Conjuring: The Beyond (2022) Movie Script
1
(serene music)
(glass shattering)
(claws sheathing)
(tense music)
(man heavily breathing)
(doorknob rattling)
(man groaning)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(bones creaking)
(tense music)
(creature groaning)
(creature groaning)
(man groaning)
(man screaming)
(metronome ticking)
- I mean, you've
barely done anything
since you've gotten here.
All right, you spend most
of your time upstairs.
You only come down to
grab food or to watch TV
once we've gone to bed!
I mean, you can't
even be bothered
to have dinner with
us most of the time.
And now, you wanna take off?
To go god knows where to
take part in god knows what?
- I told you, it's
a sleep study.
- Right, and that's
all you've told me.
I don't know why you're playing
this so secretively, Wanda,
it's like you're planning
a jail break or something.
- Aren't I, though?
I'm a grown woman, yet
I feel as if I need
to ask your permission
to go and do what I want!
- [Lucas] You're right.
You are a grown woman.
Living rent free in our house.
- I'm sorry that my divorce
was such an inconvenience
for you, Lucas.
- Oh, please don't
even start with that.
- This has nothing to
do with that, all right?
We are more than happy
to open our home to you,
but the issue I have
is for weeks now,
you've been saying, you're
gonna go buy your own car,
which you haven't done, right?
You've also said that you
were gonna find a job.
You haven't even filled
out an application.
You blame your lack of
motivation on your anxiety
and your depression, but you
can't even pick up the phone
to make a doctor's
appointment, all right?
I mean, I'm asking
simple questions
and all I'm getting
are dramatics.
- Dramatics?
I'm not the one
who's being dramatic!
Look, I'm just asking to
borrow the car for a few days,
so I can drive to Mineral,
a place where people are
expecting me to be, a job.
Isn't that what this
is really about?
- What do you mean?
- You think I'm milking this!
Wallowing in my own self pity.
- Oh no, wait a minute, Wanda!
- No, just hear me out!
Look, I understand, it's
been hard having me here.
I'm trying to get
back on my feet.
I can't begin to thank
you enough for helping me,
but now I just need
a little more help.
I just need to borrow the
car and then I'll come back
with a little money
and maybe then,
maybe then I can take
that next step forward.
- I just don't think
it's a good idea.
- [Wanda] Why?
- Something seems off
about this whole situation.
- First, you want me to
go out and make money,
then you feel skeptical
about the work I did find
and want me to stay back?
Why don't you make up your
mind and get back to me?
- I just think your time
would be better spent here
on something more practical.
Okay, listen, I'm not trying
to be an asshole here, I'm not!
When you and Glen got divorced,
you said you needed some
time to be yourself.
I'm sympathetic to that.
I can't help but think you're
using this as an opportunity
to take off and just escape
reality for a few days.
- Is that so wrong?
(Gloria sighing)
- How do you even know that
this is a real thing, Wanda?
I mean, you filled out some
clickbait survey online?
What are you gonna
say when it turns out
to be some sort of timeshare
pitch or something?
- Well, I guess then
you'll get the pleasure
of telling me I told you so.
Please, Lucas, I need to go.
I'd much rather drive
myself there and back
rather than, I don't
know, hitchhiking.
- Oh, god, there's
the dramatics again.
- Gloria.
- Jesus.
- It's late, let's
just call it a night.
We can talk about it
again in the morning.
- I'll have to leave by
at least one o'clock.
- Well, whose fault is that,
that you waited till
the last minute?
Let's just, let's go to bed.
We'll talk about it
again tomorrow, okay?
Listen, at the table,
we can have some breakfast.
All right, at a decent hour.
Okay?
- Fine, whatever.
(eerie music)
(Wanda sighing)
(Wanda sighing)
(clock ticking)
(keys scraping)
(door creaking)
- Boo. (Wanda gasping)
What's up?
- I thought Gloria
made you quit smoking.
- Yeah, no, she did.
Looks like sneaking out
runs in the family, huh?
- I wasn't, I was just
gonna run to the store.
- I never thought you'd
actually swipe my car, Wanda.
- Lucas-
- You've got some
balls, you know that?
- I need to go.
- Go.
Seriously, it's okay.
You can go, I get it.
- I really am just
trying to work on myself.
- Yeah, clearly.
I mean the old Wanda, she'd
still be upstairs in her room
sulking right now, so.
- What are you
gonna tell Gloria?
- You know, I don't know,
but we'll talk about
it in the morning.
But hey, do me a favor
and bring my car back in
one piece though, okay?
Otherwise we are
both gonna get it.
I love you, sis.
You know that.
I know you're gonna find what
you're looking for, okay?
Get outta here before
you freeze to death.
Hey, do me a favor,
though, and pick that up.
I don't want Gloria to find it.
(suspenseful music)
(car engine roaring)
(birds chirping)
(eerie music)
(Wanda sighing)
(car door slamming)
- Excuse me, Miss,
you wouldn't happen
to be Wanda Fulcia, would you?
- Yes, I am.
- My name's Victor, I'm the
assistant to Dr. Pretorius.
- [Wanda] All right.
- If you'd just follow
me up to the old school,
that's where you'll be staying.
- The address brought me here.
- Yeah, the Google Maps
doesn't really pick up
the building very well.
Small towns like this.
- What did you say
your name was again?
- Victor Fair, ma'am.
- [Wanda] And you
work for the doctor?
- That is what I said, isn't it?
Follow me up to the
old school house.
They're expecting you.
(Wanda sighing)
(tense music)
(door slamming)
Don't you wanna get your things?
- I didn't bring
anything with me.
- All right, I'll
get the doctor.
(clock ticking)
(creature screaming)
(Wanda gasping)
(floor creaking)
- This used to be the
embalming room, you know?
- Jesus Christ.
You scared the shit out of me.
- Name's Margarite, but
my friends call me Margo.
- Oh, so you're not the doctor?
- Nope, like I
said, name's Margo.
I was joking, you know?
- What?
- I was joking about it
being an embalming room.
- I figured as much.
- Well, aren't you
gonna tell me your name?
- Duh, Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.
- Mm, we've been expecting you.
- You work for the doctor?
- Oh, no, I didn't
know who he was
until I got the email saying
this was a quote unquote
"sleep experiment."
- Right.
- But don't worry.
Everything seems to
be on the up and up.
- [Wanda] What?
- Well, that's what you're
worried about, isn't it?
That this was yet
another let down,
or better yet,
something sinister?
- How do you know
what I'm thinking?
- You wear your thoughts
on your sleeve, Wanda.
- Ah, there you are.
I'm Dr. Richard Pretorius,
this here is Theodore Olson.
- Hi.
- And you've already
met Victor, I assume.
- Hi, it's nice to meet you.
My name is Wanda.
- Wanda Fulcia.
Yeah, we've been expecting you.
- Ah, now it's a party!
We're just waiting on one more.
- If y'all just follow me
to the back of the room now,
we can perform the
exam while we wait.
- It's extremely invasive.
(lips smacking)
- Now, take a deep breath.
And again.
(velcro scratching)
- Well, Doctor, am I dying?
- We're all dying, Ms. Fulcia,
it's just a matter of how long.
- Well, we're going to use this
as the main operating room.
The center for operations.
- Mm, cheerful.
- Oh, I don't know.
Nothing is more comforting
than my sixth grade math class.
- Oh, so you're
from around here?
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
I grew up in Idaho
Falls, actually.
I just mean that,
well, you know,
once you've seen one
small town school.
- EverywheresVille, U.S.A.
- Yes, look, believe it or not,
until fairly recently,
this school was used
as a overflow ward
for the local hospital
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now it was supposed
to be torn down
when the city commissioned
a new building
to be built in town.
But luckily my funding
came through just in time.
It's a perfect place
to conduct group
studies, don't you think?
More than accommodating lodging
with plenty of living space
and quite the aura
of academia to it.
The plan is for
doctors like myself
to use this sort of shared
space to conduct our research.
- What is it exactly
that you're researching?
- A criminally under
researched phenomenon
known as sleep paralysis.
- [Wanda] But I've never
experienced sleep paralysis.
- Exactly why you were chosen.
- I don't understand.
- The good doctor here
thinks he can give it to us.
- Look, I'm not taking
any experimental drugs!
- You won't have to, this is
strictly a holistic study.
Now all I need is your
time and open minds.
As soon as our
last guests arrive,
I'll be more than
happy to fill you in.
- [Porter] Hello?
- It just so happens
that time is now.
(typewriter clacking)
- Ah, fuck me,
the welcome wagon?
- Oh, you must be Porter
Watson, I'm Dr. Pretorius.
- 'Sup, Doc.
Now you got a place where
I can stash my stuff?
- Yes, I'll have my
assistant Victor show you
to your room here shortly.
- Perfect.
Baby.
Hey, yo, Doc, how
about introducing me
to the rest of the band?
Cleopatra, isn't it?
- Margarite Swanson, our
resident fortune teller.
- But my friends call me Margo.
- Logger, Theodore Randolph.
- Hey!
- What's up, man?
- And Mrs. Wanda Fulcia.
- Miss Wanda Fulcia.
- So I'm afraid I didn't catch
your social security occupation
for you there, Miss Fulcia.
- Well, I'm in a bit of a
transitional period at the moment.
- Ha, a woman
after my own heart.
Well, I gotta, say if you
two ladies are the specters
that haunt these gloomy halls,
well, I'm still
glad that I came.
- Now that you're all here.
Can I offer you all a drink
back in the operations room?
- Yo, this surprise party
just keeps getting better
and better, don't it?
- And again.
All done, you passed.
- You know, I didn't hear
nothing about them flying colors.
You're awfully thorough for
a sleep study there, Doc.
- My research is
awfully thorough.
- And what is that exactly?
- We were just getting
to that when you arrived.
- Before the welcome
wagon was summoned.
- My sincerest apologies, y'all.
- Quite the hassle, you
really threw a wrench
in the whole operation, man.
- Yeah, Mama says I got
a knack for doing that.
- You best get a hold
of your class, Doctor.
- Yes, as some of
you may have guessed,
I belonged to a collective
of independently
funded researchers
dedicated to solving
the biggest mystery
since man first arrived on
the scene, the human mind.
- Couldn't have picked
a better study group.
- I'll say.
- Well, being
someone with degrees
in both psychiatry
and hypnotherapy,
I've long been
fascinated with disorders
that accompany
generalized anxiety,
post traumatic stress
and obsessive compulsion.
- None of that was on
the survey, Doctor.
- No, no, it wasn't.
How many of you here have
heard of sleep paralysis?
Good, I can spare you
most of the gory details
about shadow creatures
and witch demons.
Now, as you may have guessed,
it has been proven that
the majority of people
who experience sleep
paralysis and night terrors
have also been diagnosed
with post traumatic stress
and panic attacks.
The reason for these outbursts
is due to the overstimulation
of the amygdala
and the mid interior
singlet cortex.
The same center is of
course tied to nightmares,
hence sleep paralysis.
- You're losing me, Doc.
- Yeah, can you fast
forward to the part
where, I don't know,
we can understand.
- Yeah, certainly,
my purpose here
is to try and find
a way that we deal
with both sleep paralysis
and night terrors,
though, the focus
is on the latter.
Now, as I mentioned to
you, Wanda, previously,
I don't plan on using
any experimental drugs.
Similarly, I don't plan
on using electrotherapy
or lobotomizing you, so
there's no need to worry.
We aren't living in the
days of Dr. Frankenstein.
I believe there is an option
for a more holistic approach,
because the overstimulation
of this part of the brain
is the reason for these issues.
And through my
research into hypnosis
and cognitive
behavioral therapy,
I believe that we
can find a way to,
you know, open the
door, if you will,
to where these issues lie.
Now, I specifically
chose you four
because of your lack of
experience to sleep paralysis.
That is evidence that this
door has never been opened,
but the goal through
understanding how to open it
is then to understand how
to reverse engineer
it closed again
without the use of
psychotropic drugs,
which ends up being
more than a mask
for these demons,
rather than a solution.
- How ghostly.
- Ah, ah, ah, don't get
ghostly and ghoulish confused,
that offends them.
- Look, I'm training
on in layman's terms,
the study itself, I'll be
hypnotizing you as a group.
And with any luck,
I will excite that part
of the unconscious mind
and I'll monitor your sleep
habits for a couple of days.
And if successful, I'll
reverse the process.
- I'm sorry, you're
going to hypnotize us?
- Now, that is ghostly.
- Look, look, I can
assure you I am,
I'm very experienced
and have been able
to help people with
unlocking memories
to further deal with their
trauma in therapy sessions.
You know, you're in good hands.
- I'm sorry for the skepticism.
I just, I don't know.
- Well, could be the biggest
trip I've ever taken.
I'm in.
- Your sanity is
nothing to gamble with.
(Theodore spitting)
- I've leveraged a lot more
than that for a dollar.
- Here, here.
- Man, I knew there was
something about you.
- What do you mean?
- I don't know, I just figured
you looked a bit strange
to be a doctor.
- Well, perception
is everything.
- [Porter] And your
name, Pretorius?
- Well, it's half German.
- Nah, no, that's not it.
Yo, why do I feel like I've
heard that name before?
- Well, my great grandfather
was quite famous back home.
- Huh?
Okay, so at what point, Doc,
do you try to sell us your
tofu weed grass supplements
outta the trunk?
- I take it you don't
believe in hypnosis
as a legitimate form of therapy?
- Nah, and I don't believe
in energy crystals either.
- Ah, here I thought your
brutish persona was just an act.
- Hey, look here, baby girl,
I'm just as open
minded as the next guy,
but this kind of
homeopathic stuff,
it just ain't my jam.
- Shocker.
- Look, I'm just saying
there's a reason why my grandma
lived to be 83 years old
and it wasn't because of
ginseng or water chestnuts.
- Look, this might come
as a surprise to you,
but just because
you kicked around
the same city blocks
your whole life
to become a what, amateur boxer,
doesn't mean there isn't a
whole world of possibilities
out there that you couldn't
even begin to imagine.
- Listen, I'm not denying the
importance of modern medicine,
Mr. Watson, my interest is
strictly in cognitive behavior-
- And that's the thing,
that's what I mean
with these whole people
that think smoking weed
and chia seed oil is
the cure for everything,
and that the ancient Chinese
had it all figured out
with natural medicine.
Even though the life expectancies
of a 1500 China was 25.
- Ugh, you're all
over the place.
I don't even know
what your point is.
- All right, look,
my point is this,
if you got sleeping issues,
they made a pill for it.
- I know, there's a little
pill for everything.
- Yeah, exactly.
- No one's making you stay here.
- Yeah.
- If you wanna leave,
the door's right there.
- Whoa, whoa, chill, who
said anything about leaving?
Look a couple hundred bucks to
play "Criss Angel Mindfreak,"
yeah, I'll stick around.
Even if it is to keep a
fair skeptical opinion.
- Glad to hear it.
Now, if the rest of you wish
to continue on with the study,
we will begin first
thing tomorrow afternoon,
and after dinner, I will
have you leave your keys
and phone with my
assistant, Victor,
who will return next Friday
after the exam is over.
- Our keys?
- Have you ever heard of a
man named Kenneth Hawkins?
So Kenneth, he suffered
from a ever-worsening
sleep disorder, which
led him to sleep walk.
So one night, he
climbed into his car,
he drove up the wrong lane,
just here on the
interstate, on I12.
It was one of the many tragic
cases of sleep driving.
- Man, that shit sound made up.
- Most things do,
until it happens.
Now, tonight, I
want you to relax,
carry on the way you would
in any other setting.
Then there's drink and
food in the cafeteria,
and, hopefully, a
bottle of scotch.
(Porter laughing)
- Read my mind.
Hey, maybe you are a
mystic after all, Doc.
(eerie music)
Theo!
Another one?
- Hell yeah, player.
- Hey, yo, Doc, you might have
to conjure some more Maker's,
I don't imagine this'll
last the whole week.
- Can't tell if you're
actually being funny
or you really are that ignorant.
- [Wanda] I don't think we drew.
- Geez, I'm just breaking balls.
- Mm, maybe somebody
ought to break yours.
- Is that an invitation?
Hey, what is it you do again?
Voodoo practice?
- I'm a bank teller,
but I also practice
tarot card readings on YouTube.
- So is she like the plant?
- There is a world of difference
between spiritualism,
hypnotherapy, and voodoo.
- It's all shit, it's all crock.
No offense, Doc.
- None taken, your
skepticism is exactly
why you were chosen.
In order for the
study to be a success,
I'll need to prove beyond
a shadow of a doubt.
- Shadow of doubt, that
title suits you well.
- Haven't you guys ever heard
of people being operated on
while being under hypnosis?
- Shit, I've heard
a lot of things.
- Then how do you
explain a surgical blade
being stuck into someone
without them drawing a
single drop of blood?
- It's all bullshit.
- I've actually seen it happen.
- Really?
- Yeah, it was at a show.
- Well, there you have it.
- I'm serious!
I watched this guy get stuck
with a needle in his arm
and he didn't even feel a thing.
- Interesting.
Although, I wouldn't
exactly recommend it,
hypnosis should only
really be performed
by a proper licensed
hypnotherapist.
- At the P.T. Barnum Institute.
- Well, it should be used
to create a state of
focus of attention,
focused attention
in the treatment
of a medical
psychological disorder.
- [Wanda] What exactly is it
that you find so interesting
about sleep paralysis?
- Other than being a
victim of it, myself?
- Really?
- Well, during my nightmarish
years of internship
at Mercy West, I was
so mentally exhausted
and more anxious than my
conscious mind was aware of.
It was two or three
nights a week for a year.
- Jesus.
I can't imagine.
- You won't have
too long enough.
- Well, yeah, I mean the
history also fascinated me.
The first recorded
case of sleep paralysis
wasn't documented until 1666
by Dutch physician who
referred to it as the Incubus.
I mean, it's intriguing to me
that over all these
hundreds of years,
the symptoms and the experiences
have all remained the same,
the same shadow-like
witch woman,
most commonly
referred to as The Hag
and no doubt having
something to do
with our more animalistic
side of the brain,
conjured up from that
deep dark primordial jelly
that we inherited from
the time of the dinosaurs.
- Mass suggestion, maybe.
- The law of the time was
that, I mean, Edward Kelly,
who was a 17th
century necromancer
who claimed to have the powers
to communicate with
the dead was to blame,
thinking he had cursed a
town with the devil's plague.
Don't worry, I highly
doubt superstition
and spiritualism is afoot.
(Richard laughing)
- Don't be so sure.
- [Porter] Uh, oh, way to
alienate your base there, Doc.
- There's just so much
we can't yet comprehend,
and we don't know about
the universe around us.
- So who's up for little music?
I got my boombox.
- One can be entirely faithful
to the path of inquiry
and honesty while also embracing
the totality of your
human experience.
- [Porter] I'm gonna
go get my boombox.
- It would be ignorant
as truth seekers
to be closed-minded
to any possibility.
- Well, I suppose you're right.
Until fairly recently,
we were convinced that the atom
was the smallest unit of
matter until it was split,
you know, unleashing the
progress into the atomic age.
- Not exactly the most
comforting comparison to make.
- Perhaps not.
(door slamming)
(Richard laughing)
- All right, all you
ghosts and ghouls,
I'm at the dance floor.
May I?
- Of course.
(chair scraping)
You know what I'm saying
So tell all your lovers
and friends about this
(crickets chirping)
(upbeat music)
So tell all your lovers
and friends about this
Uh, what's really cracking
What's really gonna happen
When the DJ pull the
record out the jacket
Is he gonna push the
Michael automatic
Incorporate it, mix
it with the scratching
A thought filled
a lot of my time
Into this evening
- [Richard] May I?
- Of course.
- You're not a dancer?
- No, not really.
Why, are you propositioning me?
- I'm afraid not, I'm unable to
on account of my terribly
debilitating condition,
I've got two left feet, and
they plagued me my whole life.
- Yeah, I can relate,
you know, in a sense.
Shyness or anxiety.
Yeah.
You work around
the 24 and seven
- I've been attempting to
get myself out there more.
Take more risks,
hence my being here,
drinking whiskey in
an elementary school.
- Interesting.
You know, this here is
precisely the reason
I got into psychiatry.
- Getting smashed in a school?
- No, that's one
of the many perks.
But understanding
all the personalities
that make up this world,
figuring out what
makes them tick.
What are you hoping to
gain from this really?
- What do you mean?
- Well, you don't seem
to fall on either side
of the warring fences,
and you don't appear
to be overly concerned
about the payment,
and you certainly
just like the others,
don't really believe
in my hypothesis.
- Well, Doctor, what
conclusion do you come to?
- Well, I'm sensing some
major recent life changes.
- Yeah.
And every type that I be
rocking on, the tightest shit
We take it to
that upper echelon
The highest city
I think I'm just searching
for some confidence.
- You're stronger than
you think you are, Wanda.
- Hey, guys, come on!
We're gonna hit the dance floor
to ward off the evil spirits.
Come on!
Let's go!
I'll ride to this
And all my people
from the neighbor
I'll ride to this
All my people from the
continental United States
(uplifting music)
(Margo moaning)
(Margo moaning)
(upbeat music)
- So is this as exciting
as it is in the ring?
- At least I don't have to
worry about getting hit.
(hand slapping)
- Ow!
(both moaning)
- [Margo] Oh, my
fucking god, yeah!
(Margo moaning)
(upbeat music)
Hmm
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Cryptic analytics
for the promises
Assurances that rival all
the love you've shared
All the times
we tried to face
What we know
Brevity for something
only time can hack
Drag me to the corner
'cause I'm feeling sad
Open like the mouth
that cries out
Don't let go
Walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie, time will fly
(light screeching)
- Is everybody comfortable?
- [Wanda] Yes.
- I'm getting sleepy,
Doc, very sleepy.
- Shut it.
- [Porter] You can make me.
- I will ask you all
to just settle down
and reduce the hostility.
- I'm not hostile.
Do I seem hostile to any of you?
(Theo laughing)
- Yeah.
- Damn, my bad, I'll
follow every instruction.
- Okay.
Let's begin.
(tense music)
(metronome ticking)
Now, please close your eyes
and take a deep breath.
Now, listen for a moment.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Just let yourself sink into
the grooves of the chair.
Fix your eyes on a
spot in the dark.
It doesn't matter where, just
fix your eyes on the spot
in the dark and begin to relax.
If you have any thoughts,
just let them drift
through your mind
like beautiful clouds
across a clear blue sky.
They drift through your
mind and away from you,
through your mind and
away as you relax,
deeper, deeper,
deeper, relaxed.
That's it, just
let go and relax.
Now I want you to imagine
a staircase standing
in front of you with 10 wide
safe stairs down,
down to a perfect relaxation.
Down to peace and contentment.
Down towards happiness
that you deserve.
As I count down from 10,
I want you to take one
step with each number.
One step down the staircase.
10, nine, eight.
There's some letters at
the bottom of the stairs
that are out of focus.
Can you see that?
Seven, six, five.
The letters are being clearer
the closer we get.
Four, three, two, one.
You can almost see it now.
The letters spell
trance.
(Wanda gasping)
(voices whispering)
(voices screaming)
- [Voice] Wake up!
Somebody wake me up!
(metronome ticking)
(eerie music)
(Wanda panting)
(creature screaming)
- [Richard] Wake up.
(all gasping)
- Holy shit.
- How do you feel, all right?
- Fuck no.
- That was intense.
- I think I need a minute.
(door slamming)
(Wanda coughing)
- You okay?
- I've never experienced
anything like that before.
- Right, it was
like a nightmare.
The screaming.
- You heard screaming?
- Yeah, someone screaming
like "Wake me up!"
- What do you remember seeing?
Dr. Pretorius, you
gotta hear this.
- Wanda and I had
similar experiences.
- The woman, the black figure?
- The fuck you trying
to pull here, Doc?
- It's remarkable.
- Are you telling me we
all saw the same thing?
- Or went to the same place?
- How is that possible?
- Look, a form of mass
suggestion, I suspect.
- How is that?
- Look, we all sat
around and discussed
the common experiences of
sleep paralysis together.
Your unconscious minds
drew on that conversation
and the projections it used.
- So how do you
explain the screaming?
- Right, "Someone wake me up."
That shit wasn't part
of the discussion, Doc.
- I knew I never should have
fucking left Idaho Falls.
This whole thing has bad juju
written all over it, man!
- Look, I could assure you,
there's nothing to
be concerned about.
I need to make sure I take
complete preliminary notes.
Please just help yourself
to some food or a drink.
I'll join you all shortly.
- I think I need to be
alone for a little while.
(birds chirping)
- I didn't know you smoked.
(lighter clicking)
- I don't.
- Well, you know, if there ever
is a perfect time to start,
and, you know, the doc is
knocking around in your head,
maybe he can lock the door
to the nicotine addiction.
(tense music)
- That was really
strange, you guys.
- Yeah, you can say that again.
- No, I mean, even Dr. Pretorius
seemed caught off guard.
- What I tell you guys
about this black magic?
It's sick shit.
(tense music)
(voices screaming)
- Somebody wake me up!
No!
(bed creaking)
(light clicking)
- [Porter] Hey there,
sleeping beauty.
- Hey.
- How you feeling
there, Theo, all right?
- Yeah, I'm all right.
I just got this funk.
I can't shake it, Doc.
- Hey, take a sip
of this, my friend.
It'll make it feel
a whole lot better.
- Try not to get
too sloshed tonight.
I want accurate
notes in the morning.
- What are you expecting
us to experience tonight?
- No expectations,
but with any luck,
a few moments into
your REM cycle,
you'll experience a textbook
case of sleep paralysis.
- But what if we don't?
- If you don't, well, my
study's off to a rough start.
- Hey, Doc, we still get
our money though, right?
- Oh, yes, you'll be
a part of the study
for the full seven days until
Victor returns with your keys.
- But you could call him
though, couldn't you?
- [Richard] Of course, any time.
- Not before you
unfuck my head, man.
- All right, guys, so
what are we drinking to?
- To progress!
- [All] Progress.
- Progress.
- [Margo] Woo!
(tense music)
(wind whooshing)
(metronome ticking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(creature screaming)
(Richard panting)
(voices whispering)
(door creaking)
(creature groaning)
- A beautiful discovery.
(Richard crying)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(Wanda gasping)
(door creaking)
(voices whispering)
(bones creaking)
(wind whooshing)
(Wanda gasping)
(Wanda gasping)
(tense music)
(door clicking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(voices whispering)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(door creaking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones creaking)
(Margo panting)
(creature groaning)
(Margo gasping)
(wind whooshing)
(bones creaking)
(voices whispering)
(Margo panting)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(creature groaning)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(creature screeching)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(creature groaning)
- Somebody wake me up!
(Theo screaming)
(creature screaming)
(creature screaming)
(tense music)
- Theo!
- Theo?
Theo?
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- [Margo] Oh, god,
Dr. Pretorius!
- Dr. Pretorius!
- What's all this commotion?
- [Wanda] We can't find Theo.
- Well, what do you mean?
- Look around,
Doc, he ain't here.
- Well, he didn't
just disappear.
- Last night, we all heard him.
It was awful.
- It was like-
- [Richard] Last night?
- Because we all saw it.
- Saw what?
Oh, did you experience
the sleep paralysis?
- Yeah, you better
fucking believe we did.
- We all did, we all
saw the exact same thing
and we all heard-
- You trying to tell me you
didn't hear nothing, Doc?
- [Richard] What?
- Theo!
He was screaming for
someone to help him,
and now he's missing.
- What is happening?
- Look, let's just
all calm down.
Let's go back to
the operations room.
You say you all
heard this as well?
- [All] Yes!
- Doctor, we have to find Theo.
- He'll turn up.
(tense music)
- The screams were so loud.
They echo through the halls,
I mean, as long as I've lived,
I've never heard anything
like that before.
- You all had the
same experience?
- Right down to what
the thing looked like.
- Imagine sharing
a bad hair day.
- Fascinating.
Who was the first to share
their occurrence this morning?
- Wanda and I woke up at
nearly the exact same time.
- And then we woke up Porter
once we realized that
Theo was missing.
- You informed Wanda
of your experience?
- We both knew.
- But who shared
the details first?
- I'm not sure.
Why?
(Richard sighing)
(lips smacking)
- Have you heard of a
phenomenon forwalli ado?
- Doctor, last night,
Theo was screaming
for someone to help him
and now he's missing.
- What do you think
happened to him?
- I don't think we know,
but shouldn't you
be more concerned?
- I'm very concerned
with his wellbeing,
as I am of all of you.
You've all just experienced
for the first time
what it's like to live
with a sleep disorder.
This can be extremely
distressing for some.
My guess is that Theo
needed to be alone
after such trauma,
or most regrettably,
he took himself home on
the bus he came in on.
- That doesn't sound so
regrettable to me, Doc.
- Well, without
proper treatment,
poor Theo may suffer from a
debilitating sleep disorder
from here on.
- You mean without
the hypnotherapy?
- It's entirely possible.
It's also equally as possible
that last night was
just a coincidence
and had nothing to do with
the study in the first place.
A sample size such as this
really tells us nothing.
- [Wanda] Oh, gosh.
I just feel so paranoid.
- You know, what
really worries me
is you hear stories like this,
about people being
stuck together,
sharing the same paranoia
like mass hysteria.
Dyatlov's Pass and shit.
I used to watch those
YouTube channels,
like five unsolved mysteries
that keep you up late at night
about families being
away at a cabin
and tearing each other apart
for seemingly no reason at all.
And if I'm being honest,
I'm really starting
to get scared.
- My ex, Glen,
it's like he woke up one day,
his entire mood and
outlook had shifted.
It was like he was a new person
with a clear sense
of what he wanted.
And he had come to
the realization that
that wasn't a life with me.
I couldn't understand
how something like that
could happen so quickly.
Now I think I'm
starting to understand.
What's the verdict?
(tense music)
- [Margo] No.
(wind whooshing)
(crickets chirping)
- You're all rather quiet.
Don't tell me you're all still
worried about last night?
Come on, what
should we drink to?
- How about to Theo?
- I told you that he probably
left early this morning
and it turns out I was right.
Now, why don't we
drink to success?
- How do you figure
success, Doc?
- Well, you're all
still here, aren't you?
And last night went
to be as expected.
Even a small bit of
success, is still a success.
- Doctor, how do you know that
Theo left on his own accord?
- Come with me.
Now, I would suggest that
you all get in the habit
of fully reading your
contracts before signing them.
- So you saw what
happened last night.
- I reviewed it after
interviewing the three of you.
- Hey, Doc, we
should probably talk
about what you gonna
do with that footage.
- No, don't worry, your
extracurricular activities
have already been erased.
Please.
(tense music)
- Fuck.
- Where is he going?
- I only have five cameras,
and this one's
facing the entrance.
- This is weird.
I don't think he'd just
get up and leave like that.
We should go to the police.
- We can, but I believe
they would require
more than 48 hours before
doing much about it.
But if it would make
you feel a lot better.
(door clicking)
(door slamming)
- I believe the sign says girls.
- Yeah, I'm not into the
whole gender identity thing.
So how you feeling?
(Margo spitting)
- About?
- Everything that's
been going on?
- I'm just trying
to stay rational.
- Yeah.
I swear, if another
person makes a run for it
in the wee hours of the morning,
I'm going full
Rambo on this bitch.
- Hmm.
Likewise.
(Porter sighing)
(tense music)
(Wanda gasping)
(voices whispering)
(Wanda panting)
(voices whispering)
(door creaking)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature groaning)
(voices whispering)
(Wanda crying)
(voices whispering)
(creature groaning)
(Wanda panting)
(creature wheezing)
(Margo panting)
(creature groaning)
(nails screeching)
(tense music)
(creature groaning)
(creature screaming)
(Margo screaming)
(tense music)
(bones cracking)
(Porter gasping)
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(floor creaking)
(Porter crying)
- No, please.
(Porter crying)
No, please, somebody
help me, please!
(Porter screaming)
Please!
(Richard breathing heavily)
(creature groaning)
(voices chanting)
(creature screaming)
(door clicking)
- Dr. Pretorius?
- No way this is
fucking happening.
- Dr. Pretorius!
- [Margo] I think I'm actually
having an anxiety attack.
- Dr. Pretorius!
- Why don't we stop
fucking yelling?
- What the fuck is
happening, you guys?
- It's that thing.
You know what I'm talking about.
- God, she came in
through the door.
She looked right at me.
- Fuck this.
- Porter, where are you going?
- To check the fucking cameras!
All right, let's figure
out how to rewind.
Menu, playback.
- There!
- What's he doing?
- [Wanda] Sleep walking.
- So what we heard last
night was what, a nightmare?
But Dr. Pretorius did walk
up outta here like Theo!
I mean, that's insane!
- Fuck this, I'm out!
- Wait!
Where are you going?
- Home, to a hospital,
anywhere but fucking here.
- [Margo] Good idea.
- Wait, just wait a minute!
- For what?
- [Wanda] We have to
find the doctor and Theo.
- Fuck that, I say
we call the police
and let them handle it.
And as far as us, I say we
find the nearest bus stop
and get the fuck outta here
until Vincent or Victor,
or whatever the fuck
his name is comes back!
- I'm not so sure
that's gonna work.
Something's happened
to us, you guys.
- [Porter] Yeah, yeah,
something did happen.
We're being "Punk'D," or worse,
we're all actually fucking
disappearing one by one.
- Then we have to do something!
(Porter clapping)
- Great plan, Napoleon.
- [Wanda] Porter!
- You coming?
- Maybe we're overreacting.
- Look, I'd rather
overreact than under react
when it comes to people
fucking disappearing.
- Let's just think
about this, okay?
We're all having
these dreams, right?
And we know that something's
happening to the person
that gets up and leaves in
the middle of the night.
- Fuck this, fuck this.
- Porter!
- Bye, I'm out.
- Wait, no, wait!
- I'm fucking out!
- [Wanda] Porter!
- Well, go on.
- With what?
- Where you were
going with that.
- I don't know.
- What's the real reason you
don't wanna leave, Wanda?
- How do you know that isn't?
- You wear your
thoughts on your sleeve.
- I got nowhere else to go.
- Maybe we can find his
assistant's phone number
or something, get
him to help us?
- Yeah, there's a plan, come on.
- Okay, okay.
(tense music)
- Try it on her, you
can hear her heart.
(phone ringing)
All right, just a sec.
Hello.
- Victor!
This is Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.
- Who?
- Wanda from the sleep study.
- [Victor] Oh, right,
Wanda from the sleep study.
- We really need you
to come back here.
Something strange has happened.
Can you get over here quick?
- You know, I could lose my
job for something like that.
You read your contract, right?
- Listen, Theo
went missing, okay?
Porter just left and we
can't find Dr. Pretorius.
We need you to get over here.
Will you please?
- Look, put the
doctor on the phone.
- He's missing, okay?
He's not here.
- Fuck!
Yeah, all right, I'll
see what I can do.
- Thank you, thank you so much.
Okay, okay, see you soon.
Thank you.
(dramatic music)
(papers rustling)
(Wanda sighing)
- [Margo] Anything?
- No, not really.
(Margo sighing)
Huh?
- What?
- It's an article.
- So?
- Nightmares suspected in
bed deaths of 18 Laotians.
- Shut your fucking mouth,
what the fuck is this?
- It's from 1981.
"The Department of Health
and Human Services in Atlanta
"is conducting an intensive
inquiry into the manner
"in which 18 apparently
healthy Laotian refugees died
"mysteriously in their sleep."
- Why the fuck is this
in his fucking notebook?
- I'm not sure.
(metronome ticking)
(tense music)
The doctor was really
obsessed with the details
of the sleep
paralysis experience.
- It's truly fascinating.
I'd probably inquire
more about that
if I wasn't so afraid
for my life right now.
- Seriously, he
goes on for pages
about The Hag.
I mean, he's got quotes,
and like this one,
"I remember hearing
a roaring sound
"then seeing a shadowy figure
"standing in the
middle of my room,
"either saying my name and
laughing or just watching me.
"It was so real.
"I refused to sleep as a
child, but when I told my mom,
"she didn't take me seriously
"until it started chasing me,
"I would wake up and
it was still there.
"It started chasing
me around my room."
Chester Fair, 10/22/20.
- [Margo] Wanda, what the fuck?
Chester Fair.
Victor Fair.
Is that like his brother?
- Wanda, what
difference does it make?
Look, I'm less interested
in what's actually happening
and more interested in
what's making it happen.
Is there a way to stop it?
- I don't know.
(Margo sighing) (tense music)
(tense music)
(people screaming)
(creature groaning)
(creature screaming)
(door slamming)
- Hello?
Wanda?
Hello?
Doctor?
(Victor groaning)
(creature screaming)
- God, it's fucking dark.
Maybe we should've gone, too.
- I think that would've
been a mistake.
- Well, yeah, how do you know?
- Just a gut feeling.
- I wonder where Porter
is right about, oh, Wanda!
(tense music)
- What?
What?
- The doctor!
I just saw him and Theo!
- Are you sure?
- I looked right at them!
Doctor, Theo!
(both screaming)
- Shit, shit, my bad, my bad.
- Can't you cough or clear
your throat or something
to let people know
you're coming?
- I'm not in the
mood, all right?
Did you guys find 'em or what?
- [Margo] We just saw them!
- You did?
- Well, I didn't.
- I swear I saw them
walking down the hall!
- Just now?
- Yes, goddamn it!
- Well, fuck, they
didn't go this way.
I would've saw 'em.
- What are you doing back here?
- Look, the bus station comes
around once a day, all right,
and I just fucking missed it.
And this place is
like a ghost town.
Did you guys know the police
station closes on the weekends?
- But I did manage to
flag down a patrol car
from a few towns over.
- [Wanda] And what did they say?
- Not much, other than that
they'll keep an eye out
for the both of them
and report it as a
potential missing persons.
- That's it?
- Great.
- So did you guys
make any dinner?
I'm starving.
(both sighing)
No?
So what's the plan, Napoleon?
- Me?
- Yeah, you.
I mean, you're the
only person here
trying to find a
solution and, well,
my plan for the bus doesn't
pan out til the morning,
so let's hear it.
- Well, the doctor had
documented extremely thoroughly
how to perform the hypnosis.
- So?
- So, Margo has some experience
with that kind of stuff.
- Whoa, I only performed tarot
card readings as a hobby.
- I mean, but we could try
to perform the hypnosis
on one of us.
- I just don't think I can-
- Yeah, that's out.
Any other ideas?
No?
- No.
- Well, I guess we'll
just never sleep again.
I mean, how hard
could that be, right?
- Yeah, I mean, what about that?
Right, two of us stay
up, watch the other one.
I mean that way if something
weird starts happening,
we can wake the person up.
At least that way we'll
know what's going on.
- All right, Margo, call it.
- [Margo] Heads.
- Heads.
Okay, ladies, you better
brew up some coffee.
It's gonna be a long night.
(tense music)
(bottle thudding)
(crickets chirping)
- [Wanda] Jesus Christ.
- [Margo] What?
- I made it to the
end of his journal.
- And?
- And all it says is,
"It no longer appears to be a
matter of inward projection.
"The door was
opened and something
"has gotten outside."
- What the fuck does that mean?
(creature groaning)
(toy clinking) (toy whirring)
(tense music)
- Goddamn, I am so tired.
- Yeah, it does look
nice, doesn't it?
Ugh, I can't wait for
the morning to come
and for Porter to wake up
and we can all laugh
about that one time
we almost went crazy.
- Hilarious.
I'm gonna go splash
some water on my face.
Hey, watch him.
- Oh, hey, can you
make some more coffee?
- [Wanda] On it.
(tense music)
(Porter gasping)
(creature groaning)
- [Porter] Somebody?
(Porter screaming)
- Oh shit, oh my god.
Porter, wait!
Porter, Porter!
Porter!
- [Wanda] Margo,
what are you doing?
- He's gone!
- What?
- He's gone!
- Oh my god!
Margo!
- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!
- What the fuck happened?
- I fell asleep.
- Ah, fuck.
Okay, you have to
listen to me, all right?
- No.
- Yes, Margo, you
have to listen to me!
Okay?
We're gonna fix this,
we're gonna fix this, okay?
All right, come on,
we're gonna do this,
it's gonna be okay,
it's gonna be okay.
- [Margo] No, I
don't wanna do it.
- [Wanda] You have
to sit down, okay?
- I don't wanna!
- Look at me!
- No, I don't wanna die!
- You're not gonna die.
Margo, you need to calm down.
You need to calm
down and relax, okay?
Can you just relax?
Okay, I want you to take a deep
breath, sit back and relax.
Can you trust me?
Margo, do you trust me?
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- Okay.
(Margo crying)
(metronome ticking)
Sit back, relax.
(papers rustling)
(wind whooshing)
Now, I want you to
imagine a staircase,
10 wide safe stairs down.
You're standing at the
top of those stairs.
I need you to take
one step down.
10, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four,
three, two, one.
(creature screaming)
Deeper, deeper, relaxed.
(wind whooshing)
(Margo gasping)
(bones cracking)
(metronome ticking)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature whispering)
Now listen to me, Margo.
We opened ourselves up
to the forces around us.
We opened that door
and when you come back,
you're gonna have
that door closed.
When you come back, you're
gonna be less perceptive
to things, less perceptive
than you've ever been.
But you're gonna come back
with that door closed.
Listen to me, Margo.
I need you to close that door.
- Somebody wake me up!
(Margo crying)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature groaning)
When I call you, Margo,
you're coming back
with that door closed!
Wake up, wake up, Margo!
(door clicking)
Wake up!
- Somebody wake me up!
- Margo, wake up!
Margo!
(Margo panting)
- [Margo] What the fuck
happened, oh my god!
Oh, Jesus Christ!
It felt like they were
in the fucking room!
- Yeah, I don't know.
- Did it work, did it
work, did we get them back?
- I think so.
I think so.
- Jesus Christ, oh my god.
I need a fucking drink.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Margo?
Yeah, yeah, why don't
you get some water
and we can talk?
Margo?
(Wanda heavily breathing)
(Wanda gasping)
(wind whooshing)
Somebody wake me up!
- [Richard] Wake up.
(all gasping)
(Wanda panting)
- That was intense!
- Holy shit!
- How do you feel, all right?
- No, no, no, no!
Oh, walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie, time will say
Walk me home
Watch me go
Took down in the chambers,
locked in la la land
Worried we could wake
up at our arms again
Steady apparatus
spoiled in ink
From the thrones
Something doesn't measure
and I can't relate
A heavy head for something
while the brain remains
Tethered in the
lies you spin
All alone
Walk me home
(guitar solo)
Walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie
Time will fly
Walk me home
Watch me go
Yeah
Oh, yeah
Riddled by the crimes
Tangle with the rules
Lost in the reprise they're
singing about in school
We can't relieve the strain
Can't undo the
lies you've spun
So hold them to their words
Don't reveal the spines
Leave it to the world that
turns before it shines
We watch it fade away
Just like all
times we've rued
Yeah
Walk me home, yeah, yeah
Watch me go, yeah
Walk me home, yeah, yeah
(serene music)
(glass shattering)
(claws sheathing)
(tense music)
(man heavily breathing)
(doorknob rattling)
(man groaning)
(door creaking)
(tense music)
(bones creaking)
(tense music)
(creature groaning)
(creature groaning)
(man groaning)
(man screaming)
(metronome ticking)
- I mean, you've
barely done anything
since you've gotten here.
All right, you spend most
of your time upstairs.
You only come down to
grab food or to watch TV
once we've gone to bed!
I mean, you can't
even be bothered
to have dinner with
us most of the time.
And now, you wanna take off?
To go god knows where to
take part in god knows what?
- I told you, it's
a sleep study.
- Right, and that's
all you've told me.
I don't know why you're playing
this so secretively, Wanda,
it's like you're planning
a jail break or something.
- Aren't I, though?
I'm a grown woman, yet
I feel as if I need
to ask your permission
to go and do what I want!
- [Lucas] You're right.
You are a grown woman.
Living rent free in our house.
- I'm sorry that my divorce
was such an inconvenience
for you, Lucas.
- Oh, please don't
even start with that.
- This has nothing to
do with that, all right?
We are more than happy
to open our home to you,
but the issue I have
is for weeks now,
you've been saying, you're
gonna go buy your own car,
which you haven't done, right?
You've also said that you
were gonna find a job.
You haven't even filled
out an application.
You blame your lack of
motivation on your anxiety
and your depression, but you
can't even pick up the phone
to make a doctor's
appointment, all right?
I mean, I'm asking
simple questions
and all I'm getting
are dramatics.
- Dramatics?
I'm not the one
who's being dramatic!
Look, I'm just asking to
borrow the car for a few days,
so I can drive to Mineral,
a place where people are
expecting me to be, a job.
Isn't that what this
is really about?
- What do you mean?
- You think I'm milking this!
Wallowing in my own self pity.
- Oh no, wait a minute, Wanda!
- No, just hear me out!
Look, I understand, it's
been hard having me here.
I'm trying to get
back on my feet.
I can't begin to thank
you enough for helping me,
but now I just need
a little more help.
I just need to borrow the
car and then I'll come back
with a little money
and maybe then,
maybe then I can take
that next step forward.
- I just don't think
it's a good idea.
- [Wanda] Why?
- Something seems off
about this whole situation.
- First, you want me to
go out and make money,
then you feel skeptical
about the work I did find
and want me to stay back?
Why don't you make up your
mind and get back to me?
- I just think your time
would be better spent here
on something more practical.
Okay, listen, I'm not trying
to be an asshole here, I'm not!
When you and Glen got divorced,
you said you needed some
time to be yourself.
I'm sympathetic to that.
I can't help but think you're
using this as an opportunity
to take off and just escape
reality for a few days.
- Is that so wrong?
(Gloria sighing)
- How do you even know that
this is a real thing, Wanda?
I mean, you filled out some
clickbait survey online?
What are you gonna
say when it turns out
to be some sort of timeshare
pitch or something?
- Well, I guess then
you'll get the pleasure
of telling me I told you so.
Please, Lucas, I need to go.
I'd much rather drive
myself there and back
rather than, I don't
know, hitchhiking.
- Oh, god, there's
the dramatics again.
- Gloria.
- Jesus.
- It's late, let's
just call it a night.
We can talk about it
again in the morning.
- I'll have to leave by
at least one o'clock.
- Well, whose fault is that,
that you waited till
the last minute?
Let's just, let's go to bed.
We'll talk about it
again tomorrow, okay?
Listen, at the table,
we can have some breakfast.
All right, at a decent hour.
Okay?
- Fine, whatever.
(eerie music)
(Wanda sighing)
(Wanda sighing)
(clock ticking)
(keys scraping)
(door creaking)
- Boo. (Wanda gasping)
What's up?
- I thought Gloria
made you quit smoking.
- Yeah, no, she did.
Looks like sneaking out
runs in the family, huh?
- I wasn't, I was just
gonna run to the store.
- I never thought you'd
actually swipe my car, Wanda.
- Lucas-
- You've got some
balls, you know that?
- I need to go.
- Go.
Seriously, it's okay.
You can go, I get it.
- I really am just
trying to work on myself.
- Yeah, clearly.
I mean the old Wanda, she'd
still be upstairs in her room
sulking right now, so.
- What are you
gonna tell Gloria?
- You know, I don't know,
but we'll talk about
it in the morning.
But hey, do me a favor
and bring my car back in
one piece though, okay?
Otherwise we are
both gonna get it.
I love you, sis.
You know that.
I know you're gonna find what
you're looking for, okay?
Get outta here before
you freeze to death.
Hey, do me a favor,
though, and pick that up.
I don't want Gloria to find it.
(suspenseful music)
(car engine roaring)
(birds chirping)
(eerie music)
(Wanda sighing)
(car door slamming)
- Excuse me, Miss,
you wouldn't happen
to be Wanda Fulcia, would you?
- Yes, I am.
- My name's Victor, I'm the
assistant to Dr. Pretorius.
- [Wanda] All right.
- If you'd just follow
me up to the old school,
that's where you'll be staying.
- The address brought me here.
- Yeah, the Google Maps
doesn't really pick up
the building very well.
Small towns like this.
- What did you say
your name was again?
- Victor Fair, ma'am.
- [Wanda] And you
work for the doctor?
- That is what I said, isn't it?
Follow me up to the
old school house.
They're expecting you.
(Wanda sighing)
(tense music)
(door slamming)
Don't you wanna get your things?
- I didn't bring
anything with me.
- All right, I'll
get the doctor.
(clock ticking)
(creature screaming)
(Wanda gasping)
(floor creaking)
- This used to be the
embalming room, you know?
- Jesus Christ.
You scared the shit out of me.
- Name's Margarite, but
my friends call me Margo.
- Oh, so you're not the doctor?
- Nope, like I
said, name's Margo.
I was joking, you know?
- What?
- I was joking about it
being an embalming room.
- I figured as much.
- Well, aren't you
gonna tell me your name?
- Duh, Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.
- Mm, we've been expecting you.
- You work for the doctor?
- Oh, no, I didn't
know who he was
until I got the email saying
this was a quote unquote
"sleep experiment."
- Right.
- But don't worry.
Everything seems to
be on the up and up.
- [Wanda] What?
- Well, that's what you're
worried about, isn't it?
That this was yet
another let down,
or better yet,
something sinister?
- How do you know
what I'm thinking?
- You wear your thoughts
on your sleeve, Wanda.
- Ah, there you are.
I'm Dr. Richard Pretorius,
this here is Theodore Olson.
- Hi.
- And you've already
met Victor, I assume.
- Hi, it's nice to meet you.
My name is Wanda.
- Wanda Fulcia.
Yeah, we've been expecting you.
- Ah, now it's a party!
We're just waiting on one more.
- If y'all just follow me
to the back of the room now,
we can perform the
exam while we wait.
- It's extremely invasive.
(lips smacking)
- Now, take a deep breath.
And again.
(velcro scratching)
- Well, Doctor, am I dying?
- We're all dying, Ms. Fulcia,
it's just a matter of how long.
- Well, we're going to use this
as the main operating room.
The center for operations.
- Mm, cheerful.
- Oh, I don't know.
Nothing is more comforting
than my sixth grade math class.
- Oh, so you're
from around here?
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
I grew up in Idaho
Falls, actually.
I just mean that,
well, you know,
once you've seen one
small town school.
- EverywheresVille, U.S.A.
- Yes, look, believe it or not,
until fairly recently,
this school was used
as a overflow ward
for the local hospital
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now it was supposed
to be torn down
when the city commissioned
a new building
to be built in town.
But luckily my funding
came through just in time.
It's a perfect place
to conduct group
studies, don't you think?
More than accommodating lodging
with plenty of living space
and quite the aura
of academia to it.
The plan is for
doctors like myself
to use this sort of shared
space to conduct our research.
- What is it exactly
that you're researching?
- A criminally under
researched phenomenon
known as sleep paralysis.
- [Wanda] But I've never
experienced sleep paralysis.
- Exactly why you were chosen.
- I don't understand.
- The good doctor here
thinks he can give it to us.
- Look, I'm not taking
any experimental drugs!
- You won't have to, this is
strictly a holistic study.
Now all I need is your
time and open minds.
As soon as our
last guests arrive,
I'll be more than
happy to fill you in.
- [Porter] Hello?
- It just so happens
that time is now.
(typewriter clacking)
- Ah, fuck me,
the welcome wagon?
- Oh, you must be Porter
Watson, I'm Dr. Pretorius.
- 'Sup, Doc.
Now you got a place where
I can stash my stuff?
- Yes, I'll have my
assistant Victor show you
to your room here shortly.
- Perfect.
Baby.
Hey, yo, Doc, how
about introducing me
to the rest of the band?
Cleopatra, isn't it?
- Margarite Swanson, our
resident fortune teller.
- But my friends call me Margo.
- Logger, Theodore Randolph.
- Hey!
- What's up, man?
- And Mrs. Wanda Fulcia.
- Miss Wanda Fulcia.
- So I'm afraid I didn't catch
your social security occupation
for you there, Miss Fulcia.
- Well, I'm in a bit of a
transitional period at the moment.
- Ha, a woman
after my own heart.
Well, I gotta, say if you
two ladies are the specters
that haunt these gloomy halls,
well, I'm still
glad that I came.
- Now that you're all here.
Can I offer you all a drink
back in the operations room?
- Yo, this surprise party
just keeps getting better
and better, don't it?
- And again.
All done, you passed.
- You know, I didn't hear
nothing about them flying colors.
You're awfully thorough for
a sleep study there, Doc.
- My research is
awfully thorough.
- And what is that exactly?
- We were just getting
to that when you arrived.
- Before the welcome
wagon was summoned.
- My sincerest apologies, y'all.
- Quite the hassle, you
really threw a wrench
in the whole operation, man.
- Yeah, Mama says I got
a knack for doing that.
- You best get a hold
of your class, Doctor.
- Yes, as some of
you may have guessed,
I belonged to a collective
of independently
funded researchers
dedicated to solving
the biggest mystery
since man first arrived on
the scene, the human mind.
- Couldn't have picked
a better study group.
- I'll say.
- Well, being
someone with degrees
in both psychiatry
and hypnotherapy,
I've long been
fascinated with disorders
that accompany
generalized anxiety,
post traumatic stress
and obsessive compulsion.
- None of that was on
the survey, Doctor.
- No, no, it wasn't.
How many of you here have
heard of sleep paralysis?
Good, I can spare you
most of the gory details
about shadow creatures
and witch demons.
Now, as you may have guessed,
it has been proven that
the majority of people
who experience sleep
paralysis and night terrors
have also been diagnosed
with post traumatic stress
and panic attacks.
The reason for these outbursts
is due to the overstimulation
of the amygdala
and the mid interior
singlet cortex.
The same center is of
course tied to nightmares,
hence sleep paralysis.
- You're losing me, Doc.
- Yeah, can you fast
forward to the part
where, I don't know,
we can understand.
- Yeah, certainly,
my purpose here
is to try and find
a way that we deal
with both sleep paralysis
and night terrors,
though, the focus
is on the latter.
Now, as I mentioned to
you, Wanda, previously,
I don't plan on using
any experimental drugs.
Similarly, I don't plan
on using electrotherapy
or lobotomizing you, so
there's no need to worry.
We aren't living in the
days of Dr. Frankenstein.
I believe there is an option
for a more holistic approach,
because the overstimulation
of this part of the brain
is the reason for these issues.
And through my
research into hypnosis
and cognitive
behavioral therapy,
I believe that we
can find a way to,
you know, open the
door, if you will,
to where these issues lie.
Now, I specifically
chose you four
because of your lack of
experience to sleep paralysis.
That is evidence that this
door has never been opened,
but the goal through
understanding how to open it
is then to understand how
to reverse engineer
it closed again
without the use of
psychotropic drugs,
which ends up being
more than a mask
for these demons,
rather than a solution.
- How ghostly.
- Ah, ah, ah, don't get
ghostly and ghoulish confused,
that offends them.
- Look, I'm training
on in layman's terms,
the study itself, I'll be
hypnotizing you as a group.
And with any luck,
I will excite that part
of the unconscious mind
and I'll monitor your sleep
habits for a couple of days.
And if successful, I'll
reverse the process.
- I'm sorry, you're
going to hypnotize us?
- Now, that is ghostly.
- Look, look, I can
assure you I am,
I'm very experienced
and have been able
to help people with
unlocking memories
to further deal with their
trauma in therapy sessions.
You know, you're in good hands.
- I'm sorry for the skepticism.
I just, I don't know.
- Well, could be the biggest
trip I've ever taken.
I'm in.
- Your sanity is
nothing to gamble with.
(Theodore spitting)
- I've leveraged a lot more
than that for a dollar.
- Here, here.
- Man, I knew there was
something about you.
- What do you mean?
- I don't know, I just figured
you looked a bit strange
to be a doctor.
- Well, perception
is everything.
- [Porter] And your
name, Pretorius?
- Well, it's half German.
- Nah, no, that's not it.
Yo, why do I feel like I've
heard that name before?
- Well, my great grandfather
was quite famous back home.
- Huh?
Okay, so at what point, Doc,
do you try to sell us your
tofu weed grass supplements
outta the trunk?
- I take it you don't
believe in hypnosis
as a legitimate form of therapy?
- Nah, and I don't believe
in energy crystals either.
- Ah, here I thought your
brutish persona was just an act.
- Hey, look here, baby girl,
I'm just as open
minded as the next guy,
but this kind of
homeopathic stuff,
it just ain't my jam.
- Shocker.
- Look, I'm just saying
there's a reason why my grandma
lived to be 83 years old
and it wasn't because of
ginseng or water chestnuts.
- Look, this might come
as a surprise to you,
but just because
you kicked around
the same city blocks
your whole life
to become a what, amateur boxer,
doesn't mean there isn't a
whole world of possibilities
out there that you couldn't
even begin to imagine.
- Listen, I'm not denying the
importance of modern medicine,
Mr. Watson, my interest is
strictly in cognitive behavior-
- And that's the thing,
that's what I mean
with these whole people
that think smoking weed
and chia seed oil is
the cure for everything,
and that the ancient Chinese
had it all figured out
with natural medicine.
Even though the life expectancies
of a 1500 China was 25.
- Ugh, you're all
over the place.
I don't even know
what your point is.
- All right, look,
my point is this,
if you got sleeping issues,
they made a pill for it.
- I know, there's a little
pill for everything.
- Yeah, exactly.
- No one's making you stay here.
- Yeah.
- If you wanna leave,
the door's right there.
- Whoa, whoa, chill, who
said anything about leaving?
Look a couple hundred bucks to
play "Criss Angel Mindfreak,"
yeah, I'll stick around.
Even if it is to keep a
fair skeptical opinion.
- Glad to hear it.
Now, if the rest of you wish
to continue on with the study,
we will begin first
thing tomorrow afternoon,
and after dinner, I will
have you leave your keys
and phone with my
assistant, Victor,
who will return next Friday
after the exam is over.
- Our keys?
- Have you ever heard of a
man named Kenneth Hawkins?
So Kenneth, he suffered
from a ever-worsening
sleep disorder, which
led him to sleep walk.
So one night, he
climbed into his car,
he drove up the wrong lane,
just here on the
interstate, on I12.
It was one of the many tragic
cases of sleep driving.
- Man, that shit sound made up.
- Most things do,
until it happens.
Now, tonight, I
want you to relax,
carry on the way you would
in any other setting.
Then there's drink and
food in the cafeteria,
and, hopefully, a
bottle of scotch.
(Porter laughing)
- Read my mind.
Hey, maybe you are a
mystic after all, Doc.
(eerie music)
Theo!
Another one?
- Hell yeah, player.
- Hey, yo, Doc, you might have
to conjure some more Maker's,
I don't imagine this'll
last the whole week.
- Can't tell if you're
actually being funny
or you really are that ignorant.
- [Wanda] I don't think we drew.
- Geez, I'm just breaking balls.
- Mm, maybe somebody
ought to break yours.
- Is that an invitation?
Hey, what is it you do again?
Voodoo practice?
- I'm a bank teller,
but I also practice
tarot card readings on YouTube.
- So is she like the plant?
- There is a world of difference
between spiritualism,
hypnotherapy, and voodoo.
- It's all shit, it's all crock.
No offense, Doc.
- None taken, your
skepticism is exactly
why you were chosen.
In order for the
study to be a success,
I'll need to prove beyond
a shadow of a doubt.
- Shadow of doubt, that
title suits you well.
- Haven't you guys ever heard
of people being operated on
while being under hypnosis?
- Shit, I've heard
a lot of things.
- Then how do you
explain a surgical blade
being stuck into someone
without them drawing a
single drop of blood?
- It's all bullshit.
- I've actually seen it happen.
- Really?
- Yeah, it was at a show.
- Well, there you have it.
- I'm serious!
I watched this guy get stuck
with a needle in his arm
and he didn't even feel a thing.
- Interesting.
Although, I wouldn't
exactly recommend it,
hypnosis should only
really be performed
by a proper licensed
hypnotherapist.
- At the P.T. Barnum Institute.
- Well, it should be used
to create a state of
focus of attention,
focused attention
in the treatment
of a medical
psychological disorder.
- [Wanda] What exactly is it
that you find so interesting
about sleep paralysis?
- Other than being a
victim of it, myself?
- Really?
- Well, during my nightmarish
years of internship
at Mercy West, I was
so mentally exhausted
and more anxious than my
conscious mind was aware of.
It was two or three
nights a week for a year.
- Jesus.
I can't imagine.
- You won't have
too long enough.
- Well, yeah, I mean the
history also fascinated me.
The first recorded
case of sleep paralysis
wasn't documented until 1666
by Dutch physician who
referred to it as the Incubus.
I mean, it's intriguing to me
that over all these
hundreds of years,
the symptoms and the experiences
have all remained the same,
the same shadow-like
witch woman,
most commonly
referred to as The Hag
and no doubt having
something to do
with our more animalistic
side of the brain,
conjured up from that
deep dark primordial jelly
that we inherited from
the time of the dinosaurs.
- Mass suggestion, maybe.
- The law of the time was
that, I mean, Edward Kelly,
who was a 17th
century necromancer
who claimed to have the powers
to communicate with
the dead was to blame,
thinking he had cursed a
town with the devil's plague.
Don't worry, I highly
doubt superstition
and spiritualism is afoot.
(Richard laughing)
- Don't be so sure.
- [Porter] Uh, oh, way to
alienate your base there, Doc.
- There's just so much
we can't yet comprehend,
and we don't know about
the universe around us.
- So who's up for little music?
I got my boombox.
- One can be entirely faithful
to the path of inquiry
and honesty while also embracing
the totality of your
human experience.
- [Porter] I'm gonna
go get my boombox.
- It would be ignorant
as truth seekers
to be closed-minded
to any possibility.
- Well, I suppose you're right.
Until fairly recently,
we were convinced that the atom
was the smallest unit of
matter until it was split,
you know, unleashing the
progress into the atomic age.
- Not exactly the most
comforting comparison to make.
- Perhaps not.
(door slamming)
(Richard laughing)
- All right, all you
ghosts and ghouls,
I'm at the dance floor.
May I?
- Of course.
(chair scraping)
You know what I'm saying
So tell all your lovers
and friends about this
(crickets chirping)
(upbeat music)
So tell all your lovers
and friends about this
Uh, what's really cracking
What's really gonna happen
When the DJ pull the
record out the jacket
Is he gonna push the
Michael automatic
Incorporate it, mix
it with the scratching
A thought filled
a lot of my time
Into this evening
- [Richard] May I?
- Of course.
- You're not a dancer?
- No, not really.
Why, are you propositioning me?
- I'm afraid not, I'm unable to
on account of my terribly
debilitating condition,
I've got two left feet, and
they plagued me my whole life.
- Yeah, I can relate,
you know, in a sense.
Shyness or anxiety.
Yeah.
You work around
the 24 and seven
- I've been attempting to
get myself out there more.
Take more risks,
hence my being here,
drinking whiskey in
an elementary school.
- Interesting.
You know, this here is
precisely the reason
I got into psychiatry.
- Getting smashed in a school?
- No, that's one
of the many perks.
But understanding
all the personalities
that make up this world,
figuring out what
makes them tick.
What are you hoping to
gain from this really?
- What do you mean?
- Well, you don't seem
to fall on either side
of the warring fences,
and you don't appear
to be overly concerned
about the payment,
and you certainly
just like the others,
don't really believe
in my hypothesis.
- Well, Doctor, what
conclusion do you come to?
- Well, I'm sensing some
major recent life changes.
- Yeah.
And every type that I be
rocking on, the tightest shit
We take it to
that upper echelon
The highest city
I think I'm just searching
for some confidence.
- You're stronger than
you think you are, Wanda.
- Hey, guys, come on!
We're gonna hit the dance floor
to ward off the evil spirits.
Come on!
Let's go!
I'll ride to this
And all my people
from the neighbor
I'll ride to this
All my people from the
continental United States
(uplifting music)
(Margo moaning)
(Margo moaning)
(upbeat music)
- So is this as exciting
as it is in the ring?
- At least I don't have to
worry about getting hit.
(hand slapping)
- Ow!
(both moaning)
- [Margo] Oh, my
fucking god, yeah!
(Margo moaning)
(upbeat music)
Hmm
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Cryptic analytics
for the promises
Assurances that rival all
the love you've shared
All the times
we tried to face
What we know
Brevity for something
only time can hack
Drag me to the corner
'cause I'm feeling sad
Open like the mouth
that cries out
Don't let go
Walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie, time will fly
(light screeching)
- Is everybody comfortable?
- [Wanda] Yes.
- I'm getting sleepy,
Doc, very sleepy.
- Shut it.
- [Porter] You can make me.
- I will ask you all
to just settle down
and reduce the hostility.
- I'm not hostile.
Do I seem hostile to any of you?
(Theo laughing)
- Yeah.
- Damn, my bad, I'll
follow every instruction.
- Okay.
Let's begin.
(tense music)
(metronome ticking)
Now, please close your eyes
and take a deep breath.
Now, listen for a moment.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Just let yourself sink into
the grooves of the chair.
Fix your eyes on a
spot in the dark.
It doesn't matter where, just
fix your eyes on the spot
in the dark and begin to relax.
If you have any thoughts,
just let them drift
through your mind
like beautiful clouds
across a clear blue sky.
They drift through your
mind and away from you,
through your mind and
away as you relax,
deeper, deeper,
deeper, relaxed.
That's it, just
let go and relax.
Now I want you to imagine
a staircase standing
in front of you with 10 wide
safe stairs down,
down to a perfect relaxation.
Down to peace and contentment.
Down towards happiness
that you deserve.
As I count down from 10,
I want you to take one
step with each number.
One step down the staircase.
10, nine, eight.
There's some letters at
the bottom of the stairs
that are out of focus.
Can you see that?
Seven, six, five.
The letters are being clearer
the closer we get.
Four, three, two, one.
You can almost see it now.
The letters spell
trance.
(Wanda gasping)
(voices whispering)
(voices screaming)
- [Voice] Wake up!
Somebody wake me up!
(metronome ticking)
(eerie music)
(Wanda panting)
(creature screaming)
- [Richard] Wake up.
(all gasping)
- Holy shit.
- How do you feel, all right?
- Fuck no.
- That was intense.
- I think I need a minute.
(door slamming)
(Wanda coughing)
- You okay?
- I've never experienced
anything like that before.
- Right, it was
like a nightmare.
The screaming.
- You heard screaming?
- Yeah, someone screaming
like "Wake me up!"
- What do you remember seeing?
Dr. Pretorius, you
gotta hear this.
- Wanda and I had
similar experiences.
- The woman, the black figure?
- The fuck you trying
to pull here, Doc?
- It's remarkable.
- Are you telling me we
all saw the same thing?
- Or went to the same place?
- How is that possible?
- Look, a form of mass
suggestion, I suspect.
- How is that?
- Look, we all sat
around and discussed
the common experiences of
sleep paralysis together.
Your unconscious minds
drew on that conversation
and the projections it used.
- So how do you
explain the screaming?
- Right, "Someone wake me up."
That shit wasn't part
of the discussion, Doc.
- I knew I never should have
fucking left Idaho Falls.
This whole thing has bad juju
written all over it, man!
- Look, I could assure you,
there's nothing to
be concerned about.
I need to make sure I take
complete preliminary notes.
Please just help yourself
to some food or a drink.
I'll join you all shortly.
- I think I need to be
alone for a little while.
(birds chirping)
- I didn't know you smoked.
(lighter clicking)
- I don't.
- Well, you know, if there ever
is a perfect time to start,
and, you know, the doc is
knocking around in your head,
maybe he can lock the door
to the nicotine addiction.
(tense music)
- That was really
strange, you guys.
- Yeah, you can say that again.
- No, I mean, even Dr. Pretorius
seemed caught off guard.
- What I tell you guys
about this black magic?
It's sick shit.
(tense music)
(voices screaming)
- Somebody wake me up!
No!
(bed creaking)
(light clicking)
- [Porter] Hey there,
sleeping beauty.
- Hey.
- How you feeling
there, Theo, all right?
- Yeah, I'm all right.
I just got this funk.
I can't shake it, Doc.
- Hey, take a sip
of this, my friend.
It'll make it feel
a whole lot better.
- Try not to get
too sloshed tonight.
I want accurate
notes in the morning.
- What are you expecting
us to experience tonight?
- No expectations,
but with any luck,
a few moments into
your REM cycle,
you'll experience a textbook
case of sleep paralysis.
- But what if we don't?
- If you don't, well, my
study's off to a rough start.
- Hey, Doc, we still get
our money though, right?
- Oh, yes, you'll be
a part of the study
for the full seven days until
Victor returns with your keys.
- But you could call him
though, couldn't you?
- [Richard] Of course, any time.
- Not before you
unfuck my head, man.
- All right, guys, so
what are we drinking to?
- To progress!
- [All] Progress.
- Progress.
- [Margo] Woo!
(tense music)
(wind whooshing)
(metronome ticking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(creature screaming)
(Richard panting)
(voices whispering)
(door creaking)
(creature groaning)
- A beautiful discovery.
(Richard crying)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(Wanda gasping)
(door creaking)
(voices whispering)
(bones creaking)
(wind whooshing)
(Wanda gasping)
(Wanda gasping)
(tense music)
(door clicking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(voices whispering)
(wind whooshing)
(bones cracking)
(door creaking)
(wind whooshing)
(bones creaking)
(Margo panting)
(creature groaning)
(Margo gasping)
(wind whooshing)
(bones creaking)
(voices whispering)
(Margo panting)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(creature groaning)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(creature screeching)
(Theo screaming)
(voices whispering)
(Theo screaming)
(creature groaning)
- Somebody wake me up!
(Theo screaming)
(creature screaming)
(creature screaming)
(tense music)
- Theo!
- Theo?
Theo?
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- Theo!
- [Margo] Oh, god,
Dr. Pretorius!
- Dr. Pretorius!
- What's all this commotion?
- [Wanda] We can't find Theo.
- Well, what do you mean?
- Look around,
Doc, he ain't here.
- Well, he didn't
just disappear.
- Last night, we all heard him.
It was awful.
- It was like-
- [Richard] Last night?
- Because we all saw it.
- Saw what?
Oh, did you experience
the sleep paralysis?
- Yeah, you better
fucking believe we did.
- We all did, we all
saw the exact same thing
and we all heard-
- You trying to tell me you
didn't hear nothing, Doc?
- [Richard] What?
- Theo!
He was screaming for
someone to help him,
and now he's missing.
- What is happening?
- Look, let's just
all calm down.
Let's go back to
the operations room.
You say you all
heard this as well?
- [All] Yes!
- Doctor, we have to find Theo.
- He'll turn up.
(tense music)
- The screams were so loud.
They echo through the halls,
I mean, as long as I've lived,
I've never heard anything
like that before.
- You all had the
same experience?
- Right down to what
the thing looked like.
- Imagine sharing
a bad hair day.
- Fascinating.
Who was the first to share
their occurrence this morning?
- Wanda and I woke up at
nearly the exact same time.
- And then we woke up Porter
once we realized that
Theo was missing.
- You informed Wanda
of your experience?
- We both knew.
- But who shared
the details first?
- I'm not sure.
Why?
(Richard sighing)
(lips smacking)
- Have you heard of a
phenomenon forwalli ado?
- Doctor, last night,
Theo was screaming
for someone to help him
and now he's missing.
- What do you think
happened to him?
- I don't think we know,
but shouldn't you
be more concerned?
- I'm very concerned
with his wellbeing,
as I am of all of you.
You've all just experienced
for the first time
what it's like to live
with a sleep disorder.
This can be extremely
distressing for some.
My guess is that Theo
needed to be alone
after such trauma,
or most regrettably,
he took himself home on
the bus he came in on.
- That doesn't sound so
regrettable to me, Doc.
- Well, without
proper treatment,
poor Theo may suffer from a
debilitating sleep disorder
from here on.
- You mean without
the hypnotherapy?
- It's entirely possible.
It's also equally as possible
that last night was
just a coincidence
and had nothing to do with
the study in the first place.
A sample size such as this
really tells us nothing.
- [Wanda] Oh, gosh.
I just feel so paranoid.
- You know, what
really worries me
is you hear stories like this,
about people being
stuck together,
sharing the same paranoia
like mass hysteria.
Dyatlov's Pass and shit.
I used to watch those
YouTube channels,
like five unsolved mysteries
that keep you up late at night
about families being
away at a cabin
and tearing each other apart
for seemingly no reason at all.
And if I'm being honest,
I'm really starting
to get scared.
- My ex, Glen,
it's like he woke up one day,
his entire mood and
outlook had shifted.
It was like he was a new person
with a clear sense
of what he wanted.
And he had come to
the realization that
that wasn't a life with me.
I couldn't understand
how something like that
could happen so quickly.
Now I think I'm
starting to understand.
What's the verdict?
(tense music)
- [Margo] No.
(wind whooshing)
(crickets chirping)
- You're all rather quiet.
Don't tell me you're all still
worried about last night?
Come on, what
should we drink to?
- How about to Theo?
- I told you that he probably
left early this morning
and it turns out I was right.
Now, why don't we
drink to success?
- How do you figure
success, Doc?
- Well, you're all
still here, aren't you?
And last night went
to be as expected.
Even a small bit of
success, is still a success.
- Doctor, how do you know that
Theo left on his own accord?
- Come with me.
Now, I would suggest that
you all get in the habit
of fully reading your
contracts before signing them.
- So you saw what
happened last night.
- I reviewed it after
interviewing the three of you.
- Hey, Doc, we
should probably talk
about what you gonna
do with that footage.
- No, don't worry, your
extracurricular activities
have already been erased.
Please.
(tense music)
- Fuck.
- Where is he going?
- I only have five cameras,
and this one's
facing the entrance.
- This is weird.
I don't think he'd just
get up and leave like that.
We should go to the police.
- We can, but I believe
they would require
more than 48 hours before
doing much about it.
But if it would make
you feel a lot better.
(door clicking)
(door slamming)
- I believe the sign says girls.
- Yeah, I'm not into the
whole gender identity thing.
So how you feeling?
(Margo spitting)
- About?
- Everything that's
been going on?
- I'm just trying
to stay rational.
- Yeah.
I swear, if another
person makes a run for it
in the wee hours of the morning,
I'm going full
Rambo on this bitch.
- Hmm.
Likewise.
(Porter sighing)
(tense music)
(Wanda gasping)
(voices whispering)
(Wanda panting)
(voices whispering)
(door creaking)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature groaning)
(voices whispering)
(Wanda crying)
(voices whispering)
(creature groaning)
(Wanda panting)
(creature wheezing)
(Margo panting)
(creature groaning)
(nails screeching)
(tense music)
(creature groaning)
(creature screaming)
(Margo screaming)
(tense music)
(bones cracking)
(Porter gasping)
(suspenseful music)
(floor creaking)
(floor creaking)
(Porter crying)
- No, please.
(Porter crying)
No, please, somebody
help me, please!
(Porter screaming)
Please!
(Richard breathing heavily)
(creature groaning)
(voices chanting)
(creature screaming)
(door clicking)
- Dr. Pretorius?
- No way this is
fucking happening.
- Dr. Pretorius!
- [Margo] I think I'm actually
having an anxiety attack.
- Dr. Pretorius!
- Why don't we stop
fucking yelling?
- What the fuck is
happening, you guys?
- It's that thing.
You know what I'm talking about.
- God, she came in
through the door.
She looked right at me.
- Fuck this.
- Porter, where are you going?
- To check the fucking cameras!
All right, let's figure
out how to rewind.
Menu, playback.
- There!
- What's he doing?
- [Wanda] Sleep walking.
- So what we heard last
night was what, a nightmare?
But Dr. Pretorius did walk
up outta here like Theo!
I mean, that's insane!
- Fuck this, I'm out!
- Wait!
Where are you going?
- Home, to a hospital,
anywhere but fucking here.
- [Margo] Good idea.
- Wait, just wait a minute!
- For what?
- [Wanda] We have to
find the doctor and Theo.
- Fuck that, I say
we call the police
and let them handle it.
And as far as us, I say we
find the nearest bus stop
and get the fuck outta here
until Vincent or Victor,
or whatever the fuck
his name is comes back!
- I'm not so sure
that's gonna work.
Something's happened
to us, you guys.
- [Porter] Yeah, yeah,
something did happen.
We're being "Punk'D," or worse,
we're all actually fucking
disappearing one by one.
- Then we have to do something!
(Porter clapping)
- Great plan, Napoleon.
- [Wanda] Porter!
- You coming?
- Maybe we're overreacting.
- Look, I'd rather
overreact than under react
when it comes to people
fucking disappearing.
- Let's just think
about this, okay?
We're all having
these dreams, right?
And we know that something's
happening to the person
that gets up and leaves in
the middle of the night.
- Fuck this, fuck this.
- Porter!
- Bye, I'm out.
- Wait, no, wait!
- I'm fucking out!
- [Wanda] Porter!
- Well, go on.
- With what?
- Where you were
going with that.
- I don't know.
- What's the real reason you
don't wanna leave, Wanda?
- How do you know that isn't?
- You wear your
thoughts on your sleeve.
- I got nowhere else to go.
- Maybe we can find his
assistant's phone number
or something, get
him to help us?
- Yeah, there's a plan, come on.
- Okay, okay.
(tense music)
- Try it on her, you
can hear her heart.
(phone ringing)
All right, just a sec.
Hello.
- Victor!
This is Wanda, Wanda Fulcia.
- Who?
- Wanda from the sleep study.
- [Victor] Oh, right,
Wanda from the sleep study.
- We really need you
to come back here.
Something strange has happened.
Can you get over here quick?
- You know, I could lose my
job for something like that.
You read your contract, right?
- Listen, Theo
went missing, okay?
Porter just left and we
can't find Dr. Pretorius.
We need you to get over here.
Will you please?
- Look, put the
doctor on the phone.
- He's missing, okay?
He's not here.
- Fuck!
Yeah, all right, I'll
see what I can do.
- Thank you, thank you so much.
Okay, okay, see you soon.
Thank you.
(dramatic music)
(papers rustling)
(Wanda sighing)
- [Margo] Anything?
- No, not really.
(Margo sighing)
Huh?
- What?
- It's an article.
- So?
- Nightmares suspected in
bed deaths of 18 Laotians.
- Shut your fucking mouth,
what the fuck is this?
- It's from 1981.
"The Department of Health
and Human Services in Atlanta
"is conducting an intensive
inquiry into the manner
"in which 18 apparently
healthy Laotian refugees died
"mysteriously in their sleep."
- Why the fuck is this
in his fucking notebook?
- I'm not sure.
(metronome ticking)
(tense music)
The doctor was really
obsessed with the details
of the sleep
paralysis experience.
- It's truly fascinating.
I'd probably inquire
more about that
if I wasn't so afraid
for my life right now.
- Seriously, he
goes on for pages
about The Hag.
I mean, he's got quotes,
and like this one,
"I remember hearing
a roaring sound
"then seeing a shadowy figure
"standing in the
middle of my room,
"either saying my name and
laughing or just watching me.
"It was so real.
"I refused to sleep as a
child, but when I told my mom,
"she didn't take me seriously
"until it started chasing me,
"I would wake up and
it was still there.
"It started chasing
me around my room."
Chester Fair, 10/22/20.
- [Margo] Wanda, what the fuck?
Chester Fair.
Victor Fair.
Is that like his brother?
- Wanda, what
difference does it make?
Look, I'm less interested
in what's actually happening
and more interested in
what's making it happen.
Is there a way to stop it?
- I don't know.
(Margo sighing) (tense music)
(tense music)
(people screaming)
(creature groaning)
(creature screaming)
(door slamming)
- Hello?
Wanda?
Hello?
Doctor?
(Victor groaning)
(creature screaming)
- God, it's fucking dark.
Maybe we should've gone, too.
- I think that would've
been a mistake.
- Well, yeah, how do you know?
- Just a gut feeling.
- I wonder where Porter
is right about, oh, Wanda!
(tense music)
- What?
What?
- The doctor!
I just saw him and Theo!
- Are you sure?
- I looked right at them!
Doctor, Theo!
(both screaming)
- Shit, shit, my bad, my bad.
- Can't you cough or clear
your throat or something
to let people know
you're coming?
- I'm not in the
mood, all right?
Did you guys find 'em or what?
- [Margo] We just saw them!
- You did?
- Well, I didn't.
- I swear I saw them
walking down the hall!
- Just now?
- Yes, goddamn it!
- Well, fuck, they
didn't go this way.
I would've saw 'em.
- What are you doing back here?
- Look, the bus station comes
around once a day, all right,
and I just fucking missed it.
And this place is
like a ghost town.
Did you guys know the police
station closes on the weekends?
- But I did manage to
flag down a patrol car
from a few towns over.
- [Wanda] And what did they say?
- Not much, other than that
they'll keep an eye out
for the both of them
and report it as a
potential missing persons.
- That's it?
- Great.
- So did you guys
make any dinner?
I'm starving.
(both sighing)
No?
So what's the plan, Napoleon?
- Me?
- Yeah, you.
I mean, you're the
only person here
trying to find a
solution and, well,
my plan for the bus doesn't
pan out til the morning,
so let's hear it.
- Well, the doctor had
documented extremely thoroughly
how to perform the hypnosis.
- So?
- So, Margo has some experience
with that kind of stuff.
- Whoa, I only performed tarot
card readings as a hobby.
- I mean, but we could try
to perform the hypnosis
on one of us.
- I just don't think I can-
- Yeah, that's out.
Any other ideas?
No?
- No.
- Well, I guess we'll
just never sleep again.
I mean, how hard
could that be, right?
- Yeah, I mean, what about that?
Right, two of us stay
up, watch the other one.
I mean that way if something
weird starts happening,
we can wake the person up.
At least that way we'll
know what's going on.
- All right, Margo, call it.
- [Margo] Heads.
- Heads.
Okay, ladies, you better
brew up some coffee.
It's gonna be a long night.
(tense music)
(bottle thudding)
(crickets chirping)
- [Wanda] Jesus Christ.
- [Margo] What?
- I made it to the
end of his journal.
- And?
- And all it says is,
"It no longer appears to be a
matter of inward projection.
"The door was
opened and something
"has gotten outside."
- What the fuck does that mean?
(creature groaning)
(toy clinking) (toy whirring)
(tense music)
- Goddamn, I am so tired.
- Yeah, it does look
nice, doesn't it?
Ugh, I can't wait for
the morning to come
and for Porter to wake up
and we can all laugh
about that one time
we almost went crazy.
- Hilarious.
I'm gonna go splash
some water on my face.
Hey, watch him.
- Oh, hey, can you
make some more coffee?
- [Wanda] On it.
(tense music)
(Porter gasping)
(creature groaning)
- [Porter] Somebody?
(Porter screaming)
- Oh shit, oh my god.
Porter, wait!
Porter, Porter!
Porter!
- [Wanda] Margo,
what are you doing?
- He's gone!
- What?
- He's gone!
- Oh my god!
Margo!
- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!
- What the fuck happened?
- I fell asleep.
- Ah, fuck.
Okay, you have to
listen to me, all right?
- No.
- Yes, Margo, you
have to listen to me!
Okay?
We're gonna fix this,
we're gonna fix this, okay?
All right, come on,
we're gonna do this,
it's gonna be okay,
it's gonna be okay.
- [Margo] No, I
don't wanna do it.
- [Wanda] You have
to sit down, okay?
- I don't wanna!
- Look at me!
- No, I don't wanna die!
- You're not gonna die.
Margo, you need to calm down.
You need to calm
down and relax, okay?
Can you just relax?
Okay, I want you to take a deep
breath, sit back and relax.
Can you trust me?
Margo, do you trust me?
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- Okay.
(Margo crying)
(metronome ticking)
Sit back, relax.
(papers rustling)
(wind whooshing)
Now, I want you to
imagine a staircase,
10 wide safe stairs down.
You're standing at the
top of those stairs.
I need you to take
one step down.
10, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four,
three, two, one.
(creature screaming)
Deeper, deeper, relaxed.
(wind whooshing)
(Margo gasping)
(bones cracking)
(metronome ticking)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature whispering)
Now listen to me, Margo.
We opened ourselves up
to the forces around us.
We opened that door
and when you come back,
you're gonna have
that door closed.
When you come back, you're
gonna be less perceptive
to things, less perceptive
than you've ever been.
But you're gonna come back
with that door closed.
Listen to me, Margo.
I need you to close that door.
- Somebody wake me up!
(Margo crying)
(Wanda gasping)
(creature groaning)
When I call you, Margo,
you're coming back
with that door closed!
Wake up, wake up, Margo!
(door clicking)
Wake up!
- Somebody wake me up!
- Margo, wake up!
Margo!
(Margo panting)
- [Margo] What the fuck
happened, oh my god!
Oh, Jesus Christ!
It felt like they were
in the fucking room!
- Yeah, I don't know.
- Did it work, did it
work, did we get them back?
- I think so.
I think so.
- Jesus Christ, oh my god.
I need a fucking drink.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Margo?
Yeah, yeah, why don't
you get some water
and we can talk?
Margo?
(Wanda heavily breathing)
(Wanda gasping)
(wind whooshing)
Somebody wake me up!
- [Richard] Wake up.
(all gasping)
(Wanda panting)
- That was intense!
- Holy shit!
- How do you feel, all right?
- No, no, no, no!
Oh, walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie, time will say
Walk me home
Watch me go
Took down in the chambers,
locked in la la land
Worried we could wake
up at our arms again
Steady apparatus
spoiled in ink
From the thrones
Something doesn't measure
and I can't relate
A heavy head for something
while the brain remains
Tethered in the
lies you spin
All alone
Walk me home
(guitar solo)
Walk me home
On that note
Let me show
What I know
If I lie
Time will fly
Walk me home
Watch me go
Yeah
Oh, yeah
Riddled by the crimes
Tangle with the rules
Lost in the reprise they're
singing about in school
We can't relieve the strain
Can't undo the
lies you've spun
So hold them to their words
Don't reveal the spines
Leave it to the world that
turns before it shines
We watch it fade away
Just like all
times we've rued
Yeah
Walk me home, yeah, yeah
Watch me go, yeah
Walk me home, yeah, yeah