Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire (2019) Movie Script
1
I had a feeling
you guys were gonna call me
after what happened
with Russell.
Where are we gonna start?
After Hell House, I
thought that was it.
End of story.
You know, they'd tear it down.
Well, not only did the
town not demolish it,
but nearly 10 years later,
one of the richest men
in the country is planning
to open it up again.
Had you
heard of the show Insomnia
before it opened
up at the Abaddon?
I knew it was a hit in New York,
that's about it.
And then, Vanessa Shepherd
takes over for Suzy McCombs,
on "Morning Mysteries".
And gets invited to film an
all-access, behind-the-scenes
episode of Russell
Wynn's Insomnia.
Hello everyone,
I'm Gregory Sandvick,
and I play Faust,
the lead, obviously.
What's your favorite thing
about doing this play here at
the infamous Abaddon hotel?
Honestly, there's nothing I like
about being here at this hotel.
Let alone having
something I like most.
I mean, the conditions
here aren't suitable
for high school theater,
let alone something
the scale of Insomnia.
But I'm not gonna, you
know, complain to the union
or anything, 'cause Russell's
paying us pretty well.
Russell's a complete visionary,
I have a lot of respect for him.
He's taken a
classic, like Faust,
and put this modern twist on it.
He's made it relatable for
even millennials, you know?
It's literally God
versus the devil,
they're playing this game
with Faust in the middle,
and Faust could be
anyone, Faust could be me!
I don't know what
Russell's plan is to get
an audience here.
I mean, the people in this town
don't really strike me as
the theater type, you know?
But don't judge a
book by its cover.
Unless that cover's
in upstate New York.
Think we're next!
Hey, what's up, I'm Max.
Hey Vanessa.
I play Mephistopheles.
My friend lazy Susan,
she's my partner in crime.
That's really cool,
would you mind if we actually
turned that off, though,
while we're doing the interview?
It's just kinda loud, it's
messing with the audio,
is that okay?
Sure.
Thank you.
No problem.
The last time this bar
was featured in a tale,
was when Hell House had
their celebratory spirits
right here in this
room, 10 years ago?
That guy that played Lucifer
was that guy from like Queens,
he had really thick New...
He'd be like, "Yeah,
welcome to Lucifer's cabin."
Lucifer's cabin, yeah.
This is like doing
Julius fricking Caesar
at the theater of Pompeii ruins.
Have you watched
the Hell House documentary?
Bits and pieces.
And none of what's shown
on it disturbed you?
Like what?
Well, the
unexplained things happening
to the crew.
What's that?
People disappearing here.
Here we go!
All right, Ben,
challenge accepted.
I'm goin' in.
Inanimate objects moving around
on their own?
I haven't seen the movie.
I don't know, it seemed
like one of those silly
found-footage films,
it's not really my thing.
I don't think, I
don't think I'll be watching
the film while I'm here.
At least you guys don't have to
stay overnight here.
They stayed overnight?
It's supposed to be
haunted, but I mean,
you would know
more than I would.
It is not haunted.
Have you heard any
bumps in the night?
- Did you hear that?
- Yeah.
It sounded like a scream.
- Holy shhhh...
- Oh, fuck.
Seen it?
I own it!
I mean, some pretty
messed-up shit
happened to those people here.
Tony, let me the fuck out!
Tony, fuck!
It doesn't bother you
that people died
here while, I mean,
putting on a show
like you guys are?
Yeah, I will say I, I do
know where every exit is.
Hello? Anybody?
There's no knob!
What do you mean,
there's no fucking knob?
There's no knob!
There were
reports of several people
having gone missing and
their last known location
was this hotel.
Most recently the guests of
"Morning Mysteries" last year,
Mitchell Cavanaugh,
Brock Davies?
Have you head of any of this?
The hotel wants to be heard.
What the fuck is happening?
Let's get the fuck outta here.
Go, go, go, go, go!
My name is Vanessa Shepherd,
I was the host of
"Morning Mysteries"
when Russell took over
the Abaddon Hotel in 2018.
When my producers
came to me and said
that they wanted me to do
an episode at the Abaddon,
I said that I was
not interested.
Yeah, Vanessa
wasn't interested at all.
But once we mentioned
Russell Wynn,
her ears perked up a little bit.
The most striking thing,
other than what
happened that night,
was that Russell was very open
to allowing Vanessa and Louie
to film everything.
We thought it was a
long shot, and that
we'd never get called back.
Actually looking back,
maybe that was a red flag.
Ghosts sightings,
disappearances,
even reports of
demonic possession.
I, is this real?
Okay,.
All right, let's go again, okay.
With all of these
events happening,
all the history,
all the mysteries,
enter Russell Wynn,
the founder of Wynn Media Group.
An entrepreneur that made
his first million by 25,
and has since been
building a media empire
along with his hit
live-action interactive shows.
Russell took his love
of prominent theater
and poured it into a passion
project called Insomnia.
An interactive and
dark performance piece
that has received overwhelming
love from the press
and audience members.
I've been granted full
behind-the-scenes access
to the set of Insomnia,
in its very new location.
The Abaddon Hotel.
Okay, that's my intro,
can I meet Russell now?
Right now, no.
He's in a creative meeting,
they can go on for,
I don't know,
depends on his mood.
So after that?
Yeah, probably.
This is Jeff Stone,
Russell's head of?
- Operations.
- Operations, yes.
What does that entail?
Right now, keeping you occupied.
Russell wants me
to give you a tour
before we do introductions
with everyone.
You afraid to go in?
Aren't you?
You're doing a
behind-the-scenes documentary
on Insomnia at
the Abaddon Hotel.
You do realize you'll have
to go in eventually, right?
I know that, okay.
Good.
Honestly we were
all a bit hesitant
about going in at first but
it's really just wood and nails.
That's what Russell always says.
- Is that?
- From Hell House, yeah.
You'll see a few of their
things still laying around.
Ladies and gentlemen,
this is my buddy, Hector.
We haven't
fully made it ours yet
but it's really starting
to come together,
you might think.
Trust me you'll be fine, we've
been here for three weeks.
The only thing scary in
here is the asbestos.
Russell's made certain
some of the actors
and production staff will
be available for interviews.
Oh, including you?
Give you a quote right now,
I can't wait to get the
hell back to New York.
Oh, hey, Jeff, can
I post this on Insta?
Just make sure you clear
it with Russell first.
Thanks.
Alright, you'll like this.
Russell had the
old bottles pulled
and replaced with his personal
label out of California.
Ooh!
What's your wine of
choice there, hot shot?
Pretty impressive.
You think so?
Sure.
You can have about 15-20
boxes, how big is your van?
We're not moving that anyway.
- Okay, good.
- You'd be doing me
a big favor.
Sounds good.
Anyway, this room is
gonna be the most popular
set for the audience, I
think, along with the bar
- which is actually...
- Whoa.
Jeff, what's going on?
I'm still here, don't freak out.
- Okay, I'm not freaking out.
- Power's been spotty
for the past few days,
it usually comes back on
in about 10 seconds or so.
Okay.
You wanted the
Insomnia experience,
here you have it.
Sure getting it, yeah.
Here we go, like I said,
just about 10 seconds or so.
Alright, so shall we...
Power went out again.
Love the dark.
Thank you, Max.
Harvey.
Harvey, what can I do for you?
Do for me?
What can you do for me?
You can make me
a size two again.
But Russ, what
you can do for him
is know that he's finished
and we're in the basement.
He's no good with radios.
Harvey's the head of
artistic operations.
- Okay.
- He's also a big pain in my,
wait, what, where are you?
You're in the basement?
Aah,
because he still wants
to use it in the show,
because we all know
it's gonna be super safe
for my actors and not
a liability at all.
Did you hear my
side on your end?
I just wanna make sure
that was audible, copy.
Yeah, tell Russell
to meet me in the bar,
I'm not going in the basement.
After you meet Russell,
you'll love him.
- Great.
- We'll go through Heaven.
Sounds good.
Well, this is Heaven.
If you didn't figure
it out on your own.
This is where God'll make
his wager with the Devil
with our angels as his witness.
The white, a little clich,
but that's what Russell wants.
I thought I saw something.
Otherwise you guys can...
- What?
- Someone.
What's going on?
What are you guys looking at?
Abaddon eyes, that's
what we call it.
Everybody feels like they
saw something out of
the corner of their eyes
or just felt like
they're being watched.
It happens to all of us,
just our imaginations
messing with us.
Abaddon eyes.
You coming?
- Yeah, I'm coming.
- Are you sure you don't wanna
just hang out?
No, no.
Okay, shall we?
So...
Oh, hey, guys.
Guess where I was
in the blackout?
Right fucking here.
Think about that.
That's why we
have a buddy system.
Fuck off.
All a... Okay.
Actors.
Here, makes his shit wine,
and he insists on using
the damn basement.
Hey, sweetie!
Hey, honey!
One of my least favorite
people in the world!
Well, right back at ya.
Where's your buddy here?
Where is he?
Old Russ is coming up
the stairs right about now.
You can't rush perfection.
Five, four, three and one.
Oh, there he is, Jeff.
How are you?
How you doing, wine-maker?
Huh. Didn't see you
down in the basement.
Not a peep.
Look at that.
- He opened it right up.
- You brought your
- camera crew.
- Hi.
- Hi, I'm Vanessa Shepherd.
- Russell Wynn.
It's nice to meet you,
- Russell.
- Pleasure to meet you.
Thank you for having us here,
we're really excited.
So you're the new
"Morning Mysteries" girl?
I am.
That's too bad, I liked Suzy.
Don't get me wrong,
she was a total bitch,
but I liked her.
And don't thank me yet.
Why is that?
Well, I'm sure you've
heard all the stories
about this place.
Everyone who enters
with a camera
never seems to make it.
Don't do that.
She barely came in as it is.
He's just kidding.
I'm just screwing with you.
Ah, well, we will try
to stay out of your way
as much as possible.
Just be two, no, thank you,
flies on the wall.
I appreciate that.
I like what you've done
with "Morning Mysteries".
Oh, I didn't
think that you watch?
He doesn't.
I do.
He does.
And none of your
guests have disappeared,
so you've got that on Suzy.
That is true, thank you.
Lawson, is it?
Louie, actually.
Uh-huh.
I'm a huge
fan of all of your shows
and everything that you've done.
You've got good taste.
And I give you full permission
to film to your heart's content.
And when you follow the actors,
they may moan and groan,
but it's all part of the show.
They're actors and they
secretly love attention.
Yeah, it's no secret.
Well, where should we start?
Let's meet everyone.
Yeah.
Ah, there he is.
Alright, everyone.
Welcome, welcome, so
Vanessa and her guy, Lonnie?
- Lonnie?
- Louie.
Louie!
They're gonna be embedded with
us for the entire duration.
They'll be filming everything,
so don't say anything
you don't want a few
million people to hear.
And I'll leave it
to you, Vanessa.
Thank you.
As you guys can see,
we've handed a few of you
your own mini-camcorders.
Why did we do this?
Well, we want to
encourage you to film
anything that you want.
Self-taped interviews, any
fun behind-the-scenes stuff
that we might miss.
And when we wrap here,
we'll grab everyone's cameras
and incorporate that
footage into the episode.
Make sense?
Question, Russell.
- Yeah.
- What happens if we catch
a ghost on camera?
That's a good.
Wow, great
question, really good.
In your case, Gregory,
you could ask it if
it's ever heard of you,
if it's ever seen you,
maybe seen your reel.
Probably has.
Some of your work, perhaps.
I was in that other thing
called Shakespeare In The Park,
I mean, I don't know.
Have you heard of it?
It was a brilliant,
brilliant summer
theater, thank you.
Which show were you in?
No.
- Don't, don't.
- Don't get him going.
"Into The Woods",
it was me and Amy Adams.
You and Amy Adams?!
You were like tree number three!
Two people played a
tree better than you.
Ooh.
Alright, take it easy.
Well, anyways, what I
really want everyone to do
is just pretend that
we're not even here.
If you've ever seen the
show "The Office", anyone?
Okay, well, we're
like that camera crew.
Just catching everything.
I hated "The Office".
- It was pretty...
- Minimalistic.
Yeah, it didn't make any sense.
Alright, they're a
pretty difficult group
to keep focused.
So let's stay on task, okay?
Wait, no.
- Question, Russell?
- Yes. Mm-hmm.
Could we still post
on social media or?
Yes, same restrictions,
keep it vague.
Yes, actually, we
encourage social media.
Just make sure to tag
"Morning Mysteries."
Okay, so #MM?
Actually, "Morning Mysteries".
So not MM?
No.
- The full...
- But I think MM
sounds better, it's like food.
It's like Mm.
And it keeps it vague, you know?
We want it to be not vague,
it's very specific,
"Morning Mysteries".
She's too bossy.
Right, well, this is going well.
I just wanted you
guys all to meet,
so here we are.
Bye.
Thank you, thanks.
I think, Gregory...
I believe we need to
go back to the city.
Believe it or not, the
wine's not selling like it...
I'm sorry, can...
Sorry, Jeff, can I just
interrupt for a second?
I was wondering if I could
give you guys cameras as well?
Ah, I'd love to, but no can do.
Gotta keep my hands free.
- Sorry.
- Okay, you know what?
We could probably get
a Go-Pro or something?
And Russell, can I
give you a camera?
I, I'm not gonna,
you know, use it.
That's okay,
- I understand.
- I'm not a camera guy.
But we just want you
to have it, just in case,
you don't have to use it if
you don't want to, it's fine.
Good, let's just
get this real quick.
Just come up with
us and we'll help you,
whatever you need, okay?
- So cold in here.
- Just...
- Oh, fuck!
- Oh my God!
Go, go, go!
Go, go, go, go!
Look at this.
Whoa!
That's creepy.
Whoa.
Would you look at that?
Alex, don't fuck with me!
Dude!
Tony, what the fuck is it...
Okay, let's get out of here.
Yeah.
Okay.
So if you do a search anywhere,
Google, Reddit, whatever,
you find a plethora of
unexplained photos and videos.
Most of them really
into the hotel
or the town itself.
Hell House was not
the first incident
to happen in this town,
only the most popular.
There are some
disappearances related to
an early 2000 County Fair.
That raises some red
flags for me now.
The Billy Braddock story
alone is unsettling.
It's Louie for the five o'clock.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I have to show you something
before we have a meeting.
Sure, sure.
I was just updating the journal.
And then remember when Jeff said
something about the
whole Abaddon Eyes thing?
- People think they...
- People think they
see something, exactly.
So my camera,
I think it caught something.
Oh?
Oh, oh, do I wanna see this?
Probably not.
Awesome, okay.
Hello?
Guys?
Where are you?
Jesus Christ!
Grab!
- Come on, guys.
- Whoa.
That's fucked up.
- I know, you looked so sad.
- Why me?
It's sexist, that's sexism.
It's sexism, what?
And Russell would be upset
if he knew that you were
playing with these things
and I don't,
if he asks, I don't
have a part of that.
I'm not part of that.
- Okay.
- Well, you were on camera.
Just so you know.
It's worth it.
Well, do you think that's what
Vanessa gave us cameras for?
- They handed them out.
- I don't think that's
- what she had in mind.
- They handed them out.
Bye, mom.
I think Vanessa should thank us,
because there would be
no footage otherwise.
Yeah, that's true,
otherwise we'd have to listen to
Gregory go on and
on about his craft.
That would be
good television, my friend.
What else?
Let's see.
Your bank called again.
Which one?
All of them.
Damn.
Is something going on?
Like what?
I don't know, Russ.
I've only got one bank,
if they called,
I'd be concerned.
Oh, Isabel, she asked
me a weird question.
What's that?
She asked if she
would still get her pay
if she had to quit
for some reason?
No.
Is she thinking about quitting?
I don't think so.
Like I said, it was
a weird question.
Huh.
Alright, I'm
off to wardrobe then.
Jane hates her dress as much
as I hate old Jeff's budget.
Yeah.
Both of them are cheap.
See you later, Harvey.
Bye, honey.
This, Father Paulis
dropped this off for you.
Thanks.
Can I ask you about the hotel
reopening in a few weeks?
How do you feel about that?
I told Russell, it's a mistake.
And what did he say?
He hired me.
Huh.
Good.
Something I should know?
No, it's private.
Okay.
How do you know that guy?
He's an old friend.
Many demons claim to be
the souls of real people
that once wandered the earth
thousands of years ago.
Even during the time of Christ.
They try and use their
memories of events
to sow doubt into believers.
One demon that we've
encountered here in Abaddon,
has said over and over,
"Est Aperta Porta."
Wait, what is that?
It's Latin, I think.
What does it mean, do you know?
The gate is open.
That's right.
Father, can I ask if you've ever
heard of Andrew Tully?
Mm-hmm, I have.
And Tully believed
that he found this gateway
and the gateway to hell.
We are servants of the snake
and we will release someone
into the lake of fire.
The church is rich
with references
to hell and Satan.
There are some old texts
that refer to an
earthly gateway to hell
and the demon, Abaddon,
being the guard
and it's been said that
no man can close this
gate once opened.
It would take an angel
from God himself.
But if that gate is open,
literal hell could be
unleashed on earth.
And there's also some
versions of the bible
that dismiss all
this as metaphorical.
So there's really no stance
that the church holds.
Are you bringing people
all the way out here?
No, I just needed some air.
And it might be the only time
we get a chance
to chat today, so.
You lowered ticket prices 30%,
are you expecting
a drop in revenue?
That was Jeff's idea.
He didn't think that
people would pay full price
to come all the way out here.
So we decreased it to
increase ticket sales.
Personally, I think
people pay whatever I say
and we'll still sell out,
because it's a great show.
I think you're right about that.
People will pay to see the show
in this godforsaken hotel.
Why do you say that?
Say what?
Godforsaken.
Did you mean it literally or
- some expression?
- Does anyone ever use that
term literally?
I mean, I don't
even believe in God.
Neither did I.
And then?
Don't tell me you're
born again or something?
That would be a nice
twist on the story.
Not like you're thinking.
Did Hell House come out here?
No, it was the County Fair
grounds in the early 2000s.
And so they had the
fair grounds over there.
And they used the cornfields
behind the Abaddon
Hotel as a hayride.
But they closed it down once
some people got injured.
So this is where that happened?
Yeah.
Sad.
And a few years after that,
Hell House comes to town.
Mm-hmm.
And nine years after that,
Russell Wynn comes to town.
I know what you're getting at.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you would
think at some point
the town would just
stop having events here.
Well, fortunately
it's not up to them.
You still haven't told anyone
why you moved Insomnia
out here, this year.
Can you tell me?
Russ, there's wardrobe drama,
I need you inside now, over.
Why do you need me in wardrobe?
And asked them to do wardrobe.
Very helpful.
We'll have to
continue this later.
Promise?
As much as I can.
It's progress.
Oh, this is weird.
What the hell is that?
I don't know.
It's funky looking, look.
On me.
B.D.?
Mm.
Leave it.
I'll give Russell credit, he
he allowed people to have fun,
to enjoy themselves at work.
You know, but he also had rules.
And he didn't want
anyone wandering alone
in the hotel after hours.
Call it what you will.
Good fortune!
Heart, love, or God!
I have no name for
it, feeling is all.
The name is sound and smoke.
Sorry.
I don't think I get it.
Is he questioning the
existence of Heaven?
He's explaining to Gretchen
his own doubts about
heaven and hell,
as depicted by Christianity,
Faust is full of doubts.
Do I share those doubts?
Guys, look, if we're gonna
unpack Faust's
views on religion,
I think we should
take a dinner first.
- Right.
- Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Should we try and do
this one more, yeah?
Yeah, one more take thing.
Hey, seems like
everything's going well.
Yeah, this place
is half the size
of our theater in the city.
It's easier to manage.
How's Russell holding up?
Mm, I can't get a read.
It's different than New York.
I've never read Faust.
No?
No, I don't plan to either.
That's a wrap, guys.
Okay, you can do a bonfire,
but we want everyone
back at the hotels
by 21:00 sharp.
Harvey will be doing
room by room headcounts.
Got it?
- Yes.
- Got it.
If you're gonna
shoot the bonfire,
make sure you get
when Harvey gets drunk
and tries to walk over the fire.
Jeff, I only did that twice.
It was my year of saying yes.
Why would you even
bring that up?
What is that relevant to
- what we're doing right now?
- You were so good.
You were so close last time.
Oh, God.
That's funny.
Guys, everybody's gone.
So you gonna do it?
I mean, yeah, for 500 bucks!
Show me that money,
I'm going in there.
Are you?
I'm not going
into that basement.
Cool, so Greg's a pussy.
Wait, you said you
need 500 to do it,
you don't sound that brave.
I need some kind of
compensation for my work.
Why?
It's just fucked
up to run in there
in the fucking dark on a dare.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, because you
saw a scary movie?
Yeah.
And 'cause Russell
and Jeff will kill me.
True.
Fuck it.
I'll do it.
For real?
So, you go basement and back,
same stakes, free drinks on me.
Done.
If Russell finds out...
Are you gonna tell him?
Are any of you gonna tell him?
- So we're good?
- No.
We're good.
Let's do it.
Let's go.
- Do it, do it, do it.
- Woo!
Do it, do it.
So I just.
I just got to go and touch
the clown on the nose
on camera and come back?
I don't have to
make out with it?
I mean, if you do,
I wanna watch that tape.
Here.
Be quick, please.
Peace out, motherfuckers.
Ooh, you have a good time.
See y'all
bitches on the flip side.
Hmm, maybe I'll have a little,
a little bev first.
I got to pee!
Hello.
Razzmatazz.
Ladies, pleasure.
That's not cool, guys.
I know it's you.
Bartender!
Fix me a drink.
Okay.
Cool.
Alright, I'm entering
the basement.
Peace out, motherfuckers.
Okay, cool.
Entering the basement.
What's up, guys?
Oh, nice clowns, Hell House.
Looking good.
Damn, bruh.
Looking a little rough.
Alright, dick wads.
Check this out.
I'm gonna give you
guys a little bonus.
Alright, that's about as
raunchy as I'm gonna get.
Oh, shit.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Fuck.
Oh my God.
Are you okay?
Shit, fuck.
What the fuck happened to you?
Are you okay?
What the fuck was she thinking?
You heard me, I
said nobody inside
after we wrap.
You said it, I said it,
even Harvey said it.
She must've had
too much to drink
and just got stupid.
Look, she didn't even
show up on set today either.
I'll talk to her.
I checked her camera.
She's telling the truth.
She did see that clown.
Goddammit.
You got to make sure
they're not playing pranks
on each other anymore
around this place.
I will, I will,
I'll keep a tighter
leash on them.
Make sure they
know it's serious.
I said I will.
Okay.
We got to get on the same page.
Mm-hmm.
We agree that maybe
she saw something.
Yeah.
But we float the idea
that maybe it was
someone messing with her.
One of the pranks,
because people have
been pranking each other
since we got here.
If we get ahead of it,
then we can stop
them speculating,
or God forbid, tweet about it.
This conversation doesn't air.
Yes?
Yes.
Good.
I know Jane.
And she does not break easy.
Russell thinks one of
us fucked with her, but
I know I didn't.
There's just a lot of
weird shit going on.
How does that make you feel
coming into work today?
What am I gonna do?
The man's paying us better
than any other gig I
could possibly get.
Why do you
think Russell's doing that?
Paying everyone more to be here?
I've only known him
for like five years.
But I think he's changed
since the crash.
The car crash in 2008?
Yeah.
He's lucky to be alive.
Put it that way.
The rumor is that they
were actually about to
call it.
What do you think that has to do
with him leaving the city?
Can massive head
trauma lead people to do
some crazy stuff?
Maybe.
Do you know if
we're just supposed to
like, continuously
film with these things?
Mine's already full.
She didn't really say anything.
Well, your camera's pretty nice.
I mean, maybe you should
try to take it home.
Are you all right, Isabel?
Yeah, what's going on with you?
You're very quiet today.
I'm fine.
You sure?
I'm fine.
What do you
think happened to Jane?
Only person that
could pull off a prank
like that, is me.
And I was with you
the whole time, so.
Were you?
Yeah, I think so.
Either way, I didn't do it,
so doesn't matter.
If I had seen that clown,
I would've pooped in my panties.
She really did see it, then.
Credit to her for
sticking around.
She's tough for a girl.
Oh, fuck you, Gregory.
All woman are tougher than you.
Please.
Hey baby girl,
are you with the boys?
I'm just finishing
up their makeup.
You guys ready downstairs?
So once you're done turning them
from drab to fab,
send them my way, please, out.
Copy.
Get into character, barkeep.
Want shots?
Yes.
Putting this over
here for you, okay?
Hello?
Fuck.
Fuck.
Okay.
Fuck.
Hello?
Jane?
Jane!
Jane, really?
Come on.
Jane, this is so fucked up.
I thought more money would help.
It worked on Jane.
Goddammit.
Now we have to rehire.
So close to opening, too.
What did you offer her to stay?
Double pay, same as Jane.
That better not leave this room.
Look, I've got some calls out,
I'm sure we'll have the
department filled by tomorrow.
Just make sure you stay
quiet about why she left.
Of course, but what are
we gonna inevitably say
when the others start asking?
You know this cast
is gossipy as hell.
Could be she just
burned out, got too tired.
People get tired, right?
Jeff, I have known
Isabel for years.
We're not gonna go around saying
she's too tired
to do a gig, okay?
Look, I know I'm a
bit over the top,
but listen to me.
Something is wrong here.
You know it, we know it,
everybody knows it.
And we're just plowing
through the day
like everything's
perfectly fine.
But it's starting to feel like,
I mean, nevermind, it's...
Go on.
It's starting
to feel like Hell House.
And they didn't listen
to the warning signs,
did they, Russell?
I'm telling you, we
have to call it off right now.
You were there!
I mean you saw what
fucking happened!
And now you're gonna make
a fucking joke, right now.
To Alex, your fucking best bud.
Fuck you, man.
This is nothing like Hell House.
Nobody's gonna get hurt.
Don't tell me you're jumping
on the bus with Isabel?
No, that's not what
I'm saying, Russell.
What I'm saying is
I've personally recruited
people to be here,
and I feel like something
bad is gonna happen.
And if that happens,
that's on me and I
can't handle that, okay?
It won't.
If we all do our
jobs, including me,
I promise you, this
is gonna work out.
Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt.
But just, talking about Isabel,
we got her camera back
but the card is missing.
You guys know
anything about that?
What card?
The memory card
that goes in the camera.
We can't get any of
the footage off of it.
Ah, shit, we better find that.
Don't look at me.
So I've been tasked
with turning this
shit show of a hotel
into a functioning set.
This has been the least
enjoyable project I've worked on,
and I have done children's
theater in Alabama.
With Isabel's sudden departure,
how's everyone's
mood here on set?
I mean, it was
unfortunate to lose Isy.
We've had a few hiccups
as any production would.
You know, I wanna make
it explicitly clear
that nothing was wrong
with Isy's performance,
she's great, she
just had to leave.
Isy, baby girl, if
you're watching this,
we miss you.
I'm gonna see you in New
York, we'll have a drink.
Love you.
When Isabel left the
production suddenly,
it really wasn't a surprise
if you look back at her
social media history
while she was there.
I mean she was taking
a lot of selfies
and posting them on Facebook
or Instagram or whatever.
If you read the
comments carefully,
some people started to point
out things in the background.
I mean, if you look
at the pictures,
you can see there's
something there.
That's a fucking mannequin...
You good?
Just don't shit your
pants like last time.
Alex!
Alex, hold on!
What's wrong with it?
The zoom lens isn't focusing.
What does that mean?
It's working, it's just
being a little wonky.
Can you fix it?
Yeah.
Let me grab my bag from the car.
You know, they're
wrapped for the day,
do you wanna just go
back to the hotel?
Let me just take
care of it here.
And keep your eye on
the camera for me.
Sure.
Use it in case anything
weird or interesting happens.
Okay.
It's still recording!
Okay!
Jeff?
Harvey?
Hello?
Louie, if you're
screwing with me,
I'm gonna shove this
camera you know where.
Hello?
So Louie calls me
one afternoon saying,
essentially something
happened to Vanessa.
He wanted to pull her out
and go back to New York.
I said, that was
her call, not his.
There was no one anywhere
in the hotel, okay?
We cleared out well before the...
She said she
saw something, Jeff.
She's not crazy.
Look, I never said she was.
Well, then explain why
your guys' sets
are malfunctioning.
Excuse me?
Look, our sets are
not malfunctioning,
she is.
Okay, let's calm down.
And let's just
listen to Vanessa.
What do you think you saw?
I don't know, it
was really quick.
So maybe it was nothing?
Mm-hmm.
You know, maybe.
No way.
- Don't let them bully you.
- Look, I just,
I really wanna forget about
the whole thing, okay?
I'm a little embarrassed.
Vanessa.
I'm okay, Louie.
She just freaked
herself out, she's good.
I could already hear
my male colleagues saying.
"See? She couldn't handle it."
Yeah, I wasn't going anywhere.
Look, I just don't wanna
be called difficult
or crazy or all of
the other sexist
shit that men say about
women in the workplace.
I get it.
I mean, Jesus,
I've only had this
job a few months.
Louie, I can't screw it up
because I saw something
that I couldn't explain.
Just, hell no.
Believe me, I get
the situation you're in.
But you and I saw that video.
That was real.
And I got your back on that.
What do you wanna do?
I wanna talk to Russell.
Okay.
I think he gets in at
like 08:00 tomorrow?
No, right now.
You wanna
ambush him at his hotel?
Yeah.
I do.
If Russell thought he was
gonna be the first person
to use the Abaddon and not have
the unusual paranormal
incidents pile up,
he was insane.
And actually, a lot of
people thought he was insane.
It wasn't just Hell House.
There are countless people
who have disappeared
inside that hotel.
The latest being those
poor folks on that.
"Morning Mysteries" episode.
Last seen at a bar
near the Abaddon
before going missing.
- Oh, no.
- Coming on the dance floor.
Oh God.
- Well, it's okay.
- The dance commander.
There's the Billy
Braddock disappearance.
He posted on Facebook that
he was going to the Abaddon
to burn it down.
Never heard from again.
Most of these people film
what they were doing,
just like Hell
House and Insomnia.
Those tapes have
to exist somewhere.
Russell?
What is this?
What is that?
I have no idea.
What are you doing?
Hi, sorry, I was
looking for you actually.
I wanted to talk
to you if I could.
- Sorry.
- About what?
About the hotel, Russell.
I mean what's been
going on there?
Your people don't feel safe
and if I could just show you
the video that we shot earlier.
I don't need to see your video.
I'm sure you saw
something that scared you.
Then why aren't you concerned?
You're not here
to advise me on my business,
you're here to
document the opening.
I'm sorry about what
happened to you.
- Really am.
- Look, forget about
what happened to me,
just talk to your
own people, Russell.
They don't feel safe there.
I'll see
you guys at the Abaddon.
Was that Mitchell Cavanaugh?
Yeah.
The missing Mitchell Cavanaugh.
I don't know.
What do you wanna
do in case of rain?
It's one week until we open,
and young Jeffrey starts
to worry about everything,
Murphy's law.
Tell them to being umbrellas,
they'll be fine.
Alright, we still
running those buses
out of the city?
Only if they agree to the rate
they originally quoted
us, despite demand.
Agree?
Yeah, okay.
You know, everyone's
doing all right.
Everybody's in great spirits.
It's like no one notices
Isabel ran back to the city.
I don't know how.
They noticed.
But you and Harvey have
been doing a good job
helping to keep
everyone focused.
Thanks.
Yeah.
It's not easy.
This place.
Jeff?
Yeah, go ahead,
Harvey, I'm here, over.
I'm upstairs,
are we good to go
on the light test?
We good?
Yeah.
Yeah, good to go.
Russ and I will be
there in a bit, over.
Wonderful, over and out.
We'll get it.
Okay.
See you in there.
Mark, we're gonna start
doing the lighting test
on the second floor
whenever you're ready.
I'm in the bedroom.
Copy that.
Alright, bring everything
down to full dark, please.
Ain't got time to be doing this,
I had a million
things to do today.
Alright, give me the
dust lamp, please, on.
Okay, off on that.
Alright, give me the
red lamp, please.
Oh God, that looks so good.
It'd be even better
if we had two.
Ugh, we really
could've used two.
Off on the red lamp.
Jeff said we can
only afford one lamp.
Jeff says stop
flirting with Louie.
Jeff says the things
that make me sick.
What a guy, that Jeff.
What the f...
Lights up, lights up.
Hey, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Let's go again.
Come on, Jeff, give me some
of that money for the lights.
It's looking a
little drab in here.
Looks like dinner theater.
I don't do dinner theater.
Let's figure out a way to
move a few of these bottles,
then we'll talk.
What, you
mean this great backwash?
No, I wish.
I actually haven't been back
to New York in nine years.
Sounds like Gregory
met his first fan.
Girl actually likes him.
Confident, a little conceited.
I really like that.
Well, thanks.
You're welcome.
We'll enjoy you.
What the hell does that mean?
I hope you will.
Honestly, I'm done here.
You can say that again.
That's nice.
But you're never leaving here.
You know that, right?
What do you mean?
Because, silly.
He's coming.
And you're all going to hell.
- Hey, Gregory, we...
- Oh, hey, Jeff.
I was just talking to...
Where did she go?
What the.
Who were you talking to?
I don't know, she
didn't say her name.
She, uh, did you see her?
Nobody's here.
What are you talking about?
She was right here, dude.
Right here?
Two seconds ago.
Where did she go?
Was she...
Yeah, you have
an imaginary girlfriend now?
No.
She sounded cute though,
which is a stretch for you.
What did she look like?
She had like dark blonde hair
and she was wearing a
gray T-shirt, jeans.
I don't know, did
she go past you guys?
No.
She was like right here.
It was really strange.
The way she sounded.
What she was saying.
And no one has seen her
around the hotel since?
No.
Definitely didn't get a name?
No name.
But the way he described her...
What is it?
Sounded like,
sounded like Sara Havel.
I think Russell
had his enablers.
He was a lot like
Alex Taylor too.
People around him letting
him get away with things.
Never questioning him.
I think that's how Hell
House met its demise.
And so, too, Insomnia,
nine years later.
Russell knew what he
was doing the whole time.
That's what I think people
should know the most.
And I think that's where the
Alex and Russell
comparisons end.
Russell knew what was
coming opening night.
He knew it.
When everybody got together
the night before opening,
it was like nothing
had happened.
I think that's the
brilliance of Russell Wynn.
He created such a
comfortable atmosphere,
when there was just no right
for anyone to feel comfortable.
So Vanessa,
how single would
you say Louie is?
- Why are you asking?
- So what is the plan?
To be a big time news anchor or?
She already is a
big time news anchor.
Oh no.
Tell me, in your
luxurious career,
have you ever interviewed
anyone as uptight
as old Jeff here?
Anyone else give
you the Jeff face?
He might be the most uptight.
That's not the face he makes.
Ah.
- Responsible and...
- Oh, well, well, well.
Look who's so late.
- Hey.
- What's up?
Good to see you, all right!
Oh, there's no room?
I'll just, I should go?
Oh.
Ah, did I miss dinner?
By about 30 minutes, yeah.
What?
Hi, Mr. Wynn.
Hello.
What can I get for you?
How about a menu?
I'm actually sorry,
our kitchen closed
about 30 minutes ago.
It's 22:30.
I mean, I can go back there
and see if our chef will
whip you up something?
No, no, it's fine.
Can I just have
some dinner rolls
and a glass of red?
Yeah, sure!
What kind of wine you want?
Chteau Latour,
mid 80s preferably.
Maybe '91, if you have it?
I don't think we have
any Chteau anything.
Oh, we do have
Wynn Merlot though?
No, no, way overpriced.
Just the house red's good.
Sure, be right back with that.
Russell Wynn.
Mm-hmm.
Public amongst the people,
what should we
attribute this to?
Well, it's the last
night of normalcy,
so I wanna be with my people,
because after tomorrow,
it's gonna be hell.
Here you are, Mr. Wynn.
Cheers, cheers.
Nobody wants that, right?
- Hey!
- Thanks, bud.
Wow, okay.
Did anybody eat?
So, Jeff told me that you guys
are officially sold
out for the first week.
How's that make you feel?
Thank you for that question.
You're in interview mode.
Well, why can't you just relax?
And socialize like
a normal person?
That was normal socializing.
That was normal conversation.
Totally, okay.
That is a very good
question, Vanessa.
And I'm glad that you asked it,
because we are so excited
here for Insomnia.
The colonel is ready,
and we'll see you tomorrow.
But seriously, I don't think
you should come tomorrow night.
What?
Why wouldn't we come?
I don't,
you said that me Louie can come,
that's part of the plan,
I don't understand.
Yeah, but you could
film the dress rehearsal
and have the same effect.
What are you talking about?
You said that Louie
and I have full access.
Sure, but I think you
should pick another night.
Russell, what is going on?
Nothing.
Really, nothing?
- Mm-hmm.
- You expect me to
believe that?
So, can I get
anything else for you?
No, I think I'm gonna go to bed.
Just give the checks
to this guy right here.
He'll take care of it.
I'll take care of it.
Running away
Because I'm running away
On another day Take care.
Alright, goodnight everyone.
Night, Russ.
Sleep well.
You guys be ready for tomorrow.
Maybe.
Always.
Hey, hey!
Russell.
What's going on?
You really wanna know?
Yeah.
We have to go talk to
Father Paulis again.
I think he knows something.
Everything.
So,
do you wanna tell me
what Russell said to you?
Vanessa, what are we doing here?
Come on, Vanessa.
Like, open up,
like, tell me something, please.
- Okay.
- Hey, come on.
- Come on.
- Jesus Christ.
Let's go.
Father Paulis.
Hello, Miss Shepherd.
Can we talk to you?
I'm sorry, I'm very busy today,
I don't have time.
Father, I know that you're
not telling me everything
about your relationship
with Russell.
I'm sorry you feel that way.
Are you receiving
any money from Russell?
Money?
Yes, cash.
I can't shake this feeling that.
Russell's having some
banking issues right now
and that has to do with him
moving around large
sums of money.
He might be.
Do you know what
he's doing with this money?
I really don't think I can say.
Okay, Louie, come on.
Father, this is off the record.
This is too big to be
between just you and Russell.
Father, you said that you
know that Andrew Tully was
searching for this
fabled gateway to hell
in this town over 30 years ago.
What if he found it?
What if he found the gateway?
And he achieved what
he had always wanted,
which was to cross to the
other side and come back?
And Russell is having
hundreds of people
go through there later tonight.
You know,
Russell's a very troubled soul,
he, uh,
he's carrying a large
burden with him.
And that's making him do what?
As of tonight at midnight,
he's liquidating
all of his assets
and he's instructed
me to disperse them
to suitable charities.
Thank you.
Holy shit.
What does that mean?
I think that means
it's it for Russell tonight.
She drops this bombshell story
on New York Eight's website.
Breaks all kinds of
journalistic rules.
It goes national within an hour.
If she's wrong, she would've
been fired that day.
Turns out she was right.
Did you tell
him it was off the record?
I did.
But I knew that he
was hiding something.
Everybody did.
You know, I feel
like we came so close
to getting it shut
down before it opened.
Imagine that.
- This is working now.
- Okay.
It wasn't in, don't ask me.
I'm winning this game.
I'm bustard.
Thing of Insomnia,
just hours away,
at its new location,
the Abaddon Hotel.
We've just received news
regarding Russell Wynn's finances.
The report, from New York
Eight's Vanessa Shepherd,
host of "Morning
Mysteries", who has spoken
to the cast and
crew of Insomnia,
says that Russell Wynn is
planning a complete liquidation
of all of his assets and wealth,
effective midnight tonight.
What that means for Insomnia
and the rest of his
holdings and IP,
is still up in the...
Dude, what the fuck?
We're still getting paid, right?
I don't, what is liquidate?
- Jeff?
- He won't use it that way,
but it doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter, doesn't matter.
We're probably not getting paid.
Russell, what is this shit?
What the hell, Russell?
Father Paulis,
if you can't trust a priest.
What is this shit?
Her report's very misleading.
I'm not liquidating
my IP and the holdings
that fund projects
like Insomnia.
Who gives a shit about Insomnia?
This is bullshit!
This whole venture,
coming out to the
middle of nowhere.
Your shitty wine.
What else are you hiding?
I'm not hiding anything.
What I do with my money
is not your concern, Jeffrey.
I'm the COO of Wynn Media Group.
Of course it concerns me!
What I do with my money
- is not your concern!
- Oh, that's just great.
You know what?
That's just fucking great.
You done?
We open in two hours.
Get your shit together,
and let's have an awesome show.
Wait a minute, so
we're still open, right?
We're opening tonight?
Yes!
Okay, okay.
Let's get outta here.
Let's get everything ready.
I have no idea.
Nice try.
He was never gonna be able
to keep that story a secret.
But looking back,
it makes sense.
The tapes I found
the most interesting
were the unseen footage
shot by Hell House.
I can't begin to explain
how weird that was.
I'm in.
- Yes!
- Fuck yeah.
Alright.
I hate the fucking
city anyways, man.
- Perfect.
- He didn't say
we're gonna move there
permanently, though.
Trust me, guys, okay?
Mac, you're in, Paul's in, you,
you're, she's good.
I'm in if Lucifer's
Cabin is out.
Oh my God.
Please tell me that we can
retire Lucifer's Cabin?
We will retire Lucifer's Cabin.
We had some laughs.
Yes.
- Mac, can you?
- I mean, I do not
- have any laughs.
- It's recorded.
Let's go.
What you scared of, ghosts?
Come on.
- What are you scared of?
- Okay.
- Safe.
- I'm just saying
that there are, you know,
there are logistical concerns.
He's essentially
an expert, okay?
He saw everything
that Hell House found.
What do you wanna do?
Do you wanna go in blind?
Do you wanna lead the
way to the basement?
Obviously not.
Max, easy on the drinks,
keep them light.
Come on, the drunker they are,
the better reviews
they'll leave.
Yeah, yeah.
Harvey, go easy.
Okay, dad.
Woo!
Thank you all for coming out.
The hotel will open momentarily.
Deals will be made
with the devil.
God will forsake you.
You'll follow us
as we fall in love
and battle with our
innermost demons!
Into heaven and hell.
Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to Insomnia!
You look good, how do you feel?
Fucking great, darling.
Ready to go.
Faust, ready.
If there's anything we can do
to make your stay
more comfortable.
Hope you find everything
quite acquaint
and homey.
The bar is open,
the dining room is
ready to serve you.
Woo-hoo.
A wager, then?
No man can resist evil.
If I can destroy what
is divine in Faust,
the earth will be mine.
He's already a complicated soul,
like all men.
He preaches good,
but he does evil.
Gretchen is clear,
Mephisto and Faust are en
route to Witch's Kitchen.
20 seconds.
Okay.
20 seconds, copy.
Hey, Max, you have
incoming, over.
Anybody got eyes on Russell?
Last I saw him, he
was on the balcony.
Okay, where's that?
Do we have that?
We don't have
the camera on that.
Jeff, it's gonna be fine.
Okay, alright.
Just wonder.
Poor Faust.
Why do you seek death when
you haven't even lived?
Give me the duration
of your stay here,
one fall of sand
through the hour glass
and I'll be your servant.
Give you anything
your heart desires.
You do not possess the power
to give me what I truly want.
Try me!
Sign the contract.
Are those lights
supposed to be doing that?
Yeah.
It's the effect.
Jeff, calm down.
Stay here one night.
Alright, just wanna make sure.
You got me all nervous.
I can show you what
living can truly be.
So you're lonely?
We can remedy that.
Where, where is that?
What's going on?
The wine room.
What the hell is going on?
Holy shit.
Someone's in 2C.
What?
Who?
Where is that?
- Pull that up.
- Someone there.
Look, somebody
should find Russell.
Yeah, okay.
Wait, Jeff, Jeff!
Vanessa said she
wants you to wear this
at all times out there.
Right, okay, alright.
I tried 2C.
Yeah.
I guess I used your
camera after all.
Brilliant move with the cameras.
We taped everything too, when
we first opened this place.
Who hired you?
Hello, old Russell.
Your role is complete.
Just sit back and enjoy your
destiny about to be fulfill.
We'll all enter the
lake of fire together.
The beast's time has
come around at last.
Russell, Russell,
what the hell are you doing?
What are you doing?
He's coming.
You know the rules.
You cannot break
the deal, Faust!
Your life was one of old,
dust and moldy books.
This is not it!
What is it that you want then?
Remember, I have until
the hourglass runs out.
He doesn't make
wagers for souls.
It's far more
complicated than that.
The roots, far more ancient.
Who are you, goddammit?
God is not here.
Oh shit, Harvey?
Harvey!
Harvey, Harvey!
Look, we got to get outta here.
To the exits, spread out!
To the exit!
To the exits right
now, everyone out!
Jeff, something
happened to Gregory!
Get the hell out
of here right now.
Corner bar, this way!
Everybody out now, to
the exits, right now!
That way, keep going, this
is not part of the show.
Get outta here.
You too, now.
Help, help!
There's some,
there's something
happening inside the hotel.
We heard an alarm of some sort,
and we definitely
heard the sound of,
hold on.
There's something.
Who are you?!
You can't stop this!
You can't have her!
As fire crews
continue to battle the blaze
at the Abaddon Hotel,
I have word that all
audience members and staff
were found in the cornfields
behind the hotel,
miraculously unharmed.
Wynn Media Group
COO, Jeff Stone,
says Russell Wynn is
still unaccounted for.
Sometime during the
20:00 p.m. performance,
a fire broke out quickly.
And reports are,
that it started in
the hotel's basement.
No word yet on the cause
or the whereabouts
of Russell Wynn.
There's nothing left, huh?
I don't think I'll ever
figure out what happened here.
What happened to us?
What happened to Russell?
I thought I died.
You did.
Russell brought us back.
How?
It was the car crash.
That's why he was here.
What a lot of people don't know
is that Russell
essentially died twice.
I don't know, we knew
about the car crash.
Everybody knew that.
It's how he got his scar.
What we didn't know
was that supposedly, Russell
was legally dead
for two minutes.
You can't go public with that.
I don't think
"Morning Mysteries"
is gonna show any of this.
I guess you could say
he went to the other
side and came back.
If you believe in that stuff?
Do you believe that story?
About Russell dying
in the car crash?
I mean if you had asked
me a few months ago,
I would've said no.
But I was reminded
of something that
Father Paulis said
in their first interview.
No man could close the gateway.
It would take an angel
from God himself.
The most interesting
thing we've learned
in the wake of these events
is the discovery of
dozens of tapes and drives
in Russell Wynn's hotel room.
There's a treasure
trove of information.
Some of the tapes have
been made available.
Now we know what happened to
the "Morning Mysteries" people.
The Hell House
footage, however, was
bizarre, to say the least.
The police are calling them.
"The Abaddon Tapes".
Oh, what the fuck?
Yo!
Yo, what the fuck
happened, guys?
We don't know, are you okay?
Yo!
What happened to
you, motherfucker?
Well, I went down
in the basement and...
You alright?
And then, yeah.
We're okay now, though, right?
Yeah, I think so.
I feel pretty fucking good.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm alright.
You're good?
I'm alright.
You're good?
Yeah.
What do you say we
get the fuck outta here, huh?
Dude, let's
get the fuck outta here.
Let's go back to New York.
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, shit.
Tony, can you help here,
I can't get outta here?
One, two.
Unlock it.
It's not supposed to be locked
- in the first place.
- Use a deadbolt.
There's no deadbolt.
You can't leave.
None of us can.
And why the hell not?
Because we died here.
The hotel took us.
Who are you?
I'm the one who
closed the gateway.
You're the one who
helped open it.
We're not dying here, okay?
We're not dying.
It's not supposed
to happen this way.
- We're not supposed to die.
- Get that shit open, man.
That's not supposed to happen.
We just did fucking.
No, we're not supposed to.
Let's just give it up.
Just give it up.
Aren't you gonna help me?
Or anyone wanna help
me with this door?!
Ah, fuck.
I'm so sorry this
happened to you.
It's time to move on.
- Wait.
- Where the fuck's he going?
Aah.
Fuck it, holmes.
Let's see if that
bar is still open.
Let's do.
Let's go.
Come have a drink with us.
I had a feeling
you guys were gonna call me
after what happened
with Russell.
Where are we gonna start?
After Hell House, I
thought that was it.
End of story.
You know, they'd tear it down.
Well, not only did the
town not demolish it,
but nearly 10 years later,
one of the richest men
in the country is planning
to open it up again.
Had you
heard of the show Insomnia
before it opened
up at the Abaddon?
I knew it was a hit in New York,
that's about it.
And then, Vanessa Shepherd
takes over for Suzy McCombs,
on "Morning Mysteries".
And gets invited to film an
all-access, behind-the-scenes
episode of Russell
Wynn's Insomnia.
Hello everyone,
I'm Gregory Sandvick,
and I play Faust,
the lead, obviously.
What's your favorite thing
about doing this play here at
the infamous Abaddon hotel?
Honestly, there's nothing I like
about being here at this hotel.
Let alone having
something I like most.
I mean, the conditions
here aren't suitable
for high school theater,
let alone something
the scale of Insomnia.
But I'm not gonna, you
know, complain to the union
or anything, 'cause Russell's
paying us pretty well.
Russell's a complete visionary,
I have a lot of respect for him.
He's taken a
classic, like Faust,
and put this modern twist on it.
He's made it relatable for
even millennials, you know?
It's literally God
versus the devil,
they're playing this game
with Faust in the middle,
and Faust could be
anyone, Faust could be me!
I don't know what
Russell's plan is to get
an audience here.
I mean, the people in this town
don't really strike me as
the theater type, you know?
But don't judge a
book by its cover.
Unless that cover's
in upstate New York.
Think we're next!
Hey, what's up, I'm Max.
Hey Vanessa.
I play Mephistopheles.
My friend lazy Susan,
she's my partner in crime.
That's really cool,
would you mind if we actually
turned that off, though,
while we're doing the interview?
It's just kinda loud, it's
messing with the audio,
is that okay?
Sure.
Thank you.
No problem.
The last time this bar
was featured in a tale,
was when Hell House had
their celebratory spirits
right here in this
room, 10 years ago?
That guy that played Lucifer
was that guy from like Queens,
he had really thick New...
He'd be like, "Yeah,
welcome to Lucifer's cabin."
Lucifer's cabin, yeah.
This is like doing
Julius fricking Caesar
at the theater of Pompeii ruins.
Have you watched
the Hell House documentary?
Bits and pieces.
And none of what's shown
on it disturbed you?
Like what?
Well, the
unexplained things happening
to the crew.
What's that?
People disappearing here.
Here we go!
All right, Ben,
challenge accepted.
I'm goin' in.
Inanimate objects moving around
on their own?
I haven't seen the movie.
I don't know, it seemed
like one of those silly
found-footage films,
it's not really my thing.
I don't think, I
don't think I'll be watching
the film while I'm here.
At least you guys don't have to
stay overnight here.
They stayed overnight?
It's supposed to be
haunted, but I mean,
you would know
more than I would.
It is not haunted.
Have you heard any
bumps in the night?
- Did you hear that?
- Yeah.
It sounded like a scream.
- Holy shhhh...
- Oh, fuck.
Seen it?
I own it!
I mean, some pretty
messed-up shit
happened to those people here.
Tony, let me the fuck out!
Tony, fuck!
It doesn't bother you
that people died
here while, I mean,
putting on a show
like you guys are?
Yeah, I will say I, I do
know where every exit is.
Hello? Anybody?
There's no knob!
What do you mean,
there's no fucking knob?
There's no knob!
There were
reports of several people
having gone missing and
their last known location
was this hotel.
Most recently the guests of
"Morning Mysteries" last year,
Mitchell Cavanaugh,
Brock Davies?
Have you head of any of this?
The hotel wants to be heard.
What the fuck is happening?
Let's get the fuck outta here.
Go, go, go, go, go!
My name is Vanessa Shepherd,
I was the host of
"Morning Mysteries"
when Russell took over
the Abaddon Hotel in 2018.
When my producers
came to me and said
that they wanted me to do
an episode at the Abaddon,
I said that I was
not interested.
Yeah, Vanessa
wasn't interested at all.
But once we mentioned
Russell Wynn,
her ears perked up a little bit.
The most striking thing,
other than what
happened that night,
was that Russell was very open
to allowing Vanessa and Louie
to film everything.
We thought it was a
long shot, and that
we'd never get called back.
Actually looking back,
maybe that was a red flag.
Ghosts sightings,
disappearances,
even reports of
demonic possession.
I, is this real?
Okay,.
All right, let's go again, okay.
With all of these
events happening,
all the history,
all the mysteries,
enter Russell Wynn,
the founder of Wynn Media Group.
An entrepreneur that made
his first million by 25,
and has since been
building a media empire
along with his hit
live-action interactive shows.
Russell took his love
of prominent theater
and poured it into a passion
project called Insomnia.
An interactive and
dark performance piece
that has received overwhelming
love from the press
and audience members.
I've been granted full
behind-the-scenes access
to the set of Insomnia,
in its very new location.
The Abaddon Hotel.
Okay, that's my intro,
can I meet Russell now?
Right now, no.
He's in a creative meeting,
they can go on for,
I don't know,
depends on his mood.
So after that?
Yeah, probably.
This is Jeff Stone,
Russell's head of?
- Operations.
- Operations, yes.
What does that entail?
Right now, keeping you occupied.
Russell wants me
to give you a tour
before we do introductions
with everyone.
You afraid to go in?
Aren't you?
You're doing a
behind-the-scenes documentary
on Insomnia at
the Abaddon Hotel.
You do realize you'll have
to go in eventually, right?
I know that, okay.
Good.
Honestly we were
all a bit hesitant
about going in at first but
it's really just wood and nails.
That's what Russell always says.
- Is that?
- From Hell House, yeah.
You'll see a few of their
things still laying around.
Ladies and gentlemen,
this is my buddy, Hector.
We haven't
fully made it ours yet
but it's really starting
to come together,
you might think.
Trust me you'll be fine, we've
been here for three weeks.
The only thing scary in
here is the asbestos.
Russell's made certain
some of the actors
and production staff will
be available for interviews.
Oh, including you?
Give you a quote right now,
I can't wait to get the
hell back to New York.
Oh, hey, Jeff, can
I post this on Insta?
Just make sure you clear
it with Russell first.
Thanks.
Alright, you'll like this.
Russell had the
old bottles pulled
and replaced with his personal
label out of California.
Ooh!
What's your wine of
choice there, hot shot?
Pretty impressive.
You think so?
Sure.
You can have about 15-20
boxes, how big is your van?
We're not moving that anyway.
- Okay, good.
- You'd be doing me
a big favor.
Sounds good.
Anyway, this room is
gonna be the most popular
set for the audience, I
think, along with the bar
- which is actually...
- Whoa.
Jeff, what's going on?
I'm still here, don't freak out.
- Okay, I'm not freaking out.
- Power's been spotty
for the past few days,
it usually comes back on
in about 10 seconds or so.
Okay.
You wanted the
Insomnia experience,
here you have it.
Sure getting it, yeah.
Here we go, like I said,
just about 10 seconds or so.
Alright, so shall we...
Power went out again.
Love the dark.
Thank you, Max.
Harvey.
Harvey, what can I do for you?
Do for me?
What can you do for me?
You can make me
a size two again.
But Russ, what
you can do for him
is know that he's finished
and we're in the basement.
He's no good with radios.
Harvey's the head of
artistic operations.
- Okay.
- He's also a big pain in my,
wait, what, where are you?
You're in the basement?
Aah,
because he still wants
to use it in the show,
because we all know
it's gonna be super safe
for my actors and not
a liability at all.
Did you hear my
side on your end?
I just wanna make sure
that was audible, copy.
Yeah, tell Russell
to meet me in the bar,
I'm not going in the basement.
After you meet Russell,
you'll love him.
- Great.
- We'll go through Heaven.
Sounds good.
Well, this is Heaven.
If you didn't figure
it out on your own.
This is where God'll make
his wager with the Devil
with our angels as his witness.
The white, a little clich,
but that's what Russell wants.
I thought I saw something.
Otherwise you guys can...
- What?
- Someone.
What's going on?
What are you guys looking at?
Abaddon eyes, that's
what we call it.
Everybody feels like they
saw something out of
the corner of their eyes
or just felt like
they're being watched.
It happens to all of us,
just our imaginations
messing with us.
Abaddon eyes.
You coming?
- Yeah, I'm coming.
- Are you sure you don't wanna
just hang out?
No, no.
Okay, shall we?
So...
Oh, hey, guys.
Guess where I was
in the blackout?
Right fucking here.
Think about that.
That's why we
have a buddy system.
Fuck off.
All a... Okay.
Actors.
Here, makes his shit wine,
and he insists on using
the damn basement.
Hey, sweetie!
Hey, honey!
One of my least favorite
people in the world!
Well, right back at ya.
Where's your buddy here?
Where is he?
Old Russ is coming up
the stairs right about now.
You can't rush perfection.
Five, four, three and one.
Oh, there he is, Jeff.
How are you?
How you doing, wine-maker?
Huh. Didn't see you
down in the basement.
Not a peep.
Look at that.
- He opened it right up.
- You brought your
- camera crew.
- Hi.
- Hi, I'm Vanessa Shepherd.
- Russell Wynn.
It's nice to meet you,
- Russell.
- Pleasure to meet you.
Thank you for having us here,
we're really excited.
So you're the new
"Morning Mysteries" girl?
I am.
That's too bad, I liked Suzy.
Don't get me wrong,
she was a total bitch,
but I liked her.
And don't thank me yet.
Why is that?
Well, I'm sure you've
heard all the stories
about this place.
Everyone who enters
with a camera
never seems to make it.
Don't do that.
She barely came in as it is.
He's just kidding.
I'm just screwing with you.
Ah, well, we will try
to stay out of your way
as much as possible.
Just be two, no, thank you,
flies on the wall.
I appreciate that.
I like what you've done
with "Morning Mysteries".
Oh, I didn't
think that you watch?
He doesn't.
I do.
He does.
And none of your
guests have disappeared,
so you've got that on Suzy.
That is true, thank you.
Lawson, is it?
Louie, actually.
Uh-huh.
I'm a huge
fan of all of your shows
and everything that you've done.
You've got good taste.
And I give you full permission
to film to your heart's content.
And when you follow the actors,
they may moan and groan,
but it's all part of the show.
They're actors and they
secretly love attention.
Yeah, it's no secret.
Well, where should we start?
Let's meet everyone.
Yeah.
Ah, there he is.
Alright, everyone.
Welcome, welcome, so
Vanessa and her guy, Lonnie?
- Lonnie?
- Louie.
Louie!
They're gonna be embedded with
us for the entire duration.
They'll be filming everything,
so don't say anything
you don't want a few
million people to hear.
And I'll leave it
to you, Vanessa.
Thank you.
As you guys can see,
we've handed a few of you
your own mini-camcorders.
Why did we do this?
Well, we want to
encourage you to film
anything that you want.
Self-taped interviews, any
fun behind-the-scenes stuff
that we might miss.
And when we wrap here,
we'll grab everyone's cameras
and incorporate that
footage into the episode.
Make sense?
Question, Russell.
- Yeah.
- What happens if we catch
a ghost on camera?
That's a good.
Wow, great
question, really good.
In your case, Gregory,
you could ask it if
it's ever heard of you,
if it's ever seen you,
maybe seen your reel.
Probably has.
Some of your work, perhaps.
I was in that other thing
called Shakespeare In The Park,
I mean, I don't know.
Have you heard of it?
It was a brilliant,
brilliant summer
theater, thank you.
Which show were you in?
No.
- Don't, don't.
- Don't get him going.
"Into The Woods",
it was me and Amy Adams.
You and Amy Adams?!
You were like tree number three!
Two people played a
tree better than you.
Ooh.
Alright, take it easy.
Well, anyways, what I
really want everyone to do
is just pretend that
we're not even here.
If you've ever seen the
show "The Office", anyone?
Okay, well, we're
like that camera crew.
Just catching everything.
I hated "The Office".
- It was pretty...
- Minimalistic.
Yeah, it didn't make any sense.
Alright, they're a
pretty difficult group
to keep focused.
So let's stay on task, okay?
Wait, no.
- Question, Russell?
- Yes. Mm-hmm.
Could we still post
on social media or?
Yes, same restrictions,
keep it vague.
Yes, actually, we
encourage social media.
Just make sure to tag
"Morning Mysteries."
Okay, so #MM?
Actually, "Morning Mysteries".
So not MM?
No.
- The full...
- But I think MM
sounds better, it's like food.
It's like Mm.
And it keeps it vague, you know?
We want it to be not vague,
it's very specific,
"Morning Mysteries".
She's too bossy.
Right, well, this is going well.
I just wanted you
guys all to meet,
so here we are.
Bye.
Thank you, thanks.
I think, Gregory...
I believe we need to
go back to the city.
Believe it or not, the
wine's not selling like it...
I'm sorry, can...
Sorry, Jeff, can I just
interrupt for a second?
I was wondering if I could
give you guys cameras as well?
Ah, I'd love to, but no can do.
Gotta keep my hands free.
- Sorry.
- Okay, you know what?
We could probably get
a Go-Pro or something?
And Russell, can I
give you a camera?
I, I'm not gonna,
you know, use it.
That's okay,
- I understand.
- I'm not a camera guy.
But we just want you
to have it, just in case,
you don't have to use it if
you don't want to, it's fine.
Good, let's just
get this real quick.
Just come up with
us and we'll help you,
whatever you need, okay?
- So cold in here.
- Just...
- Oh, fuck!
- Oh my God!
Go, go, go!
Go, go, go, go!
Look at this.
Whoa!
That's creepy.
Whoa.
Would you look at that?
Alex, don't fuck with me!
Dude!
Tony, what the fuck is it...
Okay, let's get out of here.
Yeah.
Okay.
So if you do a search anywhere,
Google, Reddit, whatever,
you find a plethora of
unexplained photos and videos.
Most of them really
into the hotel
or the town itself.
Hell House was not
the first incident
to happen in this town,
only the most popular.
There are some
disappearances related to
an early 2000 County Fair.
That raises some red
flags for me now.
The Billy Braddock story
alone is unsettling.
It's Louie for the five o'clock.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I have to show you something
before we have a meeting.
Sure, sure.
I was just updating the journal.
And then remember when Jeff said
something about the
whole Abaddon Eyes thing?
- People think they...
- People think they
see something, exactly.
So my camera,
I think it caught something.
Oh?
Oh, oh, do I wanna see this?
Probably not.
Awesome, okay.
Hello?
Guys?
Where are you?
Jesus Christ!
Grab!
- Come on, guys.
- Whoa.
That's fucked up.
- I know, you looked so sad.
- Why me?
It's sexist, that's sexism.
It's sexism, what?
And Russell would be upset
if he knew that you were
playing with these things
and I don't,
if he asks, I don't
have a part of that.
I'm not part of that.
- Okay.
- Well, you were on camera.
Just so you know.
It's worth it.
Well, do you think that's what
Vanessa gave us cameras for?
- They handed them out.
- I don't think that's
- what she had in mind.
- They handed them out.
Bye, mom.
I think Vanessa should thank us,
because there would be
no footage otherwise.
Yeah, that's true,
otherwise we'd have to listen to
Gregory go on and
on about his craft.
That would be
good television, my friend.
What else?
Let's see.
Your bank called again.
Which one?
All of them.
Damn.
Is something going on?
Like what?
I don't know, Russ.
I've only got one bank,
if they called,
I'd be concerned.
Oh, Isabel, she asked
me a weird question.
What's that?
She asked if she
would still get her pay
if she had to quit
for some reason?
No.
Is she thinking about quitting?
I don't think so.
Like I said, it was
a weird question.
Huh.
Alright, I'm
off to wardrobe then.
Jane hates her dress as much
as I hate old Jeff's budget.
Yeah.
Both of them are cheap.
See you later, Harvey.
Bye, honey.
This, Father Paulis
dropped this off for you.
Thanks.
Can I ask you about the hotel
reopening in a few weeks?
How do you feel about that?
I told Russell, it's a mistake.
And what did he say?
He hired me.
Huh.
Good.
Something I should know?
No, it's private.
Okay.
How do you know that guy?
He's an old friend.
Many demons claim to be
the souls of real people
that once wandered the earth
thousands of years ago.
Even during the time of Christ.
They try and use their
memories of events
to sow doubt into believers.
One demon that we've
encountered here in Abaddon,
has said over and over,
"Est Aperta Porta."
Wait, what is that?
It's Latin, I think.
What does it mean, do you know?
The gate is open.
That's right.
Father, can I ask if you've ever
heard of Andrew Tully?
Mm-hmm, I have.
And Tully believed
that he found this gateway
and the gateway to hell.
We are servants of the snake
and we will release someone
into the lake of fire.
The church is rich
with references
to hell and Satan.
There are some old texts
that refer to an
earthly gateway to hell
and the demon, Abaddon,
being the guard
and it's been said that
no man can close this
gate once opened.
It would take an angel
from God himself.
But if that gate is open,
literal hell could be
unleashed on earth.
And there's also some
versions of the bible
that dismiss all
this as metaphorical.
So there's really no stance
that the church holds.
Are you bringing people
all the way out here?
No, I just needed some air.
And it might be the only time
we get a chance
to chat today, so.
You lowered ticket prices 30%,
are you expecting
a drop in revenue?
That was Jeff's idea.
He didn't think that
people would pay full price
to come all the way out here.
So we decreased it to
increase ticket sales.
Personally, I think
people pay whatever I say
and we'll still sell out,
because it's a great show.
I think you're right about that.
People will pay to see the show
in this godforsaken hotel.
Why do you say that?
Say what?
Godforsaken.
Did you mean it literally or
- some expression?
- Does anyone ever use that
term literally?
I mean, I don't
even believe in God.
Neither did I.
And then?
Don't tell me you're
born again or something?
That would be a nice
twist on the story.
Not like you're thinking.
Did Hell House come out here?
No, it was the County Fair
grounds in the early 2000s.
And so they had the
fair grounds over there.
And they used the cornfields
behind the Abaddon
Hotel as a hayride.
But they closed it down once
some people got injured.
So this is where that happened?
Yeah.
Sad.
And a few years after that,
Hell House comes to town.
Mm-hmm.
And nine years after that,
Russell Wynn comes to town.
I know what you're getting at.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you would
think at some point
the town would just
stop having events here.
Well, fortunately
it's not up to them.
You still haven't told anyone
why you moved Insomnia
out here, this year.
Can you tell me?
Russ, there's wardrobe drama,
I need you inside now, over.
Why do you need me in wardrobe?
And asked them to do wardrobe.
Very helpful.
We'll have to
continue this later.
Promise?
As much as I can.
It's progress.
Oh, this is weird.
What the hell is that?
I don't know.
It's funky looking, look.
On me.
B.D.?
Mm.
Leave it.
I'll give Russell credit, he
he allowed people to have fun,
to enjoy themselves at work.
You know, but he also had rules.
And he didn't want
anyone wandering alone
in the hotel after hours.
Call it what you will.
Good fortune!
Heart, love, or God!
I have no name for
it, feeling is all.
The name is sound and smoke.
Sorry.
I don't think I get it.
Is he questioning the
existence of Heaven?
He's explaining to Gretchen
his own doubts about
heaven and hell,
as depicted by Christianity,
Faust is full of doubts.
Do I share those doubts?
Guys, look, if we're gonna
unpack Faust's
views on religion,
I think we should
take a dinner first.
- Right.
- Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Should we try and do
this one more, yeah?
Yeah, one more take thing.
Hey, seems like
everything's going well.
Yeah, this place
is half the size
of our theater in the city.
It's easier to manage.
How's Russell holding up?
Mm, I can't get a read.
It's different than New York.
I've never read Faust.
No?
No, I don't plan to either.
That's a wrap, guys.
Okay, you can do a bonfire,
but we want everyone
back at the hotels
by 21:00 sharp.
Harvey will be doing
room by room headcounts.
Got it?
- Yes.
- Got it.
If you're gonna
shoot the bonfire,
make sure you get
when Harvey gets drunk
and tries to walk over the fire.
Jeff, I only did that twice.
It was my year of saying yes.
Why would you even
bring that up?
What is that relevant to
- what we're doing right now?
- You were so good.
You were so close last time.
Oh, God.
That's funny.
Guys, everybody's gone.
So you gonna do it?
I mean, yeah, for 500 bucks!
Show me that money,
I'm going in there.
Are you?
I'm not going
into that basement.
Cool, so Greg's a pussy.
Wait, you said you
need 500 to do it,
you don't sound that brave.
I need some kind of
compensation for my work.
Why?
It's just fucked
up to run in there
in the fucking dark on a dare.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, because you
saw a scary movie?
Yeah.
And 'cause Russell
and Jeff will kill me.
True.
Fuck it.
I'll do it.
For real?
So, you go basement and back,
same stakes, free drinks on me.
Done.
If Russell finds out...
Are you gonna tell him?
Are any of you gonna tell him?
- So we're good?
- No.
We're good.
Let's do it.
Let's go.
- Do it, do it, do it.
- Woo!
Do it, do it.
So I just.
I just got to go and touch
the clown on the nose
on camera and come back?
I don't have to
make out with it?
I mean, if you do,
I wanna watch that tape.
Here.
Be quick, please.
Peace out, motherfuckers.
Ooh, you have a good time.
See y'all
bitches on the flip side.
Hmm, maybe I'll have a little,
a little bev first.
I got to pee!
Hello.
Razzmatazz.
Ladies, pleasure.
That's not cool, guys.
I know it's you.
Bartender!
Fix me a drink.
Okay.
Cool.
Alright, I'm entering
the basement.
Peace out, motherfuckers.
Okay, cool.
Entering the basement.
What's up, guys?
Oh, nice clowns, Hell House.
Looking good.
Damn, bruh.
Looking a little rough.
Alright, dick wads.
Check this out.
I'm gonna give you
guys a little bonus.
Alright, that's about as
raunchy as I'm gonna get.
Oh, shit.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Fuck.
Oh my God.
Are you okay?
Shit, fuck.
What the fuck happened to you?
Are you okay?
What the fuck was she thinking?
You heard me, I
said nobody inside
after we wrap.
You said it, I said it,
even Harvey said it.
She must've had
too much to drink
and just got stupid.
Look, she didn't even
show up on set today either.
I'll talk to her.
I checked her camera.
She's telling the truth.
She did see that clown.
Goddammit.
You got to make sure
they're not playing pranks
on each other anymore
around this place.
I will, I will,
I'll keep a tighter
leash on them.
Make sure they
know it's serious.
I said I will.
Okay.
We got to get on the same page.
Mm-hmm.
We agree that maybe
she saw something.
Yeah.
But we float the idea
that maybe it was
someone messing with her.
One of the pranks,
because people have
been pranking each other
since we got here.
If we get ahead of it,
then we can stop
them speculating,
or God forbid, tweet about it.
This conversation doesn't air.
Yes?
Yes.
Good.
I know Jane.
And she does not break easy.
Russell thinks one of
us fucked with her, but
I know I didn't.
There's just a lot of
weird shit going on.
How does that make you feel
coming into work today?
What am I gonna do?
The man's paying us better
than any other gig I
could possibly get.
Why do you
think Russell's doing that?
Paying everyone more to be here?
I've only known him
for like five years.
But I think he's changed
since the crash.
The car crash in 2008?
Yeah.
He's lucky to be alive.
Put it that way.
The rumor is that they
were actually about to
call it.
What do you think that has to do
with him leaving the city?
Can massive head
trauma lead people to do
some crazy stuff?
Maybe.
Do you know if
we're just supposed to
like, continuously
film with these things?
Mine's already full.
She didn't really say anything.
Well, your camera's pretty nice.
I mean, maybe you should
try to take it home.
Are you all right, Isabel?
Yeah, what's going on with you?
You're very quiet today.
I'm fine.
You sure?
I'm fine.
What do you
think happened to Jane?
Only person that
could pull off a prank
like that, is me.
And I was with you
the whole time, so.
Were you?
Yeah, I think so.
Either way, I didn't do it,
so doesn't matter.
If I had seen that clown,
I would've pooped in my panties.
She really did see it, then.
Credit to her for
sticking around.
She's tough for a girl.
Oh, fuck you, Gregory.
All woman are tougher than you.
Please.
Hey baby girl,
are you with the boys?
I'm just finishing
up their makeup.
You guys ready downstairs?
So once you're done turning them
from drab to fab,
send them my way, please, out.
Copy.
Get into character, barkeep.
Want shots?
Yes.
Putting this over
here for you, okay?
Hello?
Fuck.
Fuck.
Okay.
Fuck.
Hello?
Jane?
Jane!
Jane, really?
Come on.
Jane, this is so fucked up.
I thought more money would help.
It worked on Jane.
Goddammit.
Now we have to rehire.
So close to opening, too.
What did you offer her to stay?
Double pay, same as Jane.
That better not leave this room.
Look, I've got some calls out,
I'm sure we'll have the
department filled by tomorrow.
Just make sure you stay
quiet about why she left.
Of course, but what are
we gonna inevitably say
when the others start asking?
You know this cast
is gossipy as hell.
Could be she just
burned out, got too tired.
People get tired, right?
Jeff, I have known
Isabel for years.
We're not gonna go around saying
she's too tired
to do a gig, okay?
Look, I know I'm a
bit over the top,
but listen to me.
Something is wrong here.
You know it, we know it,
everybody knows it.
And we're just plowing
through the day
like everything's
perfectly fine.
But it's starting to feel like,
I mean, nevermind, it's...
Go on.
It's starting
to feel like Hell House.
And they didn't listen
to the warning signs,
did they, Russell?
I'm telling you, we
have to call it off right now.
You were there!
I mean you saw what
fucking happened!
And now you're gonna make
a fucking joke, right now.
To Alex, your fucking best bud.
Fuck you, man.
This is nothing like Hell House.
Nobody's gonna get hurt.
Don't tell me you're jumping
on the bus with Isabel?
No, that's not what
I'm saying, Russell.
What I'm saying is
I've personally recruited
people to be here,
and I feel like something
bad is gonna happen.
And if that happens,
that's on me and I
can't handle that, okay?
It won't.
If we all do our
jobs, including me,
I promise you, this
is gonna work out.
Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt.
But just, talking about Isabel,
we got her camera back
but the card is missing.
You guys know
anything about that?
What card?
The memory card
that goes in the camera.
We can't get any of
the footage off of it.
Ah, shit, we better find that.
Don't look at me.
So I've been tasked
with turning this
shit show of a hotel
into a functioning set.
This has been the least
enjoyable project I've worked on,
and I have done children's
theater in Alabama.
With Isabel's sudden departure,
how's everyone's
mood here on set?
I mean, it was
unfortunate to lose Isy.
We've had a few hiccups
as any production would.
You know, I wanna make
it explicitly clear
that nothing was wrong
with Isy's performance,
she's great, she
just had to leave.
Isy, baby girl, if
you're watching this,
we miss you.
I'm gonna see you in New
York, we'll have a drink.
Love you.
When Isabel left the
production suddenly,
it really wasn't a surprise
if you look back at her
social media history
while she was there.
I mean she was taking
a lot of selfies
and posting them on Facebook
or Instagram or whatever.
If you read the
comments carefully,
some people started to point
out things in the background.
I mean, if you look
at the pictures,
you can see there's
something there.
That's a fucking mannequin...
You good?
Just don't shit your
pants like last time.
Alex!
Alex, hold on!
What's wrong with it?
The zoom lens isn't focusing.
What does that mean?
It's working, it's just
being a little wonky.
Can you fix it?
Yeah.
Let me grab my bag from the car.
You know, they're
wrapped for the day,
do you wanna just go
back to the hotel?
Let me just take
care of it here.
And keep your eye on
the camera for me.
Sure.
Use it in case anything
weird or interesting happens.
Okay.
It's still recording!
Okay!
Jeff?
Harvey?
Hello?
Louie, if you're
screwing with me,
I'm gonna shove this
camera you know where.
Hello?
So Louie calls me
one afternoon saying,
essentially something
happened to Vanessa.
He wanted to pull her out
and go back to New York.
I said, that was
her call, not his.
There was no one anywhere
in the hotel, okay?
We cleared out well before the...
She said she
saw something, Jeff.
She's not crazy.
Look, I never said she was.
Well, then explain why
your guys' sets
are malfunctioning.
Excuse me?
Look, our sets are
not malfunctioning,
she is.
Okay, let's calm down.
And let's just
listen to Vanessa.
What do you think you saw?
I don't know, it
was really quick.
So maybe it was nothing?
Mm-hmm.
You know, maybe.
No way.
- Don't let them bully you.
- Look, I just,
I really wanna forget about
the whole thing, okay?
I'm a little embarrassed.
Vanessa.
I'm okay, Louie.
She just freaked
herself out, she's good.
I could already hear
my male colleagues saying.
"See? She couldn't handle it."
Yeah, I wasn't going anywhere.
Look, I just don't wanna
be called difficult
or crazy or all of
the other sexist
shit that men say about
women in the workplace.
I get it.
I mean, Jesus,
I've only had this
job a few months.
Louie, I can't screw it up
because I saw something
that I couldn't explain.
Just, hell no.
Believe me, I get
the situation you're in.
But you and I saw that video.
That was real.
And I got your back on that.
What do you wanna do?
I wanna talk to Russell.
Okay.
I think he gets in at
like 08:00 tomorrow?
No, right now.
You wanna
ambush him at his hotel?
Yeah.
I do.
If Russell thought he was
gonna be the first person
to use the Abaddon and not have
the unusual paranormal
incidents pile up,
he was insane.
And actually, a lot of
people thought he was insane.
It wasn't just Hell House.
There are countless people
who have disappeared
inside that hotel.
The latest being those
poor folks on that.
"Morning Mysteries" episode.
Last seen at a bar
near the Abaddon
before going missing.
- Oh, no.
- Coming on the dance floor.
Oh God.
- Well, it's okay.
- The dance commander.
There's the Billy
Braddock disappearance.
He posted on Facebook that
he was going to the Abaddon
to burn it down.
Never heard from again.
Most of these people film
what they were doing,
just like Hell
House and Insomnia.
Those tapes have
to exist somewhere.
Russell?
What is this?
What is that?
I have no idea.
What are you doing?
Hi, sorry, I was
looking for you actually.
I wanted to talk
to you if I could.
- Sorry.
- About what?
About the hotel, Russell.
I mean what's been
going on there?
Your people don't feel safe
and if I could just show you
the video that we shot earlier.
I don't need to see your video.
I'm sure you saw
something that scared you.
Then why aren't you concerned?
You're not here
to advise me on my business,
you're here to
document the opening.
I'm sorry about what
happened to you.
- Really am.
- Look, forget about
what happened to me,
just talk to your
own people, Russell.
They don't feel safe there.
I'll see
you guys at the Abaddon.
Was that Mitchell Cavanaugh?
Yeah.
The missing Mitchell Cavanaugh.
I don't know.
What do you wanna
do in case of rain?
It's one week until we open,
and young Jeffrey starts
to worry about everything,
Murphy's law.
Tell them to being umbrellas,
they'll be fine.
Alright, we still
running those buses
out of the city?
Only if they agree to the rate
they originally quoted
us, despite demand.
Agree?
Yeah, okay.
You know, everyone's
doing all right.
Everybody's in great spirits.
It's like no one notices
Isabel ran back to the city.
I don't know how.
They noticed.
But you and Harvey have
been doing a good job
helping to keep
everyone focused.
Thanks.
Yeah.
It's not easy.
This place.
Jeff?
Yeah, go ahead,
Harvey, I'm here, over.
I'm upstairs,
are we good to go
on the light test?
We good?
Yeah.
Yeah, good to go.
Russ and I will be
there in a bit, over.
Wonderful, over and out.
We'll get it.
Okay.
See you in there.
Mark, we're gonna start
doing the lighting test
on the second floor
whenever you're ready.
I'm in the bedroom.
Copy that.
Alright, bring everything
down to full dark, please.
Ain't got time to be doing this,
I had a million
things to do today.
Alright, give me the
dust lamp, please, on.
Okay, off on that.
Alright, give me the
red lamp, please.
Oh God, that looks so good.
It'd be even better
if we had two.
Ugh, we really
could've used two.
Off on the red lamp.
Jeff said we can
only afford one lamp.
Jeff says stop
flirting with Louie.
Jeff says the things
that make me sick.
What a guy, that Jeff.
What the f...
Lights up, lights up.
Hey, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Let's go again.
Come on, Jeff, give me some
of that money for the lights.
It's looking a
little drab in here.
Looks like dinner theater.
I don't do dinner theater.
Let's figure out a way to
move a few of these bottles,
then we'll talk.
What, you
mean this great backwash?
No, I wish.
I actually haven't been back
to New York in nine years.
Sounds like Gregory
met his first fan.
Girl actually likes him.
Confident, a little conceited.
I really like that.
Well, thanks.
You're welcome.
We'll enjoy you.
What the hell does that mean?
I hope you will.
Honestly, I'm done here.
You can say that again.
That's nice.
But you're never leaving here.
You know that, right?
What do you mean?
Because, silly.
He's coming.
And you're all going to hell.
- Hey, Gregory, we...
- Oh, hey, Jeff.
I was just talking to...
Where did she go?
What the.
Who were you talking to?
I don't know, she
didn't say her name.
She, uh, did you see her?
Nobody's here.
What are you talking about?
She was right here, dude.
Right here?
Two seconds ago.
Where did she go?
Was she...
Yeah, you have
an imaginary girlfriend now?
No.
She sounded cute though,
which is a stretch for you.
What did she look like?
She had like dark blonde hair
and she was wearing a
gray T-shirt, jeans.
I don't know, did
she go past you guys?
No.
She was like right here.
It was really strange.
The way she sounded.
What she was saying.
And no one has seen her
around the hotel since?
No.
Definitely didn't get a name?
No name.
But the way he described her...
What is it?
Sounded like,
sounded like Sara Havel.
I think Russell
had his enablers.
He was a lot like
Alex Taylor too.
People around him letting
him get away with things.
Never questioning him.
I think that's how Hell
House met its demise.
And so, too, Insomnia,
nine years later.
Russell knew what he
was doing the whole time.
That's what I think people
should know the most.
And I think that's where the
Alex and Russell
comparisons end.
Russell knew what was
coming opening night.
He knew it.
When everybody got together
the night before opening,
it was like nothing
had happened.
I think that's the
brilliance of Russell Wynn.
He created such a
comfortable atmosphere,
when there was just no right
for anyone to feel comfortable.
So Vanessa,
how single would
you say Louie is?
- Why are you asking?
- So what is the plan?
To be a big time news anchor or?
She already is a
big time news anchor.
Oh no.
Tell me, in your
luxurious career,
have you ever interviewed
anyone as uptight
as old Jeff here?
Anyone else give
you the Jeff face?
He might be the most uptight.
That's not the face he makes.
Ah.
- Responsible and...
- Oh, well, well, well.
Look who's so late.
- Hey.
- What's up?
Good to see you, all right!
Oh, there's no room?
I'll just, I should go?
Oh.
Ah, did I miss dinner?
By about 30 minutes, yeah.
What?
Hi, Mr. Wynn.
Hello.
What can I get for you?
How about a menu?
I'm actually sorry,
our kitchen closed
about 30 minutes ago.
It's 22:30.
I mean, I can go back there
and see if our chef will
whip you up something?
No, no, it's fine.
Can I just have
some dinner rolls
and a glass of red?
Yeah, sure!
What kind of wine you want?
Chteau Latour,
mid 80s preferably.
Maybe '91, if you have it?
I don't think we have
any Chteau anything.
Oh, we do have
Wynn Merlot though?
No, no, way overpriced.
Just the house red's good.
Sure, be right back with that.
Russell Wynn.
Mm-hmm.
Public amongst the people,
what should we
attribute this to?
Well, it's the last
night of normalcy,
so I wanna be with my people,
because after tomorrow,
it's gonna be hell.
Here you are, Mr. Wynn.
Cheers, cheers.
Nobody wants that, right?
- Hey!
- Thanks, bud.
Wow, okay.
Did anybody eat?
So, Jeff told me that you guys
are officially sold
out for the first week.
How's that make you feel?
Thank you for that question.
You're in interview mode.
Well, why can't you just relax?
And socialize like
a normal person?
That was normal socializing.
That was normal conversation.
Totally, okay.
That is a very good
question, Vanessa.
And I'm glad that you asked it,
because we are so excited
here for Insomnia.
The colonel is ready,
and we'll see you tomorrow.
But seriously, I don't think
you should come tomorrow night.
What?
Why wouldn't we come?
I don't,
you said that me Louie can come,
that's part of the plan,
I don't understand.
Yeah, but you could
film the dress rehearsal
and have the same effect.
What are you talking about?
You said that Louie
and I have full access.
Sure, but I think you
should pick another night.
Russell, what is going on?
Nothing.
Really, nothing?
- Mm-hmm.
- You expect me to
believe that?
So, can I get
anything else for you?
No, I think I'm gonna go to bed.
Just give the checks
to this guy right here.
He'll take care of it.
I'll take care of it.
Running away
Because I'm running away
On another day Take care.
Alright, goodnight everyone.
Night, Russ.
Sleep well.
You guys be ready for tomorrow.
Maybe.
Always.
Hey, hey!
Russell.
What's going on?
You really wanna know?
Yeah.
We have to go talk to
Father Paulis again.
I think he knows something.
Everything.
So,
do you wanna tell me
what Russell said to you?
Vanessa, what are we doing here?
Come on, Vanessa.
Like, open up,
like, tell me something, please.
- Okay.
- Hey, come on.
- Come on.
- Jesus Christ.
Let's go.
Father Paulis.
Hello, Miss Shepherd.
Can we talk to you?
I'm sorry, I'm very busy today,
I don't have time.
Father, I know that you're
not telling me everything
about your relationship
with Russell.
I'm sorry you feel that way.
Are you receiving
any money from Russell?
Money?
Yes, cash.
I can't shake this feeling that.
Russell's having some
banking issues right now
and that has to do with him
moving around large
sums of money.
He might be.
Do you know what
he's doing with this money?
I really don't think I can say.
Okay, Louie, come on.
Father, this is off the record.
This is too big to be
between just you and Russell.
Father, you said that you
know that Andrew Tully was
searching for this
fabled gateway to hell
in this town over 30 years ago.
What if he found it?
What if he found the gateway?
And he achieved what
he had always wanted,
which was to cross to the
other side and come back?
And Russell is having
hundreds of people
go through there later tonight.
You know,
Russell's a very troubled soul,
he, uh,
he's carrying a large
burden with him.
And that's making him do what?
As of tonight at midnight,
he's liquidating
all of his assets
and he's instructed
me to disperse them
to suitable charities.
Thank you.
Holy shit.
What does that mean?
I think that means
it's it for Russell tonight.
She drops this bombshell story
on New York Eight's website.
Breaks all kinds of
journalistic rules.
It goes national within an hour.
If she's wrong, she would've
been fired that day.
Turns out she was right.
Did you tell
him it was off the record?
I did.
But I knew that he
was hiding something.
Everybody did.
You know, I feel
like we came so close
to getting it shut
down before it opened.
Imagine that.
- This is working now.
- Okay.
It wasn't in, don't ask me.
I'm winning this game.
I'm bustard.
Thing of Insomnia,
just hours away,
at its new location,
the Abaddon Hotel.
We've just received news
regarding Russell Wynn's finances.
The report, from New York
Eight's Vanessa Shepherd,
host of "Morning
Mysteries", who has spoken
to the cast and
crew of Insomnia,
says that Russell Wynn is
planning a complete liquidation
of all of his assets and wealth,
effective midnight tonight.
What that means for Insomnia
and the rest of his
holdings and IP,
is still up in the...
Dude, what the fuck?
We're still getting paid, right?
I don't, what is liquidate?
- Jeff?
- He won't use it that way,
but it doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter, doesn't matter.
We're probably not getting paid.
Russell, what is this shit?
What the hell, Russell?
Father Paulis,
if you can't trust a priest.
What is this shit?
Her report's very misleading.
I'm not liquidating
my IP and the holdings
that fund projects
like Insomnia.
Who gives a shit about Insomnia?
This is bullshit!
This whole venture,
coming out to the
middle of nowhere.
Your shitty wine.
What else are you hiding?
I'm not hiding anything.
What I do with my money
is not your concern, Jeffrey.
I'm the COO of Wynn Media Group.
Of course it concerns me!
What I do with my money
- is not your concern!
- Oh, that's just great.
You know what?
That's just fucking great.
You done?
We open in two hours.
Get your shit together,
and let's have an awesome show.
Wait a minute, so
we're still open, right?
We're opening tonight?
Yes!
Okay, okay.
Let's get outta here.
Let's get everything ready.
I have no idea.
Nice try.
He was never gonna be able
to keep that story a secret.
But looking back,
it makes sense.
The tapes I found
the most interesting
were the unseen footage
shot by Hell House.
I can't begin to explain
how weird that was.
I'm in.
- Yes!
- Fuck yeah.
Alright.
I hate the fucking
city anyways, man.
- Perfect.
- He didn't say
we're gonna move there
permanently, though.
Trust me, guys, okay?
Mac, you're in, Paul's in, you,
you're, she's good.
I'm in if Lucifer's
Cabin is out.
Oh my God.
Please tell me that we can
retire Lucifer's Cabin?
We will retire Lucifer's Cabin.
We had some laughs.
Yes.
- Mac, can you?
- I mean, I do not
- have any laughs.
- It's recorded.
Let's go.
What you scared of, ghosts?
Come on.
- What are you scared of?
- Okay.
- Safe.
- I'm just saying
that there are, you know,
there are logistical concerns.
He's essentially
an expert, okay?
He saw everything
that Hell House found.
What do you wanna do?
Do you wanna go in blind?
Do you wanna lead the
way to the basement?
Obviously not.
Max, easy on the drinks,
keep them light.
Come on, the drunker they are,
the better reviews
they'll leave.
Yeah, yeah.
Harvey, go easy.
Okay, dad.
Woo!
Thank you all for coming out.
The hotel will open momentarily.
Deals will be made
with the devil.
God will forsake you.
You'll follow us
as we fall in love
and battle with our
innermost demons!
Into heaven and hell.
Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to Insomnia!
You look good, how do you feel?
Fucking great, darling.
Ready to go.
Faust, ready.
If there's anything we can do
to make your stay
more comfortable.
Hope you find everything
quite acquaint
and homey.
The bar is open,
the dining room is
ready to serve you.
Woo-hoo.
A wager, then?
No man can resist evil.
If I can destroy what
is divine in Faust,
the earth will be mine.
He's already a complicated soul,
like all men.
He preaches good,
but he does evil.
Gretchen is clear,
Mephisto and Faust are en
route to Witch's Kitchen.
20 seconds.
Okay.
20 seconds, copy.
Hey, Max, you have
incoming, over.
Anybody got eyes on Russell?
Last I saw him, he
was on the balcony.
Okay, where's that?
Do we have that?
We don't have
the camera on that.
Jeff, it's gonna be fine.
Okay, alright.
Just wonder.
Poor Faust.
Why do you seek death when
you haven't even lived?
Give me the duration
of your stay here,
one fall of sand
through the hour glass
and I'll be your servant.
Give you anything
your heart desires.
You do not possess the power
to give me what I truly want.
Try me!
Sign the contract.
Are those lights
supposed to be doing that?
Yeah.
It's the effect.
Jeff, calm down.
Stay here one night.
Alright, just wanna make sure.
You got me all nervous.
I can show you what
living can truly be.
So you're lonely?
We can remedy that.
Where, where is that?
What's going on?
The wine room.
What the hell is going on?
Holy shit.
Someone's in 2C.
What?
Who?
Where is that?
- Pull that up.
- Someone there.
Look, somebody
should find Russell.
Yeah, okay.
Wait, Jeff, Jeff!
Vanessa said she
wants you to wear this
at all times out there.
Right, okay, alright.
I tried 2C.
Yeah.
I guess I used your
camera after all.
Brilliant move with the cameras.
We taped everything too, when
we first opened this place.
Who hired you?
Hello, old Russell.
Your role is complete.
Just sit back and enjoy your
destiny about to be fulfill.
We'll all enter the
lake of fire together.
The beast's time has
come around at last.
Russell, Russell,
what the hell are you doing?
What are you doing?
He's coming.
You know the rules.
You cannot break
the deal, Faust!
Your life was one of old,
dust and moldy books.
This is not it!
What is it that you want then?
Remember, I have until
the hourglass runs out.
He doesn't make
wagers for souls.
It's far more
complicated than that.
The roots, far more ancient.
Who are you, goddammit?
God is not here.
Oh shit, Harvey?
Harvey!
Harvey, Harvey!
Look, we got to get outta here.
To the exits, spread out!
To the exit!
To the exits right
now, everyone out!
Jeff, something
happened to Gregory!
Get the hell out
of here right now.
Corner bar, this way!
Everybody out now, to
the exits, right now!
That way, keep going, this
is not part of the show.
Get outta here.
You too, now.
Help, help!
There's some,
there's something
happening inside the hotel.
We heard an alarm of some sort,
and we definitely
heard the sound of,
hold on.
There's something.
Who are you?!
You can't stop this!
You can't have her!
As fire crews
continue to battle the blaze
at the Abaddon Hotel,
I have word that all
audience members and staff
were found in the cornfields
behind the hotel,
miraculously unharmed.
Wynn Media Group
COO, Jeff Stone,
says Russell Wynn is
still unaccounted for.
Sometime during the
20:00 p.m. performance,
a fire broke out quickly.
And reports are,
that it started in
the hotel's basement.
No word yet on the cause
or the whereabouts
of Russell Wynn.
There's nothing left, huh?
I don't think I'll ever
figure out what happened here.
What happened to us?
What happened to Russell?
I thought I died.
You did.
Russell brought us back.
How?
It was the car crash.
That's why he was here.
What a lot of people don't know
is that Russell
essentially died twice.
I don't know, we knew
about the car crash.
Everybody knew that.
It's how he got his scar.
What we didn't know
was that supposedly, Russell
was legally dead
for two minutes.
You can't go public with that.
I don't think
"Morning Mysteries"
is gonna show any of this.
I guess you could say
he went to the other
side and came back.
If you believe in that stuff?
Do you believe that story?
About Russell dying
in the car crash?
I mean if you had asked
me a few months ago,
I would've said no.
But I was reminded
of something that
Father Paulis said
in their first interview.
No man could close the gateway.
It would take an angel
from God himself.
The most interesting
thing we've learned
in the wake of these events
is the discovery of
dozens of tapes and drives
in Russell Wynn's hotel room.
There's a treasure
trove of information.
Some of the tapes have
been made available.
Now we know what happened to
the "Morning Mysteries" people.
The Hell House
footage, however, was
bizarre, to say the least.
The police are calling them.
"The Abaddon Tapes".
Oh, what the fuck?
Yo!
Yo, what the fuck
happened, guys?
We don't know, are you okay?
Yo!
What happened to
you, motherfucker?
Well, I went down
in the basement and...
You alright?
And then, yeah.
We're okay now, though, right?
Yeah, I think so.
I feel pretty fucking good.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm alright.
You're good?
I'm alright.
You're good?
Yeah.
What do you say we
get the fuck outta here, huh?
Dude, let's
get the fuck outta here.
Let's go back to New York.
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, shit.
Tony, can you help here,
I can't get outta here?
One, two.
Unlock it.
It's not supposed to be locked
- in the first place.
- Use a deadbolt.
There's no deadbolt.
You can't leave.
None of us can.
And why the hell not?
Because we died here.
The hotel took us.
Who are you?
I'm the one who
closed the gateway.
You're the one who
helped open it.
We're not dying here, okay?
We're not dying.
It's not supposed
to happen this way.
- We're not supposed to die.
- Get that shit open, man.
That's not supposed to happen.
We just did fucking.
No, we're not supposed to.
Let's just give it up.
Just give it up.
Aren't you gonna help me?
Or anyone wanna help
me with this door?!
Ah, fuck.
I'm so sorry this
happened to you.
It's time to move on.
- Wait.
- Where the fuck's he going?
Aah.
Fuck it, holmes.
Let's see if that
bar is still open.
Let's do.
Let's go.
Come have a drink with us.