Are you sure you wanna start another restaurant?
A little late to back out now.
[narrator] A couple starting a new adventure...
Congratulations, Chef Masson.
This restaurant is definitely my dream.
[narrator] ...find themselves in the crosshair of eerie
and unexplained events that threaten to force them out.
I can't take this anymore.
[screaming]
[narrator] In this world, there is real evil.
[girl] Someone's in my room.
[narrator] It lurks in the darkest shadows.
Between what we see and the things we fear,
there are doors.
When they are opened...
nightmares become reality.
[narrator] Just north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
sits a sleepy waterfront fishing village
known as Little River.
Ah! Look at how beautiful the pink is.
I don't think I wanna touch the pink.
[narrator] It's here that French Chef Eric Masson
and his wife Kim
buy a restaurant already established as the Brentwood.
We can put three tables there. We can plant flowers here.
Easter brunch under the cherry tree.
I mean, just walking up to the house, it's just magnificent.
It's a beautiful Victorian house,
and I couldn't wait to get inside.
[narrator] Built in 1910,
the once grand Victorian mansion was converted
into a restaurant by the previous owners in 1994.
Let's go. Let's do it.
We decided that we needed to move out of New York,
have a new adventure.
We just wanted to do fine dining
and just focus on Eric's French cuisine.
Are you sure you wanna start another restaurant?
[chuckling]
- It's a little too late to back out now. - Yeah.
[speaks French]
- After you. - All right. Here we go.
[tense music playing]
[Eric] It's a nice space, huh?
Yeah.
[Eric] It'll fit about 40-50 people down here.
It's good, I like the light fixtures. We can keep that.
You know, we can probably use the tables. Huh?
They're solid. They're mismatched, but, uh...
- [knocking] - Yeah.
Put a few tablecloths on and...
[chuckling]
[Kim] Interesting.
- [bell rings] - Table for one?
[laughing]
We were a little intrigued of the amount of angels
that was, you know, in the restaurant.
I guess the previous owners, they liked angels... a lot.
You think?
It seemed a little strange
that there are just so many angels and no other decor.
Congratulations, Chef Masson. We did it.
Eric looked at me and he said, "Wow.
This is my dream."
I said, "Yes, I know, this house fits
the type of food that you will cook."
Let's go to the kitchen!
The achievement of a chef is to own a restaurant.
Owning this restaurant is definitely my dream.
[shattering]
[tense music playing]
[Eric] We kept the same name, and the name was established
Brentwood Restaurant.
My job at the restaurant was basically everything,
as well as Eric's.
- How is everything? - Oh.
So far so good.
All right. Super. So glad to hear it.
Save room for the desert.
He did most of the cooking.
He's the back of the house, I'm front of the house.
But we both share everything.
Good evening, folks. Hello. Hello.
My name is Eric.
Your mussels.
[Kim] Kristen worked with us for quite a while.
You're welcome. Carrot cake for you.
Anything else I can get you guys?
We're great. Thank you so much.
When I first got there, I was mainly working downstairs
in our downstairs area.
It would be high-stress at times.
You would be, you know, making a martini, flipping a drink,
running over taking an order. But it was... it was great.
[narrator] But shortly after opening,
Kim and Eric experience something odd.
So we were redoing the decoration of the restaurant.
[Kim] One of our bartenders at the time, he said,
"Is there any way we could move that picture?
It's just so...
you know, I feel like they're looking at me
when I'm in the bathroom," you know?
And I said, "Sure, why not?"
You know? "It's just a picture."
It's like they're watching you, right? Wherever you stand.
I mean, all I had to do is just to pick up,
you know, the frame.
[glass shattering]
But the second I did that, then I heard this crash.
We found this glass,
it was actually a champagne flute, and it was broken.
Million pieces on the floor. There was nobody upstairs.
How did that glass get... [laughs]
That makes no sense.
If it fell, it would fall behind the bar.
Yeah, not... not all the way over there.
[Kim] This glass came from the bar.
The bar rack, which actually has a little stopper
at the end, so I don't know how that actually got out.
[Eric] It was so far from the bar.
And so, I look at this and I'm like...
I'm trying to figure out, okay, so it fell from the rack,
it bounced on the bar... okay.
But then it fell 15 foot away.
So it just didn't add up.
It-- it almost seems like it was thrown from the bar.
There's no way it landed here without being thrown.
We're the only ones here.
I don't know. I guess it fell.
What I do know is I'm gonna clean it up.
[Kim] It smashed so hard, and we were all just trying
to figure out how that happened.
That's not normal.
[narrator] As the weeks go by, the Brentwood remains busy.
Kristen is promoted to run the bar upstairs.
I ended up eventually pretty much taking over
the upstairs by myself for the most part when I would work.
It was Eric and I who would be the last to leave.
Because I was upstairs,
it would be the last place we'd close.
[crashing]
[saltshaker clatters]
[Kristen] All of a sudden, the saltshaker shot out
and it rolled on the floor.
[eerie music playing]
Hello?
[Kristen gasps]
Hello?
Who's there?
That was probably the fastest I've ever left the Brentwood.
Because there was no explanation for how something
could've been thrown towards me.
There was nobody there.
[narrator] As the nights pass, Kristen tells no one
about what happened in the upstairs bar.
[Eric] I was in the bathroom upstairs,
and I just was washing my hands.
Bonsoir.
Good evening, madame, monsieur.
Everything good?
[door slams]
I froze...
and I was just scared.
I don't scare that easy.
I'm a... a French chef.
I'm not a big believer,
especially when it comes to paranormal
and things like that.
[lady sighs]
Suddenly, I hear this loud sigh.
It was so loud, and it was so clear,
and it was inches from my face.
It was just right behind the door.
Is anyone out there? I'm coming out.
[tense music intensifies]
[crashing]
[shattering]
[narrator] A disembodied voice
in his empty restaurant has Chef Eric Masson on edge.
Is anyone out there? I'm coming out.
I came out and there was nothing there.
And then I was like, "Okay, oh, come on."
You know? I was like, "All right."
And then I started looking for, uh,
some logical explanation.
[phone vibrating]
Hello?
[Kim] Hey, everything okay?
Yeah, yeah, everything's okay.
Yeah.
I was scared. I felt like something was watching,
something was close.
I'll be home soon, okay? I'm just closing up.
[Kim] Okay. I'll see you then, babe.
Uh, okay.
I didn't even talk to Kim about it
because I decided that, you know, it was--
It was just water in the pipe.
There was nothing into it.
Even though it was so scary when it happened.
[narrator] Eric tries not to think about the voice
outside the bathroom,
until Kim has her own confrontation.
[Kim] I'm a morning person,
so I would go to the restaurant by myself,
unlock everything.
I got my gallon cup of coffee,
so eventually I have to use the bathroom.
[tense music playing]
[woman sighs]
[Kim] I heard that sighing noise like a woman
was standing outside the door.
And you have to understand, this is a single bathroom.
There's no stall.
You can see every corner of that bathroom.
Nobody's there, but yet
I still heard somebody sighing.
I opened up the door...
and nobody was standing there.
[gasps]
Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, it's just me.
[laughs] Are you okay?
I don't know.
I think I... I heard something in the bathroom. Like a sigh.
I-- I... really don't know how else to describe it.
Hey, I didn't tell you this, but, uh...
I heard the same thing a few nights ago.
I never believed in any haunting or any,
you know, thing.
My thinking is, like,
"Well, if the ghost really exists,
then I think, by now, we should-- we should know about it."
I didn't tell you because I figured it was just the plumbing.
Because if it wasn't the plumbing--
Okay, well, do you think our house is haunted?
[laughs] No!
No. I mean, I don't know what it is,
but I don't think it's a ghost.
[laughs]
Yeah.
- [laughs] Yeah-- I know. - Hmm?
Maybe you're right.
"Maybe"? Babe, come on. Of course I'm right.
Huh? Huh?
Back to work, huh?
[chuckles] Yeah.
- Right behind you. Yes. - Yeah?
Go.
[narrator] The Massons try to ignore the strange events
happening at the Brentwood.
But soon, they can no longer deny it.
[Kim] We have a table at the restaurant,
and it's a table near the window.
Table 56.
Couples love that table because it's very romantic.
It's a nice table.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Hi. It's fine.
Let me know anytime.
[shatters]
[gasps]
Oh, my God.
What...
How did that happen? I--
I will get this cleaned up.
Ow, God.
I knew the place was haunted.
I just never thought I'd see it for myself.
What?
Costumers were like, "Oh.
You didn't know this place has a ghost?"
I'm surprised the people you bought it from didn't tell you.
That would explain the angels.
Hmm?
[chuckles] No, sorry. They didn't say anything.
[narrator] Not a true believer in the paranormal,
Kim tries to put the rumors behind her
and focus on the task of running the restaurant.
[exhales]
[chairs scraping on floor upstairs]
All of a sudden, I heard all of this noise upstairs.
Eric? Are you here?
And it was somebody moving tables and chairs.
Eric. Are you here?
[scraping continues]
I was terrified, but I can't even believe.
I walked upstairs to see what's going on.
I love this place.
I would protect it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[tense music playing]
[narrator] Kim Masson is starting to believe
the rumors that her restaurant is haunted.
I decided to go upstairs
and take a look to see what was going on.
I was... I was shaking. I was so scared.
[furniture scraping]
What the hell?
[furniture creaking]
[scraping continues]
I didn't know what to do. I was frozen.
I heard the tables and chairs moving around.
And there's nothing going on.
[tense music intensifies]
[screaming]
[scraping stops]
[Kim gasps]
The noise stopped, and nothing looked like it was even moved.
I ran out of the restaurant.
I don't even know if I locked the door.
I was just really scared.
Things were escalating. Whoever was here,
whatever was here wanted us to know
that they were unhappy.
We just needed to find out what was going on
because things just kept happening.
[narrator] From now on, Kim refuses to step foot
in the Brentwood by herself.
The Massons realize they know nothing
about the Brentwood's history.
Kim wonders if something in the restaurant's past
is to blame.
[Kim] I decided to start asking questions about who owned the house
and trying to find out some history.
I found out that the house was built in 1910,
finished in 1912.
It was originally built by Clarence McCorsley
for his wife, Essie.
[gasps]
Oh. [sighs]
You own the Brentwood.
Yes, um... sorry, I, uh, must've been lost in...
I'm Kim Masson.
Well, I see you found Essie and Clarence.
Yeah, do you know anything about them?
As a matter of fact, I do.
I grew up here, and Essie McCorsley,
she was quite a lady.
They loved their house, your restaurant.
Unfortunately, Clarence died in his 50s,
leaving Essie the house that she loved so much.
In fact, she believed that Clarence's spirit was there.
So when someone wanted to buy the land the house was on,
she had it moved.
Brick by brick, across the street.
[Kim] I think Clarence McCorsley and Essie
just built this beautiful house
with all the love that they shared for each other.
After Clarence died, to make money,
she had it turned into a bed and breakfast
for the local fishermen that came through.
[Kim] Essie really enjoyed talking to them,
getting to know them.
She was so polite that if one of her guests was spending
too much time in the only bathroom that was upstairs,
she was known to stand outside the door and sigh.
This may sound crazy, but I think my husband and I
have heard that sigh.
That doesn't sound crazy at all.
Essie loved that house so much.
It's not hard at all to believe
that she's still there.
Well... I'll let you get back to your research.
Thank you.
It's just crazy to get the explanation about what happened,
and to hear it from somebody that has no knowledge at all
about what, you know, I had experienced.
It's just like everything came together.
[narrator] The Massons now believe Essie's ghost
is responsible for the activity at the restaurant.
I wasn't sure if she was here to hurt us,
help us...
I just had no idea.
[narrator] But they soon find out
there's something more sinister inside.
And as the days go by,
they can feel the ghostly presence escalating.
[Kim] When I would come into the restaurant, I would just kind of wonder,
"What is going to happen today?"
I'll be in the kitchen.
It felt like somebody was looking at me.
[eerie music playing]
Eric?
Eric? Eric.
[gasps]
[tense music playing]
[narrator] Kim Masson believes she has just seen
the spirit who's been haunting her restaurant.
- Kim! Come here! - Her husband Eric, too, is besieged by the unexplained.
What happened?
I was loading the dishwasher, and it turned on.
On its own.
I'm doing my... my routine closeout of the restaurant
and, you know, I checked the stove,
I checked the ice machine, I checked the back door.
I go right by the dishwasher,
which was open, and it starts by itself.
It sprayed hot water everywhere.
That is impossible.
It can't operate on its own with the door open.
[Eric] I know.
[Eric] How did the dishwasher start by itself?
It's just not possible.
The reason why they have all those locks
and requirements on a dishwasher
is because, when that dishwasher gets going,
it's hot, scalding water.
I saw something out there.
It was a man. He was... It was terrifying.
[Eric] After that, it was very difficult for me,
to the point that-- uh, chucking up a little bit, because I am now,
to the point that I was thinking about selling the restaurant.
I can't take this anymore.
What if I wasn't standing there when it turned on?
It would've destroyed the kitchen.
What if the stove turned on without us being here?
I'm gonna get us help. I'm gonna...
These weren't pranks. This was real what's going on
in our restaurant.
We need to know what was going on for our safety.
[narrator] The Massons contact local paranormal expert,
Stephen Lancaster.
He agrees to meet with them at the Brentwood with his team
in order to conduct an investigation.
We were a little worried about
bringing somebody else into the situation.
Are things going to escalate and get dangerous,
or are things gonna get a little bit better
and we're gonna have some answers?
[doorbell rings]
Hi. Come on in. I'm Kim.
- [Stephen] Hi, Kim. - Hi, I'm Eric.
Eric, I'm Stephen.
And this is my team Christina and Eddie.
Thank you so much for coming.
Absolutely. Can you tell us a little bit about your place?
Sure, of course...
[Stephen] I'm a full-time paranormal investigator.
For me, priority one is the client.
If they want proof, if they want to know
whether something's there or not,
and if there is, how to deal with that.
And, uh, this table right here is where I saw the ghost.
Christina, she's our sensitive.
She can feel when a spirit is in the room,
and she can talk with them, too.
Do you feel something now?
Oh, yeah. Definitely.
[tense music playing]
Okay, we will definitely get a camera set up here,
see if we can capture something.
[Christina] My role on the team is to
communicate directly with whatever happens to be at locations.
I got that feeling of goosebumps.
It's the feeling that I get when I'm in the presence of a spirit.
And the feeling that night was super strong.
Let's get to work.
[narrator] Kim and Eric leave the restaurant in Stephen's hands,
hoping his team's presence won't make matters worse.
[Stephen] It was time for me to begin the setup,
so we went first thing looked at the surveillance.
I got your camera, you want it?
Yeah.
[Stephen] We brought night vision cameras,
we brought walkie-talkies to communicate with each other
throughout the building.
Let me check. Let me get these on the same channel.
Okay, that'll work. Christina, you can have that one.
[narrator] Stephen and his team plan to split up
and go room by room
in an attempt to capture the ghosts.
Looking good.
They have no idea what waits for them...
- Ready? - Let's go.
in the dark.
[narrator] Stephen Lancaster and his team
of paranormal investigators
are hell-bent on capturing evidence that proves
or disproves the Brentwood restaurant is haunted.
[Stephen] There's something in the air.
The best way to describe it, it was thick.
It almost made it hard to breathe.
[Christina] We're in the kitchen of the Brentwood,
it's in here Eric had the dishwasher turn on by itself.
[tense music playing]
[clattering]
What the hell was that?
[Christina] All of a sudden, you hear something hit the floor.
[Stephen] Chef Eric's surveillance captured that.
And I immediately turn around and there is a plastic cup
in the middle of the floor spinning.
So we were already on edge right from the beginning.
That is crazy. That cup had lift.
That was not just gravity.
Come on, I wanna check out the bar area next.
- Okay. - That was insane.
So, you know, we started thinking more and more about
what Chef Eric had said.
Eric and Kim said they've had a lot of activity
happen in the bathroom
where this picture hangs on the wall.
They've also heard a sighing
that they think is the original owner, Essie.
[static from device]
Nothing electrical around, the table was wooden.
Wood isn't a conductor.
And this thing is giving off an electromagnetic field.
[narrator] It's a common paranormal belief
that spirits require energy to thrive.
This frame is giving off so much energy,
it's almost like it's alive.
[sighing]
Something's over there, I can feel it.
[static intensifies]
[record player starts]
[Stephen] There was an old record player.
It starts playing by itself.
It was like straight out of a horror movie.
I'm speaking to whomever's in this room.
Can you tell us your name?
What is your name?
[indistinct voice]
Did you hear that?
[whispering] Frank?
Is your name Frank?
[indistinct whispers]
[Christina] I can tell you the feeling that I got,
it was stronger than anything I had ever felt,
and it was almost as if my skin were crawling.
[tense music playing]
[sobbing]
[Stephen] I believe the entity in there was
trying to intimidate me and my crew
because Chef and Kim were already intimidated
with what was happening in that place.
So if I came to them and said, "Yes, this is dark, this is scary,
this is intimidating," he's getting what he wants.
He didn't want me to go back to them and say,
"You've got nothing to worry about."
[narrator] As Christina heads to the upstairs
restroom to return the framed photo,
Stephen and Eddie attempt to make contact.
My other investigator stops me and says,
"You'll never believe this, but my camera just died.
I just put a new battery on it, my camera just died."
No sooner did he tell me his battery died,
my own camera died.
There is something here.
It's draining the energy from the batteries.
Go get some new batteries, they're charging in the kitchen,
and put an extra one in your pocket.
Got it.
It is believed in the paranormal research community
that a spirit must have energy to do anything.
There were no words, there were no sounds,
there were no footsteps.
You could not see any eyes, just everything about him was black.
I just couldn't believe it.
That was the first time in my life I had ever seen anything like that.
Eddie. Eddie.
Shortly after seeing the solid black shadow entity,
I watched a face come out of this mirror and go back in.
You can tell it's male, and you can actually see eyes this time.
So I lift up my camera and I just start taking pictures.
It's not afraid to throw things out at you,
it's not afraid to show itself.
What else could it possibly do?
- [Christina screams] - Christina!
Christina. Christina?
Oh, my gosh!
See if you can pull it towards you.
Stephen, I can't get out of the bathroom!
What's going on? I'm pulling as hard as I can.
Christina, stand back. I'm gonna try to kick the door in.
Okay. Be careful.
[Stephen] Christina was trapped in there.
Stephen.
[glass shattering]
- Are you okay? - Yeah, I'm okay.
- What happened? - [shuddering]
Stephen, there was something in here with me.
I don't know if it was Frank or what,
- it was definitely dark. - Did it hurt you?
No, that's the crazy part.
Essie and Clarence's picture fell from the wall,
it was almost like they were trying to warn me or protect me from something--
Okay. That's it. We're calling it a night.
[narrator] The next morning, Stephen prepares to show
Eric and Kim the evidence he captured during the night.
[Stephen] It goes without saying for me,
the Brentwood Wine Bistro is one of a kind.
It's the most haunted location I've ever been in,
and I've been in a lot.
[Christina] There was no denying,
it was not air-conditioner vents, it was not poor plumbing.
This place was full of activity.
And it was full of activity from the other side.
- Good morning. - [Eric] Good morning.
Hey, good morning. I gotta show you this.
There is definitely something here.
So, in this video I'm wanna show you,
we got this off of your security camera, watch.
[tense music playing]
Unbelievable, and that's not it.
I saw the shadow man on the stairs and in the mirror.
Let me show you those pictures.
This is the outline of him at the bottom of the stairs.
- Yeah. Right there. - Oh.
Okay, here we go. This is him in the mirror on a wide shot.
Right there.
You can see the outline of his face.
Is that who you saw?
- Yeah. - Here, let me blow it up.
There you go.
That's him.
You can actually see a face in the mirror.
It's just incredible.
[Stephen] The stuff I saw that night,
and this is no lie, kept me awake for three days.
That was the first time I saw a full-bodied,
solid black silhouette of a man in front of me.
[Eric] He got lots of material.
He was able to capture pictures,
he was able to capture videos.
With all of this, there is no doubt in my mind
that this place is haunted.
Who do you think it is?
[tense music playing]
[narrator] Kim and Eric Masson's worst fears
have just been confirmed.
Their restaurant, the Brentwood, is haunted.
Mon Dieu, is that who you saw?
Yeah.
Who do you think it is?
Well, I'll start with the kind spirit that I believe is the original owner.
Essie. You know her.
[Kim] She loved this house.
[Christina] And she still loves it.
That's why she's still here.
I think it was hard for her when you came in
and were making this place your own.
She didn't like that at first,
but now she knows you love the Brentwood, too.
[Stephen] I think Essie loves the fact that a couple
like Kim and Eric have that building,
because they truly are the heart of that place,
as she was.
But the shadow man, not so much.
We think his name is Frank.
That's the name that we've been hearing
during the investigation.
It's my belief that Frank is a dead fisherman.
There were many stories about when Essie ran the--
The building as a bed and breakfast.
Uh, one man in particular was found dead on the porch.
He was a raging alcoholic, violent,
she would never let him actually stay in the building.
I think Frank is angry that he never got to stay here
when Essie was alive.
So, in death, he's trying to take control of the Brentwood.
And we believe he's responsible
for the more dangerous and aggressive activity.
He wants you to think this place is his.
So, what do we do?
Well, I think you and Kim are gonna have to decide that.
Do you mind sharing this place with Essie?
- Uh... no. - No...
What about Frank?
I-- I... I don't want anything aggressive or negative.
We have... we have patrons and, um, employees. I--
Then, as crazy as this sounds, you need to tell them that.
- Mmm-hmm. - Out loud.
Talk to the ghost?
[Christina] Yes.
[Eric chuckles]
Now?
Now.
[Stephen] When we talked to Eric about confronting
the darker side of the Brentwood,
we told him to speak his mind, speak his concerns.
Just be truthful, speak from the heart.
[Eric] I started to, uh, address the ghost.
Uh...
I know this was your home first...
"But you have to respect me, too, 'cause I'm the owner now."
but we're trying to make it our home now.
We've given everything to do this, so...
we have just as much to lose
and you're hurting us.
You're hurting us.
We're afraid all the time. We... we don't sleep.
I can't... protect my wife.
[sobbing]
We don't mean any disrespect, we just wanna love this house
as much as you did.
We're good people. Please, let us do that.
Is that okay?
It's okay.
[calm music playing]
[Eric] My belief in paranormal has changed a lot.
Since I've been talking to the ghosts, things really,
uh, started to quiet down.
It's a completely different feeling.
I can walk around the restaurant now
and be just fine.
I'm not scared of it anymore.
[narrator] The Brentwood now fully embraces
its paranormal activity.
Both the Massons and the spirits inside
are coexisting.
[Kim] The feeling in the restaurant changed for me a lot.
I feel we're living in harmony with them.
I feel like they're watching over.
That they enjoy seeing all of the customers coming in.
[Eric] I think people are scared about things
they don't understand.
There's a reason why it's there
and then maybe there's nothing to worry about.
[Essie sighs]
[tense music playing]