Texas Cult House (2024) Movie Script
1
(TRAIN WHISTLE)
(BIRD CHIRPING)
JONES: You have
big plans for this job.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
We now have breaking news.
Former local cult leader,
Deacon Jones,
has reportedly escaped
from his mental facility
this morning.
Jones was known for
his obsession with demonic...
No.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
And raising of the dead.
The cult came to attention
in the mid '80s.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
()
()
()
No!
(MAN SCREAMING)
Austin, Hadley, let's go.
(EXHALES)
Excited about your last day
of high school?
Uh, yeah.
I'm gonna eat lunch
at school today, but...
Well...
I'll take it.
Here you go, baby.
Thank you.
BRITTANY:
Mm-hmm.
Oh, wait, hold on.
Mom, she's too old for this.
I like it.
"This is the day that
the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice
and be glad in it."
Great, now today's gonna suck.
Don't say that.
You used to love the verses
I put in your lunch.
Maybe I'll skip
the note for today?
(SCOFFS)
Fine.
Oh, so Austin can make fun
of your notes, but I can't?
Figures.
Like always.
Have a good day.
HADLEY:
Whatever.
Have a great last day.
I will.
Love you!
Love you.
Later.
(CROWD CHEERING)
BOY 1: Wow, Austin, you look
like you have a stick up your ass!
BOY 2:
That would make him smile.
(BOY CHUCKLES)
Dude, I'm not gonna miss them.
Yeah.
Your football buddies
aren't that much better.
Hey, Tommy and I have
a plan for tonight.
With me?
It's just the second grade, man.
A jock, a queer, a stoner.
Did you tell him yet?
Not yet.
Alright, we're trashing
that old cult house tonight.
Which one?
That Deacon dude's place.
They shut down
his nut house cult
sometime last year.
Yeah, we're gonna
Nancy Drew that shit.
But mostly, we're gonna party.
I don't smoke.
-DYLAN: We know.
-We know.
Oh,
so I'm the designated driver.
Bro, no, we're all friends.
I don't wanna go.
Go where?
Where's the party?
Uh, you're not
the one graduating.
So what?
I still wanna go.
Me too.
No freshmen allowed.
Come on, I wanna go.
No, you're not going.
And neither am I.
Bro, come on,
it's our last night.
HADLEY:
He never goes anywhere.
That's not true, I go out.
Please, when was
the last time you went out?
I go... I party,
all the time.
That is such cap.
I do.
Even your sister thinks
you're lame.
He won't do it, he's a homebody.
Mm-hmm.
Fine, I'm going.
When are we meeting?
Pick us up at 8:00.
(EXHALES)
Hey, baby.
You want something special
for dinner tonight?
Uh, no, me and my friends,
we already have some plans, so.
Oh, which friends?
Mm, Tommy and Dylan.
BRITTANY:
Tommy?
And Dylan, yeah.
Hm. And what y'all doing?
I don't know.
Party?
Maybe.
Okay, just be careful.
I will.
Uh, mom?
Yeah?
How long were we
at Deacon Jones' place?
We promised we would
never talk about that.
Why, why?
Why did we do that?
Honey...
after your father died,
I did the best I could.
Yeah, what does that mean?
BRITTANY:
Austin.
Okay, well, we can't keep acting
like it didn't happen,
we have to talk about it.
I was afraid, you know?
I was, I was afraid the world
was getting a hold of you.
I'm not strong like you.
Deacon Jones did,
he did a lot of weird shit.
I know.
We left, remember?
I got us out of there.
Yeah, I know, not until aft...
Don't!
Okay, well, we have
to talk about...
We never went back, okay?
Don't forget that.
Whatever happened
to that boy on the news?
Why, why are you
bringing this up now?
Baby, I am so proud of you.
And the man
that you are becoming.
I'm proud to be your mom.
Okay.
Well, I uh, I gotta get ready.
Right, right. Okay.
HADLEY:
Mom! What's for dinner?
BRITTANY:
Coming!
Dudes, Deacon Jones'
old commercial.
No way.
What?
I swear this guy was whacked.
Hi, I'm Deacon Jones,
and I started
this therapy center
for anyone who wants to leave
behind their ungodly life.
Church didn't understand
what I was doing,
but here in my home you can seek
refuge and restoration.
Here we help rid the old you
through therapy and prayer.
JONES: Calling back
to life, calling back to life.
Bring in new life,
life with abundance.
For those who need
a little more time,
live in my center with me.
Oh my God.
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
We have free therapy.
Ooh.
Daily chores
and wholesome living.
Free from video games
and cellphones!
My center
will transform your life.
Just remember,
the devil wants people
to quit...
JONES:
We rebuke the devil in him.
But here in my sanctuary,
I won't let that happen.
Okay, enough, enough, man.
TOMMY:
Bruh.
Ooh, I like feisty Austin.
Babe, you said you wouldn't
get on tonight.
We're going analog.
I know, one quick log.
Okay.
Hey fans, last night
of high school,
we're going out with a bang.
Got my girlfriend here.
And we about to party,
but not with alcohol.
Just good, clean fun.
Stay safe wherever you are.
Peace out, guys.
(LAUGHING)
Phone.
Tommy?
What, I don't have any image
to keep up.
Everyone knows I'm the friendly
neighborhood weed dealer.
I'm not afraid to be me.
Austin?
We're here.
Oh my God.
This is it.
Let's go.
TOMMY:
Let's go?
DYLAN:
Now it's time to party.
-(GRUNTS)
-Yeah.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
(CHUCKLES)
Tommy, drinks.
TOMMY:
Okay, man. Oh my God.
Shot, shot.
Right? Right?
Shot, shot, shot.
DYLAN:
Let's go.
(IVY SCREAMS)
IVY:
Oh my God.
JONES:
You must remain calm.
(IVY CHUCKLES)
Dude, are you okay, man?
I don't know, yeah.
Maybe it's a sign.
IVY: Yeah, it's a sign
that tonight is gonna be
-a night to remember.
-Oh yeah.
(LAUGHS)
()
()
Okay, okay,
we can work with this.
Let's go.
()
What if someone's here?
Only one way to find out.
Let's go.
()
In here.
()
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
JONES: We feel you
in this room, filling it up.
We ask you to take this job.
Lord, we believe in life.
Oh God, we ask you
to heal this child.
Oh, we believe in life
and life abundantly.
Your heart is not for death.
Oh yes, we believe that you
have big plans
for this child.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
So I rebuke the devil in him.
I rebuke the devil in him.
Oh, we rebuke the demon.
We rebuke the demon
inside of him!
Brittany. Mother.
You must remain calm.
I am... I am casting the devil.
I am casting death
out of your son.
Put your hands over the boy.
Now call him back to life.
Call him back to life.
Come to life.
JONES: Oh, louder, so
the heavens can hear you!
I rebuke you, Satan.
JONES:
Oh, that is right.
And I rebuke
all the demons in here.
The demons of greed
and the demons of pride.
You shall flee!
()
Bro, chill, man, chill.
It's just me.
It's just an old house.
Where's the excitement?
Babe, I say we find a room.
I want to find adventure.
And then a room, babe.
I bet this Deacon dude
was a molester.
You know,
good boys in the pooper.
(CHUCKLE)
Guys, why...
why are we even here?
Can we like,
go to Whataburger or something?
Oh.
Dudes. Dudes.
(GASPS)
Oh my God,
this thing's on still?
Jeez, this guy is
so unorganized.
Hey, try that one.
TOMMY:
Try the video folder.
Guys, I don't feel so good.
TOMMY:
Ooh, what do we have here?
DYLAN:
I can't hear anything.
Dude.
Yeah, just try another one.
Come in and heal this boy.
What?
What the hell is...
JONES: You renounce
the sin of homosexuality.
Yes.
No way.
JONES: (IN VIDEO)
I rebuke you devil.
DYLAN:
What?
That's it now,
that is the demon.
That's it, come on out.
-Come on out!
-It hurts!
Oh my God.
JONES: (IN VIDEO)
That's it, that is it, yeah.
That's it, come on out.
That's it, come on out.
-Come on out.
-It hurts!
JONES: (ON VIDEO)
That's the demon!
Come on out of him!
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
Mm-mm.
That's real.
Wake up.
I will beat this out of you.
Come on. Come on!
Hey, come on!
Come on! Get up!
Go on! Hey, turn this off.
Holy shit.
That's the kid who died.
And they locked Jones up.
(RETCHES)
I told y'all I don't feel good.
The demon is out.
I can't.
IVY:
Oh my God.
Austin.
Oh.
Hey.
Hadley, how are you guys here?
You've got to be kidding me.
Hi.
Okay, well, we're leaving, okay?
Ooh, let's go check it out.
Hadley, with me.
Okay.
Hey.
()
Hadley?
()
Hadley?
Wooh!
Over here.
(INDISCERNIBLE CHATTER,
LAUGHTER)
()
IVY:
Wooh!
You're a church girl, right?
-Uh.
-Sing us a hymn.
Oh, uh.
That wasn't a question.
Sing.
Okay.
I'm just a poor
wayfaring stranger
(LAUGHS)
Not bad.
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
(OVERLAPPING SPEECH)
Yeah. There we go.
(CHUCKLES)
(OVERLAPPING SPEECH)
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
Oh, interesting.
HADLEY: In that
fair land to which I go
IVY:
Okay, freshman.
DYLAN:
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
(IVY LAUGHS)
(INDISTINCT BACKGROUND CHATTER)
HADLEY: I'm just a
poor wayfaring stranger
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
IVY:
Here we go.
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
In that fair land
to which I go
Communion cups.
Are you mad at me?
No, I just don't want
you getting hurt.
They're just goofing around.
You know, Tommy isn't who he
was when we were kids.
Is that what
you're worried about?
That I'm gonna do drugs?
No.
This Deacon Jones guy
was weird, huh?
There's not any room, Tommy.
There's a whole box in there.
(CHUCKLE)
Guys, what do you think?
Mmm.
TOMMY:
Come on, Deacon Jones, what?
-Yeah.
-(IVY LAUGHS)
TOMMY:
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
STELLA:
Praise God. Amen!
DYLAN:
Yeah.
You know, mom brought me here
when I was a kid.
What?
Yeah.
She feels bad about it.
So, if you ever feel
the devil creeping in,
pulling you into a black hole
into anything other than
what God made you to be,
I want you to use the oil.
Okay? And you pray.
What if I don't like
how God made me?
Oh, just, use the oil.
And pray.
You stay right there, son.
That's it.
Hey, why are you guys
hiding from us?
Brother-sister bonding moment?
Holy shit, is that...
that's the oil
from the exorcism.
Why did he label the years?
Oh, I got '90.
I plead thee, children.
(CHUCKLE)
Come forward
and I will make you whole.
I have sinned.
Free me from my sin.
I, Deacon Jones,
I repent your sins
with this oil.
And other things
that Deacon Jones says.
That was kind of hot.
Dude.
Hadley?
-No.
-Yeah.
Oh, come on,
the protective older brother.
Bro.
Ooh, me?
I'll do it.
Uh, yeah, let's...
let's try out some oil on you.
Yeah.
Dylan, you want in, too?
(LAUGHS)
All right.
Be free from your infirmary.
I command it to be so.
IVY:
Ew.
And now, I will anoint myself.
I, the Deacon Jones,
due to my jacket I'm wearing.
-(GASPS)
-GIRLS: No, no, no!
IVY:
That's gross.
-Hadley?
-No. We're leaving.
-IVY: What? Uh, no.
-Austin.
-We are just getting started.
-Bro, come on.
STELLA:
Hadley, wait.
Austin.
-Please.
-HADLEY: Stop.
TOMMY: Austin, come on,
man. We were just joking around.
HADLEY: (ON VOICEMAIL)
Hey, this is Hadley.
I'm not available right now,
but leave me a message
at the beep,
and I'll call you back.
Beep! Just kidding.
The next beep.
(SIGHS)
TOMMY:
Let there be fire!
(CHEERING)
Hey, fire needs
a little kindling, guys.
Oh! Hey!
DYLAN:
Just throw it in.
Deacon Jones
won't care, he's dead.
IVY:
Let it burn!
TOMMY:
Hey.
IVY:
Woo!
TOMMY:
It's getting a little hot.
Hey! Yes, sir!
Ooh, look at that.
TOMMY:
Hey there. I think so.
I mean, I don't have
a problem with that.
I think you're hot.
Oh, really?
(CHUCKLES)
DYLAN:
This fire is nice.
IVY:
Yeah.
TOMMY:
Hey guys, you got a jacket?
IVY:
Ugh, gross, um...
(LAUGHING)
DYLAN:
God, Tommy.
Who gave you
the tambourine, huh?
I already have it.
TOMMY:
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
HADLEY:
Oh, yeah.
TOMMY:
You got a problem?
Yeah, I have a problem.
(STELLA CHUCKLES)
Let's take a walk.
Wow.
(SCOFFS)
()
()
So...
What are you doing?
Chill.
Don't you have a boyfriend?
You know what I meant.
(CHUCKLES)
I didn't know you cared.
What did you give her?
Nothing.
I mean, okay, she took a hit
off my vape,
but I don't think she'd be
feeling anything yet, right?
She just likes me.
Why is that so hard to believe?
You promised me no freshmen.
It was one hit, okay?
I didn't sell her anything.
You're the one breaking
a rule, not me.
Come on and cut me loose.
Cut me loose.
(CHUCKLES)
Dude, if people only knew
Ivy Flynn was my weed dealer.
Shut up!
(CHUCKLES)
Look, I want to go out
on my own.
You actually have a future
and you're going to Rice.
But my future is doing exactly
what I've been doing
this whole time.
Nothing's changing for me,
but you can get out.
I don't want out.
Why?
Your parents have money.
Power.
What about it?
It's the best feeling.
It's...
Ah! I don't know why...
Ah! I'm so...
I don't know why I did that.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
My brain feels hot.
Your, your brain?
No one feels their brain.
Well, I feel mine.
(TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Hey, are you okay?
What the hell, Tommy?
We are business.
Only business.
Who's there?
(STELLA CHUCKLE)
Sorry.
Did I scare you?
No. He's over there.
STELLA:
Just going for a little walk.
Sure you were.
(CHUCKLES)
What are you doing here?
I just came here to see you.
TOMMY:
Really?
Yeah.
Whoa. What is this?
Only one way to find out, right?
You want to show me?
Come on.
(CHUCKLES)
()
Dude.
The fire, it's like,
dancing like, little people.
Wow, I didn't know
you were so poetic.
You see it, right?
It's like little tiny ladies,
dancing.
Evil.
What's evil?
Hey, did... did the exorcism
freak you out?
Yeah, I think it freaked us all
out a little bit.
I know, but, 'cause
you're, you're gay.
Yeah, and I think you of
all people would know that.
DYLAN:
Your sister's right here.
You know, from a young age,
everyone always told me
what it was to be gay.
You know, but how would
a straight person ever know
what it was like to be queer?
No deeper conversation,
just fire and brimstone.
And I listened to everything
they said that caused it
and how I could fix it, just
turn it off like a light switch.
Just stop.
Just stop talking about this.
I was just trying
to make a joke.
Yeah, but it's not a joke.
Okay, you got your
high school crush.
Every single time I thought
a guy was cute,
I felt like I had to go home
and scrub my brain.
I didn't know.
And... and I'm not the
plague of religion.
And... and Deacon Jones,
he isn't preaching the Bible,
he's preaching his own
personal brand of bullshit.
I mean, he's even got his
own freakin' anointing oil.
His religion is
what killed that boy.
I don't know how, but it did.
This place,
it isn't filled with God.
It's filled with the devil.
Does anybody else feel hot?
My head.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
You have your phone?
Have you been filming us?
What? No.
No, no, that's evil.
HADLEY:
What?
What the hell, dude?
Asshole.
AUSTIN:
What was that for?
It's hot.
My head.
IVY:
Hey, what's wrong, babe?
Hadley.
She... she has a phone.
And some electronic device
attached to her body?
Who does that?
Dude, it's a diabetes monitor.
Hey, it's okay.
The no-phone rule was
more for you than anyone.
So we could just focus on us.
Okay, but...
but she's giving you that phone.
And... and what about Stella?
No, it's just me.
(PANTS)
See?
Give it to me.
What? No.
IVY:
Hadley.
Fine.
See? It's okay.
Get it away from me!
Dylan, it's just...
I... I said, please.
Get it away from me!
(PANTING)
Okay. Hey, hey.
What did you take tonight?
Weed.
Yeah, I know.
Besides the weed.
What else?
DYLAN:
Nothing.
Okay, we need to leave.
It's fine.
Look, how about I go take this
and I put it in the truck
with the others, okay?
Okay.
But keep her away from me.
Okay. Okay.
Um, I'm going.
All right.
Yeah, I'm coming.
You were right.
What?
I'm never doing drugs.
Bet.
(CHUCKLES)
Don't make fun of me.
Just saying.
Straight fire, bet, no cap.
Teen girl speak.
(HADLEY CHUCKLES)
That was so cringey.
()
()
Austin, this is your mother.
Look, I know you're out
with your friends,
but I can't find Hadley
and I'm really hoping
that she's with you.
So please, please call me back,
and if she is with you,
I want you to come home
right this minute with her,
please.
Just call me back.
()
DYLAN: (ON VIDEO) What's
up, fans? It's your boy Dylan here.
Last night of high school,
we're going out with a bang.
Got my girlfriend here
and we're about to party.
But not with alcohol,
just good, clean fun.
Stay safe wherever you are.
No drugs. Peace, guys.
()
See? All good.
Now, while we're here.
(CHUCKLES)
(KISSING)
(KISSING)
()
What?
What?
I'm over here.
Sorry, babe.
Everything's just
a little fuzzy.
Oh, okay.
Well, I'm taking off my clothes.
()
I've never done this before.
Do you want me to stop?
No, but if I wanted you to,
would you?
Yeah, of course.
Just say the word.
(KISSING)
(GRUNTS)
Dylan, what the hell?
I don't know.
Okay, figure it out.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
(PANTING)
()
(KISSING)
()
(DISTINCT SCREAM)
That sounded like Stella.
(GRUNTING IN DISTANCE)
No.
No, that was definitely Dylan.
That was definitely Stella.
No, that was both of them.
Okay.
Ivy, you go check on Dylan.
I just left him in the truck.
Go!
I swear, if he did
something to her.
No, Tommy.
You said you would stop
if I wanted you to.
I told you to stop.
I told you to stop!
You don't like it?
No, I want you to stop.
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
(HOWLS)
Did you hear that?
What was that?
(LOUD GROWLING)
(MUNCHING)
Get off her!
(GASPS)
Oh my God.
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
Like that.
-No!
-Run.
I'm Deacon Jones.
I've come here to set you free.
You must die for sin.
What?
My keys.
What?
I left them in... in the car.
The... they're not here.
Look for my phone.
We can call for help.
Yeah, yeah,
but they're... they're not here.
What? No. No.
No.
(DISTANT HOWLING)
What is going on?
I was right.
This place is filled
with the devil.
I saw it in Tommy's face.
He look... he looked...
Possessed?
I don't know.
We need to leave.
We can't just leave
Ivy and Dylan.
Okay.
Okay, yeah, there's probably
a phone in the house.
I'm not going in there.
Do you want to call
for help or not?
()
()
()
()
Where would the phone be?
I don't know.
Stay behind me.
Okay.
()
Hadley, look.
Why is his security cam
still running?
I thought he went to jail.
()
He's losing his mind.
()
There's Ivy.
Let's get her
and get out of here.
Okay, yeah.
Oh my gosh. Go, go, go.
Did you hear that?
(SCREAMS)
Let me go!
Austin!
Austin!
(GRUNTS)
(GROANS)
It's burning.
Tommy?
It's burning.
(COUGHS)
I'm cold.
I'm cold.
Hey. Hey.
Oh my God.
AUSTIN:
Tommy!
Oh my God.
Tommy? Tommy?
Austin?
What did I do?
()
Austin.
(SCREAMS)
HADLEY:
You saved me.
()
()
I'm just a poor
wayfaring stranger
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
In that fair land
Austin?
To which I go
()
(HADLEY SCREAMS)
Stop it! Let me go!
No! No! No! No!
No.
You shouldn't be here!
I'll leave. I promise.
Just let me go.
You know too much!
Technology!
No! You're giving me
too much insulin!
-No!
-(DYLAN GRUNTS)
You're free!
Free devil be gone!
The devil is out!
I wouldn't have told Ivy,
I promise!
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTING)
I'm going there
no more to roam
I'm just a going
over Jordan
I'm just a going over home
Hey, are you okay?
(WHIMPERS)
What happened?
D... Dylan.
Overdosed me.
Three, three.
Sugar.
We need sugar, okay?
Okay. You wait here
for a second, okay?
I'll be right back.
Okay.
(SOBS)
()
(PANTS)
()
(PANTS)
What?
()
I can do it now.
You know, I thought I lost you.
It's happening all over again.
I'll never look
at these the same.
We need to find Ivy.
Well...
And if she hasn't turned yet,
then there's no one else left
to hurt her.
You know, I...
I still remember the day
that mom brought you home
from the center.
You do?
Yeah, I mean,
I was really young,
but I remember it
pretty clearly.
She... she brought you home
from the center a few weeks
after Dad died.
They planned the adoption
before he died, but...
Austin, I know this story.
Please.
Yeah, but you don't know it
from my point of view.
When Dad died,
it was the worst pain
I've ever felt.
And then mom brought you home,
put you on my lap,
and I looked into
your big green eyes.
Technically, hazel.
I... I'm serious.
I know.
And I remember looking
into your eyes,
just knowing that I was gonna
have to protect you.
Dad was dead.
I became the man of the house
at 5 years old.
I love you, bro.
You're pretty fire.
(PANTS)
Dylan?
You killed my boyfriend!
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Dylan went crazy.
He overdosed her on insulin.
He tried to kill her.
(PANTS)
I found Tommy.
Did you kill him, too?
No.
He ate Stella's face off.
Okay, people are going crazy.
We need to leave, okay?
Dylan said he buried
the keys with the phones.
I know where the keys are.
Okay.
IVY:
They're in there.
Back here?
Yeah, back further.
What are you doing?
AUSTIN:
Hey.
Ivy!
Hadley! Hadley!
I'm going home
to see my mother
Said she'd meet me
when I'm gone
No! Hadley!
I'ma just go over Jordan
(TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Just go
You came here to kill my men.
Ivy.
I'm only here for my brother.
Incest.
Disgusting.
That's a sin, you know.
No. Please, no.
I think it's time
for you to die now.
No. No!
What?
Go!
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
(PANTS)
HADLEY:
Ivy.
Ivy.
I was... I was falling into a...
a black hole.
I could almost reach it,
but never touch it.
Was it real?
Was it the devil?
It wasn't you.
The real you.
What if it was the real me?
No.
(HADLEY SNIFFLES)
Wait, you're alive.
Yeah, but...
She...
She's home.
I know dark clouds
will gather around me.
I know my way...
is hard and steep.
You okay?
Yeah.
Just checking
how you're feeling.
Worry about yourself.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
What's wrong?
Headache.
Mm-hmm.
Probably need some water.
Thanks, mom.
What's with the attitude?
Oh, I don't know.
Maybe this shitty night.
Yeah, well, I barely lived
through the night, too.
Of course, you did.
You're the perfect one.
You can do no wrong.
Mom overcompensates,
because you're gay.
She feels so guilty
that your life is hard.
You get all the love.
All the attention.
I get the leftovers!
What?
Shit.
(GRUNT)
Adopted kids get
the sloppy seconds!
(GRUNTING)
I'm... I'm not gonna hurt you.
I'll find you!
And I'll kill you!
And then mom will love me best!
()
()
Look, I know it's only
been a few hours, okay?
But you don't understand.
My children would never
do anything like this.
Especially my daughter.
POLICE OFFICER: (ON PHONE)
Ma'am, we can't help it right now.
What do you mean?
POLICE OFFICER: (ON PHONE)
Ma'am, there's nothing we can do.
You're the damn police!
That's what you're...
You're supposed to do something!
Please! Hello?
Shit!
(EXHALES)
()
Can you hear me?
I need help.
()
I... I don't have any food.
See? No food.
()
()
After everything,
this is what you want?
For me to take the oil?
Haven't you ruined enough?
You're right.
I won't hurt her.
So I'll take the oil
just like the rest.
()
()
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTS)
(DEMONIC VOICES)
()
If you can hear me...
I love you.
Just like I loved your brother.
(AUSTIN COUGHS)
Austin!
Hadley.
You're back?
I tried to kill you.
Just...
But beautiful fields...
lie out before me
Deemed...
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
The oil from when I was a kid,
it... it didn't turn me.
It turned you back.
How?
I don't know.
I think Jones
was putting medications
in his anointing oil.
I saw a bunch
of recalled medications
in his storage.
I think that's...
I think that's why they
were labeled with the years.
I didn't realize how jealous
I was of you and mom.
Oh no, we should have told you.
Okay, we had a secret.
You probably sensed it, a bond.
But it's not,
'cause you're adopted.
It's something else.
What?
You know that story I told you
when you were... you were a baby?
Yeah.
It wasn't true.
I loved both of you.
JONES: Oh yes, we believe
that you have big plans
for this child.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
The devil in him,
I rebuke the devil in him.
We rebuke the demon.
We rebuke the demon inside
of him!
Brittany. Mother.
You must remain calm.
I am, I am casting the devil.
I'm casting death
out of your son.
Put your hands over the boy.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
JONES: Now call him back
to life, call him back to life.
BRITTANY:
Come to life.
Come back to life!
Come on now.
Come on!
Oh, I feel you. Oh!
So we had a brother.
You're a twin.
I always thought I made him up.
My invisible friend.
You stopped talking
about him after a while.
Forgot he existed.
I didn't.
I always felt an emptiness.
A hole.
Why didn't mom tell me?
After everything
we went through,
Jones made us pray over
his dead body for days.
After that, we stopped going.
Me and mom,
we had an unspoken agreement
never to speak of Deacon Jones
and his cult again.
Until tonight.
I'm sorry.
He's with us.
He's with you.
I'm a twin.
Yeah.
()
Let's go home.
Bet.
You're finally getting the hang
of my lingo.
()
Austin, everyone's gonna think
we killed them.
They won't believe
that they were possessed.
After everything
Deacon Jones did,
they'll believe us.
But we have to go back
and destroy the vials.
Only the ones
from my childhood are safe.
They turned you back.
Come on, guys.
There you are.
Oh, thank God.
It's my year.
()
How did he do all this?
Hallucinogens?
Or his tranquilizers?
He was running human experiments
and they didn't even know.
Did you hear that?
Yeah.
()
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
We now have breaking news.
Former local cult leader,
Deacon Jones,
has reportedly escaped.
Be careful with the vials.
None of them can break.
(SCREAMING)
Austin!
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
Jones was known for his obsession
with the demonic.
No.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
And raising of the dead.
Austin, oh my God.
Are you okay?
Don't touch the vials!
Go! Hadley! Hadley!
(SCREAMS)
Let me go! No!
-Hadley!
-Stop!
Do not be deceived.
AUSTIN:
Hadley, no!
God works in mysterious ways.
Get off of me! Get off!
AUSTIN:
Hadley!
Let me go! No.
Stop!
-(GRUNTS)
-(SCREAMS)
()
Let me go!
Stop!
Stop. Stop it.
Stop.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
()
(JONES GRUNTS)
Oh. Don't worry.
I can always raise you
from the dead!
(LAUGHS)
()
(LAUGHS)
I anoint you, asshole.
()
Hadley, no, no, no, no.
Come on, wake up.
Please wake up, come on.
I can't lose you, come on.
Hadley.
Am I dead?
(PANTS)
Come on, do it.
What did you do to us?
The oils.
Well, I was helping them.
I was helping them!
You know, God need
a little bit of help.
I could change some, but
I couldn't change them all.
You played God.
Come on.
Just send me home.
(YELLS)
No!
Mom?
Baby.
(SCREAMS)
(EXHALES)
I can't.
(COUGHING)
Hey.
Hey, are you okay?
Yeah.
You all right?
I should have done
this a long time ago.
(GRUNTS)
Oh my God, baby,
are you okay now?
Are you okay?
Oh my God.
(HADLEY COUGHS)
I'm so sorry.
Oh my God, are you bleeding?
Are you okay?
How did... how did...
how did you find us?
Oh my God.
(HADLEY COUGHS)
Find Your Phone helped, baby.
Oh, thank God.
Oh my God.
Oh, sweetie. What happened?
I gotta go take care
of something.
What?
(HADLEY COUGHS)
()
()
()
Okay. Got it.
All right.
Hm.
You know, I'd love for you
to wear something
that pops just a little bit
more on camera,
if you don't mind.
You know, I think the green
would look great with your eyes.
Okay.
-Would you mind changing?
-Sure.
Okay, the bathroom's
just right over there.
Thank you.
You good? Thanks.
Oh, yeah, great, that's perfect.
Yeah, we're just gonna
get a quick camera test.
As you know,
I'm doing a documentary
and I've been researching
a lot of cults here in Texas.
I wasn't in a cult.
But you left.
Sorry, I'm... I'm getting ahead
of myself.
Ready?
Hannah, thank you again
for being willing to talk to me
about your story.
After the cult I was a part of
nearly destroyed my life
and my family,
I did a lot of soul-searching
and research on other cults,
and um, that's when
I came across some old articles
from 1989 about the cult Zion
and some of the horrific things
that happened there.
Now, I haven't been able
to find anyone to talk to me
about Zion
until you reached out.
Zion.
-Zion.
-It's called, "Zion".
Zion. Sorry. Zion.
Why did you reach out?
I saw your story on the news
and it brought back a lot
of memories
of when I was a child.
Things I hadn't thought about
in a long time.
We all have our demons,
so to speak.
So, you don't live
in Zion anymore?
No.
I left many, many years ago
after my mother died.
How'd you get out?
I walked out the gate
and I left.
I told you, it wasn't a cult.
I could leave.
I'd never been outside
of the community.
The world was, and still is,
in many ways,
a terrifying place.
The world is more terrifying
than Zion?
()
Hmm.
So, what was it like? Zion.
It felt like...
one big family.
Like I was safe.
We never left the community,
except for market days.
Oh. What were market days?
My mom and her sister wife,
they would sell baked goods.
I would help.
So, you had two moms?
I don't want to talk
about my mom, moms.
Okay. No problem.
So, you had never been
in a grocery store
or a school or...
Right.
I had never ridden an elevator.
I'd never had a cola.
First time I went
to a fast food place,
I didn't know how to order
and somebody had to help me.
(CHUCKLES)
It was a simple life.
My dad was an important man
in the community,
so I always thought
I was important.
I was happy.
Well, if you were so happy,
why'd you leave?
Our prophet died
and his son replaced him.
He...
he ruined my life.
(HANNAH SIGHS)
Do you need to take a break?
HANNAH:
No.
Sure?
I'm fine.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Hannah, why don't you believe
that you were in a cult?
We were peaceful,
God-fearing people.
If it wasn't for him,
I'd still be there.
What do you mean
he ruined things?
He made me his wife.
BRITTANY:
How old were you?
Oh my God.
It was an honor
to be the prophet's wife.
It's confusing,
because at the time,
I thought it was
this incredible thing.
And then, now,
on my wedding night...
(HANNAH TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Take your time.
HANNAH: I've never talked to
anyone about this before, so...
I understand, understand.
No, I... I don't think you do.
It's... it's hard
to talk about it, because...
Because of the trauma.
Because of the blood.
(HANNAH SOBS)
HANNAH:
There was so much blood.
None of it was mine!
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
It is said to be careful.
Dangerous substances.
Yeah. Just looks like
a bunch of religious crap.
Yep.
Ah!
Shit, you all right?
Come on.
(SIGHS)
Yeah, how about I anoint you
into the priesthood?
Just a little bit.
Ooh. Get the hell away
from me with that.
Come on.
Just...
-Don't even play with it.
-Just a little bit.
-Get that shit away from me.
-It's not gonna hurt you.
-Get away from me with that.
-Come on.
-It's ridiculous.
-Don't be such a baby.
(TRAIN WHISTLE)
(BIRD CHIRPING)
JONES: You have
big plans for this job.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
We now have breaking news.
Former local cult leader,
Deacon Jones,
has reportedly escaped
from his mental facility
this morning.
Jones was known for
his obsession with demonic...
No.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
And raising of the dead.
The cult came to attention
in the mid '80s.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
()
()
()
No!
(MAN SCREAMING)
Austin, Hadley, let's go.
(EXHALES)
Excited about your last day
of high school?
Uh, yeah.
I'm gonna eat lunch
at school today, but...
Well...
I'll take it.
Here you go, baby.
Thank you.
BRITTANY:
Mm-hmm.
Oh, wait, hold on.
Mom, she's too old for this.
I like it.
"This is the day that
the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice
and be glad in it."
Great, now today's gonna suck.
Don't say that.
You used to love the verses
I put in your lunch.
Maybe I'll skip
the note for today?
(SCOFFS)
Fine.
Oh, so Austin can make fun
of your notes, but I can't?
Figures.
Like always.
Have a good day.
HADLEY:
Whatever.
Have a great last day.
I will.
Love you!
Love you.
Later.
(CROWD CHEERING)
BOY 1: Wow, Austin, you look
like you have a stick up your ass!
BOY 2:
That would make him smile.
(BOY CHUCKLES)
Dude, I'm not gonna miss them.
Yeah.
Your football buddies
aren't that much better.
Hey, Tommy and I have
a plan for tonight.
With me?
It's just the second grade, man.
A jock, a queer, a stoner.
Did you tell him yet?
Not yet.
Alright, we're trashing
that old cult house tonight.
Which one?
That Deacon dude's place.
They shut down
his nut house cult
sometime last year.
Yeah, we're gonna
Nancy Drew that shit.
But mostly, we're gonna party.
I don't smoke.
-DYLAN: We know.
-We know.
Oh,
so I'm the designated driver.
Bro, no, we're all friends.
I don't wanna go.
Go where?
Where's the party?
Uh, you're not
the one graduating.
So what?
I still wanna go.
Me too.
No freshmen allowed.
Come on, I wanna go.
No, you're not going.
And neither am I.
Bro, come on,
it's our last night.
HADLEY:
He never goes anywhere.
That's not true, I go out.
Please, when was
the last time you went out?
I go... I party,
all the time.
That is such cap.
I do.
Even your sister thinks
you're lame.
He won't do it, he's a homebody.
Mm-hmm.
Fine, I'm going.
When are we meeting?
Pick us up at 8:00.
(EXHALES)
Hey, baby.
You want something special
for dinner tonight?
Uh, no, me and my friends,
we already have some plans, so.
Oh, which friends?
Mm, Tommy and Dylan.
BRITTANY:
Tommy?
And Dylan, yeah.
Hm. And what y'all doing?
I don't know.
Party?
Maybe.
Okay, just be careful.
I will.
Uh, mom?
Yeah?
How long were we
at Deacon Jones' place?
We promised we would
never talk about that.
Why, why?
Why did we do that?
Honey...
after your father died,
I did the best I could.
Yeah, what does that mean?
BRITTANY:
Austin.
Okay, well, we can't keep acting
like it didn't happen,
we have to talk about it.
I was afraid, you know?
I was, I was afraid the world
was getting a hold of you.
I'm not strong like you.
Deacon Jones did,
he did a lot of weird shit.
I know.
We left, remember?
I got us out of there.
Yeah, I know, not until aft...
Don't!
Okay, well, we have
to talk about...
We never went back, okay?
Don't forget that.
Whatever happened
to that boy on the news?
Why, why are you
bringing this up now?
Baby, I am so proud of you.
And the man
that you are becoming.
I'm proud to be your mom.
Okay.
Well, I uh, I gotta get ready.
Right, right. Okay.
HADLEY:
Mom! What's for dinner?
BRITTANY:
Coming!
Dudes, Deacon Jones'
old commercial.
No way.
What?
I swear this guy was whacked.
Hi, I'm Deacon Jones,
and I started
this therapy center
for anyone who wants to leave
behind their ungodly life.
Church didn't understand
what I was doing,
but here in my home you can seek
refuge and restoration.
Here we help rid the old you
through therapy and prayer.
JONES: Calling back
to life, calling back to life.
Bring in new life,
life with abundance.
For those who need
a little more time,
live in my center with me.
Oh my God.
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
We have free therapy.
Ooh.
Daily chores
and wholesome living.
Free from video games
and cellphones!
My center
will transform your life.
Just remember,
the devil wants people
to quit...
JONES:
We rebuke the devil in him.
But here in my sanctuary,
I won't let that happen.
Okay, enough, enough, man.
TOMMY:
Bruh.
Ooh, I like feisty Austin.
Babe, you said you wouldn't
get on tonight.
We're going analog.
I know, one quick log.
Okay.
Hey fans, last night
of high school,
we're going out with a bang.
Got my girlfriend here.
And we about to party,
but not with alcohol.
Just good, clean fun.
Stay safe wherever you are.
Peace out, guys.
(LAUGHING)
Phone.
Tommy?
What, I don't have any image
to keep up.
Everyone knows I'm the friendly
neighborhood weed dealer.
I'm not afraid to be me.
Austin?
We're here.
Oh my God.
This is it.
Let's go.
TOMMY:
Let's go?
DYLAN:
Now it's time to party.
-(GRUNTS)
-Yeah.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
(CHUCKLES)
Tommy, drinks.
TOMMY:
Okay, man. Oh my God.
Shot, shot.
Right? Right?
Shot, shot, shot.
DYLAN:
Let's go.
(IVY SCREAMS)
IVY:
Oh my God.
JONES:
You must remain calm.
(IVY CHUCKLES)
Dude, are you okay, man?
I don't know, yeah.
Maybe it's a sign.
IVY: Yeah, it's a sign
that tonight is gonna be
-a night to remember.
-Oh yeah.
(LAUGHS)
()
()
Okay, okay,
we can work with this.
Let's go.
()
What if someone's here?
Only one way to find out.
Let's go.
()
In here.
()
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
JONES: We feel you
in this room, filling it up.
We ask you to take this job.
Lord, we believe in life.
Oh God, we ask you
to heal this child.
Oh, we believe in life
and life abundantly.
Your heart is not for death.
Oh yes, we believe that you
have big plans
for this child.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
So I rebuke the devil in him.
I rebuke the devil in him.
Oh, we rebuke the demon.
We rebuke the demon
inside of him!
Brittany. Mother.
You must remain calm.
I am... I am casting the devil.
I am casting death
out of your son.
Put your hands over the boy.
Now call him back to life.
Call him back to life.
Come to life.
JONES: Oh, louder, so
the heavens can hear you!
I rebuke you, Satan.
JONES:
Oh, that is right.
And I rebuke
all the demons in here.
The demons of greed
and the demons of pride.
You shall flee!
()
Bro, chill, man, chill.
It's just me.
It's just an old house.
Where's the excitement?
Babe, I say we find a room.
I want to find adventure.
And then a room, babe.
I bet this Deacon dude
was a molester.
You know,
good boys in the pooper.
(CHUCKLE)
Guys, why...
why are we even here?
Can we like,
go to Whataburger or something?
Oh.
Dudes. Dudes.
(GASPS)
Oh my God,
this thing's on still?
Jeez, this guy is
so unorganized.
Hey, try that one.
TOMMY:
Try the video folder.
Guys, I don't feel so good.
TOMMY:
Ooh, what do we have here?
DYLAN:
I can't hear anything.
Dude.
Yeah, just try another one.
Come in and heal this boy.
What?
What the hell is...
JONES: You renounce
the sin of homosexuality.
Yes.
No way.
JONES: (IN VIDEO)
I rebuke you devil.
DYLAN:
What?
That's it now,
that is the demon.
That's it, come on out.
-Come on out!
-It hurts!
Oh my God.
JONES: (IN VIDEO)
That's it, that is it, yeah.
That's it, come on out.
That's it, come on out.
-Come on out.
-It hurts!
JONES: (ON VIDEO)
That's the demon!
Come on out of him!
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
Mm-mm.
That's real.
Wake up.
I will beat this out of you.
Come on. Come on!
Hey, come on!
Come on! Get up!
Go on! Hey, turn this off.
Holy shit.
That's the kid who died.
And they locked Jones up.
(RETCHES)
I told y'all I don't feel good.
The demon is out.
I can't.
IVY:
Oh my God.
Austin.
Oh.
Hey.
Hadley, how are you guys here?
You've got to be kidding me.
Hi.
Okay, well, we're leaving, okay?
Ooh, let's go check it out.
Hadley, with me.
Okay.
Hey.
()
Hadley?
()
Hadley?
Wooh!
Over here.
(INDISCERNIBLE CHATTER,
LAUGHTER)
()
IVY:
Wooh!
You're a church girl, right?
-Uh.
-Sing us a hymn.
Oh, uh.
That wasn't a question.
Sing.
Okay.
I'm just a poor
wayfaring stranger
(LAUGHS)
Not bad.
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
(OVERLAPPING SPEECH)
Yeah. There we go.
(CHUCKLES)
(OVERLAPPING SPEECH)
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
Oh, interesting.
HADLEY: In that
fair land to which I go
IVY:
Okay, freshman.
DYLAN:
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
(IVY LAUGHS)
(INDISTINCT BACKGROUND CHATTER)
HADLEY: I'm just a
poor wayfaring stranger
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
IVY:
Here we go.
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
In that fair land
to which I go
Communion cups.
Are you mad at me?
No, I just don't want
you getting hurt.
They're just goofing around.
You know, Tommy isn't who he
was when we were kids.
Is that what
you're worried about?
That I'm gonna do drugs?
No.
This Deacon Jones guy
was weird, huh?
There's not any room, Tommy.
There's a whole box in there.
(CHUCKLE)
Guys, what do you think?
Mmm.
TOMMY:
Come on, Deacon Jones, what?
-Yeah.
-(IVY LAUGHS)
TOMMY:
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
STELLA:
Praise God. Amen!
DYLAN:
Yeah.
You know, mom brought me here
when I was a kid.
What?
Yeah.
She feels bad about it.
So, if you ever feel
the devil creeping in,
pulling you into a black hole
into anything other than
what God made you to be,
I want you to use the oil.
Okay? And you pray.
What if I don't like
how God made me?
Oh, just, use the oil.
And pray.
You stay right there, son.
That's it.
Hey, why are you guys
hiding from us?
Brother-sister bonding moment?
Holy shit, is that...
that's the oil
from the exorcism.
Why did he label the years?
Oh, I got '90.
I plead thee, children.
(CHUCKLE)
Come forward
and I will make you whole.
I have sinned.
Free me from my sin.
I, Deacon Jones,
I repent your sins
with this oil.
And other things
that Deacon Jones says.
That was kind of hot.
Dude.
Hadley?
-No.
-Yeah.
Oh, come on,
the protective older brother.
Bro.
Ooh, me?
I'll do it.
Uh, yeah, let's...
let's try out some oil on you.
Yeah.
Dylan, you want in, too?
(LAUGHS)
All right.
Be free from your infirmary.
I command it to be so.
IVY:
Ew.
And now, I will anoint myself.
I, the Deacon Jones,
due to my jacket I'm wearing.
-(GASPS)
-GIRLS: No, no, no!
IVY:
That's gross.
-Hadley?
-No. We're leaving.
-IVY: What? Uh, no.
-Austin.
-We are just getting started.
-Bro, come on.
STELLA:
Hadley, wait.
Austin.
-Please.
-HADLEY: Stop.
TOMMY: Austin, come on,
man. We were just joking around.
HADLEY: (ON VOICEMAIL)
Hey, this is Hadley.
I'm not available right now,
but leave me a message
at the beep,
and I'll call you back.
Beep! Just kidding.
The next beep.
(SIGHS)
TOMMY:
Let there be fire!
(CHEERING)
Hey, fire needs
a little kindling, guys.
Oh! Hey!
DYLAN:
Just throw it in.
Deacon Jones
won't care, he's dead.
IVY:
Let it burn!
TOMMY:
Hey.
IVY:
Woo!
TOMMY:
It's getting a little hot.
Hey! Yes, sir!
Ooh, look at that.
TOMMY:
Hey there. I think so.
I mean, I don't have
a problem with that.
I think you're hot.
Oh, really?
(CHUCKLES)
DYLAN:
This fire is nice.
IVY:
Yeah.
TOMMY:
Hey guys, you got a jacket?
IVY:
Ugh, gross, um...
(LAUGHING)
DYLAN:
God, Tommy.
Who gave you
the tambourine, huh?
I already have it.
TOMMY:
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
HADLEY:
Oh, yeah.
TOMMY:
You got a problem?
Yeah, I have a problem.
(STELLA CHUCKLES)
Let's take a walk.
Wow.
(SCOFFS)
()
()
So...
What are you doing?
Chill.
Don't you have a boyfriend?
You know what I meant.
(CHUCKLES)
I didn't know you cared.
What did you give her?
Nothing.
I mean, okay, she took a hit
off my vape,
but I don't think she'd be
feeling anything yet, right?
She just likes me.
Why is that so hard to believe?
You promised me no freshmen.
It was one hit, okay?
I didn't sell her anything.
You're the one breaking
a rule, not me.
Come on and cut me loose.
Cut me loose.
(CHUCKLES)
Dude, if people only knew
Ivy Flynn was my weed dealer.
Shut up!
(CHUCKLES)
Look, I want to go out
on my own.
You actually have a future
and you're going to Rice.
But my future is doing exactly
what I've been doing
this whole time.
Nothing's changing for me,
but you can get out.
I don't want out.
Why?
Your parents have money.
Power.
What about it?
It's the best feeling.
It's...
Ah! I don't know why...
Ah! I'm so...
I don't know why I did that.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
My brain feels hot.
Your, your brain?
No one feels their brain.
Well, I feel mine.
(TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Hey, are you okay?
What the hell, Tommy?
We are business.
Only business.
Who's there?
(STELLA CHUCKLE)
Sorry.
Did I scare you?
No. He's over there.
STELLA:
Just going for a little walk.
Sure you were.
(CHUCKLES)
What are you doing here?
I just came here to see you.
TOMMY:
Really?
Yeah.
Whoa. What is this?
Only one way to find out, right?
You want to show me?
Come on.
(CHUCKLES)
()
Dude.
The fire, it's like,
dancing like, little people.
Wow, I didn't know
you were so poetic.
You see it, right?
It's like little tiny ladies,
dancing.
Evil.
What's evil?
Hey, did... did the exorcism
freak you out?
Yeah, I think it freaked us all
out a little bit.
I know, but, 'cause
you're, you're gay.
Yeah, and I think you of
all people would know that.
DYLAN:
Your sister's right here.
You know, from a young age,
everyone always told me
what it was to be gay.
You know, but how would
a straight person ever know
what it was like to be queer?
No deeper conversation,
just fire and brimstone.
And I listened to everything
they said that caused it
and how I could fix it, just
turn it off like a light switch.
Just stop.
Just stop talking about this.
I was just trying
to make a joke.
Yeah, but it's not a joke.
Okay, you got your
high school crush.
Every single time I thought
a guy was cute,
I felt like I had to go home
and scrub my brain.
I didn't know.
And... and I'm not the
plague of religion.
And... and Deacon Jones,
he isn't preaching the Bible,
he's preaching his own
personal brand of bullshit.
I mean, he's even got his
own freakin' anointing oil.
His religion is
what killed that boy.
I don't know how, but it did.
This place,
it isn't filled with God.
It's filled with the devil.
Does anybody else feel hot?
My head.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
You have your phone?
Have you been filming us?
What? No.
No, no, that's evil.
HADLEY:
What?
What the hell, dude?
Asshole.
AUSTIN:
What was that for?
It's hot.
My head.
IVY:
Hey, what's wrong, babe?
Hadley.
She... she has a phone.
And some electronic device
attached to her body?
Who does that?
Dude, it's a diabetes monitor.
Hey, it's okay.
The no-phone rule was
more for you than anyone.
So we could just focus on us.
Okay, but...
but she's giving you that phone.
And... and what about Stella?
No, it's just me.
(PANTS)
See?
Give it to me.
What? No.
IVY:
Hadley.
Fine.
See? It's okay.
Get it away from me!
Dylan, it's just...
I... I said, please.
Get it away from me!
(PANTING)
Okay. Hey, hey.
What did you take tonight?
Weed.
Yeah, I know.
Besides the weed.
What else?
DYLAN:
Nothing.
Okay, we need to leave.
It's fine.
Look, how about I go take this
and I put it in the truck
with the others, okay?
Okay.
But keep her away from me.
Okay. Okay.
Um, I'm going.
All right.
Yeah, I'm coming.
You were right.
What?
I'm never doing drugs.
Bet.
(CHUCKLES)
Don't make fun of me.
Just saying.
Straight fire, bet, no cap.
Teen girl speak.
(HADLEY CHUCKLES)
That was so cringey.
()
()
Austin, this is your mother.
Look, I know you're out
with your friends,
but I can't find Hadley
and I'm really hoping
that she's with you.
So please, please call me back,
and if she is with you,
I want you to come home
right this minute with her,
please.
Just call me back.
()
DYLAN: (ON VIDEO) What's
up, fans? It's your boy Dylan here.
Last night of high school,
we're going out with a bang.
Got my girlfriend here
and we're about to party.
But not with alcohol,
just good, clean fun.
Stay safe wherever you are.
No drugs. Peace, guys.
()
See? All good.
Now, while we're here.
(CHUCKLES)
(KISSING)
(KISSING)
()
What?
What?
I'm over here.
Sorry, babe.
Everything's just
a little fuzzy.
Oh, okay.
Well, I'm taking off my clothes.
()
I've never done this before.
Do you want me to stop?
No, but if I wanted you to,
would you?
Yeah, of course.
Just say the word.
(KISSING)
(GRUNTS)
Dylan, what the hell?
I don't know.
Okay, figure it out.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
(PANTING)
()
(KISSING)
()
(DISTINCT SCREAM)
That sounded like Stella.
(GRUNTING IN DISTANCE)
No.
No, that was definitely Dylan.
That was definitely Stella.
No, that was both of them.
Okay.
Ivy, you go check on Dylan.
I just left him in the truck.
Go!
I swear, if he did
something to her.
No, Tommy.
You said you would stop
if I wanted you to.
I told you to stop.
I told you to stop!
You don't like it?
No, I want you to stop.
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
(HOWLS)
Did you hear that?
What was that?
(LOUD GROWLING)
(MUNCHING)
Get off her!
(GASPS)
Oh my God.
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
Like that.
-No!
-Run.
I'm Deacon Jones.
I've come here to set you free.
You must die for sin.
What?
My keys.
What?
I left them in... in the car.
The... they're not here.
Look for my phone.
We can call for help.
Yeah, yeah,
but they're... they're not here.
What? No. No.
No.
(DISTANT HOWLING)
What is going on?
I was right.
This place is filled
with the devil.
I saw it in Tommy's face.
He look... he looked...
Possessed?
I don't know.
We need to leave.
We can't just leave
Ivy and Dylan.
Okay.
Okay, yeah, there's probably
a phone in the house.
I'm not going in there.
Do you want to call
for help or not?
()
()
()
()
Where would the phone be?
I don't know.
Stay behind me.
Okay.
()
Hadley, look.
Why is his security cam
still running?
I thought he went to jail.
()
He's losing his mind.
()
There's Ivy.
Let's get her
and get out of here.
Okay, yeah.
Oh my gosh. Go, go, go.
Did you hear that?
(SCREAMS)
Let me go!
Austin!
Austin!
(GRUNTS)
(GROANS)
It's burning.
Tommy?
It's burning.
(COUGHS)
I'm cold.
I'm cold.
Hey. Hey.
Oh my God.
AUSTIN:
Tommy!
Oh my God.
Tommy? Tommy?
Austin?
What did I do?
()
Austin.
(SCREAMS)
HADLEY:
You saved me.
()
()
I'm just a poor
wayfaring stranger
I'm traveling through
this world of woe
For there's no sickness,
toil or danger
In that fair land
Austin?
To which I go
()
(HADLEY SCREAMS)
Stop it! Let me go!
No! No! No! No!
No.
You shouldn't be here!
I'll leave. I promise.
Just let me go.
You know too much!
Technology!
No! You're giving me
too much insulin!
-No!
-(DYLAN GRUNTS)
You're free!
Free devil be gone!
The devil is out!
I wouldn't have told Ivy,
I promise!
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTING)
I'm going there
no more to roam
I'm just a going
over Jordan
I'm just a going over home
Hey, are you okay?
(WHIMPERS)
What happened?
D... Dylan.
Overdosed me.
Three, three.
Sugar.
We need sugar, okay?
Okay. You wait here
for a second, okay?
I'll be right back.
Okay.
(SOBS)
()
(PANTS)
()
(PANTS)
What?
()
I can do it now.
You know, I thought I lost you.
It's happening all over again.
I'll never look
at these the same.
We need to find Ivy.
Well...
And if she hasn't turned yet,
then there's no one else left
to hurt her.
You know, I...
I still remember the day
that mom brought you home
from the center.
You do?
Yeah, I mean,
I was really young,
but I remember it
pretty clearly.
She... she brought you home
from the center a few weeks
after Dad died.
They planned the adoption
before he died, but...
Austin, I know this story.
Please.
Yeah, but you don't know it
from my point of view.
When Dad died,
it was the worst pain
I've ever felt.
And then mom brought you home,
put you on my lap,
and I looked into
your big green eyes.
Technically, hazel.
I... I'm serious.
I know.
And I remember looking
into your eyes,
just knowing that I was gonna
have to protect you.
Dad was dead.
I became the man of the house
at 5 years old.
I love you, bro.
You're pretty fire.
(PANTS)
Dylan?
You killed my boyfriend!
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Dylan went crazy.
He overdosed her on insulin.
He tried to kill her.
(PANTS)
I found Tommy.
Did you kill him, too?
No.
He ate Stella's face off.
Okay, people are going crazy.
We need to leave, okay?
Dylan said he buried
the keys with the phones.
I know where the keys are.
Okay.
IVY:
They're in there.
Back here?
Yeah, back further.
What are you doing?
AUSTIN:
Hey.
Ivy!
Hadley! Hadley!
I'm going home
to see my mother
Said she'd meet me
when I'm gone
No! Hadley!
I'ma just go over Jordan
(TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Just go
You came here to kill my men.
Ivy.
I'm only here for my brother.
Incest.
Disgusting.
That's a sin, you know.
No. Please, no.
I think it's time
for you to die now.
No. No!
What?
Go!
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
(PANTS)
HADLEY:
Ivy.
Ivy.
I was... I was falling into a...
a black hole.
I could almost reach it,
but never touch it.
Was it real?
Was it the devil?
It wasn't you.
The real you.
What if it was the real me?
No.
(HADLEY SNIFFLES)
Wait, you're alive.
Yeah, but...
She...
She's home.
I know dark clouds
will gather around me.
I know my way...
is hard and steep.
You okay?
Yeah.
Just checking
how you're feeling.
Worry about yourself.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
What's wrong?
Headache.
Mm-hmm.
Probably need some water.
Thanks, mom.
What's with the attitude?
Oh, I don't know.
Maybe this shitty night.
Yeah, well, I barely lived
through the night, too.
Of course, you did.
You're the perfect one.
You can do no wrong.
Mom overcompensates,
because you're gay.
She feels so guilty
that your life is hard.
You get all the love.
All the attention.
I get the leftovers!
What?
Shit.
(GRUNT)
Adopted kids get
the sloppy seconds!
(GRUNTING)
I'm... I'm not gonna hurt you.
I'll find you!
And I'll kill you!
And then mom will love me best!
()
()
Look, I know it's only
been a few hours, okay?
But you don't understand.
My children would never
do anything like this.
Especially my daughter.
POLICE OFFICER: (ON PHONE)
Ma'am, we can't help it right now.
What do you mean?
POLICE OFFICER: (ON PHONE)
Ma'am, there's nothing we can do.
You're the damn police!
That's what you're...
You're supposed to do something!
Please! Hello?
Shit!
(EXHALES)
()
Can you hear me?
I need help.
()
I... I don't have any food.
See? No food.
()
()
After everything,
this is what you want?
For me to take the oil?
Haven't you ruined enough?
You're right.
I won't hurt her.
So I'll take the oil
just like the rest.
()
()
(SCREAMS)
(GRUNTS)
(DEMONIC VOICES)
()
If you can hear me...
I love you.
Just like I loved your brother.
(AUSTIN COUGHS)
Austin!
Hadley.
You're back?
I tried to kill you.
Just...
But beautiful fields...
lie out before me
Deemed...
(INDISTINCT SPEECH)
The oil from when I was a kid,
it... it didn't turn me.
It turned you back.
How?
I don't know.
I think Jones
was putting medications
in his anointing oil.
I saw a bunch
of recalled medications
in his storage.
I think that's...
I think that's why they
were labeled with the years.
I didn't realize how jealous
I was of you and mom.
Oh no, we should have told you.
Okay, we had a secret.
You probably sensed it, a bond.
But it's not,
'cause you're adopted.
It's something else.
What?
You know that story I told you
when you were... you were a baby?
Yeah.
It wasn't true.
I loved both of you.
JONES: Oh yes, we believe
that you have big plans
for this child.
We rebuke the devil in him.
And he will flee.
The devil in him,
I rebuke the devil in him.
We rebuke the demon.
We rebuke the demon inside
of him!
Brittany. Mother.
You must remain calm.
I am, I am casting the devil.
I'm casting death
out of your son.
Put your hands over the boy.
(INDISTINCT WHISPERS)
JONES: Now call him back
to life, call him back to life.
BRITTANY:
Come to life.
Come back to life!
Come on now.
Come on!
Oh, I feel you. Oh!
So we had a brother.
You're a twin.
I always thought I made him up.
My invisible friend.
You stopped talking
about him after a while.
Forgot he existed.
I didn't.
I always felt an emptiness.
A hole.
Why didn't mom tell me?
After everything
we went through,
Jones made us pray over
his dead body for days.
After that, we stopped going.
Me and mom,
we had an unspoken agreement
never to speak of Deacon Jones
and his cult again.
Until tonight.
I'm sorry.
He's with us.
He's with you.
I'm a twin.
Yeah.
()
Let's go home.
Bet.
You're finally getting the hang
of my lingo.
()
Austin, everyone's gonna think
we killed them.
They won't believe
that they were possessed.
After everything
Deacon Jones did,
they'll believe us.
But we have to go back
and destroy the vials.
Only the ones
from my childhood are safe.
They turned you back.
Come on, guys.
There you are.
Oh, thank God.
It's my year.
()
How did he do all this?
Hallucinogens?
Or his tranquilizers?
He was running human experiments
and they didn't even know.
Did you hear that?
Yeah.
()
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
We now have breaking news.
Former local cult leader,
Deacon Jones,
has reportedly escaped.
Be careful with the vials.
None of them can break.
(SCREAMING)
Austin!
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
Jones was known for his obsession
with the demonic.
No.
NEWS REPORTER: (ON RADIO)
And raising of the dead.
Austin, oh my God.
Are you okay?
Don't touch the vials!
Go! Hadley! Hadley!
(SCREAMS)
Let me go! No!
-Hadley!
-Stop!
Do not be deceived.
AUSTIN:
Hadley, no!
God works in mysterious ways.
Get off of me! Get off!
AUSTIN:
Hadley!
Let me go! No.
Stop!
-(GRUNTS)
-(SCREAMS)
()
Let me go!
Stop!
Stop. Stop it.
Stop.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
()
(JONES GRUNTS)
Oh. Don't worry.
I can always raise you
from the dead!
(LAUGHS)
()
(LAUGHS)
I anoint you, asshole.
()
Hadley, no, no, no, no.
Come on, wake up.
Please wake up, come on.
I can't lose you, come on.
Hadley.
Am I dead?
(PANTS)
Come on, do it.
What did you do to us?
The oils.
Well, I was helping them.
I was helping them!
You know, God need
a little bit of help.
I could change some, but
I couldn't change them all.
You played God.
Come on.
Just send me home.
(YELLS)
No!
Mom?
Baby.
(SCREAMS)
(EXHALES)
I can't.
(COUGHING)
Hey.
Hey, are you okay?
Yeah.
You all right?
I should have done
this a long time ago.
(GRUNTS)
Oh my God, baby,
are you okay now?
Are you okay?
Oh my God.
(HADLEY COUGHS)
I'm so sorry.
Oh my God, are you bleeding?
Are you okay?
How did... how did...
how did you find us?
Oh my God.
(HADLEY COUGHS)
Find Your Phone helped, baby.
Oh, thank God.
Oh my God.
Oh, sweetie. What happened?
I gotta go take care
of something.
What?
(HADLEY COUGHS)
()
()
()
Okay. Got it.
All right.
Hm.
You know, I'd love for you
to wear something
that pops just a little bit
more on camera,
if you don't mind.
You know, I think the green
would look great with your eyes.
Okay.
-Would you mind changing?
-Sure.
Okay, the bathroom's
just right over there.
Thank you.
You good? Thanks.
Oh, yeah, great, that's perfect.
Yeah, we're just gonna
get a quick camera test.
As you know,
I'm doing a documentary
and I've been researching
a lot of cults here in Texas.
I wasn't in a cult.
But you left.
Sorry, I'm... I'm getting ahead
of myself.
Ready?
Hannah, thank you again
for being willing to talk to me
about your story.
After the cult I was a part of
nearly destroyed my life
and my family,
I did a lot of soul-searching
and research on other cults,
and um, that's when
I came across some old articles
from 1989 about the cult Zion
and some of the horrific things
that happened there.
Now, I haven't been able
to find anyone to talk to me
about Zion
until you reached out.
Zion.
-Zion.
-It's called, "Zion".
Zion. Sorry. Zion.
Why did you reach out?
I saw your story on the news
and it brought back a lot
of memories
of when I was a child.
Things I hadn't thought about
in a long time.
We all have our demons,
so to speak.
So, you don't live
in Zion anymore?
No.
I left many, many years ago
after my mother died.
How'd you get out?
I walked out the gate
and I left.
I told you, it wasn't a cult.
I could leave.
I'd never been outside
of the community.
The world was, and still is,
in many ways,
a terrifying place.
The world is more terrifying
than Zion?
()
Hmm.
So, what was it like? Zion.
It felt like...
one big family.
Like I was safe.
We never left the community,
except for market days.
Oh. What were market days?
My mom and her sister wife,
they would sell baked goods.
I would help.
So, you had two moms?
I don't want to talk
about my mom, moms.
Okay. No problem.
So, you had never been
in a grocery store
or a school or...
Right.
I had never ridden an elevator.
I'd never had a cola.
First time I went
to a fast food place,
I didn't know how to order
and somebody had to help me.
(CHUCKLES)
It was a simple life.
My dad was an important man
in the community,
so I always thought
I was important.
I was happy.
Well, if you were so happy,
why'd you leave?
Our prophet died
and his son replaced him.
He...
he ruined my life.
(HANNAH SIGHS)
Do you need to take a break?
HANNAH:
No.
Sure?
I'm fine.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Hannah, why don't you believe
that you were in a cult?
We were peaceful,
God-fearing people.
If it wasn't for him,
I'd still be there.
What do you mean
he ruined things?
He made me his wife.
BRITTANY:
How old were you?
Oh my God.
It was an honor
to be the prophet's wife.
It's confusing,
because at the time,
I thought it was
this incredible thing.
And then, now,
on my wedding night...
(HANNAH TAKES DEEP BREATHS)
Take your time.
HANNAH: I've never talked to
anyone about this before, so...
I understand, understand.
No, I... I don't think you do.
It's... it's hard
to talk about it, because...
Because of the trauma.
Because of the blood.
(HANNAH SOBS)
HANNAH:
There was so much blood.
None of it was mine!
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
()
It is said to be careful.
Dangerous substances.
Yeah. Just looks like
a bunch of religious crap.
Yep.
Ah!
Shit, you all right?
Come on.
(SIGHS)
Yeah, how about I anoint you
into the priesthood?
Just a little bit.
Ooh. Get the hell away
from me with that.
Come on.
Just...
-Don't even play with it.
-Just a little bit.
-Get that shit away from me.
-It's not gonna hurt you.
-Get away from me with that.
-Come on.
-It's ridiculous.
-Don't be such a baby.