This is the greatest paranormal story
you've never heard of.
A terror that rivals horror films
like Amityville and the Poltergeist.
But this is a true story set
in the middle of America's heartland.
[Duane speaking]
[Steve] In 1974 and '75, in the small
farming town of Merrill, Michigan,
[Steve] In 1974 and '75,
in the small farming town
of Merrill, Michigan,
the Pomeraning family
was tormented
-by extreme, relentless
poltergeist activity.
-[telephone rings]
Knocking, pounding,
even spontaneous combustion.
After 50 years, the family
and townspeople are talking.
With hundreds
of police reports
and hours of audio recordings,
some never before seen
or heard...
[Duane Speaking]
[Steve] ...I'm finally going
to find the truth
about the evil
[Steve] ...I'm finally going
to find the truth
about the evil
that destroyed a family
and forever changed a town.
An evil
that still lives there...
-[device chiming]
-[Steve] What is happening?
[Steve] ...to this day.
-Who are you?
-[unexplained voice speaking]
It literally said,
"Satan, the demon."
[Steve] Welcome
to the Michigan Hell House.
[Steve] I've been
a paranormal investigator
for more than 20 years.
I thought I had heard
every ghost story there was.
But all of that changed
about seven years ago.
Somebody contacted me online.
They stated that they had
a box of police reports
that was vital
that I got my hands on.
When I brought it home,
it read like a horror story.
A demonic force terrorizing
a family for months on end,
toying with them,
attacking them,
slowly driving them mad.
toying with them,
attacking them,
slowly driving them mad.
And it all happened
right in my back yard.
I grew up in Saginaw,
just one town over.
The people in these reports,
they didn't feel
like strangers,
they felt like neighbors,
like friends.
I was instantly determined
to help.
Merrill, Michigan, a village
hardly a square mile wide,
home to the Pomeraning family.
home to the Pomeraning family.
In 1951, Harold and Mabel
built their first house
on the family's old farmstead,
the home where their two sons,
Terry and Duane,
were born and raised.
They moved out of the house
nearly 50 years ago.
Terry, Duane.
[Steve] Today, the brothers
are the only members
of the family who remain.
We were just
an ordinary family that farmed
and went to church.
Yeah. I mean, we had
a good childhood,
me and Duane.
Yeah. I mean, we had
a good childhood,
me and Duane.
But when you really look back,
what was that moment
where everything changed?
Our problems started
on July 9th, '74.
We were gonna open up
the blueberry season
for the first day that day.
At 8:00 o'clock,
our whole family
had went to bed
about midnight that night...
[glass breaking]
[glass breaking]
What was that?
[g*n clicks]
-What's happening?
-Go back to your room.
Who's out there?
[Terry] We didn't see nothing.
And so we called 911.
[operator] 911,
what's your emergency?
[Steve] From the summer
of 1974 to the spring of 1975,
the family called the police
every single day,
reporting unexplained,
bizarre, menacing activity.
Someone or something
was targeting them.
[Terry] Evil was in the house
with us constantly.
Even though
it's been 47 years,
I know I think about it
every day, you know?
As some would say that
you wouldn't wish
on your worst enemy.
I don't know what to tell you,
after all these years
why that happened.
We thought later on,
"Why is this happening
to us for, you know?"
I mean, we're not...
we've never bothered nobody.
I think a lot of people
that stayed don't believe
that that ever happened.
We went through hell, man.
We went through hell, man.
My dad was only 60, my mother
was only 64 when they died.
[Duane] I think,
had this never happened,
to be honest with you,
-they would have lived
a lot longer.
-[crow cawing]
[Steve] You know, guys,
that this... this case
has never left me.
And based on, I want
to show you the catalyst
behind reopening the case.
[parapsychologist speaking]
Never heard that.
Wow.
Dad's voice, man.
[Steve] I know
it was difficult to hear that.
And at the same time,
I'm sure kind of wonderful
to hear that, too.
[Terry] How'd you come up
with that?
[Terry] How'd you come up
with that?
Well, these are
the original recordings
from the parapsychologist
that came out...
-Really?
-[Steve] ...to interview
you guys.
It's been 50 years.
So imagine how many things
could be on these recordings
reminding you guys
of certain things
which could trigger
even more memory.
It sounds to me like
he was really pissed off.
They went through a lot and--
[Terry]
They didn't deserve that.
No, they didn't deserve that.
Maybe we can truly find
what happened,
because after
all these decades,
because after
all these decades,
maybe you can give them
one word.
You know what that word is?
Peace.
Well, I'll tell you one thing.
We're gonna go through
everything.
[Steve] Tonight, I'm heading
to the Hell House
with psychic medium,
Cindy Kaza.
But first, I'm paying a visit
to the current residents,
Bridgette and Julie Larsen.
We'll definitely appreciate
you guys taking the time
and, you know,
letting me over here.
I want to stop by
and tell you guys,
I mean, we got to get
to the bottom
I mean, we got to get
to the bottom
of what happened here
for the Pomeranings.
-Yeah, absolutely.
-Absolutely.
What kind of experiences have
you guys had in this house?
We were home alone
and we both seen it.
And it was almost
like a white thing,
like a shadow almost
with like hands in the window.
And we freaked out.
There was no footsteps,
nothing.
[Julie] I was scared as a kid
every day.
Um, one time I was sleeping
in the bed and I was...
there was like a flash,
like someone, like, took
a picture of me.
there was like a flash,
like someone, like, took
a picture of me.
Okay. And obviously nothing
that would possibly
explain it,
that you could think of?
Nothing. I always felt like
someone was watching me
at all times.
So I don't know.
I can't explain it.
It's nothing like it was
with the Pomeranings with us.
I would love
to come back here and do
some night investigation
'cause, really, I feel like
the answers
are going to be in this house
one way or the other.
-Yeah, absolutely.
-Absolutely.
-[Steve] Hey.
-Hey.
[Steve] So I think essentially
we'll take a walk
over to the property
and just kind of do
a baseline reading.
-Okay.
-[Steve] And see
what you pick up on.
Yeah.
[Steve] Cindy knows nothing
about this case,
but I'm hoping
her psychic abilities
can sense what hundreds
of documents
and a year of investigation
couldn't.
What caused all the strange
and terrifying phenomena here.
Any vibes on the way out here?
Any vibes on the way out here?
[Cindy] Yes.
I feel like
this is a really weird case.
It's going to take a while
to really put
all the pieces together.
I don't know yet.
How are you feeling?
-[Steve] There's kind of
an ominous feeling...
-[Cindy] Yeah.
[Steve] ...I guess
is the best way
to describe it.
[Cindy] Right as I step
in the driveway,
when I look at this house,
I see like the house is alive.
But you know what?
I just heard
But you know what?
I just heard
"Burn it to the ground."
-There's a terrible fire
for sure.
-[exhales sharply]
It doesn't feel accidental.
It feels like arson.
It feels intentional.
Okay.
I also want to go
behind the house.
But I look over here,
I'm seeing this woman
and she's looking at me,
luring me, she is saying,
"Come this way."
The energy in this house
or whatever this haunting is,
people will think at times
they fixed it
people will think at times
they fixed it
and then it goes,
it goes flat and people think
they're safe,
and then it comes back
with a vengeance.
[sighs]
Like the man
who first built this property,
he hasn't found peace.
That's the sense that I get.
That's a very accurate
statement.
He hasn't found peace.
And it has to do
with his wife or his...
[knocking]
-Did you hear that knocking?
-[Steve] Yes.
[Cindy] I heard it
inside of the house.
[Steve] I bet no one's
in the house.
[scoffs]
What the hell
did you get me into?
[laughing]
This is like,
'What the hell is happening?"
It's a case
unlike anything else.
You know, I see so much
poltergeist activity in there,
like dangerous...
-So much poltergeist activity?
-[Cindy]
...poltergeist activity,
so much poltergeist activity
to the point where people
are terrified to even
be in the house.
to the point where people
are terrified to even
be in the house.
Things are flying off shelves.
People are getting thrown
against the wall.
[Steve] What the hell
was that?
[Cindy] I don't know, dude.
[Steve] I don't know
if that was an animal.
I don't know what that was.
There's nothing
that can stop this force
from moving forward.
It still hasn't been stopped.
I could see
windows breaking too,
I could see
windows breaking too,
-just windows,
shattering windows.
-[Steve] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[Cindy] They're just exploding
out of the house.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna
tell you this right now,
because I have to, like,
I have chills
throughout my body.
-You stopped here
and said that.
-[Cindy] Yeah.
[Steve] That window blew out
and shattered in the middle
of the night,
and that's when
everything started.
[Cindy] It is crazy.
I... I could feel it.
Who brought this
into the damn house, though?
That's the thing.
Where did this start?
What happened?
Like, that's what I want
to figure out.
[Steve] I wanted to just
come out here
and have you get a baseline.
[Steve] I wanted to just
come out here
and have you get a baseline.
But are you picking up
anything?
[exhales sharply]
Has anybody ever said that
when they're in this house,
when they're laying in bed,
they've woken up to something
floating above them?
Yes.
One time I was sleeping
in the bed and I was...
there was like a flash.
That's it.
It can shape-shift.
What do you think it is?
I have no idea, Steve.
I don't know yet.
I have no idea, Steve.
I don't know yet.
But I feel like it's something
I haven't encountered
in my career yet,
and it scares me a little bit.
Honestly, I don't know
what it is.
I mean, I think
with what's happening,
I almost wouldn't mind
a little impromptu
investigation
with my equipment.
-You feel up to it?
-Yeah, I'm up to it.
-[Steve] Okay.
-Yeah.
[Steve] That knocking
definitely came from
over here.
[Steve] That knocking
definitely came from
over here.
I'm thinking
three different spots
right here by the house.
Okay.
We're recording there.
I'm gonna try some
communication real quick.
[device chimes]
Boom. Did you see that
right there?
I feel like something is here.
Are you setting off
the device?
-This is insane.
-Yeah.
There's nothing that would
account for these readings.
Cindy and I heard you
knocking on the--
Cindy and I heard you
knocking on the--
[device chimes]
It literally went off
as we came over here.
What the hell was that?
[knocking]
I know no one's in the house.
But honestly,
it looked like something
white moved right here.
[Steve] A quick check
of our footage reveals
what looks like a white orb
moving throughout the house.
what looks like a white orb
moving throughout the house.
I feel like something
is on the other side
of that window.
-There is.
-I mean, I saw it
with my own eyes,
but I can tell it's...
it's looking at us.
We're definitely
not alone here.
That's for sure.
Every time I go to walk
to this window,
the meter goes off.
I cannot believe
that just happened.
I'm gonna place
the recorder here.
Can you tell us your name?
Can you tell us your name?
Why do you watch people
when they sleep?
[Steve on recorder]
Every time I go to walk
to this window,
the meter goes off.
-Every time.
-[Cindy on recorder]
Every time.
[Steve on recorder]
Definitely not a coincidence.
Can you tell us your name?
Why do you watch people
when they sleep?
[gasps]
-"You're all gonna die."
-Steve, that is
the scariest [bleep]
I've ever heard.
I've ever heard.
-You heard it. I heard it.
-[Cindy] I am so [bleep]
freaked out.
-No, that was scary.
-[Steve] At the very end.
[Steve on recorder]
Why do you watch people
when they sleep?
-[gasps]
-[Steve]
"You're all gonna die."
I'm not kidding,
that's fricking terrifying.
That's the worst EVP
I've ever recorded.
Dude, that is... seriously,
that is so messed up.
Female voice.
I'm shaking because that...
that legitimately scared me.
-Yeah. That's...
that's disturbing as hell.
-Wow.
-Yeah. That's...
that's disturbing as hell.
-Wow.
Everyone's gonna have
to be really careful
moving forward on this one.
I mean, that's... you want
to talk about an omen.
It's not safe, for real.
Yeah. I completely agree.
Whatever is in that house,
I feel like it's a force
to be reckoned with.
And people that
have lived here and live here
are terrified of the house
that they live in
and what it can do.
[Steve] Cindy was really
tapped in last night.
Many of her visions
matched the most terrifying
and well-documented elements
of the story.
Last night
was extremely intense.
-Definitely.
-I want to talk to you
about what happened out there.
Um, if you notice, I got
these boards turned around.
There's a lot of information
I have here in the room
-that I know you don't want
to be privy to.
-Right.
There was a lot of things
yesterday that you hit on,
you know,
from that baseline reading.
you know,
from that baseline reading.
Uh, before we go into
that though,
I can't get over that EVP.
I've played it over and over.
It was really scary.
And I've been scared before,
but that's probably
the most terrifying EVP
that I've ever heard.
Yeah, I agree.
[gasps]
-"You're all gonna die."
-[Cindy] Steve.
-It's a woman for sure.
-Yes.
That leads me
to something else.
You said that you were
picking up on a woman
that was trying to lead us
behind the house
near the barn.
that was trying to lead us
behind the house
near the barn.
-[Cindy] Mmm-hmm.
-What can you tell me
about that?
[Cindy] She felt like
she was trying to lure us
somewhere that wasn't
in her best interest.
The fact that you use luring
is very interesting.
We had an experience out there
of hearing knocking.
[knocking]
Did you... did you hear that
knocking?
-It was three knocks.
-Yes, three knocks.
This is how it all began
with pounding, with knocking
on the outside of the house.
The minute you went out there,
you were hitting on things
left and right.
you were hitting on things
left and right.
You instantly picked up...
You kind of stopped
and started talking about
a window being broken.
What I believe is that night,
that's when evil came
into the home.
But what brought it in there?
That's what we need
to figure out.
Exactly.
[Steve] Knowing what happened
during those first days
of unexplained activity
could be the key to unlocking
the mystery of the Hell House.
One of the first
police officers to respond
to the home
in the summer of 1974
in the summer of 1974
was retired sergeant,
Charles Frisby.
He's agreed to meet with me
and go over the shocking case.
[Charles] I received a call.
I think it was 1974.
A prowler call.
Chapping in, Dice Road
see Mr. Pomeraning.
So I get there.
All he says, "I've heard
some really strange noises."
He says, "My heart's beating
on my a*s."
"Okay," I said, "I'll go out
and look around."
But when I went outside
and looked,
I saw no evidence of anybody
being around there,
I saw no evidence of anybody
being around there,
no tracks and anything.
I said, "Well, okay,
we'll keep an eye on it."
So...
I... I left.
[Steve] But the knocking
continued.
I had that fear every night,
just didn't know
what was going to happen,
and if we were going
to make it
through the night or not.
[Steve] Over
the next few weeks,
other witnesses
outside of the family
experienced the phenomena,
other witnesses
outside of the family
experienced the phenomena,
including their friends,
Doug and Vicki Buckley.
So you live right next
to the Pomeranings.
This is happening
right next door.
We were sitting
in the living room
and the knocking came
from the north side
by the front door.
The stuff that was on the wall
was shaking.
So it was that loud.
He'd go out one door
and I would go out
the other door
and didn't see nothing.
The knocking continued.
Boom, boom, boom!
[Pam] We were just sitting
around the table,
[Pam] We were just sitting
around the table,
all at once, we heard this
bang, bang, bang.
Wow. I mean, bang, bang, bang.
Yeah, it sounded like
somebody was...
Like, if you stood here
and beat on a damn wall.
[Steve] I mean, what was that
like if you didn't know
who was the suspect?
What were you guys thinking
as this first began?
Well, at first I thought,
you know,
these new neighbors moved in
a month before and this stuff
started happening
in our house and...
In the beginning,
they were really nice people.
[Terry] It seemed like anyway.
In the end, they were not.
In the end, they were not.
[engine starting]
[exhales sharply] [bleep]
Can I help you with something?
I want to buy your home.
Why would you buy a brand-new
house and then be asking
to buy the neighbor's house?
Good question.
I have no idea.
Good question.
I have no idea.
My dad said, "Sell our house?
Why are you asking
about selling our house?"
And she would never answer.
[Steve] The new neighbors
made a strange
first impression.
But another encounter
between Duane
and the unusual newcomers
still haunts the brothers
to this day.
Duane doesn't even
really know...
I went to their house,
and I don't know
how I got there.
[Terry] He doesn't even know
why or how he even got there.
I looked out, and I said,
"I don't see him anywhere."
And here... he comes home
then that night
and he just started...
And here... he comes home
then that night
and he just started...
he was acting
a little sort of weird, too,
and he started telling us
that she took him
all through their house
and she even cut his hair,
and he just...
just passed right out.
And wasn't coming to.
By the time the ambulance
got out there,
he was turning blue.
We thought
he was going to die.
[Steve] Thanks to an emergency
tracheotomy,
[Steve] Thanks to an emergency
tracheotomy,
Duane narrowly escapes death
and doctors diagnosed
him with epilepsy.
But further testing
told a different story.
Everybody thought
you had epilepsy,
but I have a report
from the Mayo Clinic that said
you did not have epilepsy.
I mean,
they are the definitive
authority in health care.
I mean, I've been seizure-free
now for years.
Before that,
there was no problems.
So then really
what caused that seizure?
It almost sounds like
you almost kind of had
It almost sounds like
you almost kind of had
a gut feeling
about these neighbors,
which were next door
to you guys.
-Yeah.
-[Duane] Right.
[Steve] Duane has no memory
of what happened
during those missing hours
at the neighbor's home.
From that day forward,
Mabel refused to let him go
on the neighbor's property.
But still,
throughout the summer,
the knocking continued
and the police reports
on the Hell House
were piling up.
[Charles] Well, I have never,
ever seen
this much paperwork done
on a prowler call
this much paperwork done
on a prowler call
and why this continues
to escalate,
continues to escalate.
[Charles speaking]
-This was the Halloween night
stakeout.
-This is Halloween night.
[Steve] That Halloween night,
investigating officers
assembled a special task force
to conduct a large scale
stakeout.
[Charles] We put cars
east, west, north, south,
had the whole place
surrounded with cars,
staked it out,
get it off the roads
and I don't see anything.
staked it out,
get it off the roads
and I don't see anything.
[Steve] The family
was completely unaware
that the entire home
was surrounded with officers
lying in wait.
Around midnight, the captain
who was stationed
inside the home
radioed that the knocking
had begun.
The task force surrounding
the home could not hear
the knocking outside
but could hear the knocks
coming through the captain's
radio transmission
as he called for backup.
[officer 1 on radio]
The knocking is coming
from inside the house.
I repeat, the knocking
is coming from inside
the house.
I repeat, the knocking
is coming from inside
the house.
[officer 2 on radio]
Like one of the boys
or something.
[officer 1 on radio]
All I know is someone's
knocking in here.
Well, I was the first suspect.
He said, "Captain is going
to take you
to the state police post
in Bay City, Michigan,
for a lie detector test."
[Steve] Both boys
were prime suspects
and subject to polygraph test.
And life at the Hell House
was only about to get worse.
By early 1975, the unexplained
activity at the Hell House
went from bad to terrifying.
[Davis speaking]
[Steve] The nightly knocking
and pounding turned
into violent blasts.
[Davis speaking]
[Steve]
While the paranormal activity
continued to escalate,
the polygraph results
came back,
officially clearing the family
of any involvement
in the strange happenings.
[Davis speaking]
[Terry] And after that,
we had lot of those voices.
[Duane] It said several times
it's going to k*ll you.
Just the voice just
came like out of nowhere
through the house.
"I'm going to k*ll
your family!"
I mean, to this day,
I still... I can still hear
that voice,
and it just scared
the living crap out of me.
But a lot of people
would just say, "We'd get
the hell out of there
and never... never go back,"
you know.
But now we were fighters
and we had our faith
and we thought,
But now we were fighters
and we had our faith
and we thought,
"God will, you know,
take us through this."
[Vicki] They were tortured
for so many years,
seems like
they were robbed of life.
But I hope
they do get closure.
[Steve] The local police
finally threw their hands up.
They simply
couldn't figure out
what was causing
the strange activity
at the Pomeraning home.
We didn't really have a lot
of investigative equipment.
Matter of fact, we turned
to the state police a lot
in those years
because they had
all the technology.
It amazes me.
I mean, literally cutting-edge
technology of this time
was used on this case.
[Steve] The Michigan
State Police
enlisted investigators
to search
for logical explanations.
to search
for logical explanations.
The power company, Bell
Telephone, Dow Chemical,
the FAA,
the US Geological Survey,
brought out seismographs.
The state police did
a full sweep of the home
looking for any trace
of foul play.
Officers even moved in
to monitor the home 24/7.
Yet no one found
any explanation
for the strange knocks
and blasts tormenting
the family.
The Pomeranings
are growing desperate
The Pomeranings
are growing desperate
and the state police
quietly acknowledge
what many
had already suspected,
that there was something
paranormal happening
in the home.
[Charles] I believe,
uh, state police
called in a paranormal expert,
but I had never heard
of that being done
by a police agency.
I'll give the police
department, the sheriff's
department credit.
They came out every night.
You know,
they did everything.
-Yeah.
-[Terry]
And one of the officers
told my dad that he knew
this guy that worked
told my dad that he knew
this guy that worked
with one of these
spirit boards.
My dad said, "Well, okay."
He came home.
The spirit will communicate
to us through the letters
on the board.
Let the spirit take over.
First letter is K.
That's an N.
I.
I.
F.
E. Knife.
Knife?
Knife, what's that supposed
to mean?
Look out!
[Terry] It was a big knife,
and it came out of that
knife block,
like at 50 miles an hour.
I mean, it just... If someone
had been in that area,
they would have gotten hurt
real bad or k*lled.
they would have gotten hurt
real bad or k*lled.
It was just unreal.
I mean, you'd have to see it
to believe it.
We even asked our pastor
to, you know,
come to our house
and bless the house.
And he would not come
to our house.
So it ended up the priest
from the Catholic church.
He came out to our house
and blessed the inside
with holy water and outside.
And after he did that,
all hell really broke
loose that night.
And after he did that,
all hell really broke
loose that night.
Things would be tossed
across the room
that they didn't touch,
more things and more things.
[Terry] It was hard
on everybody,
and especially my parents.
This evil was just constantly
in the house.
[Duane] I mean,
we prayed about it.
And the more we prayed,
the worse it got.
[Steve] It was now clear
to the family that this evil
wasn't going anywhere.
It was, in fact,
determined to drive them
out of their family home.
It was, in fact,
determined to drive them
out of their family home.
But why?
These puzzles seem
as impossible to piece
together as shattered glass.
So with no options left,
the Michigan State Police
do something unprecedented.
With funding
from an anonymous donor,
they reached out
to the parapsychology lab
at Duke University,
run by world-renowned
parapsychologist,
William Roll.
His group had investigated
the most famous poltergeist
cases in history.
His group had investigated
the most famous poltergeist
cases in history.
I went
to the Hoyt Public Library
to meet with William Roll's
associate Jerry Solfvin,
who investigated
the Hell House in 1975.
I arrived on February 7.
State police drove me
to the house.
[Steve] So you actually
stayed with them, right?
[Jerry] Moved in.
So when I first arrived,
uh, the first thing I did
is I mapped out the house
and I made
a two-dimensional model.
And I interviewed people,
"Where did this happen?"
And I interviewed people,
"Where did this happen?"
And they would point
on the map and make a mark
because there's so many things
that happened
and so many witnesses.
Before I arrived,
it started with banging,
then the explosions.
But then it goes
to the next level.
Object movement, the lamps,
figurine, the fruit basket,
the flower basket,
the cup of hot tea,
and a pillow.
The pillow, that...
that's a big incident.
Wasn't it?
The pillow, that...
that's a big incident.
Wasn't it?
It attacked Mabel.
[telephone rings thrice]
[telephone rings thrice]
[Steve] According to the notes
from Jerry's files,
Terry, Duane,
and his two adult cousins
were present
when the attack occurred.
It took all four of them
to save Mabel
from suffocating.
I was on the way.
My goodness, this case
was exploding with phenomena.
[Steve] Like everyone else
who came to evict
this unknown horror,
[Steve] Like everyone else
who came to evict
this unknown horror,
it wasn't long
before it turned on Jerry.
[Jerry] When I took a shower
in the morning,
I took a towel,
tossed it over
the sliding glass doors,
and I just left it there
to dry.
And sometime later,
I said, "Mabel,
did you smell something?"
And I saw smoke coming around
the edge of the bathroom door.
So I opened it
and there was, uh, my towel.
Never seen a fire like that.
I was stunned.
I was like deer
in the headlights.
"My God, that's incredible."
Now, that fire
was also investigated,
correct, by the,
by the State Fire Marshal?
[Jerry] He did.
But he said there was nothing
that could be investigated.
That was an amazing
thing. This doesn't follow
any physical laws.
And secondly, that it might
have been aimed at me.
How many fires took place
in the week you were there?
-Three.
-Three fires?
Three fires.
Three fires.
The second fire would be that
roll of toilet paper.
And the report says language
that when I first read it,
blew my mind,
"humanly impossible".
-This is a State Fire Marshal.
-[Jerry] That's right.
For any season,
State Fire Marshal
-declares the origin
of a fire...
-Yeah, yeah.
..."Humanly impossible"
in nature.
Yeah. It's really amazing.
It's really amazing stuff.
[Steve] Whoever or whatever
was targeting the family
was growing more deadly
by the day.
was growing more deadly
by the day.
And finally,
the third fire occurred.
I brought with me a number
of electronic devices.
Different kinds
of tape recorders.
You know,
there's one part of this
that I listen to.
This is on when the third fire
occurred.
-So the third fire was...
is on one of these recordings.
-[Jerry] Yes. Yes.
[Steve] Thanks to a tip
from Professor Solfvin,
I listened through
nearly 30 hours of audio
and eventually found
the most terrifying moment
caught on tape.
and eventually found
the most terrifying moment
caught on tape.
I'm playing it
for the brothers
and their neighbors,
the Buckleys.
Take a listen, and I think
you'll understand the reason
I'm sitting here today
with you.
It's the first time
they've heard these sounds
in nearly 50 years.
[indistinct whispering]
[growling]
[indistinct whispering]
[Mabel] Duane.
[expl*si*n]
[siren wailing]
[siren wailing]
-Oh, my God, Steve.
-That's amazing.
Wow.
Wow. Kind of brought
chills remembering.
-I hear this and just,
you know?
-Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I guess probably scares you
'cause that was close
to our home, you know?
I guess probably scares you
'cause that was close
to our home, you know?
[Vicki] Yeah.
I looked out my west window
and I could see the smoke
and Mabel and the boys
was standing out in the yard,
and it was bad enough that
they had to leave their home.
[Steve] Like the other two
blazes, the State Fire Marshal
was called in to investigate.
That report is here
from the Michigan State
Fire Marshal.
I'm just going to read this.
Um, "It should be noted that
two members of the Duke
University Cyclical
Research Center Foundation
have been conducting
extensive testing
at the residence
have been conducting
extensive testing
at the residence
to determine the source
of the strange noises
and strange occurrences
taking place there.
It is felt
by all parties involved,
that there is some
supernatural phenomenon
occurring at this location.
[indistinct whispering]
And then it also could be
the cause of the fires
which have occurred."
That's a bold statement.
Especially with state police.
They called in
a paranormal expert.
He says, "It's a poltergeist."
He says, "It's a poltergeist."
I said, "What the hell
is a poltergeist?"
I just want to get
really clear with you.
What exactly is a poltergeist?
When we say poltergeist,
it brings to mind one thing.
The anomalous phenomena.
It's a burst of them
over a short period of time.
It's unexplainable,
but that is paired
with the social
psychological setting,
and it's usually a family
going through
some sort of a stress.
and it's usually a family
going through
some sort of a stress.
About 80% of cases
have a distinct individual
who are the focus
or the agent of the activity.
I see. Okay. So at first,
you're identifying
the anomalous force?
-[Jerry] Yes.
-Then you're looking for
the agent?
Right. Right.
[Steve] Thanks to
Professor Solfvin,
I now know that
identifying the agent,
the center of all
the poltergeist activity,
has to be our next step.
So, Cindy, the other night
you've said a statement about
extreme poltergeist activity.
Right.
This literally is
one of the most prolific
poltergeist cases,
poltergeist-like activity.
But see, now we're facing,
you know,
with poltergeist activity,
we have to look at
who is fueling this activity
or what dynamic
within the family
is creating enough chaos
to support
poltergeist activity.
-Well, tonight I want to go
into the house.
-[Cindy] Mmm-hmm.
-Well, tonight I want to go
into the house.
-[Cindy] Mmm-hmm.
We actually go into the house.
I want to take
some of these items
in the home,
basically by proxy
bringing the family back,
their voices and just see
what happens when we bring
these trigger objects in.
-[Cindy] Yeah.
-But I have no idea
what to expect.
Yeah, I know.
Well, I guess we have
our work cut out for us
on this one, Steve, right?
[Steve] Everybody,
the crew, ourselves,
we have to be beyond careful.
It's time to figure out
what caused this poltergeist.
[Steve]
Tonight, Cindy and I will
meet up at the Hell House.
Using projectors
and audio recordings,
we'll be attempting
to virtually bring back
the family in the house
for the first time in decades.
-You ready?
-Yeah. Let's do it.
-I'm gonna grab some gear.
-[Cindy] All right.
[door creaking]
[Cindy] You got it?
There is something
menacing here.
You're already
picking that up?
Oh, yeah, for sure.
It's like, game on.
[Steve] In order
to reawaken the entity
lurking inside the home,
I'm setting up
several trigger objects,
pictures, projected photos,
and audio recordings
from 1975.
pictures, projected photos,
and audio recordings
from 1975.
If whatever happened out here
is really attached
to this family,
I have no idea
what's going to happen.
-[Cindy] Okay.
-[Steve] All right.
-I'm gonna grab some gear.
-[Cindy] All right.
[Steve] We're here right now.
Let me show you
one of the items that I have
for tonight's investigation.
[Cindy]
Oh, this is the couple.
Who's Harry?
Harold. This is Harold.
Harold. This is Harold.
-This is Mr. Pomeraning.
-Oh!
[Steve] Oh, my God, Cindy.
[Cindy] My heart is exploding.
You just see...
something happened.
Did he have a heart attack?
-What happened?
-This man died
of a heart attack.
That's it.
He... that's... Okay.
And he went before...
-[Steve] Yes.
-Before her. Um...
She's so sad.
And I keep feeling
it has to do with the boys.
[device 1 chiming]
[device 2 chiming]
[device 2 chiming]
[Steve] Oh, my God.
Something is definitely
moving in the adjacent room.
The boys' room,
as a matter of fact.
As you talk about the boys,
this is Terry Pomeraning.
[Cindy] Terry! I got to talk
about Terry.
That kid, he wants to protect
the mom or take care of her.
[Steve] He absolutely
adored his mother,
and his mother, Mabel, went
through a lot of trauma here,
you know.
What was happening here
was wearing her down
to nothing.
-I see--
-[device 1 chiming]
That is really strong.
[device 2 chiming]
[Steve] Each time Cindy taps
into the family members,
the entity responds.
The trigger items
seem to be working.
It's time to up the stakes
and bring our most powerful
trigger object
back to the Hell House.
So I'm gonna play some
of those audio recordings that
I got from that university.
-Okay.
-And these are incidents,
of course,
that happened here
in this house.
Is it the fire we're hearing?
Fire, explosions.
[Cindy] I just keep hearing,
"He didn't do it.
He didn't do it."
Did they blame Duane
for the fire?
Duane was the suspect,
I believe, in everything.
He didn't do it.
I'm hearing, Steve,
it was the man behind him.
[device chiming]
[Steve] What is happening
right now?
Actually, uh, I think
maybe we ought to stand
over here for a moment.
There's quite a horrific story
regarding a knife block...
[Harold] Look out!
[Steve] ...lunged
at a police officer.
That's the spot.
Okay. Something
is right there, Cindy.
[motion sensor chiming]
Motion sensor.
[devices chiming]
I feel like the walls
are shaking.
[devices chiming]
Motion sensor.
-This room has a lot
of paranormal activity.
-[Steve] Yes.
It's a lot
of poltergeist activity.
When I stand here,
I feel like there's
an earthquake happening.
[device chiming]
Why do...
Did Duane go to prison
or something?
Did he get in trouble
with the law?
Both boys were suspects,
and Duane was considered
the number one suspect.
He has demons.
[Steve] Yeah,
Duane was very troubled.
-[Steve on recorder]
Motion sensor.
-Oh, my God,
the Ovilus just went off.
[Cindy] What did it say?
[automated voice]
Son, wrong, devil.
[gasps]
[Steve] Son, wrong, devil.
That thing just fired off
response after response.
That thing just fired off
response after response.
Steve, can I ask you
something?
Is there any chance somebody
did some sort of a sacrificial
thing with an animal?
I'm seeing something
like that.
Is it possible?
Yes.
I wouldn't take that
off the table.
I'm gonna tell you
exactly what I just heard.
There was a presence
of spirit...
that had influence somehow on,
I believe, Duane.
I believe Duane could sense
this spirit, this man,
but I feel it shape-shifting.
I'm not saying
it's actually--
I don't know yet.
I feel that Duane would speak
to people that weren't there.
He would be talking to spirits
that nobody else could see,
He would be talking to spirits
that nobody else could see,
but he would be talking
to them.
Something was leading him.
[device chiming]
[Steve] My opinion right now,
it's toying with us,
because it's showing us,
"I can manipulate everything."
I feel like the more like
you're tuning in, tapping in,
it's like--
It's so much that
I don't even know
where to begin
other than I... I...
like, I'm getting
so much stuff
and it's coming at me
from all directions.
[devices chiming]
Please back off!
I can't even, like, think.
I can't even, like, think.
I need to step outside
for a second
because I can't work
with all this stuff going off.
[Steve] The evil entity
is trying to force us
out of the house
to stop Cindy from tapping in
and getting a clear vision.
She must be getting close
to the truth.
So we're taking
the investigation
back outside,
where Cindy is going to try
a technique called scrying,
using a mirror to see
beyond the veil.
I'm very interested to see
what happens
when you try this,
I'm very interested to see
what happens
when you try this,
especially how tapped in
you're to this land.
Yeah.
So really, I'm just going
to relax my gaze
and really allow whatever
impressions come to me.
It's gonna take me a second
to kind of get into it,
but then I'll...
I'll get going.
-Okay?
-Okay. Absolutely.
Okay.
[exhales sharply]
This is not what I expected
to start seeing,
This is not what I expected
to start seeing,
but I keep seeing a house
having its own life force.
It's like the perfect storm,
Steve.
Underneath here, I feel like,
I don't know
if there's a rock bed
or some sort of elementals
around here but it drives it.
-It fuels it.
-Okay.
[Cindy]
The land is not cursed,
but there is something...
there's something fueling,
that fuels
the poltergeist activity.
It... it fuels...
maybe it's elemental,
I don't understand,
It... it fuels...
maybe it's elemental,
I don't understand,
but it's like...
I feel like all these men
marching towards me,
now that's so wild.
Like, I'm looking over here
and I just feel
all of these spirits
just walking towards me.
There's been
shadow figures scene,
there's been faces.
[Cindy] They're everywhere!
And I'm looking
and I see them, not one.
I'm seeing more than one.
I need to come back again
'cause I'm like...
I'm at capacity,
but there's a piece
I'm missing.
We gotta get to the bottom
of it.
We gotta get
to the bottom of it.
We've got to get
to the bottom of it
We've got to get
to the bottom of it
'cause we want to find
that piece.
[Steve] Last night's
investigation,
-that was chaotic,
extremely chaotic.
-Mmm-hmm.
[Steve] I mean, I wondered
what would happen
bringing these objects in,
but I never expected
everything to go off
constantly.
[devices chiming]
[Cindy] Yeah, for me,
it was a little bit
of a nightmare.
This could be an accumulation
of energy sh**ting around,
an intelligent energy, right?
-Yeah, a poltergeist, perhaps.
-[Cindy] A poltergeist.
In this particular situation,
I question whether or not
this is something else,
In this particular situation,
I question whether or not
this is something else,
because last night, I felt
some connection to Duane
having the ability
to communicate with spirits.
Remember when I saw something
with animals
and I'm seeing blood
and I feel like
occult activity?
Occult activity.
Remember when I said,
"Is there anything
with animal sacrifice?"
-Yeah. Yes.
-I felt that he was influenced
by the man behind him.
So do they ever implicate
Duane as being part
of any occult practices?
So do they ever implicate
Duane as being part
of any occult practices?
No, not Duane.
But there's a huge theory
about occult activity
in the surrounding area,
an occult activity which could
have contributed
to the activity here.
Let me show you a report here
now that we're on the subject
of occult activity.
So the sheriff's department,
they learn of a strange
commune of people
living in the woods...
-Wow!
-...doing weird things.
[Steve] The report
goes on to say,
this commune of hippy types
[Steve] The report
goes on to say,
this commune of hippy types
were living
in the woods nearby,
and it also noted that
the information was withheld
from the Pomeraning family.
Another report states that
Duane and Terry witnessed
their neighbors
and a group of strangers
contorting as if worshiping
the Sun,
just before the barn
behind the house caught fire.
Evidence is mounting that an
occult group centered around
their next-door neighbors
was haunting the family.
Why was I seeing an image
of Duane going out
Why was I seeing an image
of Duane going out
and participating
in these occult activities?
Is it because he was the most
influenced by this force?
I think I may have the answer
in a sense.
Um, so I'm gonna tell you
something.
Duane doesn't remember,
but at one point,
in his words, and again, going
back to the baseline reading,
you said
that we were being "Lured".
-You've used that
word specifically.
-[Cindy] Yes.
-You've used that
word specifically.
-[Cindy] Yes.
Duane tells me that he was
lured by this woman across
the street to her home.
To this day, Duane
doesn't even really know...
I went to their house,
and I don't know
how I got there.
He never really had nothing
to do with them
from the start, really.
And he started telling us
that she cut his hair.
He remembers nothing else.
-Goes home, has a grand
mal seizure that night.
-[gasps]
Wow.
What was she doing?
A ritual?
He doesn't recall.
We need to find out
what happened to Duane
that day.
We need to find out
what happened to Duane
that day.
[Steve] Urban legends about
occult activity in Merrill
have swirled for some time.
But in light
of these new reports,
they take on a disturbing
new meaning.
There was some talk
about a witch.
"You know, there's a witch.
She lives on Dice Road."
Mabel fully believed that
there was witchcraft going on,
and she thought she knew
who the witches were.
[Bea] It was the fellow
that lived across the corner
from them.
[Bea] It was the fellow
that lived across the corner
from them.
Harold told me.
He thought he was a warlock.
[Terry] The new neighbor lady
was always buying
witchcraft books,
going outside and doing
all those different things
with her hands and arms
and looking up in the sky
and talking away and...
and screaming sometimes.
The biggest thing
that I remember
is that she said she had been
ordained as a witch.
I truly believe
she was a witch.
[Duane] Yeah,
she was definitely a witch
because there was a lot
of witchcraft in Merrill.
because there was a lot
of witchcraft in Merrill.
[Steve] Tonight, after months
of negotiating
with its current owners,
I finally got permission
to enter the house
across the street,
where the witch once lived.
If Terry and Duane agreed
to enter the house with me,
it may jog Duane's memory
of that fateful day
when he was lured
to the witch's house,
had his hair cut
and then blacked out
and had a grand mal seizure
that nearly k*lled him.
First, I meet up with them
back at their old home,
the Hell House.
I can't imagine what it,
you know, must feel like
going back into this house,
everything you guys
dealt with,
but I think
we need these answers.
-All right. We good?
-Let's do it.
All right, let's go, guys.
Wow.
[Terry] Oh, my God.
Well, still brings back
a lot of memories.
Oh, hey, Terry, I'm doing
another load of laundry,
so I need your shirts.
[Terry] I can just see my mom,
you know, walking around
in the house,
you know, and, you know,
just stuff like that.
Still bringing back a lot.
Yeah.
-I've been on this case
for a long time.
-Yeah.
You know, seven years,
we've been talking on and off.
I've been researching this.
We all know
the neighbor always comes up.
You know, Duane,
when you were lured
over to the house,
do you remember anything
from that night?
do you remember anything
from that night?
-No.
-Even the smallest,
vaguest memory whatsoever?
I can't remember anything.
[Steve] Nothing?
It's a blank,
like it was magic.
Well, I might have a solution.
I'm not sure how you guys
are gonna react to this.
But I have obtained permission
to be able to go
across the street
and go into the house.
Is that something you would
consider doing with us, Duane?
[Duane] I don't know
how I feel about it right now.
I wish I could.
I mean, this is how
I'm looking at it.
All roads in this
investigation are leading me
to that house.
If we can go in there, maybe,
Duane, you can walk
around and look,
maybe it will jog your memory.
[Terry] I'm all for it.
Duane is.
How about you, Duane?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
[Duane] If it helps the case,
I'll go over there.
As far as I can remember,
that was the only time
he ever was in that house.
Only... only time.
-This is where we need to go.
-[Terry] Yeah.
-Follow me.
-Okay.
[Steve] Just across the street
from the Hell House
is the home
of the alleged witch.
Like the Pomeranings,
she moved out of her house
nearly 50 years ago.
This is the first time
Terry has ever entered
the home,
in the first time
in nearly 50 years for Duane.
in the first time
in nearly 50 years for Duane.
-Oh!
-[Terry] Okay.
-[Terry] You all right?
-No, not really.
I don't remember
being in this place.
Go ahead and take a moment.
How do you feel being in here
when you think
about the things
that, you know, were happening
across the street here
when you lived there?
I don't know because it seems
a little...
a little weird,
a little funny, but I just saw
the stuff that they did,
especially what I seen them do
outside.
She would look up in the sky
and she'd be, like, talking
to somebody,
She would look up in the sky
and she'd be, like, talking
to somebody,
even screaming sometimes,
motioning with her arms.
She would go out there
with their trash barrel
and it could be downpour
and tremendous thunderstorm,
and she'd start the bags
on fire and burn it all up.
[Steve] It almost sounds like,
uh, they referred to it
as exercising their powers.
So, now that I'm sitting here
in this chair,
there's a lot of things
that I think is coming back
to me
because I remember
she was playing with her hair.
because I remember
she was playing with her hair.
I don't know what the hell...
what that meant.
Latch on to those things
that you remember,
and I think it's going
to keep coming.
I remember now
she had a black lipstick.
-[Terry] I remember...
-[Steve] You remember this?
...him telling me
and my parents that...
I'm starting to remember
a little bit
when I'm back in here.
She was always in black.
That little bit of memory
that was jogged by you
coming in here,
the fact that she was wearing
all black, that means
something to me.
the fact that she was wearing
all black, that means
something to me.
-That... that helps.
-She brought me in
from the other way.
She brought you
in the other door?
-Yeah.
-Okay. So you're remembering
right now.
-Yeah.
-[Steve] You come in
the back door,
what happens next?
There was candles
in every room.
Do you remember
what color candles?
Just try to put yourself there
just for a moment.
There was different colored
candles, yeah.
Okay.
How did it get to the point
where a haircut got involved?
[Duane] She got some iced tea.
It didn't taste right,
you know?
I told her
I didn't need a haircut.
And this is what she said.
"I think I should
just give you a trim."
And this is amazing.
She actually put the hair
in her mouth and swallowed it.
She put the hair in her mouth
and swallowed the hair?
Yes.
[Steve] Have you ever heard
any of this?
No.
-No, this is all new to me.
-[Duane] Yeah.
Let me ask you guys something.
I've got my gear out
in the car.
Would you be willing
to sit here while I place
some meters around
and just kind of ask
some questions
with you guys being present?
Yeah.
-[device chiming]
-[Steve] Okay.
-[device chiming]
-[Steve] Okay.
This device here, guys,
it's ITC communication.
Look at it as a radio
to connect with the dead.
If you have any questions,
I want you guys
to ask the questions, okay?
We're gonna try to get
some answers.
Huge meter hit.
Are you here now because
they're back in the house,
back here on this land?
It said curse them.
[device chiming]
[Steve] Whatever it is, guys,
it's right here.
Who are we communicating with?
Give us a name.
[Jamie] I've got an anomaly.
[Jamie] I've got an anomaly.
-[Steve] You got something?
-[Jamie] Next to Duane.
Guys, it's right by Duane.
Did somebody conjure you to go
after the Pomeraning family?
Yeah.
-Did you hear that?
-Yeah. I heard that.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
You're setting off our meter.
Who are you?
-[Steve] Did you hear it?
-[Jamie] Yeah.
-Satan.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
[Steve] Were you sitting
in the chair?
Did we see you?
-[Jamie] Yeah.
-[Steve] Yes. Yes.
Today, November 18,
there was a police report
filed at your old residence.
Voices threatening
to k*ll the family.
-Yeah.
-[Steve] Well,
that's today's date.
-Yeah.
-I want you to ask
the first question, Duane.
I'm gonna hit record.
I'm gonna set it here.
Are you always just here
or you go somewhere else?
Where do you,
where do you go?
[Duane on recorder]
Are you always just here
or you go somewhere else?
Where do you,
where do you go?
Here.
It said here.
All right, let's try
a few more, guys.
Am I tonight sitting here
after all these years
pissing you off?
[device beeping]
I got the best of you,
didn't I?
Duane, while you were talking,
Jamie just caught an anomaly
right behind the cameraman
standing there.
Yeah, I felt, I felt it.
Let me try asking a couple
questions real quick.
Let me try asking a couple
questions real quick.
[Duane] Okay. Go for it.
[Steve] Why do you still
linger on this property,
on this land?
Lastly, where are you
in this room?
[Steve on recorder] Why do you
still linger on this property,
on this land?
[Steve on recorder]
Lastly, where are you
in this room?
Holy... [bleep]
[Terry] I heard that.
I heard that.
-Yeah.
-"Everywhere."
That's what I heard.
"Everywhere."
"Where are you?"
"Everywhere."
-I pissed the demon off.
-[Steve] Yeah.
-I pissed the demon off.
-[Steve] Yeah.
Well, listen, we never want
to challenge something
like this.
Between the intense responses
from the GeoPort,
between the anomalies,
all these EVPs,
I think this is good enough.
Quit while you're ahead.
Yeah.
[crickets chirping]
[Steve] After nearly 50 years,
Duane was able
to remember key details
about the terrifying encounter
that changed his life forever.
about the terrifying encounter
that changed his life forever.
With mounting evidence
that the incidents
at the Hell House
were related
to occult activity,
I've called in the help
of an expert.
Miss Aida is an ordained witch
and an expert
on occult rituals.
So where would you like
to begin with this case?
I know I briefed you over the
phone a decent amount
about the activities
that took place out here.
-I'd like to walk around
the property outside...
-Okay.
...and then on the inside.
All right. Sure. Okay.
Would you this way?
-I'd rather go...
-[Steve] This way around?
-I'd rather go...
-[Steve] This way around?
-Okay.
-[Miss Aida] Yes.
Absolutely.
I'll follow your lead.
[crow cawing]
Has anyone mentioned having
seen any entities lately
through the windows?
Yes. They said a face
would appear
in the window like this.
We were home alone
and we both seen it.
And it was almost like
a white thing, like a shadow,
almost with like hands.
And we freaked out.
There was no footsteps.
Nothing.
There was no footsteps.
Nothing.
I always felt like someone
was watching me at all times.
I'm feeling something
on this side.
What about the neighbors,
their neighbors?
So the story goes that
the woman that lived
across the street
came over here one day.
Just bought that house.
It was brand-new at the time.
And said to Mr. Pomeraning,
"I'd like to buy your house."
Why did she want that house?
Allegedly, she said that
she had some friends
that wanted the house.
Allegedly, she said that
she had some friends
that wanted the house.
But what's strange
is she had no friends
or family in the area.
And when Harold said,
"It's not for sale,"
she kind of muttered a little
something ominous, I guess.
You know, you'll regret that
or we'll see about that.
And then she just kind of
walked on back to the house.
You know what my feeling is,
she wanted that house
as a residence
and this house to conduct
the coven activities.
My feeling is she didn't want
any of the energies
attacking her house.
She'd rather have it here.
She'd rather have it here.
Okay.
I have a police report.
Uh, they came over here
and apparently
they were out there
in the yard.
And the way that the police
described it was
they were seen
doing contortions.
That's their wording.
-Okay.
-Contortions,
strange movements
and what looked like
worshiping the sun
with hand gestures.
They would also see her across
the street, you know, out here
in the rural areas,
they used to burn trash
in barrels.
Even when it was pouring rain,
thunder and lightning,
she would be out
at this trash barrel
and she would be... I guess,
doing things with her hand.
and she would be... I guess,
doing things with her hand.
The fire would just keep
climbing and climbing,
and several people
actually saw that.
-So I don't know, you know,
what to make of it.
-That's powerful magic.
That is absolutely
powerful magic.
She was demonstrating
her power.
That's what it
sounds like to me.
[Steve] Okay.
And something else
that's important, basically
straight across from us,
there's kind of a circle
in the grass
where the grass is different.
You can clearly see
it's not the same.
And that's where she used
to do that with the fire.
[Miss Aida] Interesting.
I am very anxious to see that.
[Miss Aida] Interesting.
I am very anxious to see that.
-This is kind of the edge
of it here.
-Yeah.
You can kind of see
where the grass
is a little bit different.
There's kind of
that circular spot.
[Miss Aida] Oh, I see that.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
[Miss Aida] This is where
she practiced the magic.
[Steve] Yeah, right here.
I will tell you that
I feel a little dizzy here.
Yeah, kind of disorienting
a little bit?
-Yeah.
Do you feel that way?
-Yeah.
I did. Honestly,
I was just kind of
avoiding my eye contact
with this area,
because when I look at it,
it feels a little...
with this area,
because when I look at it,
it feels a little...
[Miss Aida]
Yeah, I feel uneven.
That's why I'm wondering
if it's a possibility
that it could be a portal.
Right?
Now, would it be best for me
to stay outside
of this circle?
Maybe I'll just stand here.
I can feel it.
I can actually feel
when I'm in and out of it.
That's why I'm leaning
toward a portal.
Okay.
Right above that garage door,
there used to be three
black Xs.
They would say
that they were iron Xs.
Iron is a repellent.
I think she put three up
as a way of saying
get out or stay away.
It sounds to me like
something scared
the hell out of her.
Maybe she sacrificed
her soul for the power
Maybe she sacrificed
her soul for the power
and maybe someone
came along and said,
"It's time,"
and she didn't wanna go.
Obviously,
with all the bad things
that have happened,
what type of a cult
would do horrible things
to another person?
It certainly
wouldn't be a Wiccan
community.
It sounds to me like
a satanic cult.
I believe that she summoned
something that was horrific.
They unleashed more than
what they bargained for,
something demonic.
They unleashed more than
what they bargained for,
something demonic.
They unleashed something
that was totally
out of their control.
It makes me wonder,
did she see Satan?
[Steve] For seven years,
I've been struggling
to uncover the cause
of the paranormal activity
at the Hell House.
Was it a poltergeist,
witchcraft, or something
demonic?
I now may finally
have the answers.
It was all of it.
Using black magic,
the Pomeranings' neighbor
tried to drive the family
from their home
so she could claim it
for her coven.
Stress on the family,
caused by the constant
knocking and disembodied
voices, created a poltergeist
knocking and disembodied
voices, created a poltergeist
centered around Duane.
But with the family
determined to stay
in their home,
the witch next door
went darker,
performing satanic rituals
that unleashed a demon
so powerful, it went well
beyond her control.
It's clear that demon
is still here and needs
to be sent back to hell.
But first, before we attempt
to close that portal,
I want to see
if we can put a name
or a face on the one
I want to see
if we can put a name
or a face on the one
who tormented
the Pomeraning family.
It could be our last chance
to face it, and it's going
to be dangerous.
So right now I'm standing
in the circle that Miss Aida
believes is a portal
that the neighbor
here opened up.
A little nervous,
a little hesitant
to be doing this.
Um, I'm gonna be using
my GeoPort
to try to establish
communication.
This is all happening
while Cindy is doing
her spirit art.
[Steve] I've positioned Cindy
across the street overlooking
the portal.
[Steve] I've positioned Cindy
across the street overlooking
the portal.
She'll tap in and attempt
to sketch an image
of this evil entity.
I'm just gonna go ahead
and start this up
and see what happens.
Who are you?
[bleep] it literally said,
"Satan, the demon."
What was done here
in this spot?
Cindy?
Did it just say Cindy?
What do you want to say?
[Steve] Magic?
It said magic.
What kind of magic?
Magic ritual.
Magic ritual.
I don't like that it keeps...
it keeps saying...
it keeps saying Cindy.
I don't like that.
I don't like that at all.
[Steve] I mean,
Cindy can't hear any of this.
She has no idea
what's going on.
Cindy.
It just keeps saying Cindy.
I don't know, man.
I'm sure...
I'm kind of worried
about her.
This isn't good.
I don't know.
I think we should
cut off communication.
I think we should
cut off communication.
I want to check on Cindy.
I'm just going to head
over there.
You all right?
[Cindy] Good, man.
How is it out there?
Crazy.
Um, I actually left because
it kept saying your name.
-It did?
-[Steve] Over and over again.
And so, I started
to get a little concerned
that finally I just
shut off communication,
I came up here to see
how you were doing.
shut off communication,
I came up here to see
how you were doing.
I'm fine.
But this drawing
was interesting
to me because,
right, you like tap into
what you think
she maybe conjured up, right?
So at first, I started
drawing, I'm like, "Oh,
it's a face of a woman
coming through," right?
I'm like, "Oh."
Do you see the side of this?
[Steve] Yeah, I do.
[Cindy] Is it elemental?
Is it demonic?
Like...
[Steve] It looks like a,
like a demon.
The GeoPort kept saying
Demon.
[Cindy] Oh, my God.
I've seen this woman
luring us, saying,
"You're all gonna die."
I've seen this woman
luring us, saying,
"You're all gonna die."
We're thinking maybe
it's the neighbor.
Maybe it's this, maybe
it's this that can
shape-shift into this.
-Mimicking.
-Mimicking.
I don't know, Cindy.
I think whatever's out here
has been following us
the whole time.
[gasps]
-[Steve]
"You're all going to die."
-Steve.
[Steve] Son, wrong, devil.
-It said Satan.
Sound like it said Satan.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
-Did you hear it?
-[Jamie] Yeah.
It literally said, "Satan,
the demon."
-This has been happening
everywhere we go.
-I know.
I mean, she literally
could have brought
something demonic in.
I think there's no doubt
that portal needs
to get closed.
[Cindy] Yeah.
[Steve] Nearly 50 years
after it was unleashed,
the demon that terrorized
a peaceful Midwestern family
is finally going
to be sent back
into darkness.
We are going to perform
a ritual to do just that.
But first, Cindy and I invited
the Pomeraning brothers
back into the Hell House
one final time.
Will the demon show itself
with the brothers present?
Will the demon show itself
with the brothers present?
Cindy, I'll let you take over.
I have to tell you, Duane,
the other thing I saw,
there was somebody
behind you all of the time,
somebody attached to you.
Initially it felt like a man
but as the investigation
went on further,
what we discovered was...
[devices chiming]
Here we go.
[Steve] Now everything
is going crazy.
[Jamie]
I didn't mean to interrupt
but there's an anomaly
right behind Cindy and Duane.
right behind Cindy and Duane.
I felt that right now.
-[Cindy] Yep.
-Yeah, this is,
this is strange.
-Is it still there now?
-[Jamie] Yeah.
It'd be a great time
to capture that.
Jamie, what's it doing?
[Jamie]
Um, it's touching Duane.
It's touching Duane?
[Jamie] Touching his head.
Uh, now one is behind
in between the two.
And this is literally
when Cindy is saying
that man that's always
behind him,
-and you're getting this now?
-[Jamie] Yes.
[Duane] Is there any way
that we can pray
to just get that demon off me?
Yes. That's why we're here
because we want to help
with that.
-[Duane] Yeah.
-[knocking]
-[Duane] Yeah.
-[knocking]
[Cindy] I heard that, too.
-[Steve] You guys hearing
these knocks?
-Yeah.
Yes, like it's '74
all over again.
After all these decades,
it's still,
it's still here.
I think it's time
that we bring
in Miss Aida that...
you know, that person
I was telling you
about earlier.
Um, she's our best bet
at this point.
She has the ability to help us
and help bring this
to a close.
I think, Duane,
you really need this,
-maybe more than anybody
at this point.
-Hmm-mmm.
Right.
Right.
All right. I think it's time
to get her involved.
[Cindy] Yeah, definitely.
-[Terry] Yeah. Miss Aida.
-[Miss Aida] Yes.
[Terry] Yeah, please come in.
Please come in.
Thank you so much
for coming out here tonight.
-[Duane] Hi.
-Terry, Duane.
Cindy, this is Miss Aida.
You are Duane?
-[Duane] Duane. Yeah.
-I'm Terry.
Terry, my name is Miss Aida.
-Nice meeting you.
-Nice to meet you.
-Steve has told me a lot
of what had happened to you.
-Yeah.
From what I understand,
you went to the witch...
From what I understand,
you went to the witch...
I'm gonna call her
the witch because
she's obviously a witch.
-You went to the witch's home.
-[Duane] Yeah.
[Miss Aida] And she gave you
some sort of a potion
to drink?
[Duane] Yeah,
and a haircut, yeah.
[Miss Aida]
And she took your hair?
Yeah.
So hair is a personal concern
that we say in witchcraft.
Anything that contains
our DNA, such as hair,
they now own
an essence of you.
they now own
an essence of you.
So she...
-She, uh, danced around me,
was acting strange.
-I'm sorry.
When she danced around you,
did she dance around you
in a circle?
Sort of like that, yeah.
And then you passed out.
You came home,
you had a grand mal seizure.
[Duane] Correct.
What unusual feelings
did you have prior
to the seizure?
A strange feeling
came over me.
I don't know
how to explain it, you know?
I don't know
how to explain it, you know?
Somebody watching me.
It just seemed like
he wasn't himself.
[Miss Aida] You felt
a presence around you.
Did it feel
as if it was a part of you?
Part of me, no.
I was very stressed out.
[Miss Aida] Okay.
So it's a part of you.
So there we go
with the attachment.
So the witch,
what happened at the end?
[Terry]
The priest that came here
and blessed our house
inside and out
with holy water.
[Miss Aida] A Catholic priest?
[Terry] Yeah, catholic priest,
Father Horton.
My mom and dad,
they got up
that one Sunday morning
My mom and dad,
they got up
that one Sunday morning
and they said,
"You know what,
we should go out
to Father Horton's service
this morning."
The neighbor lady,
that's where she went
to church.
The witch?
-[Terry] Yeah.
-Okay.
[Terry] And she was the very
first person to leave
the church that day.
She went up
to Father Horton first,
and she fell into his arms
and started crying
and crying and crying.
He arrived to their house
that Monday morning
He arrived to their house
that Monday morning
and he didn't leave till,
like, 6:00 o'clock
that evening.
He called my dad and said,
"I told them leave yous alone
or to move away."
Well, then a month later,
they put the house up
for sale.
[Miss Aida] At this point,
I get it.
-I get what she did.
-Okay.
You unknowingly partook
in a ritual.
What was the spell
or what was...
what did she do?
[Miss Aida] Well, what she did
was she did a satanic ritual.
[Miss Aida] Well, what she did
was she did a satanic ritual.
She bonded him and hers,
almost like a marriage.
Would it be easier
for somebody like that
to prey upon somebody
who is open more...
-Absolutely, yes.
-...to the spirit world?
Absolutely, yes.
[Cindy] So my sense is that
Duane is open.
Um, Duane, have you ever
had experiences
with seeing spirits
when you were younger?
Yeah. When I was younger,
yeah.
[Cindy] But, you know,
Duane, here's the thing.
I think that you're open.
Since you were a kid,
like me, you might have
had some media mystic
abilities,
like me, you might have
had some media mystic
abilities,
and with that, it can create
an entry or a place
for spirits to come in.
I do want to ask you
about that circle
and in... in their yard,
there is a brown patch there.
-I walked over that circle,
I felt a little dizzy.
-Hmm.
[Miss Aida] So it could be
a portal she may have brought
the demons in.
[Cindy] Mmm-hmm.
And I've been consulting
with a demonologist,
and I'm going to do
something about that.
-I'm going to try
and stop that...
-Hmm.
-I'm going to try
and stop that...
-Hmm.
[Steve]
Just before midnight,
Miss Aida will perform
a ritual to close the portal
and send the demons
that were conjured here
50 years ago back to hell.
While she and Cindy prepare
for the ritual,
I'm setting up devices
inside the Hell House.
If the entity is agitated,
these will certainly
detect it.
Because of Duane's strong
connection to the evil here,
Miss Aida asks both Duane
and Terry to leave this area
Miss Aida asks both Duane
and Terry to leave this area
entirely until the portal
is closed.
All right, Miss Aida,
we're back in this spot
where you and I felt really
uneasy, that portal.
How would you want
to close this?
What's the next step?
So what my plan is,
is I'm going to recite a Psalm
that keeps away bad entities.
When I'm in the circle,
I wish for you and Cindy
to be in the circle with me,
to protect me.
to be in the circle with me,
to protect me.
You will be protecting me
with an iron cross because
iron repels negative entities.
I'm asking you to hold up
the statue of Saint Michael...
-Okay.
-...over me.
And as we all know,
Saint Michael kicked
the devil's butt.
Then I'm going to spray
this entire area
with holy water
and close this area
with sea salt.
and close this area
with sea salt.
I will drive an iron knife
into the ground
to keep them there.
Also, for you to know,
if I faint or if I get dizzy,
right, I want somebody
to grab the holy water
and spray the hell out of me,
the crown of my head
where entities like
to attach themselves initially
and the back of my neck.
Just don't be afraid
to soak me.
Saint Michael's statue.
Saint Michael's statue.
"I will lift up mine eyes
unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
He that keepeth thee
will not slumber.
He will not suffer
thy foot to be moved.
The Lord shall preserve
thee from all evil."
The Lord shall preserve
thee from all evil."
[device chiming]
Dear God,
I am your daughter, Aida.
I beg of you to protect us
while we close this portal,
to protect us, Your children.
In the name of the Father,
Son, Holy Spirit, amen.
Now... I will drive
this iron knife
into the center
of this circle.
into the center
of this circle.
[devices chiming]
[Miss Aida]
Remain in the ground.
Remain under the ground
from whence you came.
[devices chiming]
I command thee
in the name of God.
How do you feel, Miss Aida?
-It feels different.
-[Cindy] Thank you.
[Steve] Yeah.
Thank you so much.
Thank God.
Don't thank me.
Thank God.
[Steve] Okay, yeah.
[birds chirping]
[Steve] Terry, Duane.
Thank you guys again
for having me over.
You know, I made a promise,
years ago, that I would see
this thing through to the end,
I would find everything
there is to find
and explore everything
there is to explore
because I know it's real.
Even 40-some years later,
you know,
still there's a lot of days,
you have bad days, you know,
thinking about it.
And I think that I can
get through days better now.
And I think that I can
get through days better now.
[Duane] You know,
you reopened the case,
...it helped
a great deal
with me and my brother.
And if my parents
were living today,
they probably would have
thanked you,
because had you never
found us,
God knows what would have
happened.
It's, uh... it's not the end.
It's just... I feel like
it's just the beginning.
I want to thank you for that.
[birds chirping]
[Steve] I never got
to meet Harold and Mabel,
but I pored over countless
reports of their case,
listened to hours of audio
recorded in their home,
and heard their sons
reveal the terror
of the Michigan Hell House.
I feel I know
the Pomeraning family.
They didn't deserve
to suffer like they did.
They didn't deserve
to suffer like they did.
No one does.
Ultimately, they had faith,
strength, and survived.
So for their family
and the town of Merrill,
I pray that demon conjured
across the street will stay
in hell where it belongs.
Me, I will continue to keep
a watchful eye
because evil spirits
never rest.
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04x01 - Michigan Hell House
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A documentary series that takes a fresh look at true and terrifying tales of paranormal encounters.
A documentary series that takes a fresh look at true and terrifying tales of paranormal encounters.