Directed by
David Jung
Made by
Anchor Bay Films
Documentarian Michael King’s skepticism about supernatural phenomena was in stark contrast to his wife Samantha’s deep-rooted belief in the unknown. Despite this divergence, Samantha devoted years to seeking spiritual guidance from medium Beverly, whose help ultimately led to a tragedy: Samantha’s unexpected death. In a deeply moving encounter, Michael confronted Beverly about her involvement in his wife’s fate, receiving only compassion in return.
Overwhelmed with grief and struggling to adjust to his new life, Michael leaned on his sister, Beth, who stepped in to support him and care for their young daughter, Ellie. In an effort to rebuild, Michael became obsessed with a new documentary project aimed at disproving the existence of an afterlife. He willingly put himself in a perilous position, agreeing to undergo extreme rituals in his quest for undeniable proof.
His search for answers took him online, where he posted an ad inviting suggestions for experiments to counter his beliefs. One of the first to respond was Gibbons, a spiritual person who claimed to have overcome his own demons through a prayer to Satan—something Michael dismissed as mere coincidence. With each passing day, he dug deeper into the unknown, ordering various tools online meant to facilitate communication with the supernatural, yet he met with no success.
His quest then led him to visit self-proclaimed demonologist Augustine and his wife Marsha, who promised to uncover the afterlife’s secrets through a series of rituals. In their dimly lit cellar, Michael underwent a harrowing experience, ingesting LSD while being bound to a cross, only to find himself lost in a hallucinatory state, a mere pawn in Augustine and Marsha’s private endeavors.
Determined to uncover the truth, Michael sought out a funeral director rumored to possess necromantic abilities. This enigmatic figure administered DMT, derived from a toad (specifically, 5-MeO-DMT), leading Michael on an intense journey through his mind. The ritual turned dark when the director took him to a cemetery under the cover of night, preparing to transfer the spirit of a freshly departed soul into Michael’s own body. This ominous plan was thwarted by the arrival of police, forcing a panicked escape. Later, Jordan, Michael’s cameraman, discovered that Michael was in a trance-like state, claiming to feel and see Samantha’s presence, an experience that deeply unsettled him.
At a séance with a medium, Michael and Jordan were met with an unsettling silence, suddenly broken by the medium’s seizure. This incident left Michael in turmoil, and once home, he became tormented by a persistent and maddening noise in his mind. In search of relief, he consulted a psychologist, yet even hypnotherapy failed to ease his anguish. The sessions were interrupted by bizarre occurrences: flickering lights and Michael’s erratic outbursts filled with unfathomable intensity.
As Jordan reviewed their footage, he was taken aback to find that the sounds emanating from Michael were beyond any human capacity. As the noise crescendoed, Michael fell deeper into the belief that a sinister force was manipulating him from the inside. Desperate, he sought the counsel of the funeral director once more, but his warnings went unheeded.
Days turned into nights of growing dread, with the entity in Michael’s mind growing more powerful, whispering sinister thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, he roamed the night, compelled by an unseen malevolence. In one chilling moment, he found himself at Beth’s bedside, blissfully unaware of the danger looming just outside her door.
The torment in Michael’s mind intensified, manifesting into a voice that urged him towards destruction. Consumed by paranoia, he attempted an exorcism alone, but disaster ensued: a Bible ignited and he bore the scars of the entity’s creeping influence. As darkness tightened its grip, Michael’s grip on sanity began to slip, driven by the voice’s insatiable demand to harm those he loved. In a desperate bid, he handcuffed himself, hoping to escape the entity’s hold. When morning came, he woke to chaos—bloodied Latin script smeared on the walls, a horrifying testament to his lost control.
With each passing night, Michael’s futile struggles continued, trapped in a cycle of torment. The following morning, a recording revealed Jordan’s desperate interjection into his affliction, culminating in a tragic discovery: Michael faced the grim reality of finding his friend hanging lifeless from the ceiling, a stark reminder of the darkness he could not escape.
Although the chaos neared its climax, a mysterious force intervened, halting his self-destructive spiral. Amidst the turmoil, hope flickered when Michael stumbled upon a recording of Samantha, her voice offering him solace from a hospital bed. Speaking with otherworldly tranquility, she reassured him not to worry for her, as if she understood his internal strife. Slowly, he realized that the dissonant whispers haunting him were the cries of angels striving to drown out the malevolent entity within.
The entity’s grip tightened further as Beth returned with Ellie. In a heart-wrenching moment of despair, Michael succumbed to the darkness, ending Beth’s life and grappling with his conflicting emotions for Ellie. Driven by the demon’s relentless whispers, he desperately sought Samantha’s guidance. The coin she once used for decisions spun eerily, offering him a fleeting chance of self-control. Seizing that moment, Michael hurled himself from the window, gravity claiming him as Samantha whispered sweet reassurances: > “Everything will be all right now.”
In the aftermath of Samantha’s death, the family faced the painstaking task of piecing their lives back together. On one sun-soaked day, Michael and Samantha found themselves reunited in a park with Ellie and Fishbone. As they shared a serene moment, a mundane incident involving an expired parking meter suddenly transformed into a poignant reminder of life’s fragility. In a tragic twist, when Samantha bent down to pick up a coin dropped on the road, a car approached with fatal consequences, leaving her life hanging by a thread.
Michael's Skepticism
Documentarian Michael King openly expresses his skepticism toward supernatural phenomena, contrasting sharply with his wife Samantha's belief in the unknown. This fundamental difference in belief sets the stage for their turbulent relationship and foreshadows future events in their lives.
Samantha's Tragic Death
Despite Michael's skepticism, Samantha's years of seeking guidance from medium Beverly culminate in her unexpected death. This tragic event throws Michael into a whirlwind of grief and confusion as he seeks answers and accountability.
Confrontation with Beverly
In a deeply emotional encounter, Michael confronts Beverly, blaming her for his wife's demise. Beverly responds with compassion, but this interaction only deepens Michael's pain and unresolved questions regarding the supernatural.
Support from Beth
Struggling to cope with the loss of Samantha, Michael turns to his sister Beth for support. As a single father to their young daughter Ellie, he relies heavily on Beth during this tumultuous time, needing help to navigate his grief.
The Documentary Project
Michael embarks on a new documentary project intended to debunk the existence of an afterlife. Consumed by this mission, he subjects himself to various extreme rituals in pursuit of undeniable proof of the supernatural.
Online Experimentation
In his quest for answers, Michael posts an ad online soliciting suggestions for experiments to challenge his beliefs. He receives a response from Gibbons, a spiritual person, which marks a pivotal turn in Michael's journey into the unknown.
Encounter with Augustine
Michael meets self-proclaimed demonologist Augustine, who introduces him and his wife Marsha's dangerous rituals. Under the influence of LSD and tethered to a cross, Michael spirals into a hallucination, further entrenching him in Augustine's perilous schemes.
The Dark Ritual
Michael seeks out a funeral director rumored to perform necromancy, leading to a tense evening at a cemetery. The director prepares to transfer a spirit into Michael's body, but a police interruption forces a chaotic escape, highlighting the dangers of his pursuit.
The Séance Incident
During a séance, an unsettling silence is shattered by the medium's sudden seizure, leaving Michael in turmoil. This moment marks the beginning of his psychological decline, as he becomes haunted by relentless tormenting noises.
Psychological Struggles
As Michael attempts to find relief from his turmoil through therapy, bizarre occurrences interrupt the sessions. His struggles intensify, culminating in disturbing phenomena that push him further into madness and paranoia.
Jordan's Discovery
Jordan, Michael's cameraman, reviews footage and is horrified to discover that the sounds Michael emits defy human capabilities. This unsettling realization contributes to the overall atmosphere of dread surrounding Michael's deteriorating mental state.
Night of Madness
Overwhelmed by a sinister entity whispering dark commands in his mind, Michael experiences nights filled with terror and instability. Unaware of his surroundings, he wanders into dangerous situations that threaten his loved ones.
Descent into Darkness
Engulfed by paranoia and despair, Michael attempts a futile exorcism on himself, resulting in disastrous consequences. The entity's hold becomes undeniable when he wakes to bloodied symbols and a cave of chaos surrounding him.
Jordan's Tragic Fate
In a heart-wrenching discovery, Michael finds his friend Jordan hanging lifeless, a grim reality of the darkness he cannot escape. This tragic moment underscores the stakes of Michael's obsession with uncovering the truth.
Final Moments of Struggle
In the midst of growing chaos, Michael hears Samantha's voice offering him solace, illuminating the confusion in his mind. In a desperate scramble for control, he ultimately succumbs to the darkness and takes a tragic leap, believing he will find peace.
Michael King
Michael is a documentarian grappling with the loss of his wife and the challenges of raising their daughter alone. His initial skepticism about the supernatural is tested as he embarks on a dangerous quest for answers, driven by grief and desperation. This obsessive journey ultimately leads him to moral and psychological depths he never anticipated.
Samantha King
Samantha is Michael's late wife, whose belief in the supernatural contrasts sharply with his skepticism. Her tragic death becomes the catalyst for Michael's descent into darkness as he seeks to understand and perhaps reconnect with her spirit. Her influence lingers throughout the film, shaping the emotional landscape and Michael's decisions.
Beth
Beth is Michael's supportive sister, who steps in after Samantha's death to assist with caring for Ellie. Her character embodies resilience and familial love as she strives to help Michael navigate his grief. Beth's attempts to intervene in Michael's turmoil highlight the impact of tragedy on family dynamics.
Jordan
Jordan is Michael's cameraman, witnessing the unraveling of Michael's sanity. His role offers a unique perspective on the unfolding events, as he grapples with the chilling manifestations of Michael's struggles. As a supportive friend, Jordan becomes instrumental in documenting Michael's descent into madness.
Time period
The narrative unfolds in contemporary times, as evidenced by the modern technologies and cultural references. The blend of present-day life and supernatural elements evokes a sense of timeless dread, underscoring the film’s exploration of love, loss, and the unknown.
Location
Home, Cemetery, Park
The film takes place primarily in a family home where Michael struggles with grief and turmoil. Key locations include a cemetery, which is significant for the necromantic rituals, and a park that serves as a touching backdrop for the family’s last serene moments together. Each setting adds to the eerie atmosphere and emotional weight of the story.
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Grief
Grief is a central theme that permeates the film, deeply affecting Michael after the loss of his wife. His journey through mourning reveals the destructive nature of unresolved sorrow, as it transforms his skepticism into despair. The struggle to reclaim normalcy is evident as Michael grapples with supernatural forces while trying to protect his family.
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Supernatural
The supernatural theme is woven throughout Michael's quest to disprove the afterlife's existence. His encounters with mediums and spiritualists lead him deeper into the unknown, ultimately challenging his beliefs. This theme accentuates the tension between the living and the dead, exploring how the line between reality and the supernatural can become dangerously blurred.
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Love and Loss
Love and loss are intricately connected in Michael’s journey, as he grapples with the absence of his wife and the impact on his family. His efforts to communicate with Samantha culminate in poignant moments that highlight the enduring bond they shared. As he is drawn into darkness, the theme echoes the complexity of love, showing how it can drive one to the brink.
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