03x06 - The Forgotten

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: in this world,

There is real evil

In the darkest shadows

And in the most ordinary places.

These are the true stories
of the innocent

And the unimaginable.

A young couple
discovers an old victorian

That seems the ideal place
to raise a family.

But when they find
a secret chamber,

Hidden for decades,

They uncover a dark past
of unspeakable horror

That triggers a battle for souls

Between the living and the dead.

Between the world we see
and the things we fear,

There are doors.

When they are opened,

Nightmares become reality.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications, inc.

Salt lake city,
the capital of utah,

Was founded in 1847
by mormon pioneers.

Persecuted for their faith,

The mormons came to this
peaceful mountain valley

Seeking refuge from a dark
and brutal past.

Here, spirits
still feel the torment

Of those bygone days,

Souls trapped for eternity

Within the walls
of the city's oldest homes.

February 2003...

I've got hot chocolate
if anyone's interested.

I am! I am!

Are there marshmallows?

Narrator: april james
and her fiancé, matt brody,

Live together
with april's two sons

In a small
but loving household.

Matt, a general contractor,

Takes pride in his role
as surrogate dad

To 13-year-old chris
and 7-year-old brian.

Matt: I love them
like they're my own.

They're incredible boys.

They've accepted me
into their lives.

And I really feel that we make
a really good family together.

You having any luck?

Yeah.

I'm realizing it would be
a lot easier for us

To buy a new home if we were
independently wealthy.

Narrator: april works nights
as manager of a nightclub.

They are eager to start
their new life together.

April: I had just got
a job promotion,

And matt and I were making a lot
more money than we were used to.

And we really wanted to have
a bigger house

For the children.

And I wanted my dream home.
I wanted to have a victorian.

Narrator: april's wish
is soon realized

When they find a home in one
of the oldest sections

Of salt lake.

In the spring,
matt oversees the renovations,

While the family continues
to live in their old house.

Hey, um, I'm not
gonna have any problem

Getting the electrical
up to code.

But I'm gonna need
a bigger crew

To get the gas lines in
and the boiler.

Okay.

Well, I can take care
of the floors.

I can take care
of the plumbing.

That reminds me.

I need your help,
before you leave,

To get an old tub
down from upstairs.

Matt: it needed everything.

Nothing in the house had been
maintained adequately.

This is an old home.

We decided to work out way down
from the third floor.

We knew if we made that livable,

I could continue to work
on the house as I had time.

Okay.

You really got your work cut out
for you, don't you?

Tell me about it.

I'm upstairs, okay?

[ Clicking ]

Matt: inside the closet,

There is a small,
two-by-two opening

That a child could fit through.

On the other side,
there was a kids' area

With paintings and butterflies,

Completely hidden
from the rest of the house.

It had a larger opening,
for, like, a man to get through,

That had been nailed shut.

I'd never seen chambered rooms
off of a closet

That had only
a small opening like that.

It almost became kind of
a fascination with me,

Why it was there.

I mean,
it didn't make any sense.

Matt!

Hey.

Didn't you hear me
calling you?

No. No, look at this.
Look at this place.

Wow! This is great.

Matt: we talked
about leaving it.

But then I thought,
there's no access to it.

So I had suggested to april
that we open the closet up,

Make a huge, walk-in closet.

Narrator: matt gets right
to work on the project.

You sc-scared me.

Oh. I'm just looking
for the circuit breaker.

Gonna work on the wiring.

Look, I was doing
some demo upstairs.

I'm just gonna leave
this stuff right here.

Is that all right?
Oh, yeah, sure.

Circuit box is this way,
my friend.

That ought to do it.

All right.

[ Electricity crackles ]

[ Electricity crackling ]

Ohh.

Hey. Hey, hey, hey.
What's up?

You all right?
Man.

I've been doing this job
for 20 years.

I've never been bit so many
times as in this one house.

What are you talking about?

There's something going on
with your breakers.

I go downstairs,
and I flip them off.

And then I listen --
click, click, click --

And they come back on.

Now, I can get
through it,

I can get
the electrical done,

But I'm telling you, there is
something going on in here.

Matt: it just seemed like,
at every turn,

Every workman I had
had an issue in the house

For some apparent reason.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Narrator: weeks later,
at their old house...

[ Rustling noises ]

What is that?

I don't know, babe.

It's probably
just one of the boys.

I'll take care of it,
all right?

[ Rustling continues ]

[ Creaking ]

Hey! Hey!

Hey!

Matt, are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.
There was a burglar.

He got away.

Oh, god, the boys.

Go check on them.

[ Telephone rings ]

It left us with
a very unsettled feeling.

All right, thank you.

Yeah, okay. Thanks.

It's all right.
They're still sleeping.

Let's get this place --

Don't, don't, don't --
don't touch.

The cops will be here.

They said not
to touch anything.

I can't believe this.

What if I'd been at work?

I would have walked
right in on him.

Narrator: though the renovations
are not complete,

April suggests moving
into their new home.

April: we just wanted
to get away.

We didn't feel safe there.

Narrator:
in the summer of 2003,

Matt and april rent out
their small home

And move into the old victorian
across town.

Although there's still a lot
of work to be done,

Matt has finished the upstairs
rooms as planned.

Take it off!
Take it off!

Matt: all right.

[ Gasps ]

Honey.

Oh, my gosh.

[ Gasps ]

It's beautiful!

Oh!

Oh!

Thank you.

Narrator:
as the weeks go by,

The family settles
into their new home.

But it's a difficult time
for the devoted couple.

Well, I'm off.

Matt: april's working 50 to 60
hours a week, third shift,

Which was leaving us
passing like ships.

Why do they call it
graveyard shift?

Because mom's real job
is at the cemetery

Digging up the bodies.

Christopher.
It is not!

You better watch it, mister.
I'm gonna bury you.

Hey.

Lights out, little man.
It's late.

Come on. Tuck in.
Tuck in.

You all right?

Night, bud.
Don't let the bedbugs bite.

[ Click ]

[ Rattling ]

[ Squeaking ]

Chris? Is that you?

Hey! Hey! Hey!

[ Screaming ]

Hey, what's wrong?
Hey! What's wrong?

There's monsters
in my closet!

It's okay, buddy.
It's okay.

You're just having a bad dream.
That's it. That's it.

But I heard noises!

Look, it's okay.
I'll check it out.

Is he okay?

Yeah, thanks, bud.

He's just having
another nightmare.

It wasn't a nightmare!
It was real!

The noises were real!

Look, I'll check it out, okay?
I'll check it out.

[ Creaking ]

[ Whimpering ]

There's nothing there,
buddy.

I don't care what you say!

I don't want to sleep
here anymore!

All right,
I'll tell you what.

Look, uh,
you can come with me.

We'll sleep in the big bed,
all right?

Narrator: matt begins to worry

About brian's
frequent nightmares.

Matt: it was a constant
state of bad dreams.

And it wasn't just
at one time of night.

It was several episodes
every night.

Narrator:
over the next few weeks,

Matt has many restless nights.

Matt: we were just getting
moved into the house,

And I'm very frustrated

Because I still have
heavy construction going on.

It's a mess,

And, I mean, everybody's,
you know, stressed out.

It became more and more
a problem to get any sleep.

[ Creaking ]

Ah! Aah!

I thought I was losing my mind.

These were not normal events.

There was a lot of things that
weren't adding up in the house.

Boy: [ distorted ] mommy.

I miss you.

Mommy.

I miss you, mommy.

Brian?

Everything seemed to be fine.

I was thinking, "you know what?
What was that?

Where did that voice come from?"

Narrator:
several nights later,

April tries to relax after
working another graveyard shift.

[ Man speaking indistinctly ]

Boy: [ distorted ] mommy.

...and the family does that

At the precise moment that...

[ Child laughing ]

[ Laughing continues ]

[ Laughing continues ]

April!

Her hair was being braided,

And the minute I said, "april,"
the hair dropped.

April, april. Hey, hey, hey.
April, are you okay?

Are you all right?
Yeah, what is it?

Something was braiding
your hair.

I saw it on the steps,
and there was nothing there!

Matt! We need
to face facts.

Something is
in this house.

April: matt really
opened up to me.

He said, "I was just trying
to protect you and the boys,

Because I didn't want them
to know what was going on."

We'll call your mom.

We'll have them
stay over there

Till we figure out
what's going on, okay?

Grandma!

Oh, hi, sweetheart.

Narrator: april's mom agrees
to take care of the kids

For a couple of days.

Oh, hi, sweetie.

How you doing?

We really appreciate you
taking the boys like this, mom.

It's no problem.
But are you two okay?

It's always stressful
moving into a new house.

Do you guys want to come in
and relax for a while?

We can't.

It's just, we have a lot
of work still --

We have a lot of work
still left to do.

But, thanks, mom.

Narrator: with the kids safe,
matt and april are determined

To face whatever
is haunting their home.

April: I dumped my lifesavings
into that house,

And our time and energy.

And I didn't want
to just give it up.

Narrator: looking for ways
to combat the unknown forces

In their house,

Matt and april research
the world of hauntings

And the paranormal.

[ Footsteps descending stairs ]

Matt: hey.

Says here that,
if you command them to leave

And go to the light,
that they will.

You just have to burn
this sage,

Which, evidently, neutralizes
their spirit or...

Something.

Are you sure you want
to do this by yourself?

April: we're a very
strong couple,

And I've always believed
that love can conquer anything.

And I knew that we could
solve this somehow.

Just go to work,
don't worry about it,

And I'll call you
later, okay?

Matt: I wasn't gonna
be driven out.

It almost became a personal w*r
between me and that house.

I was gonna fight it
all the way.

April had already gotten sage.

People had said that sage
is very spiritual.

Sage could neutralize
the energy of a house.

I saged that house
from top to bottom.

After that, the house
seemed completely neutral

For three days.

Nothing seemed out of ordinary.

Everything seemed completely
as if it never happened.

Boy: [ distorted ] mommy.

Mommy, I miss you.

[ Screaming ]

I think brian's having
a nightmare.

Baby, you're dreaming.
Brian's at your mom's.

I may need you, mommy.

April!

[ Gasping ]

You're okay, honey.

April: that power
was so intense

That we were afraid
for our lives.

Oh, my god.

I told her, "that's it.
We're done.

"Whatever's going on,
pack up your stuff.

We're going."

Narrator: matt and april
check into a hotel

Until they can figure out
their next move.

April, april.
Hey, baby, baby.

I'm sorry.
What'd you say?

I don't know what else
to do.

I just think we're running
out of options here, babe.

April: I was talking
to a friend of mine

About what was going on.

And a woman had overheard us

Talking about the experiences
that were going on.

And she mentioned to me
that her husband, bill,

Is a paranormal investigator

And gave me his number
to call him.

And she told me and assured me

That he could help me
and what was happening with us.

We need professional help.

[ Car door closes ]

Evening.

Narrator: they meet bill spencer
at the house.

Matt.

Bill.
Jeremy.

It's nice
to meet you both.

Here's the...

The key -- thank you.

And we're gonna do everything
we can to help you out.

Bill: the name of our group
is insight paranormal.

We're looking for the most
objective evidence

That we can gather

To either prove or disprove
the paranormal activity

That's been reported.

Narrator: jeremy spencer,
bill's nephew,

Is co-founder of the group.

Jeremy: you could tell that
it was very emotional for them.

I honestly believe
that they truly believed

What they were
experiencing was real.

There is a certain credibility
with that.

Narrator: bill and jeremy agree
to spend the night alone

At the house.

I was really excited to know

That someone could
maybe get some proof

That we weren't crazy after all.

Testing, testing.

Narrator: the team sets up
recording devices

Throughout the house

In the hopes of catching
the sounds of ghosts,

Undetectable to the human ear...

Can you hear us?

...what paranormal experts
call "evp."

Can you hear us?!

Evp stands for
electronic voice phenomenon.

Basically, it is the collection
of disembodied voices

Caught on tape.

Is anyone here?

We'll ask questions,

With the hope that we will
get an answer on playback.

Have matt or april
done something wrong?!

Have we offended you?!

What are you trying to say?!

Narrator: after several visits
to the house,

The spencers share
their findings.

Bill: come on in.

Well, I almost feel
a little nervous.

Don't be. This is the second
half of the process.

First, we did the recordings
on site.

Then we bring them back here,
and we process them.

So, do you have evp?

Unquestionably.

We received well over 100 evps,

Which is an extraordinary amount
for any one location.

It's the most we've ever
gotten anywhere.

We've never encountered anything
like this before.

Matt: testing, testing.

Is anyone here?!

Have matt or april
done something wrong?!

Man: go away!
I want you out!

Bill: there was a definite
strong male voice.

And there was a fairly clear,
"I want you out of here."

Man: I want you out!

What did we do to...

I felt very frightened
because it was directed at us.

Did you hear the voice
of a little boy?

Boy: I miss you, mommy.

April: I was like,

"That's the voice that
I was hearing that night.

It's true.
That child really does exist."

Boy: I miss you.

Jeremy: the idea that a child

Might be trapped there
or stuck there --

You know, it was kind of
gut-wrenching.

Boy: mommy.

I think a child could be the key
to this whole thing.

Now, the question is,
which one?

You don't have the ghost
of a child in your house.

You have the spirits
of a dozen children,

Maybe more.

[ Baby crying ]

[ Distorted children's voices ]

Bill: have matt or april
done something wrong?!

Narrator: bill
and jeremy spencer

Can confirm that matt
and april's house is haunted.

But, unfortunately,

They're unable to cleanse
the house of its spirits.

Man: I want you out!

Narrator:
in the days that follow,

April searches for a new house,

But she and matt refuse
to sell the old one.

April: we were afraid
that another family

Might experience
the same thing that we did,

And we could just never forgive
ourselves for that.

So, we're looking
for a smaller house this time,

At least two bedrooms,

Maybe a small yard,
if that's possible.

From staying in the hotels,

We were kind of
running out on money,

And so we thought that
we need to find a place

For the kids to be safe
and a home to call our own.

What happened to the big,
beautiful victorian you bought?

Is it not working out?

We contacted
a real estate agent

And told her the problems that
we were having in the house.

She mentioned to us
this woman, debi.

She's a clairvoyant.

Debi white.

She has the ability
to cleanse houses.

She may be able to help.
That's her card.

So she gave me debi's number
to contact her

And see what she could do
to help me.

Narrator: debi white agrees
to investigate the house.

She is a real estate broker
with a psychic gift.

I found that I have this ability
to read things

And to perceive people
in the room that have passed on.

And with my real estate career,

I've been involved
in several homes

Wherein I would walk
into the home

And find that there were,
in fact, ghosts or other beings

Within the house

And be able to help them
to leave or to move on.

I had a sense that there was
something going on in here.

Narrator: the next day,

Debi meets with april and matt
to discuss what she found.

Thank you.

I believe the force
in your house

Is the spirit of a man
who once lived there --

A mormon, a polygamist,

With several wives
and many children.

But the mormon church
outlawed polygamy years ago.

Well, they lived there
almost a century ago.

Now, tell me, did you change
that upstairs bedroom?

Yeah, I did some renovations
on the closet.

Ah.
What?

Well, when I entered
that closet,

I felt an evil presence

That...made me sick
to my stomach.

The feeling of black
and evil hiding...

Hiding something from me.

That's where he did it.

Did what?

He's torturing
or he's molesting his children

Individually or several
at a time.

That's where he does his work
is in that room.

What he's done
has just eaten him up,

And it leaves nothing
but blackness.

Okay.

Um...

Oh, baby.

[ Sniffling ]

I don't think
he's ever left the house.

I think he's been there
generation after generation,

But his secret has always
been left alone.

When matt altered that,

He let great light
into the house,

And he also took away
his hiding place.

Wh-what do we do?

You need to cleanse and bless
that house right away.

Now, I can do it, but I'm going
to need your help.

Yeah.

Narrator: in february 2006,

Debi white performs a ritual
cleansing of the historic home.

Is everyone ready?

Bill and jeremy spencer
agree to record the ceremony.

We had our cameras
and microphones running

To document, you know,
what was going on.

Let us begin.

Narrator: april and matt
carry candles

To light the way for lost souls.

Debi sprays salt water
to purify the ground.

White: I have a blessed
salt water

That I spray into any type
of an angle to the house

At the base of the floor.

Is this part of the railing

That was from that
secret room upstairs?

Boy, I'll tell you,

Just 100% him coming out
of that piece of wood --

Anger and hostility
and bitterness.

I think we should
take it with us.

We may need it.

White: I wanted him to have
his security blanket.

I think we should try to put
things back the way they were.

April: she felt the reason
why he was so upset

Was because we took it out.

If we put some things
back to normal,

Then it would help us,

That he wouldn't
be so upset at us.

[ Spraying ]

Can you feel them?

They're here.

It's all right.

[ Distorted children's voices ]

Debi?

[ Children laughing ]

Debi, are you all right?

[ Laughing continues ]

Debi?

Debi?

Debi, are you all right?

[ Children laughing ]

All is as it should be.

Trust us.

You can come out.
We're here to help you.

Follow us.

With every room
in the house blessed,

We have him cornered here.

As we blessed the house,

I found these children
actually following us,

Walking with us,

All knowing we were going
to one location,

Which is the closet
in the upper level.

[ Wind howling ]

We're not afraid of you!

April: wait!

Debi, stop!

I'm coming in.

Wait!

Debi! Debi,
I think we should stop!

Debi, wait! Debi!

Wait, debi!

I just had this sense,
I couldn't quit now.

We were so close.

The candle!

This candle represents
health, renewal, peace!

Don't let him out!

I won't!

I won't!

[ Grunting ]

The light -- we've got
to get them to the light!

It won't open!
It won't budge!

It's nailed!
It's nailed shut!

Look out! Aah!

Narrator: with the c*ptive
spirits released,

The evil entity is finally gone.

You okay?

Oh, matt.

Matt: we're safe.
I'm so scared.

Narrator: it is debi's belief

That once the spirits have been
removed from the house,

The items used for the ceremony
must be kept on the property

To ensure the evil spirit
never returns.

The light the candles provided

Will protect future owners
from harm.

White: they are buried
on the premises,

Giving them complete ownership
in the home.

I believe, with all my heart,
he has left that house.

And he is not coming back
to that house, and he can't.

And we've left
these personal articles

To make sure he doesn't.

Narrator: since the blessing,

There has been no supernatural
activity in the house.

But april still wonders
about the desperate little boy

Who would visit her at night.

Debi believed that he just
wanted to try to tell me

What was wrong with him.

That's why he kept
coming to me at night.

Narrator: matt plans to continue
the renovations

Until the house is ready to be
put back on the market.

Matt: we will continue
to monitor the house

Until it has subsided

And it is safe for some family
to live in.

We've bought another home.
We have moved on.

We found peace in our family

And are rebuilding our life.