- Come on man, it's not much further. - I'm cold.
It should be just up here.
- Whoa. - Here we go.
How did you find this place anyway, Thursten?
My cousin told me about it.
Oh, I am so not going in there.
Oh... what's this...
We came all the way out here, we might as well check it out.
So, let's just hurry this up and get back to the car, all right?
It's freaking cold out here.
You want me to hold your hand?
Are there... any other parts I can hold?
- Shut up you loser! - Oh come on!
What?
No way.
Look at all this stuff.
Come on. It's this way.
They say that it lives in the root cellar.
Goes after girls,
always girls.
It just... strings them up.
They say?
Who's they?
- Where did you hear this crap? - I told you, my cousin.
And where did she hear it?
I don't know, she just heard it.
Whatever. Give me that thing.
Whoo... look.
It's the evil root cellar.
Where Satan kept all his vegetables.
Why don't you get your candy asses down here and see for yourselves?
Just a basement full of skunk fill jars, in some crap farmer house.
I don't see anything scary.
Do you?
What?
What? What is it?
"Fire of Unknown Origin", by Blue Oyster Cult
Swept to ruin off my wavelength,
swallowed her up
Like the ocean in a fire,
so thick and gray.
A fire of unknown origin
took my baby away.
Ah ah ah... very funny.
Sorry.
Not a lot of scenery here in East Texas. Kind of gotta make your own.
Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean.
- We're not gonna start that crap up again. - Start what up?
That prank stuff, it's stupid.
And always escalates.
What's the matter, Sammy? You afraid you gonna get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?
Alright.
- Just remember you started it. - Oh, oh bring it on baldy.
Where are we, anyway?
Two hours out of Richardson.
Give me the load out again.
Alright, about two months ago,
this group of kids go poking around this local haunted house.
Haunted by what?
Apparently, a pretty misogynist, a spirit legend goes.
It takes girls and string them up in the rafters.
Anyway this group of kids see this dead girl hanging up in the cellar.
Anybody ided the corpse?
Well that's the thing, by the time the cops got there,
the body was gone.
So cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains.
Maybe the cops were right.
Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' first handed accounts.
They seem pretty sincere.
Where did you read these accounts?
Well, I knew we're gonna pass through Texas so...
last night, I surfed some local...
paranormal websites and I found one.
And what's it called?
hellhoundslair.com
Let me guess, streaming live out of mum's basement.
- Yeah, probably. - Yeah.
Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit them in the pursqueeter/perskwiter.
Look,
we let dad take off, which was a mistake by the way
and now we don't know where the hell he is.
So, meantime, we've got to find ourselves something to hunt.
There's no harm checking this thing out.
Alright, so where do we find these kids?
Same place you always find kids in a town like this.
It was the scariest thing I ever saw in my life. I swear to god.
From the moment we walked in,
- the walls were painted black - red,
- I think it was blood. - Saw these freaky symbols.
- crosses and stars and - pentagons, - pentecostals.
Whatever, I had my eyes closed the whole time.
But I can damn sure tell you this much, no matter what anybody else says,
- that poor girl - with the black - blond
- red hair, just hanging there, - kicking,
- wasn't even moving. - She was real.
- It's 100%. - And kind a hot.
- Well you know in a dead sort of way. - Okay.
And how did you find out about this place anyway?
Craig took us.
Gentlemen, can I help you with anything?
Yeah, are you Craig Thursten?
I am.
Oh, we're reporters of the Dallas Morning News. I'm Dean, this is Sam.
No way.
Yeah, I'm, I'm a writer too.
I write for my school's lip magazine.
Uh, good for you, Morrison.
We're doing an article on local hauntings and rumor has it, you might know about one.
- You mean the hell house? - That's the one.
I don't think there was anything historic.
Why don't you tell us the story?
Well, supposedly back in the 30's,
this farmer, called Mordecai Murdoch, used to live in the house with his six daughters.
It was during the Depression.
His crops were failing.
He didn't have enough money, to feed his own children.
So I guess that's when he went up to deep end.
How?
Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick,
rather than starve to death.
So he attacked them.
They screamed,
begged for him to stop but...
he just strung them up,
one after another.
And then when it was all finished he
turned around and hung himself.
Now they say that the spirit is trapped in the house for ever;
stringing up any other girl that goes inside.
Where did you hear all this?
My cousin Dana told me.
I don't know where she heard it from.
You got to realize, I didn't believe this for a second.
But now you do.
I don't know what the hell this thing is, man.
Guys, I told you exactly what I told the police, ok.
That girl was real
and she was dead. This was not a prank.
I swear I don't wanna go anywhere near this house ever again, ok?
Thanks.
I can't say I blame the kid.
Yeah, so much for covert pill.
You got something?
Yeah the EMF is not good.
Why?
I think it got a little juice in it, screwing with all the readings.
- Yeah, that'll do it. - Yeah.
Come on, let's go.
It looks like old man Murdoch was a bit of a tagger during his time.
And after his time, too.
The reverse cross has been used by satanists for centuries, but the sigil of sulphur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60's.
Exactly why you never get laid.
And what about this one, you've seen this one before?
No.
I have.
Somewhere.
It's paint.
It seems pretty fresh too.
I don't know, Sam.
I know you agree to the authority figures of any kind but...
The cops might be right about this one.
Yeah, maybe.
Oh god.
Just a couple of humans.
- What are you guys doing here? - What the hell are you doing here?
Uh uh we belong here we're professionnals.
- Professionnals of what? - Paranormal investigators...
There you go, and take a look at that boys.
Oh you're gotta be kidding me!
- Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler. - Yeah.
- hellhoundslair.dom, you guys run that website. - Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. We're huge fans.
And we know who you guys are too.
Oh yeah?
Amators,
looking for ghosts and cheap thrills.
Yeah...
so if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here.
Yeah, what do you got so far?
Harry, why don't you tell him about EMF?
- Well... - EMF?
Electro Magnetic Field?
Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector.
Like this baby right here.
- Whoa, whoa. That's two point eight MJ. - It's hot in here.
Whoa!
So you guys ever have seen a ghost before or...
Once.
We were...
we were investigating this old house
- and we saw a vase falling off the table. - By itself.
Well, we-we-we didn't actually see it, but we heard it.
And something like that, it...
it changes you.
Yeah.
I think I get the picture.
We should go, let them get back to work.
- Yeah, you should. - Sam.
Work.
I'm sorry.
That pot we smoke gave me the giggles.
Hey.
Hey, what do you got?
Well, I couldn't find a Mordecai, but I did turn up a Mort Murdoch,
that lived in that house in the 30's.
He did have children but only two of them,
both boys.
And there is no record he ever killed anyone.
What about you?
Huh! Those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl but I did head up the police station.
No matching missing persons. It's like she never existed.
Dude, come on, man, we got our dig in and this one's a bust.
Alright for all we know those hellhound boys made up the whole thing.
I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers and leave the legend to the locals.
What the...
That's all you've got?
That's weak.
That's bush-league.
This is it.
The point of no return.
- Why do I have to go in there? - Because Jill, you choose dare instead of truth.
Which means you either have to grab a jar from Mordecai's cellar and bring it back.
Or...
Or you can make out with me...
I'll take the homicidal ghost, thanks.
- Would you ever take that dare? - Hell, no!
Hello?
Is anybody there?
Ok.
Ok, ok, ok.
Aahhhhhhh...
A couple of cops said that a poor girl hung herself in the house.
- Suicide? - Yeah.
But she was a straight student. With a full ride to UT too.
It just doesn't make sense.
What do you think?
That maybe we missed something.
I guess the cops don't wanna anymore kids screwing around in there.
Remember we still gotta get in there.
I don't believe it.
I got an idea.
Who you're gonna call?
Hey you!
Run!
- Get back here! - Come on, come on!
Man, I've seen that symbol before, it's killing me.
Come on, we don't have much time.
Hey, Sam, I dare you to take a swig of this.
What the hell would I do that for?
I double dare you.
I hate rats.
- You rather it was a ghost? - Yes.
What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?!?
I dont know.
Come on, come on, come on!
Go! Get out of here!
- Maybe we should just go. - No, would John Edward go? No.
We've lost the cops. Let's find our center,
and get some work done, ok?
Alright.
- Get that damn thing out of my face! - Go go go out of here!
Sweet Lord of the Rings...
Run!
- Go go go! - Wait!
It's in the...
- Where did it go? - Boys, come on.
No, it is...
What the hell is this symbol? It's bugging the hell out of me.
This whole damn job's bugging me.
I thought the legend said Mordecai only went after chicks.
It does.
Well, that explains why it went after you, but why me?
Hilarious.
The legend also says that he hung himself, but you see those slit wrists?
Yeah.
What's up with that?
And the axe too.
I mean, ghosts are usually pretty stricts, right? Following the same patterns over and over...
- But his moods keep changing. - Exactly.
I'm telling you. Where the story goes...
Wait a minute.
What?
Someone added a post on hellhound site, listen to this.
They say: "Murdocai Murdock was really a satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe"
"before slitting his own wrists".
"Now he's emprisoned in the house for eternity".
What's the hell is this going?
I don't know but I think I might just figured out where all started.
Hey Craig.
Remember us?
Guys, I'm really not in the mood to answer anymore of your questions, ok?
Oh don't worry, don't worry, we're just here to buy an album, that's all.
You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was and then... and then I realized that
it doesn't mean anything.
It's a logo from Blue Oyster Cult.
So tell me Craig, you're into BOC,
or just scaring the hell out of people.
Why don't you tell us about that house...
without lying through your ass this time.
Alright, hum...
My cousin Dana was on break from TCU.
I guess we were just bored, looking for something to do so I
showed her this abandonned dump I found.
We thought that it'd be funny if it
may look like it was haunted.
So we painted symbols on the walls, some from some albums,
some from some of Dana's theology text books.
Then we found out that this guy Murdock used to live there so we...
we made up some story to go along with that so...
They told people who told other people.
And then these two guys put it on their stupid website.
Everything just...
took on a life its own.
I mean I thought it was funny at first but...
Another girl's dead?
It was just a joke.
You know, I mean,
none of this was real, we made the whole thing up.
I swear.
Alright.
If none of this was real, how the hell do you explain Mordecai.
Hey, I'm back.
Hey, where were you?
Oh, I went out.
So, I think I might have a theory about what's going on.
- Oh yeah? - Yeah, what if Mordecai is a tulpa.
A tulpa?
Yeah, uh... that's tibetan thought form.
Yeah, I know, I know what a tulpa is.
Why don't you get dressed?
I'm gonna grap something to eat.
Thank you.
Hey, what's your problem?
- Nothing, I'm fine. - Yeah. - Yeah.
Alright so keep going. What about these tulpas.
Ok uh... so there was an incident in Tibet in 1915.
A group of monks visualized a golem in their heads. They meditate on it so hard,
they bring the thing to life.
- Out of thin air. - So...
That was 20 monks.
Imagine what 10 thousand web surfers can do.
I mean Craig starts up a story about Mordecai, then it spreads,
goes on line, now there's countless people, all believing in the bastard.
Ok wait a sec. You're trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordecai,
he's real?
Don't know, maybe.
People believe in Santa Claus. Why aren't I getting hooked up every Christmas?
'Cause you're a bad person.
And cause of this.
That's a Tibetan spirit sigil,
on the wall of the house.
Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology text book. I bet you they painteed this without knowing what it was.
Now that sigil has been used for centuries,
concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass.
So people on the hellhound website,
staring at the symbol, thinking about Mordecai...
I mean, I don't know,
but it might be enough to bring a tulpa to life.
It would explain why it keeps changing.
Right. As the legend changes, people think different things.
So Mordecai himself changes like a game or a telephone.
That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work.
Yeah, cause he is not a traditionnal spirit per say.
- Yeah. - Ok, so why don't we just...
lock up the spirit sidereal thingy off the wall and off the website?
Well, it's not that simple. You see once tulpas are created they...
take on the life of their own.
Great. All right, so if he really is a thought form,
how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?
Oh it's not gonna be easy, and these guys aren't helping us.
Check out their home page.
Since they posted the video the number of hits quadrupled
in the last day alone.
I have an idea. Come on.
Where are we going?
We need to find a copy store.
Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something.
You did this?
- You're a freaking jerk! - Oh yeah!
No, no, no.
No, forget it, forget it. I'm not going back in there again.
Harry, look at me, right here, ok.
You are a ghost hunter, okay?
I know but Ed, I've never actually seen a real ghost before. Like a real ghost, like an apparition...
This stuff right here, this is our ticket to the big time...
fame,
money,
sex...
with girls, okay? Be brave,
okay? WWBD.
What would Buffy do, huh?
What would Buffy do.
I know, Ed, but she's stronger than me.
It's okay.
Who is it?
Come out you guys, we hear you in there.
It's them.
Look at that.
Action figures in their original packaging, what a shock.
Guys, we need to talk.
Yeah, uh... sorry guys we're uh... Ouais... désolé les gars, on est...
we're a little busy right now.
Ok well we'll make it quick. We need just to shut down your website.
Man, these guys get us busted last night. We spend the night in a holding cell.
I had to pee in the cell, you know, in front of people and I get stage fright.
- Why should we trust you guys? - Look guys,
we all know what we saw all last night, what's in the house.
But now thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearing about Mordecai.
That's right, which means people are gonna keep showing up at the Hell House, running into him in persons. Somebody could get hurt.
- Yeah. - Ed, maybe he's got a point.
- No, no - No.
Ok, we have an obligation to our fans,
to the truth.
Well, I have an obligation to kick both of your asses right now.
Dean, Dean, hey.. just...
forget it, alright, these guys...
probably bitch slapped them both. I could probably tell them that thing about Mordecai.
But they're still not gonna help us.
- So let's just go. - You know, you're right.
- No, wait. - What did you say about...
Hold a second here.
- Yeah. - What's the thing about Mordecai, you guys?
Tell them, Sam.
But if they agree to shut their website down, Dean.
But they're not gonna do it, you said so yourself.
No, wait, wait. Don't listen to him, okay? We'll do it.
It's a secret, Sam.
Look, it's pretty big deal, alright?
And it wasn't easy to dig up.
So, only if we have your word that you'll shut eveything down.
Totally.
Alright.
It's a death certificate,
from the 30's,
we got it at the library.
Now, according to the coroner, the actual cause of death
- was a self inflicted gun shot wound. - He's right. He didn't hang or cut himself.
He shot himself?
Yep, with a 45 pistol.
To this day they say he's terrified of them.
As a matter of fact they say if you shoot him with a 45 loaded with these special rock iron rounds,
you'll kill this son of a bitch.
Harry, slow your all, buddy. They're gonna know we're excited.
If you pull that string one more time, I'm gonna kill you.
Come on man.
You need more laughter in your life, you know, you're way too tense.
They post it yet?
"We've learned from reputable sources that Mordecai Murdoch has a fatal fear of firearms".
Alright.
How long do we wait?
Long enough for the new story to spread.
And the legend to change.
I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker.
Sweet.
You did it?
I did.
I'm telling you.
I heard something.
Coming from over there.
See, see? There it is again.
What is that?
What's the...
Yeah, I barely have any skin left on my palm.
I'm not touching that line with a ten foot pole.
Well, you think Mordecai's at home?
I don't know.
Me neither.
Whoo hey... whoo
What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?
We were just trying to get a bulky movie deal, okay?
Oh crap!
Guys, you want to go for that door for us?
Why, don't you?
He's gone, he's gone.
- Did you get him? - Oh yeah, they got him.
- No, on camera, did you get him on camera? - Oh, I... I...
Give me this.
Didn't you guys post that bs story we gave you?
- Of course we did. - And then our server crashed.
So it didn't take.
So these guns don't work.
Yeah.
Great.
Sam, any ideas?
- We're gonna get out of here. - Yeah.
Come on Ed.
Ok, let's go let's go!
The power of Christ impels you!
Hey!
Come get it, you son of a bitch!
- Get out of here, now! - Come on, let's go out of here!
Dean!
Hey!
Go go go!
Come on!
Look, Mordecai can't leave the house, and we can't kill him.
We improvise.
That's your solution?!
Burn the whole damn place to the grounds?
No one will go in anymore.
Well look, Mordecai can't haunt a house when there's no house to haunt.
It's fast and dirty, but it works.
But what if the legend changes again and Mordecai's allowed to leave the house?
Well, we'll just have to come back.
Kind of makes you wonder.
Of all the things we've hunted,
how many existed just because people believe in them?
That guy just has like a super-high attack bonus.
- Gentlemen. - Hey guys.
Should we tell them?
You might as well, you know, they're just gonna read about it in the traits.
So, this morning we got a phone call from a very important hollywood producer.
Yeah, wrong number.
No, smart ass.
He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights.
Maybe even let us write it.
And create the RPG.
The what?
A role playing game.
Right.
A little lingo for you.
Anywho, uh...
excuse us, we're off to la la land.
Well, congratulations guys, that sounds really great.
Yeah... that's awesome, best luck to you.
Oh yeah luck, it's got nothing with it. It's...
about talent, you know. Sheer, unabashed talent.
Later.
See you around.
Whoa.
- I have a confession to make. - What's that?
I was the one who called them, and told them I was a producer.
Well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their backseat.
Truce?
Yeah, truce.
At least for the next hundred miles.