[wind whooshing]
[ominous music]
* *
[crickets chirping]
* *
[arrow swishes, thuds] - [groans]
- Shit, I thought we killed that whole tribe.
- Savages.
- Goddamn savages. I thought we killed them all.
* *
[arrow swishes, thuds]
- Stay with me, brother.
Stay with me.
Goddamn animals.
* *
[hooves clopping]
[screaming in distance]
* *
[arrow swishes, thuds]
[grunts]
* *
[shouting in distance]
- There, there.
Get in there. Come on.
- [grunting]
* *
- This is our land!
You hear me?
This is our claim, granted by God!
[arrow swishes]
This is my land!
[grunting]
Ain't nobody else's but mine.
By the grace of God, this is my claim and mine only.
[arrow swishes, thuds] Ahh!
Do you hear me?
* *
I'll send you devils to hell.
I ain't going down.
[arrow thuds] Ah!
* *
'Cause I--I ain't ever giving this land up.
I ain't ever giving this land up!
Never! Never!
* *
[groaning]
[wind whooshing]
[indistinct whispering]
- This is my land.
[indistinct whispering]
- In our suburbs,
evil lurks behind closed doors--
true stories so terrifying because the horror is real.
You will never look at your neighbors the same way again.
I'm John Carpenter,
and this is "Suburban Screams."
[person screaming]
[ominous music]
* *
- My family was torn apart
by something I couldn't see.
We were not the people that we were when we moved there.
* *
My name is Carlette Norwood,
and I met my husband one night at a bar.
Brian was a DJ.
He was very kind, very funny,
very outgoing, hardworking--
just an all-around good guy.
And we had a lot of fun together.
* *
And so we dated for a while
and got married.
He swept me off my feet.
That was a really magical time.
But where we were living in D.C.,
I didn't feel safe in that neighborhood anymore,
and so we had to look farther and farther out
into the suburbs to find a house that we could afford.
And that's what took us to Charles County.
* *
It was a nice middle class neighborhood,
and it was clean with, you know, trees
and very secluded in some areas.
More importantly, it was a safer environment
for me to raise my children.
So through the first-time homebuyers program,
I was able to raise a small down payment,
and that was the beginning of our new lives together.
[ominous music]
* *
- Look at that, huh?
- Mama, what was that back there on the road?
- Gnarly is what that was.
Never mind now.
- Ugh.
- You girls are gonna love this place.
- Oh, it's beautiful, huh?
Yeah?
- Oh.
- Come on, Mama.
- My mother did move into my house as well,
so I could, you know, keep an eye on her.
We could be together.
And that's when I thought, okay, this is it.
This--we're really, you know, that American dream now.
We've even got the dog.
[laughs]
* *
- No way.
- Oh.
- Mama, you're gonna love it here.
There's a senior center up the road.
And check out the pool.
- What?
- [chuckles]
Wow.
Oh, it's beautiful. - Mm.
- I'm glad I let you talk me into this, Carlette.
We did good.
- You think?
- I know. [chuckles]
- And we finally have a yard.
- Mm, yeah,
I guess I can build you that fountain
you always wanted.
- This is exactly what we needed.
[soft music]
- I felt safe there in that neighborhood,
and I felt comfortable.
And those times especially,
just--we were really happy then.
[soft music]
- It's very nice for a few weeks at the beginning.
And I really did get to see the depth of the neighborhood,
just off exploring and things like that.
But I particularly noticed the woods.
[birds chirping]
[wind whooshing]
[tense music]
[dog yapping]
* *
[yapping continues]
* *
[indistinct whispering]
* *
It just seemed like there was a lingering feeling of dread.
And you know, I kind of chalked it up
to an active imagination even when I was that young,
but I didn't tell my mom about it.
* *
[clicking]
[whooshing]
[bell jingling]
[doorbell dings] - [gasps]
- Hi. Hey.
Welcome, neighbor.
I'm Stacey.
I saw you moving in and got so excited.
Actually, I got excited when the sold sign went up.
[laughs]
- It's so nice to meet you.
I'm Carlette, and you probably already saw
Brian and our girls, Deidre and Angelique.
And my mom lives here too.
- What a lovely family.
I, for one, am so happy to have y'all.
With so many people leaving lately,
it is great to see some fresh blood around here.
[tense music]
- I met my neighbors.
The people were very friendly.
They were very welcoming, have our coffee and chitchat.
It was very, very much a community
when we first moved there, and I had absolutely
no way of knowing what was coming.
* *
[gunshot] - Jesus!
- What was that?
[dramatic music]
- Go check on the girls.
Stay away from the windows.
[siren wailing]
- Somethings definitely happening over there.
- Yeah.
[tense music]
- I think I heard the girls.
Hold on. - Okay.
- Girls, go back to sleep.
[indistinct police radio chatter]
- Hi.
- Oh, hello. - Hey, neighbor.
I heard it was a shooting.
- And you are clear.
- Not a very warm welcome for you folks.
Hopefully, this will make up for it some.
- Oh, thanks.
[indistinct police radio chatter]
- It's unfortunate,
but pay no mind.
This is a safe neighborhood, really.
Besides, every place has its quirks, right?
[ominous music]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
* *
- Within the first week,
there was a man that committed suicide
in the house next to us.
* *
So I went on the internet to find out more
about the neighborhood itself.
Someone had gotten stabbed in the middle of the road.
The man around the corner had hung himself,
and the house on the corner, a man had died in there
and had been in there for a couple of weeks
before they found him.
And his cats had started eating on him.
* *
This was on the same street as my house.
* *
[dog barking]
[crickets chirping]
Over the next few weeks, things started to change.
* *
[dog barking]
- [whispering] Get off my land.
Go back to where you belong.
Get of my land and go back to where you belong.
- [grunting]
- Get off my land.
[indistinct whispering]
Go back to where you belong.
[clock ticking]
[indistinct whispering]
[insects buzzing]
- You don't belong here.
[ticking speeds up]
[overlapping whispers] You don't belong here.
You don't belong here.
[dramatic music]
* *
- [groaning softly]
[clock ticking]
[creaking]
[creaking continues]
[dramatic music]
- [gasps]
- You don't belong here.
- [screaming]
- Ahh! Ahh!
[screaming]
[indistinct whispering]
Ahh! Ahh!
[groaning]
[suspenseful music]
- [gasping]
[whimpering]
[indistinct whispering]
- You don't belong here. You don't belong here.
Go back to where you belong.
* *
Go back to where you belong.
- [breathing shakily]
[tense music]
[creaking]
* *
[thunder rumbling]
- [crunching]
[indistinct whispering]
- Get off my land.
Get off my land.
[tense music]
* *
- [crunching]
- There's something wrong with this place.
* *
- I thought you liked it here.
* *
- I'm with Grandma.
This place is...mean.
* *
- Honey, places aren't mean.
People are.
* *
I like it here. It's nice.
* *
- Mom, people keep dying all around us.
That's not nice.
* *
- We have to leave,
or we'll be dead just like them.
[indistinct whispering]
- You don't belong here. You don't belong here.
Go back to where you belong.
* *
- Oh, my God, Grandma!
- [choking]
- Mom!
- [coughing]
- Mom!
- [choking]
- Mom. Brian, do something.
[indistinct whispering]
Mom!
- [choking]
- Carlette, he tried to kill me!
[indistinct whispering]
- Doing nothing ain't trying to kill you.
- [coughs]
You knew I was allergic to mayonnaise.
- Then how come I can still hear you?
- Ahh!
* *
[groans]
[indistinct whispering]
[ominous music]
- Within a week, my mother decided she was done.
That was very difficult for me,
because togetherness
was more important than anything else.
* *
[crickets chirping]
[dog barking]
- You sure you have everything you need?
- Yes, I'm fine.
[tense music]
* *
- You can always come back if you change your mind.
* *
- We came here to get away from the violence of the city,
and look what we found instead.
- Mom, you have to give things a chance.
- I know you found your dream house,
but I've lived long enough to know.
A place has got a way of telling you
when you're not welcome.
* *
I just want you to see that.
- Well, I can't.
* *
[engine starts]
[ominous music]
* *
- Get off my land.
- My mom decided to move out.
It was just an unfortunate circumstance.
But I also thought, well, maybe it'll be for the best.
Maybe it'll ease some of the pressure
and things will level off, and...
Yeah.
I had absolutely no way of knowing what was coming.
* *
[birds chirping]
[dog yapping]
- Shut up!
[yapping continues]
- Get off my land.
Go back to where you belong. Go back to where you belong.
Get off my land. Get off my land.
[barking]
[ominous music]
- Shut up!
* *
[indistinct whispering]
- Get off my land.
- Ahh!
Ahh!
[dramatic music]
[screaming]
[dog yapping]
Ahh!
[screaming]
Ahh!
[tense music]
* *
- [screaming]
Ahh!
- Brian?
- Ahh!
- Oh, my God!
- My husband broke his foot,
and so he had to get pins put in his foot.
And when we thought he was healed,
he fell off the ladder and broke his other foot.
It just seemed strange that he would break both of his feet
doing something that he's done a million times.
And then other things started happening to him.
[sighs]
- [groaning]
- [gasps]
[tense music]
He broke out into a violent rash
of pimples on his back un-explicably.
* *
[gasping]
[ominous music]
* *
[gasping]
* *
Over the next two or three months,
my husband's health deteriorated.
It just-- everything just went south.
* *
[indistinct mumbling on TV]
- Need anything, honey?
- Beer with an S.
[indistinct TV chatter]
[flipping channels]
- Can't make up--
- Order now.
- Okay, then, let me know if you need anything else.
[indistinct TV chatter]
[indistinct whispering]
[ominous music]
* *
The doctor says you should move around a little bit.
- And do what?
Fix your roof?
Clean your yard?
[scoffs]
You're even too lazy to cook anymore.
- That is not--
- Get the fuck out of here.
[coughing]
- Brian.
- Get out.
Get out!
* *
- He started drinking more,
and we just fought constantly.
* *
Yeah, it--it got ugly.
It really did.
- [coughing]
* *
- I was definitely old enough to see a change in my dad.
I mean, it was almost like
something possessed his--his reasoning.
* *
- Get off my land. Go back to where you belong.
Get off my land.
- [coughing]
[tense music]
- Get off my land.
[indistinct whispering]
- It's not cooked.
[indistinct whispering]
- I work damn hard so you can eat.
- I know. I appreciate it.
- You need to be grateful.
- [yelping]
- Stay away from her!
- [coughing]
- Get out.
Get out!
- [coughing]
I love you, Brian,
but I will kill you if you touch my girls!
* *
[tense music]
- Get out!
- [coughing]
- Get off my land.
Go back to where you belong.
Get off my land.
Go back to where you belong.
* *
- He crossed a line, absolutely crossed a line.
I called the police,
and, um...
* *
He found somewhere else to live.
* *
God, it was really hard.
* *
And it was--and just--
I just can't even tell you how--how awful it was.
[somber music]
* *
This was a drastic change.
He was never physically violent, ever.
It was not the man that I married, that I knew.
* *
I believe there was something going on
that caused that, something I couldn't see.
[clicking]
[door creaking]
- Brian.
[tense music]
* *
- I look up expecting him to walk around the corner,
and he was not there.
* *
Right after that, I called him on the phone,
and he was still at work.
* *
And you tell somebody that, and they're like, yeah, right.
It's just your imagination.
But I've never questioned myself,
because I know what I've seen and what I've heard.
[ominous music]
* *
[ominous whooshing]
[dramatic music]
- [screaming]
* *
[crickets chirping]
- Baby, not you too.
- Mom, I'm sorry.
- I didn't think it would turn out like this.
- There is something wrong with this place.
Mommy, go get Angelique, and come with me.
[somber music]
* *
- I can't.
Everything I have is here.
* *
- I felt like the neighborhood,
the house was literally purging us--
my mother leaving, then my husband leaving,
then my eldest daughter leaving.
We were being purged.
That's what it really, really felt like.
I didn't have the finances to move,
and so I was forced to make a decision.
I could go live in my SUV,
or we could stay in the house.
And that's really a terrible feeling.
* *
And that's when I started researching the area
to try to figure out what was causing all of this.
On the town's website,
I learned history on that land.
[ominous music]
It was the site of violent clashes
between the settlers
and the Native people that were living there.
[hooves clopping] [people shouting]
The settlers did everything that was possible
to take Native American territory.
The effects of that
are handed down intergenerationally.
So yes, that energy could still be there.
* *
Battlefields are reported to be haunted all of the time.
I think they're vengeful spirits.
- Go back to where you belong.
* *
- I think they don't like our presence there.
Those souls are-- are not at rest.
[ominous whooshing]
[dripping]
[thunder rumbling]
- I'll send you devils to hell, to hell, to hell.
- [screaming]
[dramatic music]
* *
[indistinct whispering]
* *
- Mom?
- What's wrong?
- I'm scared.
- It's just a nightmare.
Come sleep with me.
- Every time that I was in front of a window,
particularly at night, I was paranoid.
I felt like someone was watching me.
I felt like I was being stalked.
And I was too afraid to ask my mom
if she felt the same way
because I wanted to seem strong for her.
But I witnessed her decline.
All I felt from her was sadness.
* *
[indistinct whispering]
* *
[thunder rumbling]
[tense music]
* *
- [sighs]
[breathing heavily]
* *
[sniffs, sighs]
* *
[sighs]
* *
[sniffles]
[sobbing]
* *
[indistinct whispering]
* *
[sobbing]
* *
- Get out.
Get off my land. My land...
Granted by God! God...
[thunder rumbling]
[indistinct whispering]
[dramatic music]
- You don't belong here.
[ominous music]
* *
- I was gonna take the pills,
but then I thought, what about my baby?
If I do this, what's gonna happen to her?
I leave her behind in all of this.
And so I said,
girl, you gotta live to fight another day.
[somber music]
* *
- No!
[sobbing]
[thunder rumbling]
[screaming]
- Baby, wake up.
- What's going on?
- We're getting out of here.
Come on. Let's go.
* *
[both screaming]
[whimpering]
* *
Get in the car, baby.
* *
[car beeping] Get in.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, God.
* *
[whimpering]
Oh, my God.
[whimpering]
[screaming]
[indistinct song playing on radio]
[screaming]
- This is our land.
[ominous music]
- [whimpering]
[sobbing]
* *
[line ringing]
* *
Brian, pick up.
Pick up, please.
[phone beeps]
I'm sorry.
I know it wasn't you.
It was that place.
[dramatic music]
Where are you?
I think you still might be in danger.
* *
We need you.
Let's go back to the life we had before, please.
[sobbing]
Let's go back to the life we had before,
somewhere safe.
[sobbing]
* *
- When I couldn't reach him,
called the police
and had them do a welfare check.
When they found him...
* *
They said it was heart disease.
But I think the deterioration of his body
caused by the neighborhood, it ultimately took him.
He was 54 years old when he died.
[somber music]
* *
- [sobbing]
- My family was torn apart.
* *
I believe strongly that the neighborhood is cursed.
There were more deserted houses
than there were occupied houses,
and I refuse to ever go back there again.
[ominous whooshing]
* *
I gave thanks to my ancestors
for my survival,
because there is somebody in my lineage
who survived capture and enslavement,
survived the Middle Passage,
survived human chattel slavery,
survived the Civil Rights movement
for me to sit right here.
And I was just giving thanks for all of that.
I felt my ancestors speaking directly to me.
So even though we had been through so much,
it was like, I'm with you.
You're not going through this by yourself.
* *
[indistinct whispering]