[synth riff playing]
[tense choral music blaring]
[announcer] The churches are empty, but the carnivals are full.
An evil clown disembowels a priest with a cotton candy machine.
That is an actual scene in this movie. How--
You think there's no room for faith-based stories about a higher power?
Devil's Shed, Hellfire and Damnation, Caged Angels…
[laughs] That's just this year.
What is the nature of evil? What is our responsibility to fight it?
Manipulative, pseudo-religious trash.
I'm embarrassed we're talking about it.
Everyone's talking about it.
[ominous theme music playing]
[Melody] My mother left me in a church when I was two months old.
It was the middle of winter.
No one saw her do it.
[baby gurgling]
[baby crying]
[Melody] I spent the next ten years at St. Joseph's.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
[Melody] I was a strange kid.
Always in trouble.
The nuns thought I was damaged goods.
[scribbling]
[suspenseful music playing]
[breathing heavily]
What are these?
-I don't know. -[nun] You don't know what these are?
There's another place.
There's something in there.
[Melody] I know, it sounds crazy.
But this feeling would start to pull at me.
And I knew there was another place.
And I couldn't describe it, so I had to draw it
to keep myself from falling inside of it.
So, how long did you experience these visions?
Until my foster mom, Lila, got me the fuck out of there.
She died last spring.
A stroke.
I'm sorry.
I don't know if it's stress or grief or…
a mental fucking break,
but I'm starting to see that shit again, or…
feel it.
Something shifts and…
I can't think, I can't breathe, I…
It's like I'm right back inside that scared little girl.
Can you fix me? [chuckles]
Yeah, I think we can work together to find some techniques
to deal with this anxiety you've been experiencing. Okay?
-Okay. -[knocking on door]
All right.
Hey, how you doing?
-[dog barks] -Oh! [laughs]
-[Steven] Cleo! I am so sorry. Down! -No, it's fine.
Oh, you're a good girl, aren't you?
[Steven on recording] That's Cleo. This is Melody.
[laughs]
[Melody] You're a good girl, Cleo.
-Here, come here. Calm down. -Aren't you? You're a good girl.
[Steven] I am so sorry.
[chuckles] Okay, down.
End patient session, Melody Pendras, February 24th, 1993.
[recorder clicks off]
[Mark] Have a chance to listen to those tapes?
A few.
Anything interesting in there?
[Dan] I'm not sure yet.
Okay, well, I did a little digging about that letter.
Article 60 in the department guidelines:
"Faculty are prohibited from publishing material
that would affect reputation, community, or educational standing of NYU."
Any idea what he might've been publishing? Something that got him in trouble?
No. No. Anything else?
Remember that musicologist I used to date, the one with the Dvorak tattoo?
I sent your mystery tune to her.
She never heard anything like it.
Unless they're saying the name of some flying lemur in Southeast Asia,
I got nothing on "Ka-lay-go." What about you?
Well, I spent all night taking my bathroom apart.
I opened up the mirror, disassembled the fixtures,
checked behind every plate.
No cameras in there.
Oh, so he's an asshole, not a pervert. That's a comfort, I guess.
[Dan] Get this. Davenport said there was no internet up here,
but there's a data port on the wall.
So I opened up the plaster and found a snake's nest of cables.
-[Mark] Surveillance system. -[Dan] Exactly.
I tapped the feed using the vampire tap.
I have access to all the cameras in the compound now, inside and out.
I can see exactly what he sees.
Now all I have to do is finish mapping all the camera positions.
Then I'll know exactly where I have privacy and where I don't.
Dude, fuck yeah.
What about the basement? MacGyver your way back in there yet?
No. I'm working on it.
Okay, well, be careful.
Remember that time I electrocuted myself
trying to disassemble the animatronic duck at Chuck E. Cheese?
Even though I'd researched the whole thing on YouTube?
-[cell phone chimes] -Oh.
Car's here.
Hey, hey, uh, when you see Melody,
just be gentle with her.
She's been through a lot.
Yeah, of course.
Try to be a human being.
[Mark] Human being. Got it.
I'll keep you posted.
[tense music playing]
["Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division slowly fades in]
Oh!
[song continues on headphones]
I didn't know anyone was using this room. I just…
The lights were off.
[Dan] Oh. No.
I'm not using it. No, I'm just…
Doodling?
[song stops]
Something like that.
I… I can get out of your way.
What? No. No, I mean…
This is the community room.
You're in the community. Right?
I'm Melody.
Dan.
I just moved in, so I actually don't know the rules.
Um… Me too.
I'm new.
[whispering] This building is weird as shit, right?
-Yes. -Yeah. [chuckles]
So, we're both new.
We should get a drink sometime.
You know, talk about the shitty water pressure.
Oh.
Unless you don't drink.
We could get a coffee.
Or we could go across the street to that little store
and drink a pineapple Fanta straight out of the can.
[knocking on door]
[shower running]
[knocking]
Who… Who is it?
[woman] Bobbi.
Is that supposed to mean something to me?
I work for Mr. Davenport.
Shower was running a long time.
I was waiting for the hot water.
Mr. Davenport was supposed to put you in a different room.
That bathroom's got a mold problem.
No, there's no mold.
I can come back later if--
No, there's no mold.
Davenport promised me privacy here.
If there's a problem, I can take care of it myself.
If you need anything, you let me know.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Anabelle on tape] You gonna do the thing?
[Melody] What?
[Anabelle] Make it official, do the thing?
This is Melody Pendras.
It's 10:32 a.m.
I'm in the Visser community room, location of last night's… meeting.
[Anabelle] AKA… sex club!
Luckily, I brought my trusty black light.
Girls, women, you really shouldn't leave home without one.
Anabelle.
Sorry. I wouldn't wanna think about my mother in a sex cult either.
There was this big cabinet with some kind of…
totem thing inside.
And a recording.
With some strange voice.
Coming from…
-[clicks] -["Angel of the Morning" playing]
♪ Just call me angel… ♪
Holy shit, is that Juice Newton?
[song stops]
Maybe the kid knows something.
Jess?
She's 14. I don't know if I wanna pull her into something like this.
Oh, please. When I was her age,
I was letting Alicia Metz finger me in the locker room
during sixth period algebra.
Okay. Okay. I'll talk to her when she gets home from school.
[door opens]
Cassandra, right?
Remember me? Jess's friend?
[camcorder beeps]
Aren't you lovely?
Yeah. I get that a lot.
[Melody] Um…
Did I see you here last night?
I don't think so.
With Samuel and other people from the building?
Do you play canasta?
Sign-up's on the board, if you're game.
[clears throat]
I like her.
[knocking on door]
Jess?
Hello?
Hey.
[indistinct voices on TV]
Are you okay?
I got in a fight.
A fight?
I just wanna be better. I don't wanna wait.
Wait for what?
-Do you want me to call your mom? -No.
Don't.
She'll just send me to Father Russo again.
He'll tell me I'm not trying hard enough.
Trying to do what?
To have faith.
Be pure, to be worthy of God's love.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the kind of help the church likes to give.
Every time it happens, I just…
I don't want people to see me like that.
Teenagers are assholes.
No, but they're right.
Something's wrong with me.
I'm scared.
I'm scared I'll feel like this for the rest of my life.
You won't.
I used to have these…
I don't know…
waking moments of terror, I guess.
But I found someone who helped me.
And there are people out there who can help you.
Not priests, but people who care.
Maybe for you.
Not for me.
[TV volume increases]
[Anabelle] You know what people really love?
When strangers take their kids to see shrinks.
Jess is in pain.
She needs help, and her mother thinks the Catholic Church has the answers.
Let me tell you from personal experience,
their methodologies are not fucking helpful.
They're the opposite of helpful.
I thought you and Dr. Turner had a falling out.
[Melody] Which means he owes me a favor.
He really helped me. A lot.
He's a good person.
[Anabelle] See, this is your problem.
You're always picking up strays.
You need to be more Sarah Connor and less Mary-fucking-Poppins.
[Melody] Whatever.
I'm gonna take her on Saturday morning, so you'll have to make your own coffee.
[Steven] You mind if I record this?
It helps me take notes, but if you're not comfortable with it, we don't--
It's okay.
Maybe I'll tell some good jokes you'll wanna remember.
[Steven laughs] Okay.
So these episodes, how long have you been experiencing them?
Can't remember exactly.
A while.
Everyone says they're in my head.
So what does it feel like, like, right before it happens?
Do you hear a ringing in your ear or see bright lights?
It's more like…
I'm being…
pulled somewhere.
And then,
I don't know, I guess I just…
come back.
[knocking on door]
All right, one last question.
Okay, it's very important.
Do you like dogs?
[chuckles]
[Steven] Yeah. [laughs]
Well, this…
[woman] Come on.
…is…
Yep!
-This is Cleo. -Cleo!
[Jess] Hey!
Yeah, you rub behind her ears, she'll love you for the rest of her life.
[laughs]
[Jess] Come on. Let's go.
Well?
Could be anxiety, could be stress, it could be a seizure disorder.
Look, I can't rule anything out until I do a full neurological workup,
but obviously I can't do that without written parental consent.
Sorry.
Even if her mother did ask you to bring her.
I'm just worried about her.
I know.
How are you doing, Melody?
I decided to go through with it.
To look for my mother. I know you don't approve.
It's not my place to approve or disapprove.
I just didn't want you to get hurt.
Maybe she doesn't wanna get hurt either.
Maybe she wants to see me, but…
she's scared.
Are you ever scared of your kids?
All the time.
I'm, uh…
afraid they won't love me as much as I love them.
[chuckles]
[Melody] Do you think you can help Jess?
I mean, like you helped me?
[Ms. Lewis] We are going, right now!
[Jess] Mom, don't!
Are you Melody?
Ms. Lewis.
Who do you think you are, taking my daughter to a doctor behind my back?
I'm sorry, I did…
Jess said she talked to you. She said she had your permission.
-Didn't have a chance to ask. -[sighs]
Oh, my God. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was just trying to help--
Shh! Stay out of her business. We don't need your help.
I'm sorry.
I mean, I'd be upset too, Melody.
You can't parent other people's kids.
I used to pray that someone would come and parent me.
Melod--
Damn it.
[tape whirrs]
The fuck…?
What are you doing?
Just double-checking your power strips.
Are you the groundskeeper or tech support?
Everything looks good.
Hey, um…
You said if I needed help with anything, I should let you know?
Right.
Yeah, you could open up that chapel for me, the one that's all boarded up.
-[car door slams] -[woman grunts]
Melody? Melody Pendras?
Hi. I'm Mark Higgins.
I'm doing a story about the Visser Apartments
and came across a set of tapes you shot there in '94,
some kind of interview footage.
Uh, I was hoping I could take you to coffee, ask you a few questions.
So the tapes weren't real?
What, you think all those Blair Witch guys invented that stuff?
Uh, I guess not.
Um, and on the tapes you said you were…
you were looking for your mom. Was that real?
Never found her.
Sorry. Must have been… hard.
Ah…
You wanna know about the fire.
Well, I don't remember much, to be honest.
I woke up in the middle of the night, and everything was on fire.
Including me.
Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital.
They listed me as a Jane Doe.
So no one came looking for me.
So I decided to, uh, start over, make a new life.
Um, you're not touch with anyone you met there?
No.
What about Steven Turner? Anything you can tell me about your relationship with him?
Like I said, I don't remember much.
Um, could you…
Would listen to something for me and tell me if you recognize it?
Uh, sure.
[clears throat]
[piano playing eerie melody]
Pretty.
Okay.
Uh…
Thanks so much for your time.
Well, I wish I could've been more helpful.
Oh, it's not a problem. Um…
I'll show myself out.
[mouse squeaking]
[Dan] You would've liked Cleo.
She had a thing for shredding paper towels too.
My dad didn't really like dogs, but I begged him until he gave in.
She ran away after the fire.
She wasn't really a city dog.
-[cracks] -Fuck. Shit.
Okay. I'll be right back.
[ominous music playing]
[rhythmic whooshing]
[whooshing fades]
[Sunset City" by The Magnetic Fields playing]
♪ Life is too short ♪
I waited for you.
I thought we were getting pineapple Fantas across the street.
♪ So I stay so long ♪
It's okay.
[sighs]
I'm probably the one who got it wrong.
I keep doing that.
Making the wrong choices, fucking things up.
Letting people down.
No, you don't.
Thanks, but…
you don't really know me.
I do.
I mean,
I know that you're a good person.
And that you care about people.
You try to make people feel safe.
It's a feature, not a bug.
[loud bang]
[Anabelle] I thought you didn't do church.
I don't.
But I want to meet this priest, Father Russo.
Maybe I can enlist him.
Yeah. Kinky.
[Melody laughs]
To get Jess some real help.
All right, well,
subject is going to church, which she hates,
to speak with clergy who she hates.
Yeah.
Godspeed.
The true test of our faith comes down to one question:
How will we stand against darkness?
The temptations of the Devil are real.
And so, I say, look upon the Devil in all his forms,
even if his image arrives at the local movie theater.
A lot's been said about this new film, Satan's Carnival.
Is it anti-church? Does it glorify the Devil?
Well, I say it's worth seeing and thinking about
and deciding for yourself.
And as you look upon Hollywood's vision of good and evil, ask yourself,
"What will I do
when I face the Devil in my own life?"
You're Jess's friend.
From the hardware store.
-The one with the camera. -[chuckles]
About the camera…
I'm doing a project about the Visser.
I was hoping you might give me an interview sometime?
[door opens]
You've got quite a library.
People come here seeking answers.
What's hiding in there?
Set of Nancy Drew? The Thorn Birds?
[chuckles]
You'd be surprised how many forbidden texts the Church keeps in its vaults.
Books with dark secrets from all over the world.
Grimoires. Occult keys.
There is great power in knowing your enemy.
So, how long have you been at St. Albert's?
I took over for Father McCormick in 1987.
Attendance has dropped in the past few years,
but I try not to take it personally.
Do you remember a parishioner named Julia Bennett?
I'm sorry, I don't think I do.
No problem.
Melody, I noticed you didn't take the Eucharist.
No.
But you were raised Catholic.
Catholic school.
I got in so much trouble.
I pretty much hand-copied the entire New Testament.
I didn't much care for school either.
I…
had a great deal of anger inside of me.
A great deal of darkness.
But after years spent outside of God's grace,
I realized the answers were always right here.
The Church is a light.
And we need that light in a world that can hold such darkness.
Nice sentiment but…
not my experience.
How are you finding the Visser?
I'm still getting settled.
Have you noticed anything--
[woman yelling] Someone help me!
Please, help!
[Russo] Jessica!
It's okay. Listen. Listen to me.
[shushing] It's okay. Listen to me. You're all right.
You're in God's hands.
You're in… You're in God's light.
-Should I call an ambulance? -No.
[softly] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Lord, I beg you, release this girl from the power of Satan.
[Jess gasping]
[Russo] Take a breath.
[breathing shakily]
We're fine.
-Everything's fine. -[sobs] Oh!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[cash register beeping]
Oh, God.
She's 14, not 6.
So what? Bunnies always make me feel better.
Maybe now her mother will finally get her some real help.
[Anabelle] What did I say about strays?
So I care about people.
It's a feature, not a bug.
[Anabelle] What the fuck does that mean?
It means I'm a good person.
[Anabelle] Of course you're a good person.
Hey, do you remember Auntie Mame from the community room?
Cassandra?
Did you know that she is loaded and an art collector?
And she wants to see my stuff.
Good.
Maybe she'll buy something and you could start kicking in for rent.
[chuckles] I'm getting pretty good at this Cassavetes shit.
Maybe I should switch to filmmaking.
[Melody chuckles]
-[TV blaring indistinctly] -[knocking]
Jess?
[knocking]
Jess, it's me.
[man on TV] A chance for $5,000 here on Supermarket Sweep!
[crowd cheers]
[Jess faintly] Help me!
[glass breaking]
-Did you hear that? -Yeah.
[furniture scraping]
[TV blaring indistinctly]
Jess!
Jess! Open up!
Fucking television. I'm gonna throw it in the incinerator.
There's something wrong in there.
Yeah, the priest is deaf.
What priest?
Father what's-his-name from down the block.
Every time he comes over, that fucking television is blasting to Queens.
We've gotta get in there. Now!
I'm fucking serious! Call John Smith!
I have a key. Erika gave it to me for emergencies.
Okay.
[lock clicks]
[door bangs]
[Melody] What the fuck?
-[grunting] -[banging]
[Russo] …infernal invader, wicked legion.
-[Ms. Lewis] What are you doing? Get out! -In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…
The fuck are you doing?
She has to purge. She needs to expel this evil.
[Melody] Stop it!
Stay back, let me finish!
Finish what? Look at her! She's in pain!
-You don't understand. I'm trying to help. -You're trying to hurt her!
-[Ms. Lewis] This isn't your business! -Mel, come on.
-Let's get the fuck out of here, okay? -[sobs] Mom, please, can we stop?
-Please. -Father--
-We can't stop now. Courage, Erika. -[man yells] Enough!
[Jess coughs, whimpers]
You're done here.
[Russo] Get off me!
Hey. Hey, you're okay now.
Okay? Yeah, you're safe. Okay?
[Jess sobs softly]
I know how much you love your daughter,
but that man, that fraud,
he can't treat her.
Okay? I promise I can get her some real help.
I have colleagues at Columbia
who are experts in pediatric neurology, and I…
I will cover any expenses.
Please, just let me help you.
Mom? Mom…
Please.
Please. [sobs]
[sobbing]
[Jess] I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
I thought you were different, but you're just like all the rest,
you and your bullshit medieval devil porn.
She's sick, not possessed.
You have no idea what's happening here.
You think you're gonna find whoever it is you're looking for?
There is a terrible darkness here,
whether you believe it or not.
You should leave now, while you're still able.
[Anabelle] You okay?
[Melody] Anabelle, turn it off.
[camcorder beeps]
[tape clicks, rewinds]
[somber music playing]
[cell phone vibrating]
Oh, fuck.
Hey.
How was the trip? Did you talk to her?
Uh…
She… She didn't show.
Sorry, I, uh, I went to her place.
No one was there. Uh…
I left a note. Maybe she got spooked. Sorry.
Oh.
Yeah, I'll go back in a couple days. Um…
Did you get yourself back into that basement?
Turns out there's a groundskeeper here, Bobbi.
I convinced her to open the chapel for me.
I told her I needed some space for spiritual contemplation.
Ah. So, let me guess, there's no surveillance cameras in the chapel then.
No cameras, but it does have an entrance to the tunnels.
Well, isn't there a camera down there, though?
I recorded seven hours of empty corridor.
Looped it back into the feed.
An empty hallway is all Davenport's ever gonna see.
Now I just need a way to get a code for the door.
I guess it's tomorrow's problem.
I feel like you've been holding out on me, man.
We could've been Ocean's Eleven-ing shit all these years.
Well, I'm only halfway there.
I lied.
What?
I lied about Melody. I, uh…
I did talk to her, man. Fuck, I'm sorry.
Okay, what happened?
It wasn't her.
What do you mean, it wasn't her?
She bought Melody's identity.
She had enough details to fool anyone that might come looking and, um…
Basically she'd been in a car accident, had some really bad burns.
She couldn't get her life together, so she stole someone else's.
You told me to be a human being, so I told her I wouldn't give her up.
Okay, so… so you keep looking.
Dan, you impersonate someone,
you collect their disability, unemployment.
I mean, the only way that works…
is if the real person's dead.
There's…
no one to contest the stolen ID or use that social security number.
I'm sorry, man. I…
I know how important this was to you.
Are you okay? I can come up there and--
It's fine. I'm gonna, um…
Uh, thanks for making the trip. I'll talk to you later.
[Melody] Bunnies always make me feel better.
Maybe now her mother will finally get her some real help.
[Anabelle] What did I say about strays?
So I care about people.
It's a feature, not a bug.
[clicks]
[static crackles]
Hey.
You came.
[store door closes]
Cheers.
[can opens]
Cheers.
So, I've been thinking about what you said about helping people.
It was…
I really needed to hear that. So, thank you.
Is this really happening?
Why wouldn't it be happening?
-[Anabelle] Hey! Fuck you! -[man yelling indistinctly]
-[sighs] Fucking Anabelle. -[Anabelle] Hey!
-Hey, asshole! -I'm sorry.
Can you hold on just a second? I'll be right back.
Don't go.
-[Anabelle] You're dead, asshole! -[man] I don't care what you say!
-Get outta here! -[Melody] Anabelle, what are you doing?
[rhythmic whooshing]
Stay out.
[yells, gasps]
[thunder cracks]
[rain falling]
[wind whistling]