The Shadows (2026) Movie Script
1
[music]
[sound effects]
[footsteps]
Charlie.
[sound effects]
Charlie.
[footsteps]
Charlie.
Charlie.
[sound effects]
[screaming]
I still think Charlie
should be a little older.
The kid is a little too much.
Let's make her a paranormal investigator.
All right, fine.
An adult Charlie it is.
Hey, look, as long as she gets
trapped in that spooky building I'm in.
It makes more sense anyways.
It gives her character more agency.
Also, I think Emily is a creepier
name than Charlie.
That's exactly why we shouldn't use it.
It already conveys creepy.
Charlie, on the other hand,
is an unexpected choice.
It's such an ambiguous
nickname and uncommon for girls.
Right, Lena?
I find it interesting anyway.
Come on.
Okay.
Let's rework her character.
She's supposed to be
a courageous investigator, right?
Yes.
Right.
[background noise]
[sound effects]
Ready to do this?
I'm ready.
[background noise]
[sound effects]
We got this.
It's just another investigation.
We'll be fine.
[music]
[sound effects]
Come back to this.
It's okay.
[sound effects]
[door slams]
Jason.
Door's shut, Charlie.
I can't open it.
I can't open it from the inside either.
Okay.
No sweat.
I'm going in.
Let's make this worth our while.
All right, be careful.
Focus on that back room.
That's where they said
most of the sightings were.
I'll sit here and try to figure out
how to override this lock.
[sound effects]
How about a scene
where Charlie finds something
that hints at the building's history?
Like an old newspaper
clipping or something.
Yes, but maybe an old journal.
Adds depth to her investigation.
[background noise]
Jason, I found something
about the building.
It's an old journal.
It talks about some strange rituals.
See you soon.
Charlie's still inside,
and Jason's outside trying to free her.
We need to build that tension.
How about we have Jason hear
something from his equipment,
something that makes him worry more?
Ooh, I like that.
It'll keep the audience on edge.
On edge?
Okay, let's try that.
Come on.
You got this.
[sound effects]
Jason, do you copy?
Copy.
I think I found the ritual room.
I'm sensing this is Ground Zero.
This may be the source of the hauntings.
Be careful, Charlie.
Don't touch anything.
Then she finds something.
Something that makes
her realize she's not alone.
Yes, like maybe a shadow
goes just past her eyes.
Or a whisper that doesn't even come
from her equipment.
Or a whisper.
Let's build it.
Start with the whisper.
Charlie.
Jason, did you call me?
[sound effects]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
This is good.
Real spooky.
So Jason's still outside.
What's his next move?
He's trying to override
the security system.
Ooh, but what if something starts
messing with his equipment?
Like interference.
Static?
Yes.
What if he hears something
that makes him think Charlie's in danger?
Jason.
[sound effects]
Charlie, are you all right?
I heard something.
I'm fine.
Just keep working on those doors.
Are you hearing something?
[sound effects]
Okay.
Yes, I see that.
Wait.
I got it.
She's AirTagged.
Then Jason can see
where she is in the building.
He can track her.
Yes.
Then he starts spotting
other anomalies too.
Yes, an AirTag
is only supposed to break up
one thing at a time, so yes,
it would be really creepy if suddenly
another dot starts
to appear around Charlie.
Like an airplane radar screen.
You got your plane,
and you have the ID
visible like your bogies.
Bogies?
Oh my God.
He means UFO U-2.
Clean with his 1950s idioms and Lena,
living and dying by SEO.
1950s?
Okay.
I'd like to see you try
to set up this tech, Mr.
I don't even have
a social channel handle.
That's proven to be sensible,
and it's called a social media handle.
Oh, whatever, Denny.
Okay, come on, Mr. Smart Guy.
Okay, let's focus.
Radar, Charlie, thank you.
Focus.
Thank you.
Thank you.
[beeping sound]
Charlie, I'm seeing another signal here.
Is there somebody else there?
Is anyone here?
Can you give me a sign?
Hello.
Hello.
What's your name?
Hello.
I'm here.
Why are you bound here?
Did you die here?
Sacrifice.
You were sacrificed?
Sacrifice.
Who did this to you?
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
No, you can't be serious.
We cannot use Charlie
as a sacrificial lamb.
It'll bring circularity to the story.
No.
I think we aim for a happy ending.
She survives and defeats
the shadow people.
That's too predictable.
The shadow people winning
is much scarier and more impactful.
Where do you stand on this, Denny?
Yes.
Let's just see what Charlie does.
It's either the girl survives,
or the haunted house wins.
It's completely up to her.
I really prefer characters
take their own action.
I sometimes do not understand
your methodology.
Let the characters tell us
what they're going to do next.
I believe in their free will.
You mean like the writer's free
flow of consciousness, right?
Yes, something like that.
Okay.
Where's Charlie going next?
Look, just put your fingers
on your keyboards and start typing.
Don't think about it too much.
Fine.
You were sacrificed.
You're bound to this place.
Yes.
[sound effects]
Shadow.
Scared.
You can see the shadow?
Yes.
[sound effects]
What is the shadow?
Who is the shadow?
Behind you.
Careful.
[sound effects]
[beeping sound]
Charlie, get out of there.
Now.
Chili.
You must be tripping from the heat.
There was a draft.
It was suddenly cold.
Okay.
It's not there anymore.
It comes and goes.
Let me switch seats with you.
I can use a chili draft, too.
Not a chance.
This is my creative perch.
I need a bio break.
Don't miss a turn like last time.
Hey, I was in writing mode, okay?
I've been called a lot of things,
but not absent-minded.
I'm going to go straight there,
and I'm going to come right back.
Should we air-tag you?
Don't forget your ghost repellent.
[laughs]
Hey, so what can we do?
It's there.
Now you can.
It's not bad.
Not bad at all.
[beeping sound]
Charlie, move.
Move, Charlie.
What is going on?
Come on, Charlie.
Run.
[sound effects]
What do you want?
[sound effects]
What do you want?
Who are you?
[sound effects]
What do you want?
Who are you?
[sound effects]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Jason, I'm here.
I'm here. I'm okay.
Seriously, I've been calling you.
I saw a mass of signals
encroaching on you.
Are they living or entities?
Definitely not on this plane.
I think what we're dealing with here
is mostly residual energy,
except for maybe one.
That one feels
like a self-directed entity.
Are you okay?
Not yet.
It scared the shit out of me.
Make sure that tag
stays on you at all times
and keep it away from the equipment.
I saw you disappear
on my end a couple times.
What's going on now?
Nothing.
It all stopped suddenly.
Any luck with the doors?
No.
I'm going to have to call security.
I'm fine, so don't rush to call.
We're going to get written
up for trespassing anyway,
so let me collect as much data as I can.
Charlie, I got a bad
feeling about this place.
You always have a bad feeling
wherever we go.
This time I'm extra spooked.
Just turn on the receiver
and monitor the data, okay?
Let's make this count for something.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
All clear.
You guys burnt yourselves
out of energy, huh?
All right, Jason.
I'm going radio silent.
Let's set a timer for 30.
Timer started.
Stay safe.
Copy.
Let's get started.
You really think
the happy ending is a good idea?
Absolutely.
We're going to give the audience hope.
If the shadow people win,
it's just depressing.
By the way, I'm liking this.
Charlie is really strong.
Oh, yes.
She's got cojones, that one.
I see what you're saying
about the happy ending thing,
but the darker ending tends
to stick with people longer.
You know?
The moral of the story and all that.
Shouldn't Lena be back by now?
[sound effects]
[whispers]
Lena.
Who's there?
[screams]
That wasn't funny, Denny.
You have to admit
it was just a little bit funny.
Oh, sometimes I just want to punch you.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Is everything okay, Lena?
Did something happen?
Were you just hiding in that room?
No.
Definitely not.
No way.
Come here.
Come here.
Tell me what happened.
I don't want to talk about it.
Look, this building is old.
It's spooky.
Things go bump.
Shadows everywhere.
You're not helping.
The doors open by themselves.
You said you weren't hiding in that room.
I wasn't.
I wasn't, but the janitor's closet
has a loose floorboard,
and if you jump on it...
You just don't know when to stop.
Where's your sense of humor, woman?
Lena?
[sound effects]
I'm in the area where the journal
was originally found.
The hole in the wall
has been repaired and painted over,
but there's still residual
energy lingering.
There's definitely something here.
Testing temperature
and relative distance.
I was right.
95.7 degrees Fahrenheit,
which reads 36.3 degrees Celsius.
Got it.
Good.
It's broadcasting.
[beeping sound]
This one has about
60% worth of life left.
Hopefully, that's enough
before it runs out of juice.
I hope you're getting this video.
[beeping sound]
Come on.
You got to be kidding me.
Come on.
Already?
Why do you keep deleting the bracelets?
We have enough stuff.
It's a bit excessive
to add more things into it.
Aren't they going to make a bunch
of noise and attract
the shadow to come and grab
her or something like that?
I don't know.
They're not going to attract anything.
They're for protection.
I want the bracelets.
Fine.
I guess.
Thank you.
How does she keep
getting all these electronics?
Did we establish a bag of some sort?
Yes, Denny.
Where is all this gear coming from, huh?
I think I wrote some extra baggage
in there before Charlie got
locked inside.
I'm not buying this.
How can she be running around
and carrying this bag
of equipment with her?
What if they were setting up
in the hallway and they left it there?
Before they got split up,
Jason goes back outside,
and Charlie goes to the ritual room.
Right.
He goes outside to look for the journal.
Then, bam, door's locked.
I still think it's too much gear.
I read that paranormal crews carry
somewhere between 15 and 20 gadgets.
Yes.
That's just for show.
Charlie is very good at what she does.
I don't think she needs
any more than her EMF meter,
ghost box, EVP recorder, thermal camera,
maybe the IR camera,
but at most, that's it.
Unlike Jason, who, being a guy,
needs to have all the little
toys out there.
I take offense to that.
Ooh, your motorcycle has a train horn,
a rain poncho, and an LED spark plug cap.
I'm not offended.
Of course not.
You have five thermometers
and a backup for your barbecue smoker.
I'm proud of it.
You can't be too careful
when you're smoking meats.
No.
Oh, I get it.
You guys are ganging up on me?
All right.
Shall we let him have a timeout corner?
I'm thinking about it.
Okay.
No more jokes, I promise.
I like to act out scenes,
trying to keep the tensions
high for the story,
testing the fear factor,
but I agree, I went too far.
High tension is one thing,
but there's a line
between tension and trauma.
I shouldn't have to tell you
that my weed is medicated for anxiety,
which you just brought
to a whole new level.
Agreed.
Scaring the bejesus out
of you in the back room
was thoughtless and insensitive.
My bad.
Again, I'm sorry.
Can we write it into the story?
Don't push it.
[chuckles]
All right.
Where were we?
Ah, yes.
The haunted corridor.
Jason, do you copy?
Copy.
What we have in this area
is mostly residual,
except for one possibly
self-directed entity,
one that wants to communicate.
If I'm right, this one will tag along,
following the microphones.
I heard it.
Did you activate the laser grid?
No need.
Experience shows that thermal
and IR are the best way
to capture shadow people.
I'm leaving behind
motion-detecting parameters.
Copy that.
Where to next?
The journal mentioned
an area where the rest
of the bodies were found
piled up after the fire.
Yes, the back door exit.
Its original site is now approximately
under the first stall
in the ladies' restroom.
The spot's really active.
Stall doors open
by themselves, et cetera.
Be extra careful.
Okay.
[sound effects]
Do you copy, Jason?
Yes, copy.
Everything okay?
What's behind the door?
Across from the hot spot in the hallway.
According to the floor plan,
there should be an office.
Maybe it's being used as storage,
given the remarks on the map.
Before?
Seems to have been a common room,
like for employee breaks.
Are there any reports of sightings
or anomalies in this room?
Not that I'm aware of.
Our activity's spiked.
It's leading me here.
We need to start thinking
about getting you out of there.
Once I call security, it's game over.
I know, but we need to complete
the data from the ritual site.
It's pulling me here.
I'll be quick.
I know it wants to show me something.
I hope you're not trusting
these entities.
The only dense energy
so far is at the ritual site.
It seems to be contained there.
Possibly because of the ritual?
I'll keep this going, okay?
Fine.
[sound effects]
You better not be behind this, Denny.
I was sitting right next to you.
This door cannot open by itself.
The lock is fine.
It did.
We all saw it.
I'm thinking a small quake,
or we left it partially
closed, or a draft.
Lena, you've been feeling
drafts all evening, right?
Yes, sure.
I don't know.
I still don't feel comfortable
with all of this just yet.
[sound effects]
Old wiring.
Yes, I buy that, right?
Okay.
Let's just finish
this and let's get out of here.
The security guard said
he'd be back by midnight,
and we actually don't
have that much time.
Let's do that.
Sounds good.
[sound effects]
Is this what you're trying to show me?
Jason, do you copy?
Go ahead.
I found it.
The sealing wand.
The artifact the journal describes?
Yes.
From day one after the ritual incident.
That building's been turned inside out
by people searching for that thing.
My assumption is whoever left
it must have been in a hurry.
Just saw the unassuming chest,
put it in the drawer, and left.
I'm more inclined to think the thing
just didn't want to be found until now.
I know it wants to show me something.
Charlie, there are no friendlies
in this building.
You know that.
Don't fall for their tricks.
You can't open the gates into the unknown
and not suffer the consequences.
Charlie, don't do this.
I am going to undo whatever
people were doing the day
my dad disappeared inside this building.
Charlie, don't do this.
Charlie, this is crazy.
Don't do this.
[sound effects]
Dad.
Dad.
Dad.
[sound effects]
Dad.
Dad.
[sound effects]
I'm relocating to the coffee shop
on Water Street in case
you guys want to join me.
Lena, I'm still leaning towards
the earthquake clusters.
Remember back on July 3rd
and 4th when we had them?
Yes, I felt the seismic
wave roll through.
Thank you.
[chuckles]
You can call it whatever you want.
I call it quits.
Wait.
Lena, wait.
Are you coming with me or what?
Lena.
I'm going to be the idiot who gets
trapped in a haunted building.
This building?
You can't be serious.
I wish the building were haunted
because it would probably make
working here way more interesting.
There are no ghosts here, okay?
Don't you think I would know?
You're not squinting,
so I guess you're telling the truth.
I felt a wave, too.
A rolling wave.
Yes, exactly.
I felt the exact same thing.
A seismic wave and then door mayhem.
It didn't shake.
No, it didn't shake.
You think a quake wave did it?
Absolutely.
This place is built atop
deep underground waterways.
Quakes here will feel very differently.
Besides, they don't happen often at all.
You guys, you have to see this.
[sound effects]
Charlie?
Charlie, don't do this.
You shouldn't be casting
a spell like this one by yourself.
[sound effects]
Come on, Charlie,
don't do anything stupid.
[sound effects]
Jason, do you copy?
I need to get started.
I need to work fast
before the entity gets
a chance to manifest.
Do not let anyone through those doors,
and that includes you, too.
If this thing goes south,
I want you to write the story,
sell the movie rights,
and get rich off of it, okay?
[sound effects]
Sir, you called?
Yes.
What's going on here?
Why are you messing
with the security system?
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Got someone trapped inside.
This is private property.
You're trespassing.
Yes, I know, and I fully
acknowledge that,
but I really need your help
getting her out of there.
Fine, but if this is some kind
of prank, you're in big trouble.
A security guard?
When did we add that?
We hadn't yet.
We were still discussing it.
Marcelo would probably love to know
that he's a character, though.
I'm not against Alvarez.
Okay, we can keep him here.
Yes, have him come in at this point.
What page is this?
That's a bit early, but what the heck.
A little gore wouldn't hurt.
It could add intensity to the scene.
Can we hurt one of them?
Let's focus on the psychological horror.
That's what makes ghost
stories truly terrifying.
A little cut, a paper cut.
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
Dispatch, this is Alvarez.
I'm assisting with a possible
emergency at Building 7.
There seems to be a problem
with the automatic locking system.
Can you override?
Copy that, Officer Alvarez.
We'll reboot the system for Building 7.
Stand by.
Thank you, dispatch.
[sound effects]
You really think that blood
and guts is what our story needs?
It adds shock value.
It keeps the audience on edge.
Oh, it cheapens the story.
We don't need to rely
on gore to make it scary.
People want to see
an actual spellcasting scene.
That means drawing blood.
Guys, let's just find
a middle ground, okay?
We can imply horror
without showing it explicitly.
Fine, no gore,
but we do need something
that shocks the audience.
You can do that with suspense.
The unknown is a lot scarier
than any amount of blood.
[sound effects]
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
[foreign language]
Who are you?
Whoa, whoa.
Hey, Glenn.
What just happened?
Did you not see that?
See what?
What?
I walked into Charlie doing the ritual.
What?
I walked into the ritual room.
She looked real.
Wait, so you're telling me
that you just strolled
into our story land?
I would accuse
you of smoking some elitist stash
if I didn't know firsthand
it was already crap weed.
Anything else you remember, Glenn?
The shadow.
It was there, too.
It was hard to breathe.
Look, I don't think
Charlie should be doing that ritual.
We should do something
to get her interrupted.
Yes, we can.
No, no way.
No way.
The entire plot hinges
on her revoking
the spell on the building.
It's the main engine for the...
I've been saying this the entire time.
There is something
odd about this building.
My God.
Ghosts do not exist.
Haunted buildings do not exist.
All supernatural phenomena
is created in our minds as proven
by the Phillip experiment
in Canada in 1972.
Bottom line is, when we think about
the same thing as a collective,
in this case, characters and plot,
we are infusing
it with our own mental energies.
I also researched that experiment.
It took that group of scientists
months of targeted focusing,
and even then, they couldn't detect
anything until they started
doing seances.
Let's be very clear here, Denny.
They thought they
were creating a ghost when,
in fact, they were opening a portal,
and an opportunistic entity
pretended to be Phillip.
It was toying with them.
That's why it started to get
more unpredictable and aggressive.
Guys, look, I know what I saw.
Just maybe we should do a seance.
No, Glenn, no, we should not do that.
That's opening a can of worms.
That's the whole reason
this entity got through.
You know what, Glenn?
That's a great idea.
Yes, why don't we do a seance
and put this BS to bed?
You're the paranormal
expert, right, Lena?
Tell us what we need to do.
I'm not doing this.
Oh, you're not doing this?
You know the rules.
Majority wins.
Charlie, the door is finally opening.
Please don't do anything.
I'll be in there soon.
You said she was the only
one in the building.
Whatever that is, that's not human.
[beeping sound]
[foreign language]
I always heard this building was cursed.
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
Okay, come on.
Pull.
All right.
Come on.
This is insane.
Pull.
My fingers hurt. My fingers hurt.
All right, go.
Come on.
Come on.
There we go. There
we go. There we go.
Come on.
That's good.
That's good. All right.
Stay here, all right?
Don't follow me.
I'll find Charlie,
and I'll bring her out.
All right.
I'll reach out via channel three.
Test it.
Hurry up.
Testing.
Testing.
Perfect.
[music]
Heading to the back room.
[music]
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Yes.
No.
Okay.
What's next?
I need something
to glide on top of the paper.
Oh, you can check right
up there if you need to.
Don't lift that or it'll break
the connection.
Does it need to be that small?
Yes.
This will work.
Already sitting down.
Face each other.
Face each other.
Now, gently place
one finger each on top of it.
Don't apply any pressure.
Just relax your fingers there.
Don't put any pressure down.
Just relax your fingers there.
Now what?
Ask questions.
Call her by name and ask questions.
Glenn, you do the honors.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Charlie, if you can hear us,
give us a sign.
See?
Nothing.
Are we doing it right, Lena?
You really need
three people to make it work.
It's the sacred energy number.
The vibration of the universe.
How to make an apple pie.
Carl Sagan.
Whatever. Whatever. Whatever.
Cup is good.
Is the table even?
Yes.
I guess.
Ask again.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Don't lift your finger.
You'll break the connection.
Okay.
Ask again.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Are you a paranormal investigator?
What are today's winning lottery numbers?
[sound effects]
It has to be a yes or no question, man.
Come on, guys.
It only knows what we know.
It's infused with our mental energies.
Remember? duh.
[sound effects]
What just happened?
[music]
Suckers.
[chuckles]
Magnets.
You are vindictive.
Holy shit.
Damn right.
Sorry, Glenn, but there's no way
we're going to channel
an opening to the other side on my watch.
Agreed?
Now, we're going to rewrite
the ritual scene,
we're going to create an intervention,
and we're going to save
Charlie from herself.
You know the rules.
Majority wins.
You're ganging up on me again.
Write what you want.
I'll write my own.
[sound effects]
Okay.
Give me the details again.
Charlie was on the floor,
and she had just cut herself
to add blood to the cup.
Okay, and then?
She was tracing the symbols on the floor,
reciting the second
part of the incantation.
That's when she saw you?
Correct.
I don't think we need
to rewrite the spell scene.
We need to stop
her from doing it altogether.
What about Alvarez?
The security guard.
Yes.
Let's have him arrive
while she's setting up.
Let's have him interrupt
the ritual and keep
it from even starting.
She's probably realized that she can use
the artifact to fend
off the shadow people.
I am on it.
[sound effects]
Charlie?
Charlie, I'm Officer Alvarez.
Your friend Jason sent me
to come and get you.
We need to leave now.
No.
You shouldn't even be here.
You need to go.
No. No.
You're coming with me.
Come on.
You're coming with me.
No. I can't leave here
without my equipment.
No.
No.
Come on. Let's go.
We have to leave.
Come on.
[sound effects]
Jason.
What are all these things?
Vasquez.
Trapsouls.
Bound to this building by a spell.
I've heard stories of members
of a cult using
this building for rituals.
[background music]
I think they were employees.
No.
The other guards, hell no,
they refused to come in.
I always thought
they were messing with me.
My dad's trapped here too.
I used to come with him
a lot while he was on the job.
He was an electrician.
I used to come with him
while he was doing fixes
on the building.
We were supposed
to meet with the caretaker.
Instead, we saw a shadow,
a big, dark shadow.
We ran, got separated,
and I don't even remember
anything after that.
I woke up outside at the entrance.
Police say he just vanished.
I heard about this.
I'm sorry, Charlie.
It must have been tough
for you and your mom.
My mom was gone a long time ago.
It's just me and my dad.
Okay. How do we solve this?
What do we need to do?
We need to revert this spell
for all those souls
that were trapped here.
Let's get started, yeah?
We just changed this.
I was supposed to stop her,
not help her with the spell.
We've got to block Danny.
He keeps rewriting our rewrites.
I have blocked him twice.
Then maybe we should start
a new document so he has no access.
No.
We would just be creating a tangent,
but the main story
would still be at Danny's mercy.
This place has a lot
to do with what's going on.
Danny insisted we write
the screenplay in this building.
Insisted.
Maybe we should have thought
about it a little bit more
because a ritual did take place here.
Some sort of summoning.
Glenn, you're not very good
at pranks, so you can drop the act.
Danny told me not to tell you.
Tell me what?
A manager who was bored one day found
an old journal stuffed
behind some files in a cabinet.
On a whim, him and some coworkers
followed instructions
to summon a spirit.
Which spirit?
Danny didn't say.
I don't think he knew either,
but I just thought
it was important that you knew.
You think?
This fucking building
has been exposed to bad energy,
and you didn't think
it was important to tell me?
Danny said you would take it badly.
I'm going to kill him.
Are you seeing that?
Yes.
No.
Jesus.
Jason, this thing is real.
Ignore what I said
before and get inside now.
No, Jason needs to stay outside.
Don't let him in.
No, we need help.
He's going to get stuck
here with the rest of us.
We free them, we free ourselves.
I'm going to get started.
Okay.
Okay, Jesus.
[foreign language]
[beeping]
Come on.
All right, come on.
Dang it.
Come on.
You had blocked me from the script?
I have equal say on all plot twists.
I refuse to let you two turn
this into a lame show.
What?
You hear that?
What is happening here?
We're manifesting our fears
into the physical world.
We're manifesting more than that.
Our characters are developing
a will of their own.
All the more reason to make sure
we change the spell scene.
Focus, people.
That shadow, whether or not it exists,
it's because we willed it to.
Go away.
Be gone, I command you.
Ow, oh.
They burn.
Here.
Okay, let's change the spell scene.
Let's forget about the artifact
and let's get out of here.
I've lost access.
I'm blocked as well.
I can't change anything either.
The last thing added was a ritual
without any of our changes.
[foreign language]
Charlie, come on.
[foreign language]
We can't write.
We can't change it.
We need to get out of here.
Come on.
I should just leave you.
Come on.
My helmet.
You don't need it.
My jacket.
Come on.
Ah, come on.
Oh, yes.
We need to place the binding spell on it.
It's our only chance.
Just tell me what to do.
Just tell me what to do.
Give me your hand.
[foreign language]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Dad, no.
Dad.
Dad.
No, Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Get back.
No.
Now, wait.
There's a roof exit in here.
We need to move the desk to that corner.
The emergency hatch is in the ceiling.
Come on.
Guys, something's not right.
We need to go now.
Come on.
Get over here.
Come on. Come on.
Oh, oh.
Come on. Let's go this way.
Ow.
No.
No.
No.
We need to find a way out of here.
This can't be happening.
Maybe we're not manifesting anything.
Maybe it is this place after all.
I didn't want to tell you this,
but there was a ritual
that took place here a while ago.
We already know, Denny.
This is all your idea.
You are responsible
for whatever is going on.
No, I'm not.
I haven't done anything.
We are truly facing
something unknown here.
We're probably fueling
it with our writing.
What kind of ritual was that?
Where did it take place?
No idea.
That's the truth.
Oh my God.
Did you take part in it, Denny?
It was boring, so I left.
Whatever they were doing back there,
I thought it was ridiculous.
You left the room, didn't you?
Not so ridiculous now, huh?
Oh, if I would have known
you were so insane.
We got to rewrite it now.
Enough of the bickering, okay?
We need to work together
to get out of this mess.
If we don't rewrite, we're going to die.
Let's figure out
how to change the plot, okay?
[eerie music]
Charlie, if you can hear me.
I'm stuck at the entrance door.
I'm stuck.
Order.
Tale.
Ula.
Kehode.
Embago.
Avizu.
Avizu.
What are you trying to tell me?
It's a key.
It's a portal key.
The artifact Charlie has,
it's affecting reality.
Our reality.
That artifact.
We came up with it because we thought
we needed some sort of magic wand
to hold off the Shadow People.
Yes, you pulled the drawing
from a book at the library.
The History of Witchy
Stuff or something like that?
History of Folklore.
Yes, it's based off of a real object.
Maybe despite the attributes
we've been giving it,
our fictional artifact is behaving
like its real counterpart
as a portal opener.
Maybe that's the reason everything
we write seems to be shifting,
because it's trying to match
the function of the artifact.
As a key to other dimensions?
We created this nightmare.
We're trapped in this because
of our own story.
Weirdly, it makes sense.
I never thought I'd hear
myself saying this.
I'm really, really sorry about this.
Honestly, I don't think
it's actually entirely your fault.
I think there's something
else at play here.
Are we still blocked
from the main document?
Yes.
I'm just going to have to write it.
As head writer, I should have
some outer power here, right?
Yes.
Right?
Yes.
No.
No, I've got to get out of here.
Come on.
[whispers]
Jason.
Jason.
Argh.
Come on.
Argh.
Show me where the portal is.
[whispers]
Hello, sound.
Jason, can you hear me?
I want you-
That's the ritual area.
How are we going to undo the ritual now?
We need to jump
further back into the story.
Make sure they get out safely
before they even get to the ritual.
Jason.
Jason.
Oh.
Oh, oh.
We could still...
We're onto something.
We need to write now.
What do we write?
How do we end this?
We write them out of the building.
We give them the escape routes.
A circle of light
and protection around herself.
She can do that with
the artifacts, right?
Yes.
We write, Charlie,
light, artifacts, protect.
Jason, can you hear me?
I'll find you.
[whispers]
Stop fighting.
[whispers]
Give up.
Give up.
You belong here with us.
You belong here with us.
I can't continue to listen
to Jason screaming like that.
We can't write that door into opening.
We can't write a safe out for Charlie.
They need intervention.
They need intervention.
What are you saying?
You have to trust me.
I'm writing myself in.
I can do this.
I can do this.
Grab the paper and a pen.
Okay.
[music]
Charlie, can you hear me?
I'm stuck at the entrance door.
I'm stuck.
Jason, hold on.
I'm coming for you.
[music]
Okay.
Okay.
We could play all day.
Or you can help and point me
to the entrance.
Thanks.
Oh.
What the heck are you guys doing here?
If we're all here,
how are we going to get out?
Our writing only works
when the three of us are together.
You think I was going to let you ride out
in the sunset by yourself
and take all the glory.
We need to hurry.
This feels so real.
Let's finish the scene.
[music]
Jason.
Come on.
Jason, your leg.
It hurts like a motherfucker.
It's time to move.
Come on.
It's time to move.
Dad?
You guys messing with me, or?
Well, you did come up
with a name for the character.
Dad, it's me, Charlie.
Hey, help me up.
Will you?
Hey, thank you.
I'm Jason.
This is Charlie.
I'm Glenn.
This is Lena and Denny.
There's no time.
We've got to get out of here.
Charlie, you have an artifact
that has magical powers, right?
I lost it somewhere.
It probably doesn't even work right now.
You lost it where?
I don't know.
I had it in my hand at one moment,
and then the next it was gone.
Maybe we can will it to reappear.
You know how to cast spells?
If you do, then we can revert
the one that was placed on this building,
and we can free the souls
that were trapped here.
No, no, no
No, no.
No, no, we are not
doing any more of that.
You already succeeded
in partially reverting the spell,
except you freed something
extremely powerful and manipulating.
It's done.
Charlie, can you check inside your bag?
The artifact should be in there now.
Uh-oh.
Wait, Charlie has another bag.
Right, Charlie?
Yes, it's in the room
where the ritual site is.
You only wrote bag.
I did write Charlie's bag.
Be more specific?
Let me add-
Take a look across, buddy.
What is going on?
I don't know.
We'll figure it out.
Denny?
Charlie, check again.
I directed the same action.
Okay.
Jason, Charlie, you need
to go retrieve that artifact.
It will be in the other bag,
and leave that room immediately.
We need to go fix some stuff.
We'll catch up later.
Glenn, I think we can use
your walkie-talkie.
You can reach us here, okay?
Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Let's go.
Glenn, we need to make sure he can run.
Yes, of course, Dad.
What the fuck, right?
I've been called many things,
and that is not one of them.
You have the face.
What, a fatherly face?
What are you talking about?
All right, guys, can we get back
to our own reality, please?
Come on.
This way.
[whispers]
You cannot escape.
This can't be happening.
No, no, no.
We never even wrote
the break room to look like this.
This is supposed to be where
Charlie finds the artifact.
Did it even look like this?
Oh, well.
Denny?
I did write a short scene
in which Charlie enters
this room from her reality
and perceives us
through her thermal camera,
just as a red herring.
An alternative version, but I deleted it.
Obviously, this world doesn't seem
to know about versioning.
Wait, so this reality is possibly using
all versions of our screenplay?
Well, it used Denny's questionable scene,
so I guess yes.
Well, then maybe the artifact's
not trying to become
the original version of itself.
What if this reality is cycling
through all versions that we've created?
Didn't we have a version
in which the artifact
could reset everything?
Yes, we wrote that it can reset
everything back to zero.
Everything implodes
into itself and disappears.
Yes, and we realized
it would create a black hole.
Oh, shit.
We cannot let her use it, then.
No, we need to go back
to the original version,
the master version.
Charlie needs to return
the artifact to where she found it.
Charlie, do you copy?
It's Glenn.
Please answer.
I'll be happy to leave
this place and never come back.
Alvarez was a good guy.
Yes, he was.
He saved my life.
About your dad.
I don't want to talk about that.
Can I just say something?
Okay.
I think your witch role did work
in freeing trapped souls here.
Yes, I know.
[background music]
How do I move past this?
You need to hurry.
Jason, take a look at this.
The artifact, it's some sort of key.
Charlie, do you copy?
Yes, I copy.
The artifact, it's a portal key.
No, wait, it's not.
This is taking you on a tangent.
The only way to fix things
is to put the artifact
back where you found it.
Is Jason with you?
I'm here.
What do we do next?
This place is filling up with shadows.
No, no, there's still time.
The journal says that we have
to place this in the middle.
No, he said to put the artifact
back to where you found it.
I say we do that.
No, there's still time.
I can still fix it.
Charlie, it's enough.
It's over.
We need to put the artifact back.
Let's go.
I'm not going anywhere.
Charlie, can you hear me?
Charlie, can you hear me?
There are only too many shadow
people near her.
Okay, so then let's go save them again.
We need to step out
there and somehow come back here,
but in the other version.
We need some sort of protection.
And extra ammunition.
Come on.
Okay.
What do we need?
Things that can protect us.
Sacred amulets, runes, sage
for cleansing areas we walk into.
A shadow sword, and a shield,
an axe, and armor.
No.
No, they could use
any of that against us.
We need things that provoke
protection rather than weapons.
Yes, so let's do light.
Arm ourselves with protection.
Light.
Okay, nothing that can
be used against us.
Yes, immunity.
We need to find Charlie.
Extra paper, pens.
Something that will invoke sight,
so we can see into the darkness.
Okay, got it.
Light?
Light something?
Okay, we'll do light in the eyes.
Then the shadows are disrupting
the walkie-talkie,
so if we get separated again,
we need to make sure we can talk to them.
I'm on channel three.
Channel three.
Channel three, yes, a sacred number.
We'll put extra protection
on the channel and Charlie's walkie.
Does that look good?
Yes.
I think we're solid.
Glenn, write us in.
Let's do it.
Quiet.
It stays that way.
It's not our deal.
Do you have the artifact?
Yes.
We have to put it back.
Charlie, take this.
Come on.
God, not again.
This thing keeps interrupting our story.
We need to distract it.
It needs to be debated.
What?
Hey, shadow.
Come on, asshole.
Don't worry, I'm sure
he knows what he's doing.
Let's go.
Yes.
Come on, man.
My grandma's faster.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on, big boy.
Come on.
Come on.
It was in a chest of drawers.
It was right here.
Glenn, did we ever move
it to another room?
No, but we did change
its shape various times.
You guys are somehow
affecting what happens, right?
Kind of.
It's complicated.
Yes.
Okay, versions.
It was in a chest of drawers,
a wooden box, a drawer in a desk,
and inside a picture inside the wall.
Let's get to looking.
[music]
Tit for tat, huh?
We must be forgetting about a version.
Maybe another one
of Denny's deleted scenes?
Maybe.
Let's focus on looking
for something out of place.
Okay.
Guys, there are friendly spirits here.
Maybe one of them can help.
Please help me find what I'm looking for.
Maybe some of these spirits
have moved on since you freed them.
Please help me find what I'm looking for.
Hey, it can be anything.
Let's keep looking.
Yes.
Fine.
If I need to stay in this room
so that you stay away
from them, then that's the game
we're going to play.
At least I got you chained.
Oh, man.
Now this actually
looks like a ritual site.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Helicopter swoops in and saves everybody.
Okay.
All right.
All right.
All right. All right.
Five jet packs.
Okay.
Magic chalk to open a portal on the wall
and get up out of here.
A bomb.
Guys, it's working.
This.
It's right here.
Come on.
Guys, I think I found something.
Move.
Close it.
This was my dad's.
It's locked.
What's the combination?
I don't know.
Glenn.
Okay.
Seven, five, two.
No.
Eight, eight, five.
He has a walkie-talkie.
Okay.
Okay.
Glenn, Lena, shadow people
are headed back your way right now.
Lena.
Okay.
Okay.
Think, Denny.
Think.
Okay.
The artifact in the center
seals the spell.
The light from the candles
activate the artifact.
The symbols are drawn to summon
the forces of something
and blood is needed at the sacrifice.
Charlie partially reverted it,
freeing some of the spirits.
She took the artifact,
blew out the candles,
retraced the symbols backwards.
What about the blood?
That's why it didn't work
fully the first time.
She needed three sources for the blood.
Three sacrifices.
There's only Charlie's and Alvarez.
That thing needs one more to be free.
Oh, shit.
Well, that's not going to be mine.
Besides, I can't do it anyway,
not without the artifact.
Zero, zero, zero.
Three, six, nine.
Try three, six, nine.
It worked.
Nikolai Tesla.
He is my dad's hero.
Charlie, you need
to be the one to open the box
and place the artifact inside.
I recall this box.
It was in the drawing
of the artifact from the library.
The story keeps rewriting itself.
I remember this box.
My grandma gave
it to me when I was a kid.
This is my box.
[whispers]
We need to hurry.
Charlie, place the artifact back inside.
It didn't work.
The ritual.
We need to finish the binding spell.
It'll open a portal,
a new, different portal.
We don't have a choice now, do we?
I'm so sorry, guys.
I thought that I could free
everybody cursed here,
but I just wanted to save my dad.
We need to bind
the shadows once and for all.
You don't know
what this creature's capable of.
Yes, we do.
We created it and everything
else, including you.
We're writers.
This is our screenplay.
Every five years, this building
grabs someone and keeps them.
It's taken all of you.
I'm so sorry, guys.
I thought that we could fix this.
We have to finish.
Another one of Denny's rogue scenes?
This is insane.
Charlie, wait.
You can't go through that.
Charlie, brace yourself.
Go.
Come on.
Oh.
It's a demon.
We have to rescue our rogue.
How long is it going to take?
We need to finish defining this scene.
Oh, you need my blood?
Yes, and I need you to trust me.
Oh, man.
Bangara, ankante, zikta, unza,
ambago, advizo, advizo.
Bangara, ankante, zikta,
unza, ambago, advizo,
advizo, ambago, advizo, advizo,
ambago, advizo, advizo, ambago,
advizo, advizo, ambago, advizo.
[music]
Oh.
Come on.
Go.
[music]
No, no, no.
Jason.
Jason.
We are not already-
Hey.
[laughs]
I got you.
Hey, Marcelo.
Oh, man.
What's the matter, you guys?
You look like you saw La Llorona.
Shut up.
All right.
Okay.
Well, anyway, good luck
with your writing.
You guys have all day and into the night.
I'll be back around 11:30, okay?
The doors are locked,
so if you have an emergency,
use the back office.
There's an emergency
hatch on the ceiling.
You know what room
I'm talking about right, Denny?
Yes.
I sure do.
Yes.
Come on, bro.
Okay.
I'm going to leave one of these
for you in the back room, okay?
Listen, if something happens,
anything happens, do not call 911.
Do not.
Use this and call me.
All right?
It's Sunday, so if any little
thing gets triggered,
they call for SWAT teams.
They're madres and all...
No, they're over-reactive.
Oh, yes, one more thing, one more thing.
The only working smoke
detectors are in the restrooms, okay?
The only ones in the restrooms.
That being said, por favor, por favor,
don't set the place on fire.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay, please?
Okay.
Yes.
Sweet.
Thanks, bro.
You're the best.
Okay. I got you.
I got you.
You know, on that note real quick,
I did want to ask you something.
I was thinking about this,
maybe, I don't know.
I don't know.
I could play like a dead body
in your movie or something
like that, huh?
Yes?
I could just, [makes
choking noises], like that.
Yes?
What do you think?
Good, right?
Yes, yes, sure.
Right.
Yes.
Really, guys?
Shut up, really?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, sure.
Yes, you know it.
What?
All right.
That makes me the happiest man.
My mom is going to fucking love that.
All right, see you later, bro.
Yes.
All right, where were we?
We were reviewing plot points.
Oh, that's right.
Okay.
I have the weirdest sense of dj vu.
Right?
We're still going with Charlie, right?
Charlie?
Seriously?
Can we just consider Emily?
No, it has to be Charlie.
Emily's a great name.
It connects with the audience.
It sounds so well.
Its not a great name.
Not the best name.
[laughs]
All right.
How about we make it the middle name?
As long as we spell it differently.
Deal. [laughs]
Okay.
[music]
The shadows
They're on the other side.
Then they reach through
Walls mean nothing.
They are cold and cruel.
You can't run away.
They will find you.
If you see them
They will blind you.
Are they for real?
Or is it all in your head?
Check the sh...
[music]
[sound effects]
[footsteps]
Charlie.
[sound effects]
Charlie.
[footsteps]
Charlie.
Charlie.
[sound effects]
[screaming]
I still think Charlie
should be a little older.
The kid is a little too much.
Let's make her a paranormal investigator.
All right, fine.
An adult Charlie it is.
Hey, look, as long as she gets
trapped in that spooky building I'm in.
It makes more sense anyways.
It gives her character more agency.
Also, I think Emily is a creepier
name than Charlie.
That's exactly why we shouldn't use it.
It already conveys creepy.
Charlie, on the other hand,
is an unexpected choice.
It's such an ambiguous
nickname and uncommon for girls.
Right, Lena?
I find it interesting anyway.
Come on.
Okay.
Let's rework her character.
She's supposed to be
a courageous investigator, right?
Yes.
Right.
[background noise]
[sound effects]
Ready to do this?
I'm ready.
[background noise]
[sound effects]
We got this.
It's just another investigation.
We'll be fine.
[music]
[sound effects]
Come back to this.
It's okay.
[sound effects]
[door slams]
Jason.
Door's shut, Charlie.
I can't open it.
I can't open it from the inside either.
Okay.
No sweat.
I'm going in.
Let's make this worth our while.
All right, be careful.
Focus on that back room.
That's where they said
most of the sightings were.
I'll sit here and try to figure out
how to override this lock.
[sound effects]
How about a scene
where Charlie finds something
that hints at the building's history?
Like an old newspaper
clipping or something.
Yes, but maybe an old journal.
Adds depth to her investigation.
[background noise]
Jason, I found something
about the building.
It's an old journal.
It talks about some strange rituals.
See you soon.
Charlie's still inside,
and Jason's outside trying to free her.
We need to build that tension.
How about we have Jason hear
something from his equipment,
something that makes him worry more?
Ooh, I like that.
It'll keep the audience on edge.
On edge?
Okay, let's try that.
Come on.
You got this.
[sound effects]
Jason, do you copy?
Copy.
I think I found the ritual room.
I'm sensing this is Ground Zero.
This may be the source of the hauntings.
Be careful, Charlie.
Don't touch anything.
Then she finds something.
Something that makes
her realize she's not alone.
Yes, like maybe a shadow
goes just past her eyes.
Or a whisper that doesn't even come
from her equipment.
Or a whisper.
Let's build it.
Start with the whisper.
Charlie.
Jason, did you call me?
[sound effects]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
This is good.
Real spooky.
So Jason's still outside.
What's his next move?
He's trying to override
the security system.
Ooh, but what if something starts
messing with his equipment?
Like interference.
Static?
Yes.
What if he hears something
that makes him think Charlie's in danger?
Jason.
[sound effects]
Charlie, are you all right?
I heard something.
I'm fine.
Just keep working on those doors.
Are you hearing something?
[sound effects]
Okay.
Yes, I see that.
Wait.
I got it.
She's AirTagged.
Then Jason can see
where she is in the building.
He can track her.
Yes.
Then he starts spotting
other anomalies too.
Yes, an AirTag
is only supposed to break up
one thing at a time, so yes,
it would be really creepy if suddenly
another dot starts
to appear around Charlie.
Like an airplane radar screen.
You got your plane,
and you have the ID
visible like your bogies.
Bogies?
Oh my God.
He means UFO U-2.
Clean with his 1950s idioms and Lena,
living and dying by SEO.
1950s?
Okay.
I'd like to see you try
to set up this tech, Mr.
I don't even have
a social channel handle.
That's proven to be sensible,
and it's called a social media handle.
Oh, whatever, Denny.
Okay, come on, Mr. Smart Guy.
Okay, let's focus.
Radar, Charlie, thank you.
Focus.
Thank you.
Thank you.
[beeping sound]
Charlie, I'm seeing another signal here.
Is there somebody else there?
Is anyone here?
Can you give me a sign?
Hello.
Hello.
What's your name?
Hello.
I'm here.
Why are you bound here?
Did you die here?
Sacrifice.
You were sacrificed?
Sacrifice.
Who did this to you?
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
No, you can't be serious.
We cannot use Charlie
as a sacrificial lamb.
It'll bring circularity to the story.
No.
I think we aim for a happy ending.
She survives and defeats
the shadow people.
That's too predictable.
The shadow people winning
is much scarier and more impactful.
Where do you stand on this, Denny?
Yes.
Let's just see what Charlie does.
It's either the girl survives,
or the haunted house wins.
It's completely up to her.
I really prefer characters
take their own action.
I sometimes do not understand
your methodology.
Let the characters tell us
what they're going to do next.
I believe in their free will.
You mean like the writer's free
flow of consciousness, right?
Yes, something like that.
Okay.
Where's Charlie going next?
Look, just put your fingers
on your keyboards and start typing.
Don't think about it too much.
Fine.
You were sacrificed.
You're bound to this place.
Yes.
[sound effects]
Shadow.
Scared.
You can see the shadow?
Yes.
[sound effects]
What is the shadow?
Who is the shadow?
Behind you.
Careful.
[sound effects]
[beeping sound]
Charlie, get out of there.
Now.
Chili.
You must be tripping from the heat.
There was a draft.
It was suddenly cold.
Okay.
It's not there anymore.
It comes and goes.
Let me switch seats with you.
I can use a chili draft, too.
Not a chance.
This is my creative perch.
I need a bio break.
Don't miss a turn like last time.
Hey, I was in writing mode, okay?
I've been called a lot of things,
but not absent-minded.
I'm going to go straight there,
and I'm going to come right back.
Should we air-tag you?
Don't forget your ghost repellent.
[laughs]
Hey, so what can we do?
It's there.
Now you can.
It's not bad.
Not bad at all.
[beeping sound]
Charlie, move.
Move, Charlie.
What is going on?
Come on, Charlie.
Run.
[sound effects]
What do you want?
[sound effects]
What do you want?
Who are you?
[sound effects]
What do you want?
Who are you?
[sound effects]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Jason, I'm here.
I'm here. I'm okay.
Seriously, I've been calling you.
I saw a mass of signals
encroaching on you.
Are they living or entities?
Definitely not on this plane.
I think what we're dealing with here
is mostly residual energy,
except for maybe one.
That one feels
like a self-directed entity.
Are you okay?
Not yet.
It scared the shit out of me.
Make sure that tag
stays on you at all times
and keep it away from the equipment.
I saw you disappear
on my end a couple times.
What's going on now?
Nothing.
It all stopped suddenly.
Any luck with the doors?
No.
I'm going to have to call security.
I'm fine, so don't rush to call.
We're going to get written
up for trespassing anyway,
so let me collect as much data as I can.
Charlie, I got a bad
feeling about this place.
You always have a bad feeling
wherever we go.
This time I'm extra spooked.
Just turn on the receiver
and monitor the data, okay?
Let's make this count for something.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
All clear.
You guys burnt yourselves
out of energy, huh?
All right, Jason.
I'm going radio silent.
Let's set a timer for 30.
Timer started.
Stay safe.
Copy.
Let's get started.
You really think
the happy ending is a good idea?
Absolutely.
We're going to give the audience hope.
If the shadow people win,
it's just depressing.
By the way, I'm liking this.
Charlie is really strong.
Oh, yes.
She's got cojones, that one.
I see what you're saying
about the happy ending thing,
but the darker ending tends
to stick with people longer.
You know?
The moral of the story and all that.
Shouldn't Lena be back by now?
[sound effects]
[whispers]
Lena.
Who's there?
[screams]
That wasn't funny, Denny.
You have to admit
it was just a little bit funny.
Oh, sometimes I just want to punch you.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Is everything okay, Lena?
Did something happen?
Were you just hiding in that room?
No.
Definitely not.
No way.
Come here.
Come here.
Tell me what happened.
I don't want to talk about it.
Look, this building is old.
It's spooky.
Things go bump.
Shadows everywhere.
You're not helping.
The doors open by themselves.
You said you weren't hiding in that room.
I wasn't.
I wasn't, but the janitor's closet
has a loose floorboard,
and if you jump on it...
You just don't know when to stop.
Where's your sense of humor, woman?
Lena?
[sound effects]
I'm in the area where the journal
was originally found.
The hole in the wall
has been repaired and painted over,
but there's still residual
energy lingering.
There's definitely something here.
Testing temperature
and relative distance.
I was right.
95.7 degrees Fahrenheit,
which reads 36.3 degrees Celsius.
Got it.
Good.
It's broadcasting.
[beeping sound]
This one has about
60% worth of life left.
Hopefully, that's enough
before it runs out of juice.
I hope you're getting this video.
[beeping sound]
Come on.
You got to be kidding me.
Come on.
Already?
Why do you keep deleting the bracelets?
We have enough stuff.
It's a bit excessive
to add more things into it.
Aren't they going to make a bunch
of noise and attract
the shadow to come and grab
her or something like that?
I don't know.
They're not going to attract anything.
They're for protection.
I want the bracelets.
Fine.
I guess.
Thank you.
How does she keep
getting all these electronics?
Did we establish a bag of some sort?
Yes, Denny.
Where is all this gear coming from, huh?
I think I wrote some extra baggage
in there before Charlie got
locked inside.
I'm not buying this.
How can she be running around
and carrying this bag
of equipment with her?
What if they were setting up
in the hallway and they left it there?
Before they got split up,
Jason goes back outside,
and Charlie goes to the ritual room.
Right.
He goes outside to look for the journal.
Then, bam, door's locked.
I still think it's too much gear.
I read that paranormal crews carry
somewhere between 15 and 20 gadgets.
Yes.
That's just for show.
Charlie is very good at what she does.
I don't think she needs
any more than her EMF meter,
ghost box, EVP recorder, thermal camera,
maybe the IR camera,
but at most, that's it.
Unlike Jason, who, being a guy,
needs to have all the little
toys out there.
I take offense to that.
Ooh, your motorcycle has a train horn,
a rain poncho, and an LED spark plug cap.
I'm not offended.
Of course not.
You have five thermometers
and a backup for your barbecue smoker.
I'm proud of it.
You can't be too careful
when you're smoking meats.
No.
Oh, I get it.
You guys are ganging up on me?
All right.
Shall we let him have a timeout corner?
I'm thinking about it.
Okay.
No more jokes, I promise.
I like to act out scenes,
trying to keep the tensions
high for the story,
testing the fear factor,
but I agree, I went too far.
High tension is one thing,
but there's a line
between tension and trauma.
I shouldn't have to tell you
that my weed is medicated for anxiety,
which you just brought
to a whole new level.
Agreed.
Scaring the bejesus out
of you in the back room
was thoughtless and insensitive.
My bad.
Again, I'm sorry.
Can we write it into the story?
Don't push it.
[chuckles]
All right.
Where were we?
Ah, yes.
The haunted corridor.
Jason, do you copy?
Copy.
What we have in this area
is mostly residual,
except for one possibly
self-directed entity,
one that wants to communicate.
If I'm right, this one will tag along,
following the microphones.
I heard it.
Did you activate the laser grid?
No need.
Experience shows that thermal
and IR are the best way
to capture shadow people.
I'm leaving behind
motion-detecting parameters.
Copy that.
Where to next?
The journal mentioned
an area where the rest
of the bodies were found
piled up after the fire.
Yes, the back door exit.
Its original site is now approximately
under the first stall
in the ladies' restroom.
The spot's really active.
Stall doors open
by themselves, et cetera.
Be extra careful.
Okay.
[sound effects]
Do you copy, Jason?
Yes, copy.
Everything okay?
What's behind the door?
Across from the hot spot in the hallway.
According to the floor plan,
there should be an office.
Maybe it's being used as storage,
given the remarks on the map.
Before?
Seems to have been a common room,
like for employee breaks.
Are there any reports of sightings
or anomalies in this room?
Not that I'm aware of.
Our activity's spiked.
It's leading me here.
We need to start thinking
about getting you out of there.
Once I call security, it's game over.
I know, but we need to complete
the data from the ritual site.
It's pulling me here.
I'll be quick.
I know it wants to show me something.
I hope you're not trusting
these entities.
The only dense energy
so far is at the ritual site.
It seems to be contained there.
Possibly because of the ritual?
I'll keep this going, okay?
Fine.
[sound effects]
You better not be behind this, Denny.
I was sitting right next to you.
This door cannot open by itself.
The lock is fine.
It did.
We all saw it.
I'm thinking a small quake,
or we left it partially
closed, or a draft.
Lena, you've been feeling
drafts all evening, right?
Yes, sure.
I don't know.
I still don't feel comfortable
with all of this just yet.
[sound effects]
Old wiring.
Yes, I buy that, right?
Okay.
Let's just finish
this and let's get out of here.
The security guard said
he'd be back by midnight,
and we actually don't
have that much time.
Let's do that.
Sounds good.
[sound effects]
Is this what you're trying to show me?
Jason, do you copy?
Go ahead.
I found it.
The sealing wand.
The artifact the journal describes?
Yes.
From day one after the ritual incident.
That building's been turned inside out
by people searching for that thing.
My assumption is whoever left
it must have been in a hurry.
Just saw the unassuming chest,
put it in the drawer, and left.
I'm more inclined to think the thing
just didn't want to be found until now.
I know it wants to show me something.
Charlie, there are no friendlies
in this building.
You know that.
Don't fall for their tricks.
You can't open the gates into the unknown
and not suffer the consequences.
Charlie, don't do this.
I am going to undo whatever
people were doing the day
my dad disappeared inside this building.
Charlie, don't do this.
Charlie, this is crazy.
Don't do this.
[sound effects]
Dad.
Dad.
Dad.
[sound effects]
Dad.
Dad.
[sound effects]
I'm relocating to the coffee shop
on Water Street in case
you guys want to join me.
Lena, I'm still leaning towards
the earthquake clusters.
Remember back on July 3rd
and 4th when we had them?
Yes, I felt the seismic
wave roll through.
Thank you.
[chuckles]
You can call it whatever you want.
I call it quits.
Wait.
Lena, wait.
Are you coming with me or what?
Lena.
I'm going to be the idiot who gets
trapped in a haunted building.
This building?
You can't be serious.
I wish the building were haunted
because it would probably make
working here way more interesting.
There are no ghosts here, okay?
Don't you think I would know?
You're not squinting,
so I guess you're telling the truth.
I felt a wave, too.
A rolling wave.
Yes, exactly.
I felt the exact same thing.
A seismic wave and then door mayhem.
It didn't shake.
No, it didn't shake.
You think a quake wave did it?
Absolutely.
This place is built atop
deep underground waterways.
Quakes here will feel very differently.
Besides, they don't happen often at all.
You guys, you have to see this.
[sound effects]
Charlie?
Charlie, don't do this.
You shouldn't be casting
a spell like this one by yourself.
[sound effects]
Come on, Charlie,
don't do anything stupid.
[sound effects]
Jason, do you copy?
I need to get started.
I need to work fast
before the entity gets
a chance to manifest.
Do not let anyone through those doors,
and that includes you, too.
If this thing goes south,
I want you to write the story,
sell the movie rights,
and get rich off of it, okay?
[sound effects]
Sir, you called?
Yes.
What's going on here?
Why are you messing
with the security system?
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Got someone trapped inside.
This is private property.
You're trespassing.
Yes, I know, and I fully
acknowledge that,
but I really need your help
getting her out of there.
Fine, but if this is some kind
of prank, you're in big trouble.
A security guard?
When did we add that?
We hadn't yet.
We were still discussing it.
Marcelo would probably love to know
that he's a character, though.
I'm not against Alvarez.
Okay, we can keep him here.
Yes, have him come in at this point.
What page is this?
That's a bit early, but what the heck.
A little gore wouldn't hurt.
It could add intensity to the scene.
Can we hurt one of them?
Let's focus on the psychological horror.
That's what makes ghost
stories truly terrifying.
A little cut, a paper cut.
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
Dispatch, this is Alvarez.
I'm assisting with a possible
emergency at Building 7.
There seems to be a problem
with the automatic locking system.
Can you override?
Copy that, Officer Alvarez.
We'll reboot the system for Building 7.
Stand by.
Thank you, dispatch.
[sound effects]
You really think that blood
and guts is what our story needs?
It adds shock value.
It keeps the audience on edge.
Oh, it cheapens the story.
We don't need to rely
on gore to make it scary.
People want to see
an actual spellcasting scene.
That means drawing blood.
Guys, let's just find
a middle ground, okay?
We can imply horror
without showing it explicitly.
Fine, no gore,
but we do need something
that shocks the audience.
You can do that with suspense.
The unknown is a lot scarier
than any amount of blood.
[sound effects]
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
[foreign language]
Who are you?
Whoa, whoa.
Hey, Glenn.
What just happened?
Did you not see that?
See what?
What?
I walked into Charlie doing the ritual.
What?
I walked into the ritual room.
She looked real.
Wait, so you're telling me
that you just strolled
into our story land?
I would accuse
you of smoking some elitist stash
if I didn't know firsthand
it was already crap weed.
Anything else you remember, Glenn?
The shadow.
It was there, too.
It was hard to breathe.
Look, I don't think
Charlie should be doing that ritual.
We should do something
to get her interrupted.
Yes, we can.
No, no way.
No way.
The entire plot hinges
on her revoking
the spell on the building.
It's the main engine for the...
I've been saying this the entire time.
There is something
odd about this building.
My God.
Ghosts do not exist.
Haunted buildings do not exist.
All supernatural phenomena
is created in our minds as proven
by the Phillip experiment
in Canada in 1972.
Bottom line is, when we think about
the same thing as a collective,
in this case, characters and plot,
we are infusing
it with our own mental energies.
I also researched that experiment.
It took that group of scientists
months of targeted focusing,
and even then, they couldn't detect
anything until they started
doing seances.
Let's be very clear here, Denny.
They thought they
were creating a ghost when,
in fact, they were opening a portal,
and an opportunistic entity
pretended to be Phillip.
It was toying with them.
That's why it started to get
more unpredictable and aggressive.
Guys, look, I know what I saw.
Just maybe we should do a seance.
No, Glenn, no, we should not do that.
That's opening a can of worms.
That's the whole reason
this entity got through.
You know what, Glenn?
That's a great idea.
Yes, why don't we do a seance
and put this BS to bed?
You're the paranormal
expert, right, Lena?
Tell us what we need to do.
I'm not doing this.
Oh, you're not doing this?
You know the rules.
Majority wins.
Charlie, the door is finally opening.
Please don't do anything.
I'll be in there soon.
You said she was the only
one in the building.
Whatever that is, that's not human.
[beeping sound]
[foreign language]
I always heard this building was cursed.
[foreign language]
[sound effects]
Okay, come on.
Pull.
All right.
Come on.
This is insane.
Pull.
My fingers hurt. My fingers hurt.
All right, go.
Come on.
Come on.
There we go. There
we go. There we go.
Come on.
That's good.
That's good. All right.
Stay here, all right?
Don't follow me.
I'll find Charlie,
and I'll bring her out.
All right.
I'll reach out via channel three.
Test it.
Hurry up.
Testing.
Testing.
Perfect.
[music]
Heading to the back room.
[music]
Excuse me.
Thank you.
Yes.
No.
Okay.
What's next?
I need something
to glide on top of the paper.
Oh, you can check right
up there if you need to.
Don't lift that or it'll break
the connection.
Does it need to be that small?
Yes.
This will work.
Already sitting down.
Face each other.
Face each other.
Now, gently place
one finger each on top of it.
Don't apply any pressure.
Just relax your fingers there.
Don't put any pressure down.
Just relax your fingers there.
Now what?
Ask questions.
Call her by name and ask questions.
Glenn, you do the honors.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Charlie, if you can hear us,
give us a sign.
See?
Nothing.
Are we doing it right, Lena?
You really need
three people to make it work.
It's the sacred energy number.
The vibration of the universe.
How to make an apple pie.
Carl Sagan.
Whatever. Whatever. Whatever.
Cup is good.
Is the table even?
Yes.
I guess.
Ask again.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Don't lift your finger.
You'll break the connection.
Okay.
Ask again.
Charlie, are you here with us?
Are you a paranormal investigator?
What are today's winning lottery numbers?
[sound effects]
It has to be a yes or no question, man.
Come on, guys.
It only knows what we know.
It's infused with our mental energies.
Remember? duh.
[sound effects]
What just happened?
[music]
Suckers.
[chuckles]
Magnets.
You are vindictive.
Holy shit.
Damn right.
Sorry, Glenn, but there's no way
we're going to channel
an opening to the other side on my watch.
Agreed?
Now, we're going to rewrite
the ritual scene,
we're going to create an intervention,
and we're going to save
Charlie from herself.
You know the rules.
Majority wins.
You're ganging up on me again.
Write what you want.
I'll write my own.
[sound effects]
Okay.
Give me the details again.
Charlie was on the floor,
and she had just cut herself
to add blood to the cup.
Okay, and then?
She was tracing the symbols on the floor,
reciting the second
part of the incantation.
That's when she saw you?
Correct.
I don't think we need
to rewrite the spell scene.
We need to stop
her from doing it altogether.
What about Alvarez?
The security guard.
Yes.
Let's have him arrive
while she's setting up.
Let's have him interrupt
the ritual and keep
it from even starting.
She's probably realized that she can use
the artifact to fend
off the shadow people.
I am on it.
[sound effects]
Charlie?
Charlie, I'm Officer Alvarez.
Your friend Jason sent me
to come and get you.
We need to leave now.
No.
You shouldn't even be here.
You need to go.
No. No.
You're coming with me.
Come on.
You're coming with me.
No. I can't leave here
without my equipment.
No.
No.
Come on. Let's go.
We have to leave.
Come on.
[sound effects]
Jason.
What are all these things?
Vasquez.
Trapsouls.
Bound to this building by a spell.
I've heard stories of members
of a cult using
this building for rituals.
[background music]
I think they were employees.
No.
The other guards, hell no,
they refused to come in.
I always thought
they were messing with me.
My dad's trapped here too.
I used to come with him
a lot while he was on the job.
He was an electrician.
I used to come with him
while he was doing fixes
on the building.
We were supposed
to meet with the caretaker.
Instead, we saw a shadow,
a big, dark shadow.
We ran, got separated,
and I don't even remember
anything after that.
I woke up outside at the entrance.
Police say he just vanished.
I heard about this.
I'm sorry, Charlie.
It must have been tough
for you and your mom.
My mom was gone a long time ago.
It's just me and my dad.
Okay. How do we solve this?
What do we need to do?
We need to revert this spell
for all those souls
that were trapped here.
Let's get started, yeah?
We just changed this.
I was supposed to stop her,
not help her with the spell.
We've got to block Danny.
He keeps rewriting our rewrites.
I have blocked him twice.
Then maybe we should start
a new document so he has no access.
No.
We would just be creating a tangent,
but the main story
would still be at Danny's mercy.
This place has a lot
to do with what's going on.
Danny insisted we write
the screenplay in this building.
Insisted.
Maybe we should have thought
about it a little bit more
because a ritual did take place here.
Some sort of summoning.
Glenn, you're not very good
at pranks, so you can drop the act.
Danny told me not to tell you.
Tell me what?
A manager who was bored one day found
an old journal stuffed
behind some files in a cabinet.
On a whim, him and some coworkers
followed instructions
to summon a spirit.
Which spirit?
Danny didn't say.
I don't think he knew either,
but I just thought
it was important that you knew.
You think?
This fucking building
has been exposed to bad energy,
and you didn't think
it was important to tell me?
Danny said you would take it badly.
I'm going to kill him.
Are you seeing that?
Yes.
No.
Jesus.
Jason, this thing is real.
Ignore what I said
before and get inside now.
No, Jason needs to stay outside.
Don't let him in.
No, we need help.
He's going to get stuck
here with the rest of us.
We free them, we free ourselves.
I'm going to get started.
Okay.
Okay, Jesus.
[foreign language]
[beeping]
Come on.
All right, come on.
Dang it.
Come on.
You had blocked me from the script?
I have equal say on all plot twists.
I refuse to let you two turn
this into a lame show.
What?
You hear that?
What is happening here?
We're manifesting our fears
into the physical world.
We're manifesting more than that.
Our characters are developing
a will of their own.
All the more reason to make sure
we change the spell scene.
Focus, people.
That shadow, whether or not it exists,
it's because we willed it to.
Go away.
Be gone, I command you.
Ow, oh.
They burn.
Here.
Okay, let's change the spell scene.
Let's forget about the artifact
and let's get out of here.
I've lost access.
I'm blocked as well.
I can't change anything either.
The last thing added was a ritual
without any of our changes.
[foreign language]
Charlie, come on.
[foreign language]
We can't write.
We can't change it.
We need to get out of here.
Come on.
I should just leave you.
Come on.
My helmet.
You don't need it.
My jacket.
Come on.
Ah, come on.
Oh, yes.
We need to place the binding spell on it.
It's our only chance.
Just tell me what to do.
Just tell me what to do.
Give me your hand.
[foreign language]
Charlie.
Charlie.
Dad, no.
Dad.
Dad.
No, Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Get back.
No.
Now, wait.
There's a roof exit in here.
We need to move the desk to that corner.
The emergency hatch is in the ceiling.
Come on.
Guys, something's not right.
We need to go now.
Come on.
Get over here.
Come on. Come on.
Oh, oh.
Come on. Let's go this way.
Ow.
No.
No.
No.
We need to find a way out of here.
This can't be happening.
Maybe we're not manifesting anything.
Maybe it is this place after all.
I didn't want to tell you this,
but there was a ritual
that took place here a while ago.
We already know, Denny.
This is all your idea.
You are responsible
for whatever is going on.
No, I'm not.
I haven't done anything.
We are truly facing
something unknown here.
We're probably fueling
it with our writing.
What kind of ritual was that?
Where did it take place?
No idea.
That's the truth.
Oh my God.
Did you take part in it, Denny?
It was boring, so I left.
Whatever they were doing back there,
I thought it was ridiculous.
You left the room, didn't you?
Not so ridiculous now, huh?
Oh, if I would have known
you were so insane.
We got to rewrite it now.
Enough of the bickering, okay?
We need to work together
to get out of this mess.
If we don't rewrite, we're going to die.
Let's figure out
how to change the plot, okay?
[eerie music]
Charlie, if you can hear me.
I'm stuck at the entrance door.
I'm stuck.
Order.
Tale.
Ula.
Kehode.
Embago.
Avizu.
Avizu.
What are you trying to tell me?
It's a key.
It's a portal key.
The artifact Charlie has,
it's affecting reality.
Our reality.
That artifact.
We came up with it because we thought
we needed some sort of magic wand
to hold off the Shadow People.
Yes, you pulled the drawing
from a book at the library.
The History of Witchy
Stuff or something like that?
History of Folklore.
Yes, it's based off of a real object.
Maybe despite the attributes
we've been giving it,
our fictional artifact is behaving
like its real counterpart
as a portal opener.
Maybe that's the reason everything
we write seems to be shifting,
because it's trying to match
the function of the artifact.
As a key to other dimensions?
We created this nightmare.
We're trapped in this because
of our own story.
Weirdly, it makes sense.
I never thought I'd hear
myself saying this.
I'm really, really sorry about this.
Honestly, I don't think
it's actually entirely your fault.
I think there's something
else at play here.
Are we still blocked
from the main document?
Yes.
I'm just going to have to write it.
As head writer, I should have
some outer power here, right?
Yes.
Right?
Yes.
No.
No, I've got to get out of here.
Come on.
[whispers]
Jason.
Jason.
Argh.
Come on.
Argh.
Show me where the portal is.
[whispers]
Hello, sound.
Jason, can you hear me?
I want you-
That's the ritual area.
How are we going to undo the ritual now?
We need to jump
further back into the story.
Make sure they get out safely
before they even get to the ritual.
Jason.
Jason.
Oh.
Oh, oh.
We could still...
We're onto something.
We need to write now.
What do we write?
How do we end this?
We write them out of the building.
We give them the escape routes.
A circle of light
and protection around herself.
She can do that with
the artifacts, right?
Yes.
We write, Charlie,
light, artifacts, protect.
Jason, can you hear me?
I'll find you.
[whispers]
Stop fighting.
[whispers]
Give up.
Give up.
You belong here with us.
You belong here with us.
I can't continue to listen
to Jason screaming like that.
We can't write that door into opening.
We can't write a safe out for Charlie.
They need intervention.
They need intervention.
What are you saying?
You have to trust me.
I'm writing myself in.
I can do this.
I can do this.
Grab the paper and a pen.
Okay.
[music]
Charlie, can you hear me?
I'm stuck at the entrance door.
I'm stuck.
Jason, hold on.
I'm coming for you.
[music]
Okay.
Okay.
We could play all day.
Or you can help and point me
to the entrance.
Thanks.
Oh.
What the heck are you guys doing here?
If we're all here,
how are we going to get out?
Our writing only works
when the three of us are together.
You think I was going to let you ride out
in the sunset by yourself
and take all the glory.
We need to hurry.
This feels so real.
Let's finish the scene.
[music]
Jason.
Come on.
Jason, your leg.
It hurts like a motherfucker.
It's time to move.
Come on.
It's time to move.
Dad?
You guys messing with me, or?
Well, you did come up
with a name for the character.
Dad, it's me, Charlie.
Hey, help me up.
Will you?
Hey, thank you.
I'm Jason.
This is Charlie.
I'm Glenn.
This is Lena and Denny.
There's no time.
We've got to get out of here.
Charlie, you have an artifact
that has magical powers, right?
I lost it somewhere.
It probably doesn't even work right now.
You lost it where?
I don't know.
I had it in my hand at one moment,
and then the next it was gone.
Maybe we can will it to reappear.
You know how to cast spells?
If you do, then we can revert
the one that was placed on this building,
and we can free the souls
that were trapped here.
No, no, no
No, no.
No, no, we are not
doing any more of that.
You already succeeded
in partially reverting the spell,
except you freed something
extremely powerful and manipulating.
It's done.
Charlie, can you check inside your bag?
The artifact should be in there now.
Uh-oh.
Wait, Charlie has another bag.
Right, Charlie?
Yes, it's in the room
where the ritual site is.
You only wrote bag.
I did write Charlie's bag.
Be more specific?
Let me add-
Take a look across, buddy.
What is going on?
I don't know.
We'll figure it out.
Denny?
Charlie, check again.
I directed the same action.
Okay.
Jason, Charlie, you need
to go retrieve that artifact.
It will be in the other bag,
and leave that room immediately.
We need to go fix some stuff.
We'll catch up later.
Glenn, I think we can use
your walkie-talkie.
You can reach us here, okay?
Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
Let's go.
Glenn, we need to make sure he can run.
Yes, of course, Dad.
What the fuck, right?
I've been called many things,
and that is not one of them.
You have the face.
What, a fatherly face?
What are you talking about?
All right, guys, can we get back
to our own reality, please?
Come on.
This way.
[whispers]
You cannot escape.
This can't be happening.
No, no, no.
We never even wrote
the break room to look like this.
This is supposed to be where
Charlie finds the artifact.
Did it even look like this?
Oh, well.
Denny?
I did write a short scene
in which Charlie enters
this room from her reality
and perceives us
through her thermal camera,
just as a red herring.
An alternative version, but I deleted it.
Obviously, this world doesn't seem
to know about versioning.
Wait, so this reality is possibly using
all versions of our screenplay?
Well, it used Denny's questionable scene,
so I guess yes.
Well, then maybe the artifact's
not trying to become
the original version of itself.
What if this reality is cycling
through all versions that we've created?
Didn't we have a version
in which the artifact
could reset everything?
Yes, we wrote that it can reset
everything back to zero.
Everything implodes
into itself and disappears.
Yes, and we realized
it would create a black hole.
Oh, shit.
We cannot let her use it, then.
No, we need to go back
to the original version,
the master version.
Charlie needs to return
the artifact to where she found it.
Charlie, do you copy?
It's Glenn.
Please answer.
I'll be happy to leave
this place and never come back.
Alvarez was a good guy.
Yes, he was.
He saved my life.
About your dad.
I don't want to talk about that.
Can I just say something?
Okay.
I think your witch role did work
in freeing trapped souls here.
Yes, I know.
[background music]
How do I move past this?
You need to hurry.
Jason, take a look at this.
The artifact, it's some sort of key.
Charlie, do you copy?
Yes, I copy.
The artifact, it's a portal key.
No, wait, it's not.
This is taking you on a tangent.
The only way to fix things
is to put the artifact
back where you found it.
Is Jason with you?
I'm here.
What do we do next?
This place is filling up with shadows.
No, no, there's still time.
The journal says that we have
to place this in the middle.
No, he said to put the artifact
back to where you found it.
I say we do that.
No, there's still time.
I can still fix it.
Charlie, it's enough.
It's over.
We need to put the artifact back.
Let's go.
I'm not going anywhere.
Charlie, can you hear me?
Charlie, can you hear me?
There are only too many shadow
people near her.
Okay, so then let's go save them again.
We need to step out
there and somehow come back here,
but in the other version.
We need some sort of protection.
And extra ammunition.
Come on.
Okay.
What do we need?
Things that can protect us.
Sacred amulets, runes, sage
for cleansing areas we walk into.
A shadow sword, and a shield,
an axe, and armor.
No.
No, they could use
any of that against us.
We need things that provoke
protection rather than weapons.
Yes, so let's do light.
Arm ourselves with protection.
Light.
Okay, nothing that can
be used against us.
Yes, immunity.
We need to find Charlie.
Extra paper, pens.
Something that will invoke sight,
so we can see into the darkness.
Okay, got it.
Light?
Light something?
Okay, we'll do light in the eyes.
Then the shadows are disrupting
the walkie-talkie,
so if we get separated again,
we need to make sure we can talk to them.
I'm on channel three.
Channel three.
Channel three, yes, a sacred number.
We'll put extra protection
on the channel and Charlie's walkie.
Does that look good?
Yes.
I think we're solid.
Glenn, write us in.
Let's do it.
Quiet.
It stays that way.
It's not our deal.
Do you have the artifact?
Yes.
We have to put it back.
Charlie, take this.
Come on.
God, not again.
This thing keeps interrupting our story.
We need to distract it.
It needs to be debated.
What?
Hey, shadow.
Come on, asshole.
Don't worry, I'm sure
he knows what he's doing.
Let's go.
Yes.
Come on, man.
My grandma's faster.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on, big boy.
Come on.
Come on.
It was in a chest of drawers.
It was right here.
Glenn, did we ever move
it to another room?
No, but we did change
its shape various times.
You guys are somehow
affecting what happens, right?
Kind of.
It's complicated.
Yes.
Okay, versions.
It was in a chest of drawers,
a wooden box, a drawer in a desk,
and inside a picture inside the wall.
Let's get to looking.
[music]
Tit for tat, huh?
We must be forgetting about a version.
Maybe another one
of Denny's deleted scenes?
Maybe.
Let's focus on looking
for something out of place.
Okay.
Guys, there are friendly spirits here.
Maybe one of them can help.
Please help me find what I'm looking for.
Maybe some of these spirits
have moved on since you freed them.
Please help me find what I'm looking for.
Hey, it can be anything.
Let's keep looking.
Yes.
Fine.
If I need to stay in this room
so that you stay away
from them, then that's the game
we're going to play.
At least I got you chained.
Oh, man.
Now this actually
looks like a ritual site.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Helicopter swoops in and saves everybody.
Okay.
All right.
All right.
All right. All right.
Five jet packs.
Okay.
Magic chalk to open a portal on the wall
and get up out of here.
A bomb.
Guys, it's working.
This.
It's right here.
Come on.
Guys, I think I found something.
Move.
Close it.
This was my dad's.
It's locked.
What's the combination?
I don't know.
Glenn.
Okay.
Seven, five, two.
No.
Eight, eight, five.
He has a walkie-talkie.
Okay.
Okay.
Glenn, Lena, shadow people
are headed back your way right now.
Lena.
Okay.
Okay.
Think, Denny.
Think.
Okay.
The artifact in the center
seals the spell.
The light from the candles
activate the artifact.
The symbols are drawn to summon
the forces of something
and blood is needed at the sacrifice.
Charlie partially reverted it,
freeing some of the spirits.
She took the artifact,
blew out the candles,
retraced the symbols backwards.
What about the blood?
That's why it didn't work
fully the first time.
She needed three sources for the blood.
Three sacrifices.
There's only Charlie's and Alvarez.
That thing needs one more to be free.
Oh, shit.
Well, that's not going to be mine.
Besides, I can't do it anyway,
not without the artifact.
Zero, zero, zero.
Three, six, nine.
Try three, six, nine.
It worked.
Nikolai Tesla.
He is my dad's hero.
Charlie, you need
to be the one to open the box
and place the artifact inside.
I recall this box.
It was in the drawing
of the artifact from the library.
The story keeps rewriting itself.
I remember this box.
My grandma gave
it to me when I was a kid.
This is my box.
[whispers]
We need to hurry.
Charlie, place the artifact back inside.
It didn't work.
The ritual.
We need to finish the binding spell.
It'll open a portal,
a new, different portal.
We don't have a choice now, do we?
I'm so sorry, guys.
I thought that I could free
everybody cursed here,
but I just wanted to save my dad.
We need to bind
the shadows once and for all.
You don't know
what this creature's capable of.
Yes, we do.
We created it and everything
else, including you.
We're writers.
This is our screenplay.
Every five years, this building
grabs someone and keeps them.
It's taken all of you.
I'm so sorry, guys.
I thought that we could fix this.
We have to finish.
Another one of Denny's rogue scenes?
This is insane.
Charlie, wait.
You can't go through that.
Charlie, brace yourself.
Go.
Come on.
Oh.
It's a demon.
We have to rescue our rogue.
How long is it going to take?
We need to finish defining this scene.
Oh, you need my blood?
Yes, and I need you to trust me.
Oh, man.
Bangara, ankante, zikta, unza,
ambago, advizo, advizo.
Bangara, ankante, zikta,
unza, ambago, advizo,
advizo, ambago, advizo, advizo,
ambago, advizo, advizo, ambago,
advizo, advizo, ambago, advizo.
[music]
Oh.
Come on.
Go.
[music]
No, no, no.
Jason.
Jason.
We are not already-
Hey.
[laughs]
I got you.
Hey, Marcelo.
Oh, man.
What's the matter, you guys?
You look like you saw La Llorona.
Shut up.
All right.
Okay.
Well, anyway, good luck
with your writing.
You guys have all day and into the night.
I'll be back around 11:30, okay?
The doors are locked,
so if you have an emergency,
use the back office.
There's an emergency
hatch on the ceiling.
You know what room
I'm talking about right, Denny?
Yes.
I sure do.
Yes.
Come on, bro.
Okay.
I'm going to leave one of these
for you in the back room, okay?
Listen, if something happens,
anything happens, do not call 911.
Do not.
Use this and call me.
All right?
It's Sunday, so if any little
thing gets triggered,
they call for SWAT teams.
They're madres and all...
No, they're over-reactive.
Oh, yes, one more thing, one more thing.
The only working smoke
detectors are in the restrooms, okay?
The only ones in the restrooms.
That being said, por favor, por favor,
don't set the place on fire.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay, please?
Okay.
Yes.
Sweet.
Thanks, bro.
You're the best.
Okay. I got you.
I got you.
You know, on that note real quick,
I did want to ask you something.
I was thinking about this,
maybe, I don't know.
I don't know.
I could play like a dead body
in your movie or something
like that, huh?
Yes?
I could just, [makes
choking noises], like that.
Yes?
What do you think?
Good, right?
Yes, yes, sure.
Right.
Yes.
Really, guys?
Shut up, really?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, sure.
Yes, you know it.
What?
All right.
That makes me the happiest man.
My mom is going to fucking love that.
All right, see you later, bro.
Yes.
All right, where were we?
We were reviewing plot points.
Oh, that's right.
Okay.
I have the weirdest sense of dj vu.
Right?
We're still going with Charlie, right?
Charlie?
Seriously?
Can we just consider Emily?
No, it has to be Charlie.
Emily's a great name.
It connects with the audience.
It sounds so well.
Its not a great name.
Not the best name.
[laughs]
All right.
How about we make it the middle name?
As long as we spell it differently.
Deal. [laughs]
Okay.
[music]
The shadows
They're on the other side.
Then they reach through
Walls mean nothing.
They are cold and cruel.
You can't run away.
They will find you.
If you see them
They will blind you.
Are they for real?
Or is it all in your head?
Check the sh...