♪♪
[screams]
[screams continue]
♪♪
[villager] They're in there.
♪♪
- Are you sure?
Here.
- Come out! - Come on, come out!
Where are you?
Are you's hiding?
Ah!
[screaming]
- Burn 'em!
[mob chanting] Burn them! Burn them!
Burn them! Burn them!
- Help! [screams]
[chanting] Burn them! Burn them!
Burn them! Burn them...
[screaming and crying]
♪♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪♪
- Sorry, everyone,
if I could have your attention, please?
Thank you.
First of all, thank you for coming.
Welcome.
Tonight we remember our ancestors who died
for their beliefs,
here on this sacred ground over 500 years ago.
We give thanks for their sacrifice,
and just as the martyrs gave their bodies to the flame,
we make offerings in remembrance.
And now, children, of all ages,
the moment you've all been waiting for:
cast your burning girls to the flame.
♪♪
[group singing] ♪ The burning girls come ♪
♪ Their days are done, their skin will rot and burn ♪
♪ Don't worry, my dear, let's see your fear ♪
♪ Tonight they'll give you a fright... ♪
[distant singing continues]
- Let perpetual light shine upon them.
- ♪ ...Are done, their skin will rot and burn ♪
♪ Don't worry, my dear, let's see your fear ♪
♪ Tonight they'll give you a fright ♪♪
[theme music plays throughout]
[insects buzzing]
- ♪ I'm flyin' high ♪
♪ Never before ♪
♪ Leavin' it all behind ♪
♪ And ain't comin' back no more ♪
♪ Leavin' it all behind ♪
♪ And ain't comin' back no more ♪
♪ [trilling voice] ♪
♪♪
♪ [trilling voice] ♪
[camera shutter clicks]
♪ Leavin' it all behind ♪
♪ Ain't comin' back no more ♪
♪ Ain't comin' back no more ♪♪
- Jesus.
- Blaspheming again. - I know, but what a shit-hole.
[sighs]
[distant animals]
"Redeem the Tim"?
[scoffs]
- Come on.
[distant animals]
- Yay.
Can't we have a look at where we're gonna live first?
- First the house of God, then the house of his children.
- Oh, look, Mum.
Burning girls.
- Yeah. Queen Mary's purge of the Protestants.
1556.
Two young girls were burnt at the stake here.
- Yeah, strange place, where people now
make creepy little twig dolls to celebrate them.
Thanks for bringing me here, Mum.
- Commemorate, not celebrate.
Oh, and you're welcome.
♪♪
- [scoffs]
I take it back.
Total and utter shit-hole.
- Could be worse.
- How?
- Frogs.
Hailstorms.
Locusts.
Death to all firstborns.
- Yeah, I'm gonna wait outside.
♪♪
- Why am I here, Lord?
[man] Can I help you?
- Oh my gosh, sorry.
I've never had a direct reply before.
[laughs]
Sorry, I'm Jack.
- Jack who?
- Jack Brooks.
Reverend Brooks.
- Oh my goodness.
I'm so, so sorry. It's just--
- Not what you expected?
- No, no.
- I'm Aaron,
warden of the church.
- Nice to meet you, Aaron.
So sorry to hear about Reverend Fletcher.
- Yes, yes, it was quite a shock.
- And was it sudden?
- Did they not tell you?
Reverend Fletcher killed himself.
♪♪
[shutter clicks]
- [whispers] He killed her...
- Oh.
♪♪
[girl] He killed her.
He killed her...
- Mum?
Mum!
Mum! Get out here, now!
- Hey.
Oh, my love.
Are you okay?
Flo, call an ambulance.
- Right, yeah.
- Oh my God, call the police, call the police!
- I-I've got no signal though.
- Aaron, go inside and use the landline.
- I know her.
She's Poppy Harper from the Harper farm.
- Okay, Poppy, we're going to take good care of you, okay?
Now, can you tell me what happened?
- [whispers] He killed her.
- Who killed who, sweetheart?
- [whispers] Peppa.
He killed her.
- Okay. Oh, darling...
Everything's gonna be okay, alright?
- Poppy!
What the hell were you thinking running off like that?
- Is this your daughter? - Yes, I'm Simon Harper.
Who the hell are you?
- I'm Reverend Brooks.
- Ah... [chuckles]
Well, i-it's not quite how it looks, Reverend.
- She said that someone had been killed.
Pippa?
- Peppa.
It's not Pippa, it's Peppa.
Peppa is a pig-- or was a pig.
That blood is pig's blood.
- Well, how did she get covered in pig's blood?
- We have our own slaughterhouse
and this morning, we were taking pigs to the slaughter...
- I'm sorry, but that doesn't exactly
answer my question, though, does it?
- I wasn't aware that I had to answer your question.
- Oh, okay, of course. We'll just wait
until the police arrive.
- No, I didn't call them.
- What?
- When Mr. Harper pulled up,
I didn't think it was necessary.
- Really? - Poppy, come here.
Aaron, can you please confirm that she is my daughter,
so theReverend doesn't think I'm a kidnapper?
- I already told her.
- Thank you, Reverend.
[Simon scolding]
- Guess it might be a laugh here after all.
[car starting]
♪♪
[Simon] It's me. I've just met the new vicar.
How come I didn't know she'd arrived?
Well, that is exactly
the kind of thing you should be telling me.
You've gotta fucking grow up a bit.
Hiding behind that woman, it's pathetic.
Acting like a three-year-old.
You're not gonna get anywhere in life if you keep
whingeing and running away...
[voice fades]
♪♪
- There's no shower, just a bath,
none of the windows open.
You add shitty phone signal to that,
and this place is officially a dump.
- Yeah, well, it's not Nottingham, I know.
- No, it's this beautiful village where people
go full-on "Carrie" and drown their daughters in pig's blood.
- I'm pretty sure that's not what happened.
- No, but I guess we'll never really know, 'cause, well,
Mr. Harper didn't exactly take to you, did he?
- No, he didn't. - But, you know,
he's probably quite important round here.
Jazz vampire almost wet himself.
- [laughs] You mean Aaron?
- Yeah. So, just--
just don't piss that Harper bloke off, yeah?
Or any more than you have, I mean.
- Alright, I won't.
- Mm.
No wonder this post was vacant.
- I found out what happened to the last vicar,
Reverend Fletcher.
- Mm?
- He hanged himself in the chapel.
- No way.
How come you didn't know?
- Bishop Durkin must've failed to mention
that little piece of information.
- Oh my God, he's such a dick.
- Well, I won't argue with you there.
Why don't we just stop all of this for tonight,
and I'll make us some dinner, and we'll watch a film.
- With what? We've got no Wi-Fi.
- [laughs] - Mum!
♪♪
[Jack] Dear Lord.
I guess I should thank you for today.
The opportunity to start afresh.
And I don't mean to sound ungrateful,
but I have to agree with my daughter.
This place is a total and utter shit-hole.
But maybe this isn't a possibility for a new life.
Maybe this is punishment for my old.
And if that's the case...
I guess I'm right where I need to be,
and I just hope I can redeem myself.
Tomorrow's a new day.
♪♪
- No!
Ruby! No!
- [screams]
- [gasps]
♪♪
[birds chirping]
Morning. - Morning.
- You're up early.
- It's too quiet here. I thought I woke up deaf.
- So, how do I look?
- Knackered.
- Oh, thanks.
No, I didn't sleep well last night.
- You look great, Mum.
- Thanks.
What about you?
- Can we not do this again, Mum?
And no, I don't hate you, yes, I'm pissed about
leaving Nottingham, but it's only temporary,
so it is what it is.
- You're the best.
- I won't argue with you there.
- You coming to chapel today?
- I thought you hadn't officially started yet.
- I haven't.
Reverend Rushton is taking the service,
but I need to be there.
- Do I need to be there? - No, not if you don't want to.
- Okay, well, see ya.
- Okay, have fun.
Bye.
- Bye. - Love you.
- Love you too. - Bye.
♪♪
- What's that?
- I don't know.
It was left on the doorstep.
- By who? - I don't know.
Do you wanna open it?
- Yeah.
Oh.
"There is nothing that is covered up that will not be
"revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
"Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark
"will be heard in the light,
"and what you have whispered in the inner rooms
"will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Luke 12:2 and 3."
Bit melodramatic.
What is it?
- It's an exorcism kit.
- Oh my God. It's happening again.
- No... - Why is it happening again?
- No, no, it's not. Flo, it's not.
- How do you know that?
- Because they don't know where we are.
Okay?
This is just old country church relics.
- Yeah, well, then why would they give it to us?
- Because I'm the vicar, yeah?
It's got nothing to do with Nottingham,
I promise you, okay?
I'm gonna find out who sent it, okay?
- Mum, is that blood?
- Don't be daft.
- Get rid of it.
♪♪
[animals chittering]
[indistinct murmuring]
- SimonHarper's been on my case for not telling him
that the new vicar had arrived.
- Hello.
Not interrupting anything, am I?
- Reverend Brooks.
I'm Reverend Rushton.
Brian. We finally meet in person.
We're so grateful to have you here at last, Reverend.
- Thanks. Call me Jack.
So, how are you settling in, Jack?
Any surprises?
[laughs]
- The theme of this morning's service
is new friends and beginnings.
Reverend Rushton thought it appropriate.
- Right, we better get ourselves ready.
Our audience will be arriving soon.
Aaron tells me that
you met Simon Harper
and one of his daughters yesterday.
- Yes, I did. I was very worried about her.
- The Harpers are rather influential around here.
They've lived here for generations.
Their ancestors were burnt at the stake.
In Chapel Croft, you'll find that being kindred to a martyr
still counts for something.
The Harpers are very well respected.
They contribute a lot to this community.
It wouldn't do to be on the wrong side of that family.
- Will they be here this morning?
- No.
My advice is you try to fix things.
[distant voices]
We have company, excuse me.
- What was in the box?
- Sorry?
- There was a box left outside your house this morning.
Didn't you see it? - Yes.
Have you got any idea who left it there?
What was in it?
- I don't know.
Didn't have time to open it. I was coming here.
[distant chatter]
- Excuse me.
[walking stick tapping]
♪♪
[Rushton] Good morning.
And a very warm welcome to all,
and particularly to our new vicar, Reverend Brooks.
So, it is a new start for her, and a new start for us.
We've all experienced many setbacks,
failures in our lives.
I wanted to play football for Brighton & Hove Albion...
[sermon fades]
♪♪
- Hello?
- Reverend.
- Jesus!
Could you stop doing that?
- Doing what?
- There was a girl.
- What girl?
Did you smell smoke?
- Yeah. What was that?
- Ah, it happens sometimes.
- Did you smell it?
- No.
I believe this belongs to Mrs. Hartman.
Maybe you could drop it off to her.
♪♪
- Hello. I'm Jack. I'm the new vicar.
- I know who you are.
I hoped to see you.
You can hang the coat over there.
So, you came from Nottingham.
- I did, that's right, yes.
- And how are you finding it here?
- It's fine.
Everyone's been very welcoming.
- Have you seen the burning girls yet?
- Yes, they're everywhere. [laughs]
- Oh, no, dear, not the dolls, the girls.
They haunt the chapel.
If you see the burning girls,
something bad will befall you.
That's why they made the dolls originally--
to ward off the girls' vengeful spirits.
You heard of Reverend Fletcher.
- Yes.
It's very sad.
- He was fascinated by that story.
So he started to research the history of the village.
That's how he became interested in the other girls.
- Other girls?
- Merry Joanne Lane
and Joy Harris.
15-year-olds.
Disappeared without a trace,
30 years ago.
Spirited, strong-minded girls.
Best friends.
Today, we might applaud them for their independence,
but not then.
- Are they expensive?
- Not if you nick 'em.
[Joan] Then they were disruptive, wild.
Some would say evil.
Their deeply religious mothers turned to the church,
to rid them of their demonic ways.
- Merry!
- [scoffs]
- Here. - Thank you, Mr. Grady,
but my mother has a shit load of them.
- Go on, you should change your ways, Merry Joanne Lane.
Or God will change them for you.
- [scoffs]
Good luck with that.
[Joan] They don't burn them at the stake these days,
but I assure you,
malevolence still lies deep in the soul of this village.
- You must really hate your mum.
- Sometimes I wish she was different,
but mostly I just wish she was dead.
[Joan] As for Merry and Joy, they simply disappeared.
Vanished.
The police concluded they'd run away together.
- Why?
- Joy left a note.
- And the families just let it go?
- Merry's mother and brother left the village,
almost a year to the day after Merry disappeared.
Joy's mother, Pauline,
never stopped looking for her.
Poor thing.
- What a terribly sad story.
- Troubled girls.
Once again.
[girls laughing]
- See ya. - Bye.
[Joan] We demonize young girls
here in Chapel Croft.
Maggie and Abigail,
Merry and Joy.
Some say their evil lives on,
and that that evil infects
other young girls even to this day.
♪♪
Reverend Fletcher thought he knew
what had happened to Merry and Joy.
Oh, he wouldn't tell me. [laughs]
But whatever it was, it troubled him deeply.
- And do you think that's why he committed suicide?
- Oh no, dear.
I think that's why he was killed.
♪♪
- ♪ The winds came in ♪
♪ I could finally see ♪
♪ I felt the changing of the seasons ♪
♪ All of my senses rushing back to me ♪
♪ I said I'm gonna leave you ♪
♪ I'm not a good woman ♪
♪ When you're around ♪
♪ Well, I guess it's just my life ♪
♪ And it's just my body ♪
♪ I guess it's just my life ♪
♪ And it's just my body ♪
♪ I guess it's just my life ♪
♪ And it's just my body ♪
♪♪
[urinating] - Oh!
- [gasps] - Ah!
- Who the hell are you, and why are you pissing in my shed?
I asked you a question.
- I'm sorry.
I-I just really needed to,
you know, go, and, well,
I don't...
I don't like to pee on the graves.
It seems wrong.
Thanks.
- I'm Flo.
- Wrigley.
- You're kidding, right?
- It's my surname. Lucas Wrigley.
- Oh, shit, sorry. I wasn't trying to--
- Yeah, it's fine.
It's called dystonia...
the twitching and stuff.
It's neurological.
Something wrong in my brain, apparently.
- Do you wanna, like, clean up, you know, go inside?
I'll just...
[door closes]
♪♪
[pigs snorting]
[distant cows]
- Hello.
I'm Jack Brooks, new vicar at Chapel Croft.
Wondering if I could have a word with your dad?
- Mum!
Vicar.
[woman] Tell her I'm just coming.
Hello. - Hi, I'm Jack Brooks,
the new vicar at Chapel Croft. - Emma Harper.
- Pleased to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
- I bumped into Poppy and your husband yesterday.
- Yes, so he said.
- Just wondered if I could have a word.
- Sure. Come through.
- Here. - Thanks.
- It's what people do in movies.
I'm not really sure if it works.
- Thanks.
Sorry I, um,
sorry I scared you.
- You didn't.
Well, why did you slam the door in my face then?
- Well, I thought you were gonna attack me,
but I wasn't scared.
- What does scare you?
- Why?
- Our fears reveal our true selves.
- What makes you think I'd tell you about my true self?
- You will.
- What are you doing here?
You know, apart from pissing in our shed.
- Just stuff.
- Mm.
Oh, wow.
- I come up here to draw.
- Nice.
Not bad.
- You a photographer? - Yeah.
Well, I mean, you know, I wanna be one.
- Looks old.
- Yeah, it was my dad's. It's film.
You can spend, like, hours in a dark room
'til you get a picture just right.
Can't really do that with a phone.
- Can on a computer.
- Yeah, but, you know, it's not the same.
It's about, like, integrity and touch.
Right?
- Um, well, I'd best be off then.
Thanks for the ice.
- You-- it's-- you just have a little...
- Oh, oh. - Yeah.
- Thanks. - Yeah.
No problem.
It's just through here.
- So, what school are you going to?
Warbler's Green?
- Uh, I guess so.
Are you there?
- Well, at least you know one friendly face.
- Yeah, I can tell everyone how I beat you up
for pissing in my shed.
- I'm glad to have given you an edge.
- Bye then.
- Oh, I know this sick place.
You'll love it.
For your photos, I mean.
- Mm?
- Are you free tomorrow?
I can take you there.
- Okay. Sure.
- Cool.
- She can do that for hours.
- Is she okay?
After what happened yesterday.
- She wasn't meant to be there.
Rosie was taking her to the playground,
but you know children.
Do you have children, Reverend?
- Yes, I do.
Just the one, Flo.
Florence.
She's 15.
- Oh, same age as Rosie.
And your husband, is he a vicar too?
[dog barking]
- He was.
He died when Flo was very young.
- Oh, I'm so sorry.
Can I-- are you sure I can't get you anything?
- Yeah, maybe a glass of water.
- Reverend Brooks. Nice to see you again.
Why didn't you call me and tell me we had a visitor?
- Sorry.
I thought you were busy.
- Well, I could've found time.
- Sorry. I didn't think.
- No, you didn't.
- I was hoping for a chat.
- Course you were.
I better get on.
Nice to meet you, Reverend.
- Nice to meet you too.
- Forgive me that we're not gonna be able
to invite to lunch, Reverend.
♪♪
- Yesterday was pretty upsetting for everyone involved,
so I thought I'd come by and,
you know, introduce myself properly and start afresh...
- You don't need to check up on us.
- No, no, of course not, I--
- Reverend Brooks, I know all about you.
- You do? - Yes, I know where you're from.
You're not in Nottingham now.
This isn't some inner-city shit-hole
where we go around abusing our kids
or let families ritually slaughter them in our church.
What was it, an exorcism?
The papers weren't really very clear about that.
[dog barks]
You look after your flock,
and I'll look after mine, alright?
- Arsehole.
♪♪
[car starting]
♪♪
- [sighs] Fuck's sake.
So what, I fixed my face.
[gasps]
- Go inside, go on.
Go on.
Stay in there 'til morning.
You stay in there.
- Let me go, you crazy bitch!
- You stay in there 'til you learn how to behave!
Hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done...
♪♪
- ♪ Darkness is kind ♪
♪ Darkness is exciting ♪
♪ Darkness is fun ♪
♪ Darkness is beautiful ♪
♪ Darkness is kind ♪♪
♪♪
[crow caws]
- Flo?
Flo?
[door clatters]
Flo?
[Flo] Just wait one sec.
- I'm busting, come on.
- Quickly. Come on, just...
- Really, Flo?
- Yeah, well. I need a darkroom.
- No, we talked about this.
- Well, it's...
- Well, what about the shed?
- That's off the table.
- Well, so is this.
- What? Why?
- Why? Because it's the only loo in the house
and I need to be able to see what I'm doing
when I'm having a pee, now, come on.
- Yeah, don't you think it looks good now?
- Come on, give me a minute. - Fine.
[door opens, closes]
♪♪
[dripping]
[overlapping chatter]
- No one takes my Ruby!
[voice] Murderer!
Murdering bitch!
[Flo] Mum, I'm starving!
I can't believe you went back for round two
with that wanker Harper.
- Mm. Wish I hadn't bothered now.
- Well, maybe just, you know, avoid him from now on.
- Weird. - Yeah.
- Just weird.
- Mm.
- I think he's not used to being challenged.
- Mm. - Especially by a woman.
- What a wanker.
How was the rest of your day?
- Well, things couldn't get much worse.
I stood in the middle of the village naked
and sacrificed a few chickens.
- [laughs]
You know, it's okay, Mum.
It's okay.
We'll sort it out.
We always do.
[Jack] Oh, dear Lord.
I hope you've got better things to do with your time
than to listen to my ramblings,
especially tonight.
I don't know.
Coming here, was it a mistake?
It's shaken loose all the things in my head
that I used to keep in place.
I can't find anything anymore.
I'm scared.
♪♪
Hello?
Hey, who's in here?
Hello?
It's Jack.
♪♪
Hello?
Hey.
I won't hurt you.
Hey.
[fire crackling]
♪♪
Our Father, father, father.
- [screaming]
[Joan] If you see the burning girls,
something bad will befall you.
♪♪
[music plays throughout]