Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021) Movie Script
[ethereal music]
[vocalizing]
[pensive music]
[melancoly jazz music]
[woman laughing]
[suspenseful music]
[banging on door]
This should work for you now.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I knew this would work out.
Sometimes you get a
feeling, you know?
About people.
Right, of course, OK.
Hit me with it.
What's the damage?
Just call it $50.
Come on.
People on the boards?
They talk.
Chat rooms are like
sewing circles.
What if they found out, me,
taking advantage of an artist...
A hundred.
...such as yourself.
A hundred.
I'm going to give you $500.
This one's dead.
Got one I can...
I've got to have it.
- Name your price.
- It's not for sale.
Uses high bias
audio tapes, right?
How's the resolution?
[pensive music]
For a while, I felt
like I was in freefall,
stuck in the grips of a dream
I couldn't wake up from.
There were days when I
could feel myself slipping,
like the sidewalks
and the people
weren't really there at all.
Just figments.
It didn't make any sense.
It doesn't make any sense.
So, I've learned it's
what I understand now.
There is no sense to be made.
Maybe I just haven't
looked hard enough.
[lighter clicks]
Can I ask you a question?
Oh, no.
Did he leave you anything?
A note?
For a long time
I was convinced
I just couldn't find it.
It would appear in a
place I looked 100 times
and explain everything.
It never did.
I'm sorry.
It gets easier.
What does that mean?
Nothing.
I suppose it's just
a thing people say.
Meaningless.
[jazz music]
This is Chicago.
It is the city of
the Magnificent Mile.
It is the city of the Chicago
Cubs and beautiful Wrigley
Field.
It is a city known for its
heated political debates.
We really ought to have as
free of market as you can,
and it's become such a
costly area of pursuit.
And with that, you have
involvement of a number
of local governments.
There is need for, I
think, a minimal amount
of governmental...
[static]
[unintelligible noises]
What the fuck?
...make sure that
there's stability.
[sighs]
[rewinding audio]
[suspenseful music]
[unintelligible noises]
Who is responsible for last
night's act of video piracy?
These video pirates
interrupted programming
with a show of their own.
Last night, someone broke
into regular programming
here on channel...
Someone using
sophisticated equipment
managed to briefly and
illegally override broadcast...
The incident is now
under investigation
by the FCC and the FBI.
When this person
is caught, he or she
will face both civil
and criminal penalties.
...while the FCC says last
night's piracy was the first
of its kind.
A week later, the video
pirates struck again.
This time, the target was a WTTP
broadcast of syndicated science
fiction series, "Don Cronos."
But this time, what they should
showed viewers was somehow
even more bizarre.
[dramatic music]
You need this
for your archive?
Yeah.
May 10th, '87, 11 to
midnight, "Don Cronos."
All right, yeah.
Um, you want to just call back?
Or do you mind holding?
No, no, no.
I'll hold.
Uh, hey, you still there?
Hello?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
I'm here.
You know, looking
at the log here,
it seems you're not
the first person
to inquire about
this specific tape.
In fact, we've gotten several
phone calls in just the last...
Do you have it?
Yeah, no.
That specific tape is
confiscated by the FCC.
The computer says I'm supposed
to flag any request for it
and report them
immediately to the FBI.
- [jazz music]
- Think, think, think.
Who would...?
Yeah.
Yeah, uh, Chester.
This is James.
Yes, I'm the guy...
I'm the guy who
fixed your Leica III.
Betamax?
Actually, much better
quality than VHS.
I know, I...
I just... I can't...
I figured as much.
That's why I brought mine.
This is the most incredible
feeling, seeing her again.
Cyrus, you're a scientist.
A scientist deals in
established principle and fact.
One thing we have to accept
is that death is the end.
What do you mean by that?
You've been working
yourself too hard.
- You...
- No, no.
Just wait, just wait.
...locked in this
laboratory for over a year.
Whatever you're doing, it
can't be worth your health
and your peace of mind.
It might even damage your mind.
Nothing is more...
[unintelligible noises]
[screams]
You've become obsessed by
a purely private, impractical
idea.
Assumed that's why
you wanted to see this?
What do you know about this?
The Sal-E Sparks incident?
Only the creepiest unsolved
mystery hack of all time.
Who's Sal-E Sparks?
From "StepBot."
You know, the 80s sitcom?
Right.
The one with the...
Widowed robotics engineer
who invents an android wife
to take care of his
five adopted kids.
It's actually S-A-L
dash E. Sal-E Sparks.
"System Analytic
Lifeform Emulation."
Giving androids idiotic anagrams
was all the rage for a while.
But, yeah, that's the
inspiration for the...
It.
15 years later and
they still never got
the hackers who pulled it off,
though some compelling theories
have been floated
across the boards.
The Chicago BBS boards?
Mm-hmm.
So, that means this
tape is very valuable.
One of the only first
Gen copies out there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I have cash.
I don't take
money from friends.
What if we made a trade instead?
Listen, I can see this has a lot
of sentimental value for you,
so...
Tell you what, I am going to
throw in the Betamax player,
free of charge.
That's very generous of you.
I have another,
better one at home.
So, what happened?
She dump you?
Yeah, I got to
get to work, OK?
Right, of course.
OK.
[theme music]
I'd like you to meet Rotagrid.
It stands for "Random Output
Terminal Analytic Gateway
Remote Interconnected
Data Grid."
[laughter]
[suspenseful music]
This is the Nite Pirate.
Don't believe the lies.
[train tracks squealing]
So, you want to know about the
Chicago broadcast intrusions?
If you're expecting me
to have the FBI report,
I'll tell you the same thing
I told the last fellow who
came here asking for it.
Was it MacktheKnife69?
That's his BBS handle.
I don't know his real name.
Be careful what you read in
those chat rooms, Mr., um...
James.
Well, James, the only
way I could gain access
to such a report
is the same method
as you or any other citizen.
File a FOIA request, sit
by the mailbox and wait.
FOIA.
Freedom of Information Act?
Though with their massive
volumes and, shall we say,
limited resources, you
can expect a response time
between six months and never.
So...
No.
I don't have it.
But in service of curious
minds such as yours,
vulnerable to gossip and
rumor on the internet,
I'm happy to provide you with
a more informed viewpoint.
Broadcast intrusions are a
rare cultural phenomenon.
In 40 years of broadcasting,
there have been less than 10.
The two intrusions
here in Chicago.
The Sal-E Sparks incident.
The only two cases that
remain unsolved to this day.
Yeah, the tapes I saw were...
Gets under your
skin, doesn't it?
When the FCC reviewed the
footage, they were at a loss.
Nobody could quite work out
what they were watching.
Was it a joke?
A prank?
And that was in early '87.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was, uh...
That was May 3rd.
After the second
incident a week later,
the FBI got involved.
Yeah, May 10th.
Yes.
Seven days in a week.
Conspiracy theorists claim the
FBI put pressure on the press
not to widely
report the incident,
worried that media exposure
might inadvertently be
spreading a subliminal message.
Well, what kind of message?
Something glimpsed
in the wallpaper,
half-listened-to in the voices.
Yeah, but it was just noise.
Static.
Certainly sounds like
static, doesn't it?
There were rumors
of a third Sal-E
Sparks intrusion years later.
But by then we had all but
given up on the investigation.
Do you happen
to have the date?
The network?
Well, there are conflicting
reports as to which network,
though if such a
thing does exist,
it may continue the pattern.
Pattern?
Each subsequent
intrusion targeting
a smaller audience, what is
referred to as "narrowcasting."
If it started with
a network affiliate,
followed by a Public
Broadcasting station,
it would stand to reason that
the third one would most likely
be...
Cable access?
Very good.
I do happen to have a note
here, a reference to the date.
November 23rd, 1996.
Though, I couldn't begin to
tell you the source, probably
because no tape has ever
materialized and probably
never will.
[ethereal music]
Whoever was responsible...
if indeed only one person was
responsible...
either died or disappeared.
Oh.
I can't tell what it is.
The FBI doesn't
close cases easily.
And eventually, they realized
they were climbing staircases
to nowhere.
...Finally come to terms
with the fact that it was not
your fault. I knew
that it would...
It might come slowly.
You know, I have this
thing I have to go to...
You know, this barbecue.
People from work.
Saturday.
Thinking you could come with me?
Be my date?
Yeah.
Yeah, me, too.
They may be gone, but
we're still here, you know?
Come on, let's just
enjoy that for once.
Yeah, I'm just...
I'm just swamped at work.
Well, if you're ever bored
and want to just hang out,
rent a tape from
Blockbuster, or whatever...
I got to get...
I got to get going.
Thank you.
Don't work too late.
[unintelligible noises]
[slowed unintelligible speech]
I fixed them.
I fixed them all.
[clattering]
[suspenseful music]
[footsteps]
[door clasping]
[door slams]
[dramatic music]
James?
[high pitched static]
[camera clicks]
It's a set.
Like in a movie or in a theater.
The walls are just panels.
Somebody built this place.
The windows, the
carpets, the walls...
that's why the
figure seems so tall.
It's like room within a room.
Which begs the question...
Why?
Look.
There's a face in the window.
You've really
taken these apart.
He let himself be seen, look!
Let me ask you a question.
Why are you so
curious about this?
We had a years
long investigation
by both the FCC and the FBI.
We turned up nothing.
Not the first
two incidents, yes.
But you said so yourself
that there was hardly
any information about the third.
Because there
probably wasn't one.
I mean, who knows how
many people have seen it.
You know, things like this,
they don't happen by accident.
There's always a reason.
Never attribute
conspiracy to that
which is more appropriately
labeled "coincidence."
Look, I am telling
you, they're connected.
Look, somewhere,
for some reason,
this person wanted to say
something to the world,
and he chose this
medium to do it.
Say you're right,
say someone did
hide a message in those tapes.
Do you really want to be the guy
to figure out what that means?
Yes.
This is a federal
crime, James.
Whoever did this could
still be out there.
Exactly.
Look, look, look, look.
If you look closely...
Look, I don't want you
falling down a rabbit
hole you can't climb out of.
Be very careful, James.
Some threads aren't
worth picking at.
"Drink tonight on me..."
Fired by a fucking haiku.
[static]
[suspenseful music]
[rock music]
How old is she?
She's... she's 16.
And she'll be
inside the house?
No.
No.
Outside, on the street.
Weight?
Uh...
How much does she weigh?
Oh, um, um...
One... 120.
All right.
I'll let you know what
you need to do after.
Right.
Yeah.
OK.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Sorry.
[suspenseful music]
Come in.
Sit down.
So you came.
Where did you get that?
[clears throat]
So?
You said you can help me.
In 1990, the FBI concluded
an investigation into the Sal-e
Sparks incident.
I have access to
their complete file.
Unredacted.
If you want it, it's yours.
Look, I don't know
how you knew about me,
but I'm not exactly sure...
Don't you want to know
what happened to those girls?
In both intrusions, a woman
went missing just prior
to the signal being hijacked.
Yeah, I read about her,
after you reached out to me.
There's nothing that
connects her to those tapes.
Except that's not
what you believe.
How did you find me?
Do you think you're the
first person to have crossed me
on this road?
No.
No, I know I'm not the first.
But I'll be the last.
Sometimes, in a
situation like this,
rooting around in the places
that you've been rooting...
Let's just say, anonymity
can be a privilege.
OK.
Say I do want the
file, then what?
[drawer opening]
How much you want?
Those keys make you feel safe?
I have money.
That's not how this works.
Then what?
A delivery.
An address in Chinatown.
A man will be waiting
there for you.
You give him the
package and walk away.
That's it?
That's it.
I'll know when you've done it.
And if you don't.
How do I know what
you're offering me is real?
Hmm?
Useful?
You don't.
When it's done,
you'll get the file.
Things will be better for you
if you don't know what's inside.
[suspenseful music]
What does that mean?
Do you think
there's a pattern?
Do you think the tapes are
trying to tell you something?
They are.
You're not going
to find it, though.
11 years and all I
got was dead ends.
He hid himself well.
You set me up.
You set this up.
You brought me here.
Why?
It's a warning
for the curious.
[train horn]
You discovered the women.
Don't start this.
You don't know what it does.
You discovered
the missing women.
The women... fuck the women!
I went to their families.
Do you think they want to
talk to people like us?
You know what they think
about people like us?
You failed, but
at least you tried.
Stop.
Before you realize you can't.
It's too late.
- They're everywhere, man.
- What?
[train rumbles]
[car horn]
[crunches]
[foot steps]
[suspenseful music]
[telephone rings]
Hello?
I know what they mean.
Who is this?
It's me, it's James.
James?
Got a little worried about you.
Are you listening?
I was right.
They're confessions.
Chicago, May 2nd, 1987, girl
goes missing, is never found.
The day before the
first intrusion.
Same thing a week later.
It all fits.
James...
This guy was
kidnapping these women.
He was...
I heard about your wife.
If I had known when
you came to me, I...
Look, I'm close.
I know it.
Grief can be a
tricky thing, James.
Look, I just wanted
to thank you, OK?
For all your help.
[keys jangling]
[dog barks]
[car horn]
Can I get a Rush, please?
Shot of Wild Turkey.
One for this guy, too.
Thanks, but I'm
good with beer.
So why are you following me?
Take a shot and I'll tell you.
Fuck you.
I'm not in college.
If you want an answer to your
question, you have to drink.
That's the deal.
Take it or leave it.
Fine.
Research.
I'm gathering material.
For what?
Take or leave it.
Another round.
I'm not sure yet.
That's not an answer.
Your turn.
What's the real reason?
OK.
I like to follow people because
it's something I can control.
It's for myself.
Get to have all the power.
Like cutting, but
without all the mess.
[laughs]
Let's talk about you.
Oh, that would
probably be a bad idea.
Doesn't mean it's
not worth doing.
Every idea I ever
had was a bad one.
What was her name?
Mine was called Benjamin.
I was 19.
God, my mom hated me after that.
She sent me letters all
the time telling me.
But, you know, who
gives a shit, right?
I was happy where I was.
Yeah, and he just...
He got me.
Then what happened?
Ugh, well, I should have
left a long time before I did.
The girls they found
in his room were 14.
Shit...
But, you know, that was
five years ago, yesterday.
Five years, and now, I am here.
Everything is fine.
You seem lost.
Maybe.
At least seem drunk.
Probably.
[laughs]
One more round.
You know, you sort
of lied before.
I did?
Yeah, you said that every
idea you've ever had was bad,
but getting out of that
situation, that was a good one.
Yeah, well, I've made
up for it since then.
The name on my license
ain't quite accurate.
I'm just here because there's
places I can't go back to.
Same.
[laughing]
Hannah.
Her name was Hannah.
[retching]
Ugh.
All right.
Whoa!
[car horn]
[static]
[button clicks]
You weren't lying.
You said there's more like this?
Uh, there are three in total.
I'm in an exhaustive
search for the third.
Need any help?
Thanks, but I
prefer to work alone.
What do the numbers mean?
What numbers?
Seven digits.
I guess it's a phone number?
Trust me.
If there were phone numbers on
the tape I would have seen it.
Did you hear it?
[beeping]
Listen.
Did you hear it?
It's Morse code.
Fuck me.
Yeah, but who knows Morse code
outside of sailors or telegraph
operators?
OK, sailor.
What's the number?
Let's make a deal.
You let me crash
here for a few days
while I get back on my feet,
and in return I will assist you.
Oh, brother.
In your investigation.
Starting with this.
OK, fine.
Whatever.
You want to call it?
What happened to your phone?
Oh, I had to destroy it.
You never know who
could be listening.
Couldn't one just
unplug a phone?
Yeah, one would think.
[phone dial keys]
[ringing]
[static]
[unintelligible speaking]
[beep]
[pensive music]
[knocking]
[knocking on door]
This for me?
Hello?
[inaudible]
Fuck.
[suspenseful music]
James?
You've been following me?
You know they can track those.
You shouldn't have those...
It's a burner phone.
Burn her!
She's not going to be
there when you need her.
She's going to be against you.
If you're going to do
this, go all the way.
Why don't you just...
Follow the tapes.
If you're going to do
this, follow the tapes.
The girls are a dead end.
I wish I would have known that.
It's all concentric
fucking circles.
I wish... I wish I
fucking knew that!
Why... why don't you
just come upstairs?
No, man.
They're everywhere, man.
What are you talking about?
They're everywhere, man!
[suspenseful music]
I just need some
fuckin' sleep.
- We have to leave now.
- What the fuck?
- Just until it's safe.
- What the fuck was that, James?
Who the fuck was that?
We need to go, we need to go.
- Grab whatever you can.
- And go where?
Out of town.
Anywhere.
You heard what he said.
Whoever followed him
can follow us here.
It's not safe, not anymore.
We have to go, OK?
Hey, OK?
Ugh!
We can't leave
any evidence behind.
It's not safe anymore.
Let's go!
[suspenseful music]
[static]
[door opens]
The phone number from
the tape is registered
to a storage unit in Peoria.
We leave now, we can
get there by noon.
OK.
[suspenseful music]
Wait here.
I know how to work this guy.
Give me five minutes.
Do you have a phone?
[phone dial keys]
[ringing]
[tape recorder starts]
[static]
[unintelligible speaking]
[beep]
According to this, the
unit was first rented in '87.
Payment was set up as a
standing order on a credit card,
and paid every month
without fail ever since.
Has anyone come
here to check on it?
As far as I'm aware, no.
I've been here for 10 years.
To be honest, I figured
that's why you were here.
You're the only ones
who ever asked about it.
They never
followed it this far.
I need a name.
Does it say who set
up that standing order?
That I can't
tell you, legally.
You know?
[ringing]
Hello?
[inaudible]
It's for you.
If you'll excuse me.
[door closes]
[inaudible]
Excuse me, ma'am.
Excuse me.
Apologies, I didn't
get your name.
Alice.
This is James.
Sorry I was rude back there.
Stephen Meyer.
Nice to meet you, Stephen.
Um, we actually have to head...
No, Stephen Meyer.
The name on the rental unit.
Oh.
Is that with a V or P-H?
P-H. M-E-Y-E-R. Address
is a PO box in Joliet.
That should get you
to him, at least.
I always, uh, wondered
about that, you know?
Here.
Here it is, right here, on
the back of my personal card.
I'm Brad, by the way.
Thanks, Brad.
Left side, third
one from the top.
Now we wait for Stephen Meyer.
Pray to God he checks his mail.
[radio plays]
Is this all right?
Mm-hmm.
So, what do you
do for fun, Jimmy?
Um...
I mean, do you
have any hobbies?
Uh, sure.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a ton of
stuff I like to do.
Yeah?
Like what?
I fix old cameras.
That's one.
It doesn't really count as a
hobby if you get paid for it.
What else?
I'm into photography.
It's the same thing.
Dude, you really need to
broaden your horizons.
When I was a kid, I used
to make these little radio
shows in my bedroom.
I'd record them on
this little boombox,
and then I would hide them in
the yard so people passing by I
could listen.
Nobody ever did, but I kept
on making them anyways.
Funny.
Things we remember.
Yeah, I've been
at this for weeks.
It feels like forever.
I can't seem to remember
anything from before, I swear.
Before when I started.
Well, sometimes you spend so
long looking for the answers,
you forget the fucking question.
I don't know if she died.
What?
I wasn't there when she died.
No real memories.
Pictures in my head.
Abandoned car.
Skyway Bridge.
Empty casket.
God damn it, Stephen Meyers,
pick up your fucking mail.
Stephen Meyer?
We need to talk to you.
We found your storage
unit in Peoria.
Follow me.
[suspenseful music]
[footsteps]
[can lid cracks]
We're here about
the storage unit.
OK.
Your name's on the account.
We're not cops.
I need to know why.
When I was a kid,
I had a stammer.
You know what a stammer is?
Well, it... you know,
it's not a good thing,
especially when you're a kid.
Things might have changed, but,
you know, I turned 15 in '87,
and all I knew was that it
was hard to make friends
when you couldn't ask a kid his
name without the words being
stuck in your throat.
Of course, one thing I did
have was the bulletin boards.
There were like a
dream, you know, a bunch
of outcast kids
bullshittin' about phone
hacking and old cartoons.
And the best part is, nobody can
hear a stammer when you type.
And these boards
were lit up with guys
who could break into just about
any damn line in the country.
They called it "phreaking,"
with a P-H. And these...
these phreakers,
they could be, uh...
Well, they were
an intense bunch.
So, I remember one day, about a
year earlier in '86, the boards
had lit up like I'd
never seen them before.
I think we all knew about
that Nite Pirate hijacking
that signal in Florida long
before the fucking cops did.
[laughs]
That was beautiful.
The rumors.
People either shooting it down
as bullshit or claiming they
were responsible.
I didn't actually see a tape
until early the next year.
OK?
I got some kid in
Tallahassee to send it to me.
Some kid just like me.
Lonely, isolated, you know?
I must have watched that
fucking tape 100 times,
picking it apart,
trying to figure out
what it is, you know?
What it meant.
It was that month, in school,
we were doing presentations
on what we like to
do outside of school.
Hobbies and shit.
So I took the Nite Pirate tape
in, and I hooked up a VCR,
and I went about teaching
a room full of 14 year olds
how to steal a
television signal.
Teacher was none too happy, but
I don't remember tripping over
my words even once.
Growing up, my family, we
never wanted for money, OK?
OK?
We were not rich, but
we weren't poor either.
You know?
Like some of the
other families I knew.
But then there were the
rich kids, all right?
Confident, well-dressed...
fuckin' aliens, as far as I
was concerned.
Most of them were older than
me, but one of 'em must of had
a brother in my class, told
'em about my presentation,
because a few days
later, a group of them...
they cornered me.
They had it in their heads that
they wanted to hijack a signal,
like in Florida.
You know, make a
tape, broadcast it,
and did I know how to do it?
I said, sure, I could do it.
And not because I
most definitely could,
and not because I really
kind of wanted to,
but because they have this
feel to them, you know?
Like they could just turn
on you at any moment.
So they kicked your ass.
They made you do it.
No, you don't understand.
They didn't lay a finger on me.
They didn't have to,
because they had money, OK?
They talked to girls.
It was exciting, all right?
I felt like I was a
part of something,
and not just from the
edges, like I was important.
I could do something
that nobody else could do
and that was a currency.
This wasn't just some
schoolyard bullshit either.
They wanted to know
what kind of equipment
we needed, how dangerous was it
going to be, stuff like that.
I never knew anyone
else in my life
who wanted to know about stuff
like this, let alone somebody
who had the means and
the desire to actually
power out a transmission tower.
So, no, they didn't
make me do it.
I wanted to do it.
What about the number?
The Morse code?
Why?
It's kind of
beautiful, how hard
I worked, to make sure that the
tape never looked back to us.
But then, what's the point
of fucking with people
if there's no reward?
So, numbers...
[can rattles]
The code, all of
it, was my idea.
Figured if I hid it
well enough, planted
a little seed on the boards,
people would go nuts.
[ball rolling sounds]
So, a week before
we stole the signal,
I gathered up all the money
they paid me, and took a bus
to Peoria, and I set up shop.
And I waited.
[ceiling creaking]
You have no idea
how long I waited.
[ceiling creaking]
What was that?
That is no concern of yours.
James?
[thud]
[sighs]
You got everything
you came for.
James, we need to leave.
You're lying.
James!
Why would I lie?
No, your story
does not make sense.
I studied those
tapes over and over.
Whoever made them is not just
responsible for powering out
signals.
You are out of your
depth, my friend.
Tell me about
Frederica Sexton.
I don't know who that is.
You want answers, you have
three tapes to find them in.
Wait, what?
- It's time that you should go.
- No, no.
- Three, you said three tapes.
- I think you should...
You said three tapes.
Where?
Think it's time
for you to leave.
I need that third tape.
There's a knack to it.
Fuck!
Maybe he just
wanted attention.
No, no, no.
Then why would he
keep paying for it?
Huh?
After all these
years, why would he
keep it in a storage
unit in another town
if he just wanted to
fuck with people, huh?
He wanted to be found.
Yeah, and you found him.
You tracked him down and
he told you his story.
You fucking did it.
I mean, it's been a crazy ride.
But it's over now, you know?
You can let it go.
Are you... what are you
out of your fuckin' mind?
Not even close!
Not until I get my hands
on that third tape!
And I knew the moment
I called him on it.
Only thing out of his mouth
that wasn't a total fucking lie.
You believed him.
His story.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I'm just saying that, maybe,
he was telling the truth.
Maybe it was just a
bunch of kids, you know?
Fucking around.
Or maybe it was
all just bullshit.
[static]
No!
[screams]
[piano music]
[dogs barking]
[applause]
[orchestral music]
[vocalizing]
[screams]
Dr. Lithgow.
Yes?
He couldn't have been, right?
I mean, after all this...
the whole time...
was right under...
James.
It doesn't exist, right?
The third tape.
James, this has to stop.
The pattern.
Cable access, November 1996.
Look, I need you...
I need you to tell me, OK?
Tell me it doesn't exist.
It can't be real, can it?
James, have you ever seen
a 1983 Chevrolet Corvette?
What?
You haven't.
There isn't one, because
Chevy never sold an '83 model.
Does that mean they don't exist?
There were 43
prototype models made.
Supposedly, they
were all destroyed.
Did any survive?
Only a rabid 'vette
enthusiast would know,
and only they would have the
will to keep searching for it.
I... I don't understand.
Public access channels
don't archive their programs,
and only someone with a vested
interest would record one,
so you tell me, James,
does a third tape exist?
[intercept tone]
If you'd like to make a call,
please hang up and try again.
If you need help, hang up
and then dial your operator.
[thud]
[suspenseful music]
[vocalizing]
[music - Eddy Arnold, "Make the
World Go Away"]
[distorted singing] And
get it off my shoulders.
Say the things you used to say.
And make the world go away.
Do you remember
when you loved me?
Before the world took me astray.
If you do then forgive me.
And make the world go away.
Make the world go away.
And get it off my sh...
[thud]
[foot steps]
What are you looking for?
[phone rings]
[music - Eddy Arnold, "Make the
World Go Away"]
[singing] I'm
sorry if I hurt you...
[screams]
[singing] I'll make
it up day by day.
Just say you love
me like you used to.
And make the world go away.
[phone ringing]
[screams]
[singing] Make
the world go away.
And get it off my shoulders.
Say...
My arm is hurt.
I think you broke my arm.
Shut up.
This isn't right.
This isn't right.
I said be quiet!
[orchestral music]
I didn't do that.
That isn't me.
You made that tape.
November 21st, 1996.
Why?
I didn't do this.
November 21st, 1996.
Why?
You aren't the police.
You're not the police.
Answer the fucking question!
You're not the police!
[laughs]
Frederica Sexton.
She disappeared the day before
the first signal intrusion.
Marie Bedford left her
boyfriend's house in Aurora
the day before a WTP TV signal was hijacked.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
And then there was
one more after that.
And you're going to tell me why.
My arm...
I need to go to the hospital.
Admit you took those women!
You made those fucking tapes!
I don't know who you are!
You took her.
- I...
- Tell me...
No.
Tell me you did it.
I don't know who you are.
[screams]
No!
You took those women!
You buried them in the
dirt, and you thought
no one would ever find you!
But I found you.
I connected the dots because
I'm smarter than you.
And I know what you did.
What do you want from me?
The set.
Take me to the set.
Take me to the set.
Is it all here?
I don't know.
We need to rebuild it
Why?
We're going to make a tape.
[humming]
I missed my
favorite show tonight.
Can you guess what it is?
Probably already
know what it is.
Bet it's your favorite
show, too, right?
Right?
Please let me out.
I haven't done anything.
I don't want to be here anymore.
Please?
Please?
When will dad be here?
When will dad be here?
No, no!
No!
Please!
No!
[coughing]
Read it.
No.
There's no other way.
Please...
This is the only way.
This isn't... this isn't right.
Read it!
"My name is Michael Gardner,
and between 1987 and 1996,
I hijacked the signals at
three television stations.
I did this because I..." I can't.
I know...
It's the only
way you'll be free.
No.
I won't do this.
Please.
Read the fucking script!
"I did this because...
because I needed to tell
the world about what I did,
what I did to these women,
to the women I took.
The intrusions are confess..."
[crying]
Please, please, please.
The sooner you read it, the
sooner you will understand...
The sooner you'll find peace.
Promise?
I promise.
"The intrusions are
confessions, confessions
that I took these women.
That I killed them.
I fixed them.
I fixed them all.
And this is my punishment."
[thud]
[phone ringing]
[applause]
[orchestral music]
One thing we have to accept
is that death is the end.
Whatever you're doing, it
can't be worth your health
and your peace of mind.
It might even damage your mind.
You know nothing of...
[static]
[vocalizing]
Fuck!
[thud]
[screams]
[suspenseful music]
[vocalizing]
[pensive music]
[melancoly jazz music]
[woman laughing]
[suspenseful music]
[banging on door]
This should work for you now.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I knew this would work out.
Sometimes you get a
feeling, you know?
About people.
Right, of course, OK.
Hit me with it.
What's the damage?
Just call it $50.
Come on.
People on the boards?
They talk.
Chat rooms are like
sewing circles.
What if they found out, me,
taking advantage of an artist...
A hundred.
...such as yourself.
A hundred.
I'm going to give you $500.
This one's dead.
Got one I can...
I've got to have it.
- Name your price.
- It's not for sale.
Uses high bias
audio tapes, right?
How's the resolution?
[pensive music]
For a while, I felt
like I was in freefall,
stuck in the grips of a dream
I couldn't wake up from.
There were days when I
could feel myself slipping,
like the sidewalks
and the people
weren't really there at all.
Just figments.
It didn't make any sense.
It doesn't make any sense.
So, I've learned it's
what I understand now.
There is no sense to be made.
Maybe I just haven't
looked hard enough.
[lighter clicks]
Can I ask you a question?
Oh, no.
Did he leave you anything?
A note?
For a long time
I was convinced
I just couldn't find it.
It would appear in a
place I looked 100 times
and explain everything.
It never did.
I'm sorry.
It gets easier.
What does that mean?
Nothing.
I suppose it's just
a thing people say.
Meaningless.
[jazz music]
This is Chicago.
It is the city of
the Magnificent Mile.
It is the city of the Chicago
Cubs and beautiful Wrigley
Field.
It is a city known for its
heated political debates.
We really ought to have as
free of market as you can,
and it's become such a
costly area of pursuit.
And with that, you have
involvement of a number
of local governments.
There is need for, I
think, a minimal amount
of governmental...
[static]
[unintelligible noises]
What the fuck?
...make sure that
there's stability.
[sighs]
[rewinding audio]
[suspenseful music]
[unintelligible noises]
Who is responsible for last
night's act of video piracy?
These video pirates
interrupted programming
with a show of their own.
Last night, someone broke
into regular programming
here on channel...
Someone using
sophisticated equipment
managed to briefly and
illegally override broadcast...
The incident is now
under investigation
by the FCC and the FBI.
When this person
is caught, he or she
will face both civil
and criminal penalties.
...while the FCC says last
night's piracy was the first
of its kind.
A week later, the video
pirates struck again.
This time, the target was a WTTP
broadcast of syndicated science
fiction series, "Don Cronos."
But this time, what they should
showed viewers was somehow
even more bizarre.
[dramatic music]
You need this
for your archive?
Yeah.
May 10th, '87, 11 to
midnight, "Don Cronos."
All right, yeah.
Um, you want to just call back?
Or do you mind holding?
No, no, no.
I'll hold.
Uh, hey, you still there?
Hello?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
I'm here.
You know, looking
at the log here,
it seems you're not
the first person
to inquire about
this specific tape.
In fact, we've gotten several
phone calls in just the last...
Do you have it?
Yeah, no.
That specific tape is
confiscated by the FCC.
The computer says I'm supposed
to flag any request for it
and report them
immediately to the FBI.
- [jazz music]
- Think, think, think.
Who would...?
Yeah.
Yeah, uh, Chester.
This is James.
Yes, I'm the guy...
I'm the guy who
fixed your Leica III.
Betamax?
Actually, much better
quality than VHS.
I know, I...
I just... I can't...
I figured as much.
That's why I brought mine.
This is the most incredible
feeling, seeing her again.
Cyrus, you're a scientist.
A scientist deals in
established principle and fact.
One thing we have to accept
is that death is the end.
What do you mean by that?
You've been working
yourself too hard.
- You...
- No, no.
Just wait, just wait.
...locked in this
laboratory for over a year.
Whatever you're doing, it
can't be worth your health
and your peace of mind.
It might even damage your mind.
Nothing is more...
[unintelligible noises]
[screams]
You've become obsessed by
a purely private, impractical
idea.
Assumed that's why
you wanted to see this?
What do you know about this?
The Sal-E Sparks incident?
Only the creepiest unsolved
mystery hack of all time.
Who's Sal-E Sparks?
From "StepBot."
You know, the 80s sitcom?
Right.
The one with the...
Widowed robotics engineer
who invents an android wife
to take care of his
five adopted kids.
It's actually S-A-L
dash E. Sal-E Sparks.
"System Analytic
Lifeform Emulation."
Giving androids idiotic anagrams
was all the rage for a while.
But, yeah, that's the
inspiration for the...
It.
15 years later and
they still never got
the hackers who pulled it off,
though some compelling theories
have been floated
across the boards.
The Chicago BBS boards?
Mm-hmm.
So, that means this
tape is very valuable.
One of the only first
Gen copies out there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I have cash.
I don't take
money from friends.
What if we made a trade instead?
Listen, I can see this has a lot
of sentimental value for you,
so...
Tell you what, I am going to
throw in the Betamax player,
free of charge.
That's very generous of you.
I have another,
better one at home.
So, what happened?
She dump you?
Yeah, I got to
get to work, OK?
Right, of course.
OK.
[theme music]
I'd like you to meet Rotagrid.
It stands for "Random Output
Terminal Analytic Gateway
Remote Interconnected
Data Grid."
[laughter]
[suspenseful music]
This is the Nite Pirate.
Don't believe the lies.
[train tracks squealing]
So, you want to know about the
Chicago broadcast intrusions?
If you're expecting me
to have the FBI report,
I'll tell you the same thing
I told the last fellow who
came here asking for it.
Was it MacktheKnife69?
That's his BBS handle.
I don't know his real name.
Be careful what you read in
those chat rooms, Mr., um...
James.
Well, James, the only
way I could gain access
to such a report
is the same method
as you or any other citizen.
File a FOIA request, sit
by the mailbox and wait.
FOIA.
Freedom of Information Act?
Though with their massive
volumes and, shall we say,
limited resources, you
can expect a response time
between six months and never.
So...
No.
I don't have it.
But in service of curious
minds such as yours,
vulnerable to gossip and
rumor on the internet,
I'm happy to provide you with
a more informed viewpoint.
Broadcast intrusions are a
rare cultural phenomenon.
In 40 years of broadcasting,
there have been less than 10.
The two intrusions
here in Chicago.
The Sal-E Sparks incident.
The only two cases that
remain unsolved to this day.
Yeah, the tapes I saw were...
Gets under your
skin, doesn't it?
When the FCC reviewed the
footage, they were at a loss.
Nobody could quite work out
what they were watching.
Was it a joke?
A prank?
And that was in early '87.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was, uh...
That was May 3rd.
After the second
incident a week later,
the FBI got involved.
Yeah, May 10th.
Yes.
Seven days in a week.
Conspiracy theorists claim the
FBI put pressure on the press
not to widely
report the incident,
worried that media exposure
might inadvertently be
spreading a subliminal message.
Well, what kind of message?
Something glimpsed
in the wallpaper,
half-listened-to in the voices.
Yeah, but it was just noise.
Static.
Certainly sounds like
static, doesn't it?
There were rumors
of a third Sal-E
Sparks intrusion years later.
But by then we had all but
given up on the investigation.
Do you happen
to have the date?
The network?
Well, there are conflicting
reports as to which network,
though if such a
thing does exist,
it may continue the pattern.
Pattern?
Each subsequent
intrusion targeting
a smaller audience, what is
referred to as "narrowcasting."
If it started with
a network affiliate,
followed by a Public
Broadcasting station,
it would stand to reason that
the third one would most likely
be...
Cable access?
Very good.
I do happen to have a note
here, a reference to the date.
November 23rd, 1996.
Though, I couldn't begin to
tell you the source, probably
because no tape has ever
materialized and probably
never will.
[ethereal music]
Whoever was responsible...
if indeed only one person was
responsible...
either died or disappeared.
Oh.
I can't tell what it is.
The FBI doesn't
close cases easily.
And eventually, they realized
they were climbing staircases
to nowhere.
...Finally come to terms
with the fact that it was not
your fault. I knew
that it would...
It might come slowly.
You know, I have this
thing I have to go to...
You know, this barbecue.
People from work.
Saturday.
Thinking you could come with me?
Be my date?
Yeah.
Yeah, me, too.
They may be gone, but
we're still here, you know?
Come on, let's just
enjoy that for once.
Yeah, I'm just...
I'm just swamped at work.
Well, if you're ever bored
and want to just hang out,
rent a tape from
Blockbuster, or whatever...
I got to get...
I got to get going.
Thank you.
Don't work too late.
[unintelligible noises]
[slowed unintelligible speech]
I fixed them.
I fixed them all.
[clattering]
[suspenseful music]
[footsteps]
[door clasping]
[door slams]
[dramatic music]
James?
[high pitched static]
[camera clicks]
It's a set.
Like in a movie or in a theater.
The walls are just panels.
Somebody built this place.
The windows, the
carpets, the walls...
that's why the
figure seems so tall.
It's like room within a room.
Which begs the question...
Why?
Look.
There's a face in the window.
You've really
taken these apart.
He let himself be seen, look!
Let me ask you a question.
Why are you so
curious about this?
We had a years
long investigation
by both the FCC and the FBI.
We turned up nothing.
Not the first
two incidents, yes.
But you said so yourself
that there was hardly
any information about the third.
Because there
probably wasn't one.
I mean, who knows how
many people have seen it.
You know, things like this,
they don't happen by accident.
There's always a reason.
Never attribute
conspiracy to that
which is more appropriately
labeled "coincidence."
Look, I am telling
you, they're connected.
Look, somewhere,
for some reason,
this person wanted to say
something to the world,
and he chose this
medium to do it.
Say you're right,
say someone did
hide a message in those tapes.
Do you really want to be the guy
to figure out what that means?
Yes.
This is a federal
crime, James.
Whoever did this could
still be out there.
Exactly.
Look, look, look, look.
If you look closely...
Look, I don't want you
falling down a rabbit
hole you can't climb out of.
Be very careful, James.
Some threads aren't
worth picking at.
"Drink tonight on me..."
Fired by a fucking haiku.
[static]
[suspenseful music]
[rock music]
How old is she?
She's... she's 16.
And she'll be
inside the house?
No.
No.
Outside, on the street.
Weight?
Uh...
How much does she weigh?
Oh, um, um...
One... 120.
All right.
I'll let you know what
you need to do after.
Right.
Yeah.
OK.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Sorry.
[suspenseful music]
Come in.
Sit down.
So you came.
Where did you get that?
[clears throat]
So?
You said you can help me.
In 1990, the FBI concluded
an investigation into the Sal-e
Sparks incident.
I have access to
their complete file.
Unredacted.
If you want it, it's yours.
Look, I don't know
how you knew about me,
but I'm not exactly sure...
Don't you want to know
what happened to those girls?
In both intrusions, a woman
went missing just prior
to the signal being hijacked.
Yeah, I read about her,
after you reached out to me.
There's nothing that
connects her to those tapes.
Except that's not
what you believe.
How did you find me?
Do you think you're the
first person to have crossed me
on this road?
No.
No, I know I'm not the first.
But I'll be the last.
Sometimes, in a
situation like this,
rooting around in the places
that you've been rooting...
Let's just say, anonymity
can be a privilege.
OK.
Say I do want the
file, then what?
[drawer opening]
How much you want?
Those keys make you feel safe?
I have money.
That's not how this works.
Then what?
A delivery.
An address in Chinatown.
A man will be waiting
there for you.
You give him the
package and walk away.
That's it?
That's it.
I'll know when you've done it.
And if you don't.
How do I know what
you're offering me is real?
Hmm?
Useful?
You don't.
When it's done,
you'll get the file.
Things will be better for you
if you don't know what's inside.
[suspenseful music]
What does that mean?
Do you think
there's a pattern?
Do you think the tapes are
trying to tell you something?
They are.
You're not going
to find it, though.
11 years and all I
got was dead ends.
He hid himself well.
You set me up.
You set this up.
You brought me here.
Why?
It's a warning
for the curious.
[train horn]
You discovered the women.
Don't start this.
You don't know what it does.
You discovered
the missing women.
The women... fuck the women!
I went to their families.
Do you think they want to
talk to people like us?
You know what they think
about people like us?
You failed, but
at least you tried.
Stop.
Before you realize you can't.
It's too late.
- They're everywhere, man.
- What?
[train rumbles]
[car horn]
[crunches]
[foot steps]
[suspenseful music]
[telephone rings]
Hello?
I know what they mean.
Who is this?
It's me, it's James.
James?
Got a little worried about you.
Are you listening?
I was right.
They're confessions.
Chicago, May 2nd, 1987, girl
goes missing, is never found.
The day before the
first intrusion.
Same thing a week later.
It all fits.
James...
This guy was
kidnapping these women.
He was...
I heard about your wife.
If I had known when
you came to me, I...
Look, I'm close.
I know it.
Grief can be a
tricky thing, James.
Look, I just wanted
to thank you, OK?
For all your help.
[keys jangling]
[dog barks]
[car horn]
Can I get a Rush, please?
Shot of Wild Turkey.
One for this guy, too.
Thanks, but I'm
good with beer.
So why are you following me?
Take a shot and I'll tell you.
Fuck you.
I'm not in college.
If you want an answer to your
question, you have to drink.
That's the deal.
Take it or leave it.
Fine.
Research.
I'm gathering material.
For what?
Take or leave it.
Another round.
I'm not sure yet.
That's not an answer.
Your turn.
What's the real reason?
OK.
I like to follow people because
it's something I can control.
It's for myself.
Get to have all the power.
Like cutting, but
without all the mess.
[laughs]
Let's talk about you.
Oh, that would
probably be a bad idea.
Doesn't mean it's
not worth doing.
Every idea I ever
had was a bad one.
What was her name?
Mine was called Benjamin.
I was 19.
God, my mom hated me after that.
She sent me letters all
the time telling me.
But, you know, who
gives a shit, right?
I was happy where I was.
Yeah, and he just...
He got me.
Then what happened?
Ugh, well, I should have
left a long time before I did.
The girls they found
in his room were 14.
Shit...
But, you know, that was
five years ago, yesterday.
Five years, and now, I am here.
Everything is fine.
You seem lost.
Maybe.
At least seem drunk.
Probably.
[laughs]
One more round.
You know, you sort
of lied before.
I did?
Yeah, you said that every
idea you've ever had was bad,
but getting out of that
situation, that was a good one.
Yeah, well, I've made
up for it since then.
The name on my license
ain't quite accurate.
I'm just here because there's
places I can't go back to.
Same.
[laughing]
Hannah.
Her name was Hannah.
[retching]
Ugh.
All right.
Whoa!
[car horn]
[static]
[button clicks]
You weren't lying.
You said there's more like this?
Uh, there are three in total.
I'm in an exhaustive
search for the third.
Need any help?
Thanks, but I
prefer to work alone.
What do the numbers mean?
What numbers?
Seven digits.
I guess it's a phone number?
Trust me.
If there were phone numbers on
the tape I would have seen it.
Did you hear it?
[beeping]
Listen.
Did you hear it?
It's Morse code.
Fuck me.
Yeah, but who knows Morse code
outside of sailors or telegraph
operators?
OK, sailor.
What's the number?
Let's make a deal.
You let me crash
here for a few days
while I get back on my feet,
and in return I will assist you.
Oh, brother.
In your investigation.
Starting with this.
OK, fine.
Whatever.
You want to call it?
What happened to your phone?
Oh, I had to destroy it.
You never know who
could be listening.
Couldn't one just
unplug a phone?
Yeah, one would think.
[phone dial keys]
[ringing]
[static]
[unintelligible speaking]
[beep]
[pensive music]
[knocking]
[knocking on door]
This for me?
Hello?
[inaudible]
Fuck.
[suspenseful music]
James?
You've been following me?
You know they can track those.
You shouldn't have those...
It's a burner phone.
Burn her!
She's not going to be
there when you need her.
She's going to be against you.
If you're going to do
this, go all the way.
Why don't you just...
Follow the tapes.
If you're going to do
this, follow the tapes.
The girls are a dead end.
I wish I would have known that.
It's all concentric
fucking circles.
I wish... I wish I
fucking knew that!
Why... why don't you
just come upstairs?
No, man.
They're everywhere, man.
What are you talking about?
They're everywhere, man!
[suspenseful music]
I just need some
fuckin' sleep.
- We have to leave now.
- What the fuck?
- Just until it's safe.
- What the fuck was that, James?
Who the fuck was that?
We need to go, we need to go.
- Grab whatever you can.
- And go where?
Out of town.
Anywhere.
You heard what he said.
Whoever followed him
can follow us here.
It's not safe, not anymore.
We have to go, OK?
Hey, OK?
Ugh!
We can't leave
any evidence behind.
It's not safe anymore.
Let's go!
[suspenseful music]
[static]
[door opens]
The phone number from
the tape is registered
to a storage unit in Peoria.
We leave now, we can
get there by noon.
OK.
[suspenseful music]
Wait here.
I know how to work this guy.
Give me five minutes.
Do you have a phone?
[phone dial keys]
[ringing]
[tape recorder starts]
[static]
[unintelligible speaking]
[beep]
According to this, the
unit was first rented in '87.
Payment was set up as a
standing order on a credit card,
and paid every month
without fail ever since.
Has anyone come
here to check on it?
As far as I'm aware, no.
I've been here for 10 years.
To be honest, I figured
that's why you were here.
You're the only ones
who ever asked about it.
They never
followed it this far.
I need a name.
Does it say who set
up that standing order?
That I can't
tell you, legally.
You know?
[ringing]
Hello?
[inaudible]
It's for you.
If you'll excuse me.
[door closes]
[inaudible]
Excuse me, ma'am.
Excuse me.
Apologies, I didn't
get your name.
Alice.
This is James.
Sorry I was rude back there.
Stephen Meyer.
Nice to meet you, Stephen.
Um, we actually have to head...
No, Stephen Meyer.
The name on the rental unit.
Oh.
Is that with a V or P-H?
P-H. M-E-Y-E-R. Address
is a PO box in Joliet.
That should get you
to him, at least.
I always, uh, wondered
about that, you know?
Here.
Here it is, right here, on
the back of my personal card.
I'm Brad, by the way.
Thanks, Brad.
Left side, third
one from the top.
Now we wait for Stephen Meyer.
Pray to God he checks his mail.
[radio plays]
Is this all right?
Mm-hmm.
So, what do you
do for fun, Jimmy?
Um...
I mean, do you
have any hobbies?
Uh, sure.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's a ton of
stuff I like to do.
Yeah?
Like what?
I fix old cameras.
That's one.
It doesn't really count as a
hobby if you get paid for it.
What else?
I'm into photography.
It's the same thing.
Dude, you really need to
broaden your horizons.
When I was a kid, I used
to make these little radio
shows in my bedroom.
I'd record them on
this little boombox,
and then I would hide them in
the yard so people passing by I
could listen.
Nobody ever did, but I kept
on making them anyways.
Funny.
Things we remember.
Yeah, I've been
at this for weeks.
It feels like forever.
I can't seem to remember
anything from before, I swear.
Before when I started.
Well, sometimes you spend so
long looking for the answers,
you forget the fucking question.
I don't know if she died.
What?
I wasn't there when she died.
No real memories.
Pictures in my head.
Abandoned car.
Skyway Bridge.
Empty casket.
God damn it, Stephen Meyers,
pick up your fucking mail.
Stephen Meyer?
We need to talk to you.
We found your storage
unit in Peoria.
Follow me.
[suspenseful music]
[footsteps]
[can lid cracks]
We're here about
the storage unit.
OK.
Your name's on the account.
We're not cops.
I need to know why.
When I was a kid,
I had a stammer.
You know what a stammer is?
Well, it... you know,
it's not a good thing,
especially when you're a kid.
Things might have changed, but,
you know, I turned 15 in '87,
and all I knew was that it
was hard to make friends
when you couldn't ask a kid his
name without the words being
stuck in your throat.
Of course, one thing I did
have was the bulletin boards.
There were like a
dream, you know, a bunch
of outcast kids
bullshittin' about phone
hacking and old cartoons.
And the best part is, nobody can
hear a stammer when you type.
And these boards
were lit up with guys
who could break into just about
any damn line in the country.
They called it "phreaking,"
with a P-H. And these...
these phreakers,
they could be, uh...
Well, they were
an intense bunch.
So, I remember one day, about a
year earlier in '86, the boards
had lit up like I'd
never seen them before.
I think we all knew about
that Nite Pirate hijacking
that signal in Florida long
before the fucking cops did.
[laughs]
That was beautiful.
The rumors.
People either shooting it down
as bullshit or claiming they
were responsible.
I didn't actually see a tape
until early the next year.
OK?
I got some kid in
Tallahassee to send it to me.
Some kid just like me.
Lonely, isolated, you know?
I must have watched that
fucking tape 100 times,
picking it apart,
trying to figure out
what it is, you know?
What it meant.
It was that month, in school,
we were doing presentations
on what we like to
do outside of school.
Hobbies and shit.
So I took the Nite Pirate tape
in, and I hooked up a VCR,
and I went about teaching
a room full of 14 year olds
how to steal a
television signal.
Teacher was none too happy, but
I don't remember tripping over
my words even once.
Growing up, my family, we
never wanted for money, OK?
OK?
We were not rich, but
we weren't poor either.
You know?
Like some of the
other families I knew.
But then there were the
rich kids, all right?
Confident, well-dressed...
fuckin' aliens, as far as I
was concerned.
Most of them were older than
me, but one of 'em must of had
a brother in my class, told
'em about my presentation,
because a few days
later, a group of them...
they cornered me.
They had it in their heads that
they wanted to hijack a signal,
like in Florida.
You know, make a
tape, broadcast it,
and did I know how to do it?
I said, sure, I could do it.
And not because I
most definitely could,
and not because I really
kind of wanted to,
but because they have this
feel to them, you know?
Like they could just turn
on you at any moment.
So they kicked your ass.
They made you do it.
No, you don't understand.
They didn't lay a finger on me.
They didn't have to,
because they had money, OK?
They talked to girls.
It was exciting, all right?
I felt like I was a
part of something,
and not just from the
edges, like I was important.
I could do something
that nobody else could do
and that was a currency.
This wasn't just some
schoolyard bullshit either.
They wanted to know
what kind of equipment
we needed, how dangerous was it
going to be, stuff like that.
I never knew anyone
else in my life
who wanted to know about stuff
like this, let alone somebody
who had the means and
the desire to actually
power out a transmission tower.
So, no, they didn't
make me do it.
I wanted to do it.
What about the number?
The Morse code?
Why?
It's kind of
beautiful, how hard
I worked, to make sure that the
tape never looked back to us.
But then, what's the point
of fucking with people
if there's no reward?
So, numbers...
[can rattles]
The code, all of
it, was my idea.
Figured if I hid it
well enough, planted
a little seed on the boards,
people would go nuts.
[ball rolling sounds]
So, a week before
we stole the signal,
I gathered up all the money
they paid me, and took a bus
to Peoria, and I set up shop.
And I waited.
[ceiling creaking]
You have no idea
how long I waited.
[ceiling creaking]
What was that?
That is no concern of yours.
James?
[thud]
[sighs]
You got everything
you came for.
James, we need to leave.
You're lying.
James!
Why would I lie?
No, your story
does not make sense.
I studied those
tapes over and over.
Whoever made them is not just
responsible for powering out
signals.
You are out of your
depth, my friend.
Tell me about
Frederica Sexton.
I don't know who that is.
You want answers, you have
three tapes to find them in.
Wait, what?
- It's time that you should go.
- No, no.
- Three, you said three tapes.
- I think you should...
You said three tapes.
Where?
Think it's time
for you to leave.
I need that third tape.
There's a knack to it.
Fuck!
Maybe he just
wanted attention.
No, no, no.
Then why would he
keep paying for it?
Huh?
After all these
years, why would he
keep it in a storage
unit in another town
if he just wanted to
fuck with people, huh?
He wanted to be found.
Yeah, and you found him.
You tracked him down and
he told you his story.
You fucking did it.
I mean, it's been a crazy ride.
But it's over now, you know?
You can let it go.
Are you... what are you
out of your fuckin' mind?
Not even close!
Not until I get my hands
on that third tape!
And I knew the moment
I called him on it.
Only thing out of his mouth
that wasn't a total fucking lie.
You believed him.
His story.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I'm just saying that, maybe,
he was telling the truth.
Maybe it was just a
bunch of kids, you know?
Fucking around.
Or maybe it was
all just bullshit.
[static]
No!
[screams]
[piano music]
[dogs barking]
[applause]
[orchestral music]
[vocalizing]
[screams]
Dr. Lithgow.
Yes?
He couldn't have been, right?
I mean, after all this...
the whole time...
was right under...
James.
It doesn't exist, right?
The third tape.
James, this has to stop.
The pattern.
Cable access, November 1996.
Look, I need you...
I need you to tell me, OK?
Tell me it doesn't exist.
It can't be real, can it?
James, have you ever seen
a 1983 Chevrolet Corvette?
What?
You haven't.
There isn't one, because
Chevy never sold an '83 model.
Does that mean they don't exist?
There were 43
prototype models made.
Supposedly, they
were all destroyed.
Did any survive?
Only a rabid 'vette
enthusiast would know,
and only they would have the
will to keep searching for it.
I... I don't understand.
Public access channels
don't archive their programs,
and only someone with a vested
interest would record one,
so you tell me, James,
does a third tape exist?
[intercept tone]
If you'd like to make a call,
please hang up and try again.
If you need help, hang up
and then dial your operator.
[thud]
[suspenseful music]
[vocalizing]
[music - Eddy Arnold, "Make the
World Go Away"]
[distorted singing] And
get it off my shoulders.
Say the things you used to say.
And make the world go away.
Do you remember
when you loved me?
Before the world took me astray.
If you do then forgive me.
And make the world go away.
Make the world go away.
And get it off my sh...
[thud]
[foot steps]
What are you looking for?
[phone rings]
[music - Eddy Arnold, "Make the
World Go Away"]
[singing] I'm
sorry if I hurt you...
[screams]
[singing] I'll make
it up day by day.
Just say you love
me like you used to.
And make the world go away.
[phone ringing]
[screams]
[singing] Make
the world go away.
And get it off my shoulders.
Say...
My arm is hurt.
I think you broke my arm.
Shut up.
This isn't right.
This isn't right.
I said be quiet!
[orchestral music]
I didn't do that.
That isn't me.
You made that tape.
November 21st, 1996.
Why?
I didn't do this.
November 21st, 1996.
Why?
You aren't the police.
You're not the police.
Answer the fucking question!
You're not the police!
[laughs]
Frederica Sexton.
She disappeared the day before
the first signal intrusion.
Marie Bedford left her
boyfriend's house in Aurora
the day before a WTP TV signal was hijacked.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
And then there was
one more after that.
And you're going to tell me why.
My arm...
I need to go to the hospital.
Admit you took those women!
You made those fucking tapes!
I don't know who you are!
You took her.
- I...
- Tell me...
No.
Tell me you did it.
I don't know who you are.
[screams]
No!
You took those women!
You buried them in the
dirt, and you thought
no one would ever find you!
But I found you.
I connected the dots because
I'm smarter than you.
And I know what you did.
What do you want from me?
The set.
Take me to the set.
Take me to the set.
Is it all here?
I don't know.
We need to rebuild it
Why?
We're going to make a tape.
[humming]
I missed my
favorite show tonight.
Can you guess what it is?
Probably already
know what it is.
Bet it's your favorite
show, too, right?
Right?
Please let me out.
I haven't done anything.
I don't want to be here anymore.
Please?
Please?
When will dad be here?
When will dad be here?
No, no!
No!
Please!
No!
[coughing]
Read it.
No.
There's no other way.
Please...
This is the only way.
This isn't... this isn't right.
Read it!
"My name is Michael Gardner,
and between 1987 and 1996,
I hijacked the signals at
three television stations.
I did this because I..." I can't.
I know...
It's the only
way you'll be free.
No.
I won't do this.
Please.
Read the fucking script!
"I did this because...
because I needed to tell
the world about what I did,
what I did to these women,
to the women I took.
The intrusions are confess..."
[crying]
Please, please, please.
The sooner you read it, the
sooner you will understand...
The sooner you'll find peace.
Promise?
I promise.
"The intrusions are
confessions, confessions
that I took these women.
That I killed them.
I fixed them.
I fixed them all.
And this is my punishment."
[thud]
[phone ringing]
[applause]
[orchestral music]
One thing we have to accept
is that death is the end.
Whatever you're doing, it
can't be worth your health
and your peace of mind.
It might even damage your mind.
You know nothing of...
[static]
[vocalizing]
Fuck!
[thud]
[screams]
[suspenseful music]