ENGLUND: Hidden away in news reports from America's past
are tales so frightening that they must be true.
♪♪
I'm Robert Englund.
Join me on a journey
into the dark shadows of our nation's history
to uncover a trilogy of stories
as terrifying as they are real.
♪♪
An unholy ritual goes unpunished.
[Crowd chants] The life of the flesh is in the blood.
ENGLUND: A prophetic dream...
Your turn next.
...foretells a gruesome death.
[ Screams ]
And an elaborate curse...
Eye of newt. Toe of frog.
...drives a man insane.
[ Laughing maniacally ]
Brace yourself for "True Terror."
[ Man screams ]
♪♪
A bad omen is an other-worldly message
that something terrifying is coming our way.
You could call it Fate's sinister way of making us sweat.
But just how vicious can an advance warning get?
Well, now, the three stories I have for you prove
these messages can be downright diabolical.
So let's begin with a tale from 1890,
and a broken man searching for a reason to live.
40-year-old carpenter Taylor Jones knows tragedy,
three times over, in fact.
There lie the bodies of his wife, Mary,
and his two young daughters.
♪♪
Sleep now, my sweet girl.
CLARKE: Tuberculosis is a constant presence in Pennsylvania
in the 1800s.
It's especially cruel to Taylor Jones.
He lost his wife and his daughters
all within just two years.
♪♪
ENGLUND: Of course, grief would be the standard price you pay
for lost love.
Oh, but I wouldn't be telling you about Taylor Jones
if his journey was merely standard, now would I?
♪♪
ST. AMAND: Taylor needs a fresh start. He was a lost soul.
He'd lost everything near and dear to him.
He was just wandering around with no purpose, no destination.
♪♪
Six months later,
Taylor finds himself in Kansas City, Kansas,
where he lands himself a job as a farmhand.
[ Sheep braying ]
Water?
♪♪
Why, yes. Thank you.
♪♪
-Slow down, there's plenty more. -It's plenty hot today.
It is.
Thank you.
-What's your name? -My name is Taylor, ma'am.
Taylor Jones. -It's nice to meet you, Taylor.
I'm Rose. -Nice to meet you, Rose.
CLARKE: Rose Cooper is a beautiful young woman
who ended up in Kansas City,
after she'd had a personal tragedy of her own.
Her parents were killed in a flood,
and she's living with her uncle Silas and his family.
-Have you been here very long? -Oh, about three months.
I come from back East. Pennsylvania, to be exact.
Well, how do you like it?
Well, it certainly is wide open.
Lots of space for a man to think.
It is.
Do you have a church?
No, I can't say as I do.
My uncle says God gives us everything,
he says that God nourishes the body and the soul.
Well, I'm afraid God hasn't been very kind to me.
ENGLUND: Life is filled with events that can be interpreted
as signs such as the unexpected appearance of a new friend
with a caring heart...
She passed, then the oldest one,
then finally, my little girl.
You probably don't want to hear all this,
...but proceed with caution
for few things can be more deceiving
than the intentions of a beautiful stranger.
I want you to come hear my uncle preach
tonight at his church. He can help you.
Will you be there?
Of course.
My life practically depends on it.
♪♪
WILCOX: We are a blessed people
even if we don't think so sometimes.
From the Book of Ephesians,
"In Him we have redemption through his blood."
-Hallelujah. -Amen.
So we are nourished body and soul.
CLARKE: What we know about Silas Wilcox
is that he was a pastor living in Kansas City.
He started a congregation known as the Samaritans.
He tells his followers that tending to the sick
is a way to honor God.
And in doing so, we nourish our body and our soul.
WILCOX: Brothers and sisters...
ST. AMAND: Wilcox is an electrifying speaker who can cast a spell
over an audience.
He can mesmerize, motivate, and even convert
anyone he speaks to.
In the Old Testament,
we find the words that animate our spirit.
the life of the flesh is in the blood.
[Crowd chants] The life of the flesh is in the blood.
ST. AMAND: That passage comes from the Old Testament,
the book of Leviticus and Silas Wilcox latches onto it
and turns it into a kind of mantra.
That's God's love.
It is our holy mission,
our charge to deliver that love to everyone.
CLARKE: That first night that Taylor shows up
is like every other night.
Wilcox releases a powerful sermon
full of fire and brimstone. -God is love.
And that love moves through each and every one of us.
I feel it.
CLARKE: But he tempers it with hope.
He tells the faithful that faith is a guiding light
when all around them is darkness.
WILCOX: I feel it in you. I feel it in you.
I feel Him in every one of you.
ENGLUND: Sometimes life's greatest risks are the ones
we don't realize we're taking,
such as the fate of Taylor Jones.
He has no idea that his search for belonging
has taken a perilous detour.
WILCOX: Christ said, for my flesh
is true food and my blood, true drink.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
[Crowd chanting] The life of the flesh is in the blood.
[Crowd continues chanting]
Amen.CROWD: Amen.
Amen.
♪♪
CLARKE: Over the next few weeks,
Silas takes Taylor under his wing,
telling him about faith, and in particular,
about the Samaritans,
but his real focus is on just one core principle --
God promises a way out of the darkness
if you take on a cause bigger than yourself by helping others.
Silas invites Taylor to help the Samaritans
in their mission to heal the sick.
Cast out the demons and the afflictions
and the pain from this man. Make his blood strong.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
Cast out the demons and the afflictions
and the pain from this man. Make his blood strong.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
Cast out the demons...
ENGLUND: Though we all may look at the same things,
what we choose to see
depends mainly on what we are hoping to find.
Cast out the demons,
cast out the demons,
cast out the demons and the afflictions
and the pain from this man. Make his blood strong.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
ENGLUND: Taylor Jones is looking for a miracle.
What he fails to see is the truth.
Taylor, I'm gonna need you to leave us for a minute.
Please wait outside.
♪♪
Nothing more I can do for him now.
♪♪
It's in God's hands.
♪♪
ENGLUND: Taylor's blindness will seal his fate
in the most shocking fashion imaginable.
♪♪
ENGLUND: When tuberculosis takes the lives of Taylor Jones' wife
and two daughters,
everything he's ever cared about is lost.
But among preacher Silas Wilcox and the Samaritans,
he believes he is found.
So we are nourished body and soul.
ENGLUND: Soon, his faith in the world and the possibility
of a second chance at love have been fully restored.
Amen.
[ Sheep braying ]
JONES: Rose, you've done so much for me already.
I don't mean to make you go to all this trouble.
When was the last time you dusted up here?
Honestly, I couldn't say.
♪♪
CLARKE: Taylor and Rose grow closer together
during their time with the Samaritans.
He confides in her, and she's a good listener.
You know, Silas wanted me to make sure
you came to the meeting tonight.
He singled out specifically. -Why is that?
He must think you're a really special person.
♪♪
I know I do.
CLARKE: Taylor hasn't had a lot of experience with religion,
and he wasn't raised with any particular faith.
Rose was helping him with that
and bringing him to their Uncle Silas flock.
♪♪
CROWD: The life of the flesh is in the blood.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
ST. AMAND: Then one night, the Samaritans
are gathered in the meeting house.
Much of Silas' sermon is about sacrifice and healing the sick.
WILCOX: Through us, the Lord will strengthen those
on their bed of illness, helping the sick, the infirm.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
WILCOX: The Lord will sustain them on their death bed.
CLARKE: As usual, Silas Wilcox has
his congregates hanging on his every word.
Brothers and sisters,
this is not something we must merely preach.
We must put our words into action.
But something else happens that night.
♪♪
[ Door opens ]
Taylor finally learns why the phrase from the book
of Leviticus is so important.
You see, the Samaritans take the Bible literally.
They're feeding on blood.
♪♪
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
♪♪
I thought it was strange at first, too,
but you'll get used to it. You'll see.
♪♪
Drinking blood -- it seems so unnatural.
WILCOX: The life of the flesh is in the blood.
The blood of animals and sometimes even human blood
is still seen by some to have mystical powers.
♪♪
ENGLUND: What do you do when love and your conscience are at war?
Will you follow your heart, however dark the cost,
or listen to your awakening fears?
Either path leads to regret that can never be undone.
♪♪
Come to me, children, don't be afraid.
♪♪
How old are you? -5.
I'm 2. -2. Very good.
Silas had a hold over all the Samaritans, young and old,
but he was especially interested in the cult's youngest members.
Would you girls like a piece of candy?
♪♪
Candy?
You're both good girls, run along and play.
God loves you.
♪♪
I want them here by midnight.
♪♪
Make sure everything is ready.
Bring the golden chalice.
♪♪
And Frank, make sure that ax is razor sharp.
I don't want any suffering.
♪♪
Frank is offering his two girls up
as a blood sacrifice to Silas.
-That's crazy. -It's happening tonight.
Silas is a good man,
and Frank, he loves his daughters.
Rose, you know that what Silas is doing is wrong.
It's unnatural.
ENGLUND: Every age is crowded with people who misread the signs.
Taylor Jones now finds himself among them.
We've got to leave here.
We've got to leave here tonight.
We'll get those two little girls, and we'll start again,
the four of us.
♪♪
Yes, tonight, be ready.
ENGLUND: But the signs he missed are about to prove
just how dangerous life can be.
Rose tells Taylor she'll be back at 9:00.
Now, the plan is that they would rescue
the children that Silas is planning on sacrificing.
When they do, they would leave immediately.
♪♪
[ Door knocks ]Rose?
[ Door opens ]
♪♪
ENGLUND: Discovering the Samaritans are a bizarre, demented
blood-drinking cult,
Taylor Jones plans a bold rescue and escape,
one he believes he will make with his new love, Rose
-Rose? -Yes, it's me.
♪♪
You disappoint me, Taylor.
♪♪
Rose! Rose, don't let them do this.
Rose! You people are insane!
You're crazy!
♪♪
He's the devil.
He's the devil!
You don't have to do this.
You don't have to do this!
No!
♪♪
The life of the flesh is in the blood, Taylor.
Rose...
♪♪
...I love you.
♪♪
ENGLUND: Not long after this ghastly episode,
Silas and his sect pulled up stakes
and slipped away one night under the cover of darkness.
Some say they regrouped under a new name in California,
but the official record
goes as cold as the blood in Rose's veins.
♪♪
Taylor Jones sealed his doom
by failing to see the warning signs all around him,
but the bad omens in our next story appear in a form
that should never be overlooked --
our nightmares.
Now, psychologists tell us bad dreams are products of stress,
but what if they're more than that?
What if they're ominous messages from powers
far beyond our understanding?
♪♪
Julia Cook is 31,
a secretary for a Philadelphia law firm.
Most women her age are married.
Julia is single by choice.
Her life is everything she wants it to be,
with one glaring exception.
She can't get a good night's sleep.
♪♪
[ Clock chimes ]
[ Glass breaks ]
♪♪
[ Heavy breathing ]
♪♪
Your turn next.
[ Screams ]
[ Heavy breathing ]
What really makes Julia's nightmare terrifying
is that she's been having the same one
every night for a month,
and with each recurrence, the intensity grows.
MURPHY: Her dream is always set at the same time -- 4:00,
and it begins with a glass of water breaking.
It always features the same strange man
who appears in different guises and settings,
but he always delivers the same haunting message --
"Your turn next."
MAN: Your turn next Your turn next.
Your turn next. Your turn next.
[ Screams ]
ENGLUND: Is Julia's nightmare some sort of warning?
She fears it is. About what, she doesn't know,
but she senses the man in her dreams does.
♪♪
I'm frightened, Emily.
I know honey, but it was just a dream.
♪♪
-Morning, ladies. -Morning, Carson
-Eleven, Ms. Cook? -What else?
Eleven it is.
♪♪
ENGLUND: Nightmares are something I know a thing or two about.
And the one thing that's certain
is that you don't pick them, they pick you.
You're sure you never met the guy?
-Positive. -Maybe you just forgot.
Not that face.
-Well, then, who the hell is he? -Someone I'm going to meet.
♪♪
Have you told anyone else about this?
[Whispers] I'm not that crazy.
♪♪
ENGLUND: When our torment is other-worldly,
there is no place on earth we can find help or refuge.
Even sleep can be a curse
in which we relive a narrative with a ghastly ending.
♪♪
Your turn next. [ Laughs maniacally]
Julia, wake up.[ Screams ]
-Julia! -Emily?
They catch you asleep
and you're gonna be out on the street. Right.
♪♪
ENGLUND: When a nightmare offers a glimpse of the future,
we live in fear of the moment becoming real.
♪♪
Oh, but that time will arrive,
and when it does, it will take more than bravery to survive.
♪♪
ENGLUND: In 1893, 31-year-old Julia Cook
is on the brink of madness...
[ Screams ]
...a terrifying recurrent nightmare
has convinced her she has a date with death.
Your turn next.
ENGLUND: Desperate, Julia wonders if her dream can shine light
on the strange man's identity and his cryptic message.
The only way she can discover the truth
is from within the nightmare itself.
You're crazy. This idea is crazy.
♪♪
ST. AMAND: What Julia Cook hopes to do is called lucid dreaming.
In a typical dream,
our thoughts and actions are involuntary.
The narrative plays out like we're watching a movie.
A lucid dream is more like playing a video game.
You can consciously control the dream's narrative.
ENGLUND: Though the idea terrifies Julia,
she willingly enters her nightmare.
[ Glass breaks ]
[ Clock chiming ]
♪♪
Who are you?
You'll find out.
[ Door slams ]
Your turn next. [ Chuckles ]
♪♪
ST. AMAND: Though terrifying, Julia's lucid dream serves its purpose.
She learns something about the cryptic man.
I'm not the only one who dies.
He dies, too.
♪♪
The boss is going to be back soon.
We need to get back to work.
ENGLUND: Death hangs over Julia like a shroud,
and the clock is ticking.
Tick, tick, ticking, Julia.
♪♪
MAN: Your turn next. Your turn next.
ST. AMAND: With every waking minute, Julia Cook
becomes more and more consumed with the imminent sense
that something terrible is going to happen.
MAN: Your turn next. Your turn next. Your turn next.
-Something wrong, Ms. Cook. -Excuse me, sir.
[ Elevator dings ]
♪♪
MAN: Going up?
♪♪
-Where's the regular operator? -On holiday.
MAN: Going up, Miss?
♪♪
Be right back.
♪♪
Your turn next.
♪♪
[ Clock ticking ]
[ Elevator dings ]
♪♪
Going down, Miss?
Are you coming, Miss?
Going down.
♪♪
MURPHY: It's only now that Julia Cook fully realizes
the meaning of her nightmare.
The one place on earth she does not want to be
at this instant is in this elevator.
♪♪
Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Okay, okay, okay.
Going down.
[ Erratic breathing ]
[ Elevator buzzing ]
[ Elevator rumbling ]
[ Man screams ]
[ Elevator crashing ]
[ Screams ]
ENGLUND: Webster defines a dream as a series of thoughts,
images, or emotions occurring during sleep.
And Julia Cook would advise Mr. Webster
that he's only scratched the surface.
She'd tell him that on rare occasions,
terrifying messages may come through,
but waking up screaming is better
than never waking up at all.
As terrifying as that thought can be,
fate has proven to be even crueler
when it dispenses with warnings
and goes out of its way to destroy you.
A century ago, this was the plight
of a Pennsylvania factory worker named John Blymer.
His nightmare deepened when he discovered
his misfortune was no accident.
Rather, it was the result of a curse.
Blymer doesn't know who is cursing him,
but he's certain his tormentor is always at his heels...
...ready to put an end to his misery.
♪♪
[ Three door knocks ]
[ Two door knocks ]
♪♪
[ Thunder rumbles ]
[ Gasps ]
Who are you?
[ Chuckling ]
ENGLUND: Who is Blymer's tormenter?
And can the curse bedeviling him be broken?
♪♪
[ Thunder rumbles ]
Who are you?
Plagued by misfortune, John Blymer
is certain that a mysterious nemesis has cursed him,
and now, is moving in for the kill.
Who are you?!
♪♪
Stop!
ENGLUND: Every moment for Blymer is torture, even as he sleeps,
but as alarming as his dreams may be,
he fears his waking hours even more.
Everything John Blymer had he's lost --
his job was taken by his boss' nephew.
His wife left him. His children die of typhoid.
This man's life is a train wreck.
All these things happen in a very short period of time.
His life is falling apart so fast,
he's certain it can't be an accident.
He's convinced that it's all the work
of some diabolical force.
York County, Pennsylvania, in 1928,
is home to a large subculture
that believes devoutly in witchcraft.
And John Blymer is sure that a witch has put a hex on him.
Many citizens of York County, including Blymer,
were descended from German immigrants
who colonized Pennsylvania in the late 1600s.
These immigrants brought with them their beliefs
of magic and witchcraft from the old world,
and those beliefs are still going strong.
ENGLUND: Belief is a formidable force.
It can guide and empower,
but it can also delude and destroy.
The only chance Blymer has to break the curse
is to identify the witch that's cursing him,
and only one person can help him do that...
♪♪
-Yes? -...another witch.
-Emma Noll? -Yes.
Come in.
ENGLUND: The dark arts lead some to the light,
but others into impenetrable blackness.
Give me your hands.
Can witchcraft identify Blymer's tormenter
and reveal the secret to breaking the curse?
Focus on the dreams that haunt you.
♪♪
Put a dollar in your palm.
♪♪
And stare at the face.
Stare at the face.
Look at the face.
Now pull it away.
Look at your palm.
Who are you? Who are you?
Rehmeyer. Rehmeyer.
ST. AMAND: According to the Evening Star, Nelson Rehmeyer
has long had the reputation of possessing uncanny powers.
How do I get rid of his curse? Tell me!
Emma Noll tells Blymer, to break the curse,
he must do two things -- first, he must seek out Rehmeyer.
He must collect a lock of his hair
and get the book of spells.
Once he has those two things, he must bury them.
♪♪
-You sure nobody followed you? -No one.
ENGLUND: Only a fool faces supernatural evil alone.
The only hope for mortals
is that there is strength in numbers.
CLARKE: Blymer recruits two local teenagers --
Wilbert Hess and John Curry. Their lives are also in crisis.
The farm owned by Hess' parents is failing.
The crops are wilting and the livestock is dying.
John Curry is faring no better.
He comes from an abusive family.
A shadowy figure.
He was chasing me. Followed me here to my own room.
ST. AMAND: Blymer has convinced the two teenagers
that the same witch cursing him has also targeted them,
and he's called them to his house
because he believes he finally knows the witch's identity.
You want to know who? Nelson. Nelson Rehmeyer.
♪♪
ENGLUND: All too often, desperation takes us on a path
leading only to regret.
Our obsession with survival
blinds us to our impending doom.
♪♪
ENGLUND: In 1928, John Blymer
is on a mission more befitting the Middle Ages.
♪♪
He believes a witch named Nelson Rehmeyer
has cursed him, and along with his two young friends,
he's out to break it.
ERDEL: Blymer's tension is off the charts.
He's ready to blow.
Blymer has to ask himself,
"Does Rehmeyer really possess that kind of power,
or am I just crazy?"
ENGLUND: To end the curse, Blymer must steal
Rehmeyer's book of spells and a lock of his hair.
♪♪
CLARKE: Blymer's plan is to keep Rehmeyer busy
while Hess and Curry go and look for the book.
Once they find the book, they'll get the lock of hair,
and then they'll be on their way.
ENGLUND: Nothing demands more courage than confronting evil,
even when our fears maybe of our own making.
♪♪
-Tea? -No, thank...
♪♪
ENGLUND: Blymer's waking hours and his nightmares
have both been agonizing.
He can no longer tell them apart.
Cigar?
No -- No, thank you.
♪♪
REHMEYER: In the cauldron boil and bake.
Eye of newt, toe of frog.
Mmm.
ENGLUND: Is what John Blymer sees real...
♪♪
or is his fragile hold on his sanity finally severed?
[ Laughs maniacally ]
Time to finally get rid of this curse.
[ Laughs ]
What are...
[ Grunting ]
♪♪
[ Laughs ]
♪♪
Please, don't hurt me. Please.
Shut up!
Please, don't hurt me.
Shut up, you cursed witch.
ENGLUND: Nelson Rehmeyer has done him no harm,
but in Blymer's eyes,
he's the evil mastermind who ruined his life.
Wilbert, John, come help me.
Hess and Curry have a choice.
They can save Rehmeyer or they can help Blymer kill him.
Come here. Come help me!
In the madness of the moment...
...they choose to kill.
ENGLUND: All murder is savage.
And on this night, there is one final act of barbarism.
The press account stated the chilling truth...
ENGLUND: Blymer commits this cold-blooded crime to free him
from Nelson Rehmeyer's curse.
He was dead wrong that his hand in life would change.
CLARKE: Not long after the murder, Blymer is arrested,
tried, and convicted of first degree murder.
The boys are also imprisoned.
One thought torments Blymer's shattered mind.
Rehmeyer's book of spells is never found.
This means Blymer's curse cannot be broken.
♪♪
And with that, I shall offer a parting suggestion.
If you ever receive a cryptic warning
about your bloodthirsty friends, your next elevator ride,
or even the face of someone tormenting you,
take heed and run the other way
so you can join me for our next descent into true terror.
♪♪