Of course I did." "You think what my daughter just went through..." " Lucy, just spare with me for a minute." " Covers were pulled off her bed." "That was no nightmare." "Nightmares may appear to be more than they are!" "People often imagine that they've seen things..." "She didn't imagine any of this, you were there you saw it!" "It was not natural." "There's something evil here." "This is blasphemy!" "Who's there!" "Show yourself!" " Betsy, is that you?" " Destroy them, oh Lord!" "Destroy them!" "Destroy them!" "Cast them out!" "Stop it James!" "Thou shall not stand." "Thou shall not stand!" "Cast them out!" "Stop it!" "Damn you to hell!" "Are you familiar with that which Mr. Johnston reads?" "Of course it understands the words of the Lord." "That's why I've stopped it." "Was that readen from the Gospel according to Matthew?" "Is that a yes or no?" "The Gospel according to Mark?" "Is it a Song of David?" "Why you're here?" "Have the Bells disturbed you?" "Are we all having nightmares now, professor?" "My mess, I'll clean it." "Anky, could you answer the door please." " Hi, Anky." " Zack." "What you doing here?" "Miss Batts told me to bring this bag to the Bells." "She says she found it on her lane." " Bye, Anky." " Bye, Zack." " Who was it, Anky?" " It was Zack, ma'am." " Who works at Kate Batts?" " Yes, ma'am." "She gave him this bag to give to you." " I don't want anything of hers brought in this house." " She said it belonged to the Bell family." "No, mom." " This is Betsy's." " Yes missis Lucy." "And that is Mr. Bell shirt." "This been missing for over a year." "Why would she have their clothes?" "What is it, Chloe?" "What do you know?" "Tell me what you know." "You heard about miss Kate being a witch and all." "Missis Lusy, when witches get blood on falks clothes..." "That means the person is going..." "Going to what, Chloe?" "Going to what?" "Gonna die, missis Lucy." "Gonna die." " Burn it!" " No missis Lucy!" "That will make it worse." "That could let the devil in." "Stop!" "Wait!" "Please stop!" "You're having a nightmare!" "It's all right." "What happened?" "I don't remember." "I never remember." " Should I wake your parents?" " No." "Please." " Just stay here with me." " Of course, Betsy." "Let's get you covered up." "John!" "Let me go!" "Think of what happens to the rest of us!" "It won't get any worse." "John, I wanna have you!" "By sacrificing my life to end this!" "We'll find another way, John." " Theny?" " Yes, Betsy?" " Do you believe in the Lord?" " Of course I do." "Don't you?" " I used to." " Oh, Betsy." " I'm so afraid." " Don't be." "I'm here with you." "Good night, Betsy." " Good night." "Betsy..." "Don't you hear that?" "Betsy..." "Let me out!" "Betsy..." " How long has she been this way?" " Maybe thirty minutes." "No more than that." "Theny, can you tell us what happened?" "It's all right, baby." "She was having a nightmare." "She was fighting with someone." "She started hitting herself." "I woke her up." "Then..." "Then this... voice." "Betsy, are you all right?" "Betsy!" "Betsy!" "Come here." "Shh." "Look at me." "Shh." "Betsy..." "Did you hear it?" "Chloe." "Johnston." "John junior." "Theny." "Lucy Bell." "John Bell." "You're gonna die." "Who are you?" "Someone who was once happy." "Oh hell, Kate Batts!" "It spoke." "It had a voice." "But what did it want?" "Why was it making Betsy suffer so?" "What did she do to make it so angry?" "A black wolf." "The young girl visible only to Betsy." "The spirit, which none of us could see." "How did they relate to each other?" "What they wanted to say?" "Then Betsy got worse." "It spoke more and more." "I tried to get it to tell us why had it come." "That questions were answered with silence." "Why wouldn't it answer?" "In my life..." "I've done far more good than bad." "Even saints have sins of some sort." "How can you allow my family to be punished like this?" "I've offered you my life." "Why do you not take it?" "I beg you." "I beg you Lord, rid us of this curse." "Take my life." "Lord has forsaken me, Richard." "That which attacked Betsy attacked you as well." "Someone who was once happy." "To whom do you think that refers?" "Kate Batts." " Everything points to her." " What if she is the cause?" "Then why not just return the profit and the timber to her?" "I tried." "Two months ago." "I sent Chloe to see her." "She sent her back." " Then she does mean to torment you." " Until I die." "This entity." "Do you believe it can make your mind?" "No, I don't know." "But I do believe it can hear our conversations." "That's how it knows our every move." "But maybe it's only present on this property?" " Road is dark this time of day." " We'll make our time." "Betsy!" "Betsy, can you hear me?" "Go!" "It's getting closer!" " It's gone." " Gone where?" " Mother?" " I'm right here, darling." "The most terrible nightmare." " You sent me away." " I would never send you away." " Mother?" " Yes, darling?" " Am I gonna die?" " No, you're not gonna die." "Now you just rest." "Just rest." "If this entity can hear us at all times, and is in all places..." "There's no escape then." "You care for her, don't you Richard?" "More than a normal concern of a teacher for a student?" " Why would you say that?" " I've seen you look at her." "It is true, there's no one for days..." "I'd come as to your daughter, Lucy." " I would not presume to think that..." " Maybe you should." "I'm almost 20 years her senior." "The same is with John and me." "Can she love me?" "She will." "It's all right Richard, please." "Marry her." "Your faith in me is flattering, Lucy." "Please." "But act do not with good conscience." "Marry Betsy merely to be her protector." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "After that night something changed." "The attacks on Betsy became less violent." "The entity now took out its rage on John." "While leaving Betsy in an almost lifeless state." "John." "She's suffering." "You're gonna die." "You'll die, John." "Once happy..." "The entity wouldn't let anyone try to help Betsy when she was under its control." "I felt powerless." "John wouldn't listen." "He fought it." "And in return he was made to suffer." "You know the truth." "See." "Open the door!" "Betsy!" "Mama, help me!" "Betsy!" "Kate Batts!" "Take back your fury." "Spare my family." "Take it." "Take your pound of flesh." "I beg you." "End your curse." "I've putten no curse on you or your family." "You cursed yourself, John Bell." "Betsy..." "Betsy." "Remember." "I was born from the evil and innocence." "Part of her soul died." "Tonight John took her innocence." "Avenge me." "Make him pay for what he's done to us." " Take it." " Thank you." "You sleep so sound, you don't even feel me get out of bed." "This is Betsy's." "My mess, I'll clean it." "After that night Betsy never heard from the entity again." "Mom?" "Mom?" "Dad's here." "I'm leaving." " I love you." " I love you too." "Bye mom." "Help her!" "David!" "David!"