In March 2005, Libby and Sean Johnson renovated an old, rundown home is Chester, Vermont. Shortly after moving in, strange noises filled the night
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00:00In this world, there is real evil in the darkest shadows and in the most ordinary places.
00:17These are the true stories of the innocent and the unimaginable.
00:22When Jim and Joanne Whitley transform an old farm into a working horse stable, they believe
00:27they've achieved their dreams.
00:30But the Whitleys don't realize their hard work has stirred a dormant presence, dead
00:35set on evicting the living.
00:38As their family crumbles, Joanne resolves to take back her life and fight for what is
00:46hers.
00:49Between the world we see and the things we fear, there are doors.
00:55When they are opened, nightmares become reality.
01:12For centuries, the state of New Hampshire was a battleground.
01:16Here Native American tribes fought over the fur trade, while French and English armies
01:21slaughtered each other for control of the new world.
01:25Today, the gray granite stones jutting above the land name only a fraction of the souls
01:33lying beneath.
01:51Joanne was raised farm girl tough.
01:54I'm an honest, hardworking person.
01:56If there's a problem, she fixes it herself.
01:59I started working on farms when I was nine, and basically I knew as a child that's what
02:06I wanted to do with my life.
02:08Her husband, Jim, is cut from the same self-reliant mold.
02:13It's a way of life they've instilled in their son, David.
02:19The Whitleys move to Kingston, New Hampshire, with dreams of opening a horse stable and
02:24breathing crisp country air every day.
02:28But an ominous force challenged those simple goals, and now Joanne is fighting not just
02:33to preserve her dreams, but to preserve their lives.
02:38BP 90 over 60, pulse 110.
02:53Relieve the trauma as fast as you can.
02:58We're coming down.
02:59Joanne fears David has permanently damaged his spine in a bike accident.
03:04I felt totally helpless.
03:07He was in trouble.
03:10I just couldn't do anything for him.
03:12I just want to go see him.
03:15Just give the nurse a second.
03:17For the Whitleys, this is the scariest moment of their 20-year marriage.
03:23I was like, oh, it's the end of my world.
03:26Had to be the worst day of my life.
03:29Here's what's going on.
03:32This line right here, he has a fracture of vertebrae.
03:35He's going to be okay.
03:36It's lucky it didn't cut into his spinal cord.
03:38Doctor?
03:39Excuse me.
03:40Joanne has no doubt that David's injury is the latest attack in her family's long battle
03:46with the supernatural.
03:48I didn't know what could happen next.
03:51Somebody could die from this.
03:53But Jim isn't so sure.
03:56I was really scared, but I didn't know if that was just a bad string of luck, or there
04:03was something else going on.
04:05If my daddy's life is like this, I've got to do something.
04:09There's nothing else we can't do.
04:12I'll find a way.
04:20That night, from her stable office.
04:23Hello, my name is Joanne Whitley.
04:26I understand you might be able to help me cleanse my property.
04:30Sue Bernier practices Shambhala, a discipline that balances residual energy transcending
04:36time.
04:37Everything is comprised of energy.
04:39Our thoughts have energy.
04:41Our words carry energy.
04:44Sue's heard many stories just like Joanne's.
04:46What sort of things?
04:48People call it poltergeist, demons, spirits.
04:52But they all have the same effect.
04:57Negative energy will start to take you over.
04:59The stronger the force, the bigger the incident.
05:02You've suffered a lot, and those are just some of the things that have been happening.
05:08I started seeing her property.
05:11I started feeling nauseated, shortness of breath, which typically signals there is a
05:18negative energy.
05:19Do you think you can help?
05:20Well, I can try.
05:23What exactly does that involve?
05:25I heard the despair in Joanne's voice.
05:28I knew I was in for more than your typical clearing.
05:36The next afternoon, as Sue approaches Joanne's home, she senses the property's former inhabitants.
05:44Using Shambhala, I can see a picture book of Eris.
05:51I saw a Native American.
05:58I saw kids playing.
05:59It was as if I was going back through time.
06:17I hear the people.
06:20I feel the people, what moods they were in, how they died.
06:27Hi.
06:28Hi.
06:29I'm Joanne.
06:30Thanks for coming out.
06:31Hi.
06:32Nice to meet you.
06:33Wow.
06:34You have a really interesting property.
06:35Well, we've done a lot of work.
06:36It was in terrible shape when we first saw it.
06:37I don't know.
06:38I don't know.
06:39I don't know.
06:40I don't know.
06:41I don't know.
06:42I don't know.
06:43I don't know.
06:44I don't know.
06:45I don't know.
06:46I don't know.
06:47I don't know.
06:48I don't know.
06:49I don't know.
06:50I don't know.
06:51I don't know.
06:52I don't know.
06:53Joanne tells Sue the story of her family's history on the farm.
07:05When they first found the property, it had sat abandoned for years.
07:08This is it, Jim.
07:10This is perfect.
07:11You know, I wouldn't say perfect.
07:13The 300 acres of open land are just what Joanne needs to fulfill her lifelong dream.
07:19her own horse farm. Horses and her, they're like one. Her love was that great for them.
07:27Jim is an electrician by trade, but he's skilled in all areas of home repair.
07:33Mom, I can help fix it up. David shares his parents' excitement.
07:38You got plenty of land, especially being a young boy, you get to go out and explore.
07:43Come on, let's go check it out.
07:49It was a mess, but we knew we could turn it around and make it a beautiful home.
07:56Over the next year, Joanne invests all her
07:59resources into renovating the property and preparing her business.
08:08Finally, Joanne is ready to recruit boarders and students.
08:13I expected to be happy and have healthy horses and have happy students and just live my dream.
08:22This is very nice. Thanks, Helen.
08:30Ah, it's a little wiring problem. We'll get it fixed.
08:34The lights just wouldn't stop going on and off, but it was a very creepy, strange feeling.
08:40And these students started becoming very uncomfortable.
08:47Later that night.
08:52Did you sign up the new students?
08:53Well, I was taking them back to my office to sign and the lights started flickering on and off.
08:58I was in disbelief.
09:00I wired up myself.
09:01You know, I'm a licensed electrician,
09:02and when I do something, I make sure everything's tight and meets the code.
09:06It's no biggie. They'll sign anyway.
09:08But even when the lights are on, it's pretty dim in there. You'll want to add some more lights.
09:13I'll check the wiring before I go to work tomorrow. New lights are going to have to wait.
09:18Fine.
09:27The next morning, inspection leaves Jim baffled.
09:31Then I checked through it, looked at the wiring, the circuit breakers.
09:35I couldn't find any problem at all.
09:47And it sounded like there were some children out there playing.
09:50I didn't see anybody.
10:05No.
10:29It was a little frightening.
10:30I mean, when you hear things like that, it just makes you wonder.
10:37I don't know where it came from, but I just brushed it off and kept doing what I was doing.
10:46Fix it?
10:47There's nothing to fix.
10:49There's got to be something wrong.
10:50No, there's nothing.
10:52Huh. Must have been a fluke.
10:54Now I've got to get to work.
11:01Joanne's business flourishes within months.
11:06We were full really fast. Some of the horses were my own, but the majority were student horses.
11:13To gain experience, some of Joanne's students help out around the stable before and after lessons.
11:34Yeah, Frisco won't eat or drink anything.
11:37Have you taken him out yet this morning?
11:39Yeah, that's what's odd.
11:40Frisco is Joanne's favorite horse, but she's not worried because she knows his quirks.
11:46Each horse has their own personality.
11:49The things that they do sometimes just kind of boggles your mind.
12:02It felt like the earth was rumbling, like horses were galloping.
12:11Uh, what horses got out?
12:17They're all here.
12:19I heard galloping.
12:20We haven't heard anything.
12:23I felt very uncomfortable.
12:25I didn't know what it was. I couldn't explain it.
12:35Hey, everything all right?
12:36Uh, did you just hear anything?
12:39No, why? What'd you hear?
12:40I'm not sure. It sounded like a herd of horses just stampeded past the office.
12:45Odd.
12:47Yeah. Has he been out there a while?
12:50Long as I've been out here.
12:54You all right?
12:55Yeah, just thought I heard something. I'm sure it's nothing.
12:59As the weeks pass, Frisco's eating doesn't return to normal.
13:05The horses, to me, are just like having children.
13:08They need just as much care and just as much love.
13:12When several other horses begin acting sick, Joanne calls a vet for help.
13:17It's weird. Only my horses are sick.
13:20None of the student horses are sick.
13:22I don't know what's going on.
13:23I don't know what's going on.
13:24I don't know what's going on.
13:25I don't know what's going on.
13:26I don't know what's going on.
13:27I don't know what's going on.
13:27None of the student horses are.
13:29What's he been doing?
13:30Not eating. Seems to be uncomfortable.
13:36Seems to have a bellyache.
13:39It appears to be colic. It could be from changing his schedule, his water, his feed.
13:44That doesn't make any sense. They're all on the same schedule.
13:47I feed them all hay and oats, and it's top quality feed.
13:50I couldn't understand why they were getting sick.
13:52If that's the case, I may have to run some additional tests.
13:55I've worked on farms with 60 head of horses and never had this many illnesses.
14:02Something was happening. It was a very negative feeling.
14:09Strange things like that continued to happen.
14:12Then I had this growing feeling that our lives were being...
14:16Sue is not surprised that Joanne's favorite horse had been feeling uneasy.
14:20Almost like a...
14:21Most animals are more susceptible to spirits.
14:25The spirits or energy just keeps crossing them. They don't know what's going on.
14:30First of all, it got worse. All my horses got worse.
14:41To hear the horses from the house, Joanne and Jim install an intercom.
14:44There. Hey, by the way, I ordered the lights. I wanted a friend here.
14:52Thanks.
14:59As the weeks pass, Joanne develops close friendships with her students.
15:03I want you guys to think about writing in some competitions.
15:06Maybe.
15:08Hanging out with them helps take her mind off the negative feelings she senses on the property.
15:13Ladies, please excuse me. I've got to get going.
15:15Oh, see you later.
15:21Guys, I really think I could win a competition.
15:24It's a little hard your first time, Deidre.
15:31That's not my Sierra, is it?
15:32No, that's definitely Frisco. We're still waiting for the test to come back.
15:36Uh, I'm sorry.
15:43It was a man's whistling.
15:46Your husband's a hell of a whistler.
15:48That's not Jim. He's out of town on a job.
15:52Well, then who is it?
15:58I don't know. Let's find out.
16:01The students were scared to death.
17:13I felt like there was a presence watching me.
17:34That made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
17:37This is freaking weird.
17:39I know.
17:40What is going on here?
17:42I don't know, Deidre.
17:44This whole place is freaking weird.
17:48Come on, let's just call it a night.
17:51How could I fight the sinister feeling or thing?
17:56If it wouldn't show itself to me, how could I get rid of it?
18:10Hey, Jesse, how's it going?
18:15Yes, I know what Deidre said, but that's just Deidre.
18:21No, Allison's just not sure if she's going to stay.
18:28I understand.
18:28What am I going to do next?
18:40If everybody leaves, I'm no longer going to be in business.
18:54There was definitely something hugging my leg.
18:59Hey, honey, I got the lights.
19:07Not now, Jim.
19:10Not now? Come on, you've been riding me about this forever.
19:14Something's here. Something just grabbed my leg.
19:18To really make me say yes, I'm a true believer,
19:20it would probably have to come up and bite me right in the backside.
19:23Joanne, I know there's something.
19:35I don't know exactly what it is.
19:54With or without Jim's support,
19:58Joanne cannot sit idly by as her horses continue to fail.
20:05One night, while Jim works overtime, she meets with an acupuncturist.
20:11Joanne hopes the alternative therapy will soothe her horses
20:14while she waits on the vet's lab tests.
20:17Thank you so much for coming out.
20:19I just hope I can help.
20:20Joanne doesn't realize the acupuncturist has psychic abilities.
20:24What's wrong?
20:26This isn't just about the horses, is it?
20:29She turned to me and said, do you mind if I say something to you?
20:34There are spirits.
20:35She said, do you realize you have many, many spirits here?
20:39Finally, somebody is seeing and feeling what I have been feeling.
20:45Why are they here?
20:47Sometimes earthbound spirits are trapped.
20:50Maybe they died a horrific death.
20:52Maybe some force is holding them here.
20:54The healer suspects the answer lies buried in the land's past.
20:59There are some rituals that may make peace, at least for a little while.
21:03It was like a big cloud of negativity over my arm,
21:07and I needed to find out why and try to put a stop to it.
21:10Can I have a look?
21:21Later that night, Jim is still away on his job.
21:27Everything's fine.
21:29I've just been reading up on the history of Kingston.
21:32You know, a plague came through in the 1800s.
21:35Wiped out half the town.
21:36Oh, scary.
21:37Look, I'm probably going to be stuck here most of the night.
21:40Yeah, do what you're going to do.
21:41We'll be here.
21:41Yeah, I knew you'd understand.
21:43How's David?
21:44He's fine.
21:45See you in the morning.
21:46Bye.
21:50Every night, Joanne goes to the stable for one last check on her horses.
22:20So,
22:50so,
23:15I hear and feel someone walk by right next to me.
23:20Mom!
23:22Mom!
23:39Mom!
23:41Mom!
23:43Mom!
23:45Mom, it's fine.
23:47Mom, it's fine.
23:50But there was nobody around.
23:52It's okay, just calm down.
23:53The feeling of fear was just overwhelming.
24:00Now it's going after my son.
24:03He's my whole heart.
24:04He's my whole reason for being.
24:08I had to put an end to it.
24:18You're not...
24:20Joanne has felt isolated from her husband since first sensing a negative presence.
24:25Joanne!
24:26He was a skeptic, but I didn't know who else to turn to or who else to tell.
24:35You know I've heard things.
24:37David heard footsteps last night.
24:40Footsteps?
24:41Come on, it's an old house with creaky floorboards.
24:43I mean, if there's something here, how come nothing's happening to me?
24:45Maybe you're just ignoring it.
24:46Maybe you're just imagining it.
24:48She was very angry.
24:49If I don't believe something, I don't believe.
24:51And what do you want to do, move?
24:53Give up your business?
24:54I'm not giving up anything.
24:57This Saturday, I'm going to try to cleanse the property.
25:01Cleanse the property?
25:02The lady who came to help me with the horses, she told me what to do.
25:05Well, there's a source.
25:07Just take David away that afternoon.
25:09No, I was gonna go and...
25:10I don't care what you're going to do!
25:14Take him to town.
25:17Okay.
25:29Hello?
25:32Frisco Cesarin?
25:36What does that mean?
25:41Hi, hi.
25:43I don't know if I can do that.
25:47Thanks.
25:51Nothing can be done to ease the horse's suffering.
25:58It's gonna be okay.
26:00It's gonna be okay.
26:07You don't have to be here for this.
26:10I'm gonna stay with her till the end.
26:12For Joanne, losing Frisco is like losing one of her family.
26:17And I loved her beyond belief.
26:25But she will not be scared away by the negative presence.
26:29This was my property.
26:31It was either them or me, and I wasn't about to give up.
26:34That Saturday, Joanne burned sage to cleanse the property.
26:39Joanne burned sage to cleanse the property.
26:42I cleanse this building with light and love.
26:46And banish all negative energy.
26:49I cleanse this building with light and love.
26:52And banish all negative energy.
26:54This whirlwind of voices and air and everything started happening.
26:59And banish all negative energy.
27:01I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:04And banish all negative energy.
27:07I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:10And banish all negative energy.
27:11I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:15And banish all negative energy.
27:17I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:21And banish all negative energy.
27:24I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:26And banish all negative energy.
27:29I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:31And banish all negative energy.
27:34I cleanse this building with light and love.
27:36And banish all negative energy.
27:45Everything stopped.
27:51And it was beautiful.
27:56I just kind of sat back and said, wow, I did it.
28:00I beat it.
28:03For a good while, things returned to normal.
28:06Jim and I were getting along better.
28:09I really want to build my business up.
28:10And we've been saving.
28:12So we decided to invest our savings in an indoor riding arena.
28:16What happened?
28:16We hired a contractor and he cleared that field.
28:19Sue realizes that Joanne has unwittingly provoked the spirits all along.
28:25Having a home and property that is in constant change
28:29will cause the spirits to uprise and start to attack.
28:37One night, not long after breaking ground for the arena.
28:52Hello.
28:56What about all our money?
29:00No.
29:09He's bankrupt, Jim.
29:11Our contractor is bankrupt.
29:14Apparently, he owes everybody money and he skipped town.
29:18Nobody's heard from the guy in two weeks.
29:20We had put our life savings as well as our son's college fund into this project.
29:25And to lose that money was absolutely devastating.
29:30I know a lawyer.
29:31Maybe there's a way to get some money back.
29:32He's gone, Jim.
29:33We've got to try.
29:34And you of all people know that.
29:46I missed you, Jim.
29:56I felt like I was in a barrel going down to the bottom of the ocean.
30:02Mom, what is it?
30:04What is it?
30:04I heard the men's voices.
30:06Joanne thought she had banished the negative presence.
30:09No, I don't want to live here anymore.
30:11But it was lying in wait.
30:13This is gonna be okay.
30:14I'll make it all right.
30:15I'll make it all right.
30:17I swear I won't.
30:26Joanne's property is besieged by a negative presence.
30:39I was ready to fight it and fight it any way that I possibly could.
30:43I'm calling a priest to bless this home.
30:45Joanne pleads with her husband for support.
30:48Say that you believe me.
30:49If I accept that there is something supernatural happening on the property,
30:54then I will have to do something about it.
30:57I want to.
30:57And I don't know what to do.
30:59You know I'm here for you, honey.
31:00I believe in you.
31:02It's just...
31:05Mommy.
31:07Daddy.
31:13David's in bed, right?
31:14It's a little girl's voice.
31:28Call the priest.
31:30We both heard mommy and daddy.
31:34There was no denying it.
31:37A few days later, the Whitley's parish priest blesses their home.
31:42In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, amen.
31:48Peace be with this house and with all who live here.
31:52May the God whom we glorify with one heart and voice enable us through the Spirit
31:57to live in harmony as followers of Jesus Christ, now and forever.
32:02Amen.
32:07For a while, the blessing helps.
32:09But Joanne still senses the lingering presence.
32:17Don't you have lessons this afternoon?
32:20Not anymore.
32:25What's gotten into you?
32:39Call the ambulance.
32:44It's going to be all right.
32:45They're going to be all right.
32:49All I could think of is, oh my God, he can be paralyzed.
32:51Everything's going to be all right.
32:53I felt totally helpless.
32:55We can't deal with this anymore.
32:57I'm scared for my son's life.
33:02So...
33:03Sue isn't surprised that neither the priest nor Joanne could cleanse the property.
33:08The reason why blessings and smudgings don't work on a property is they don't hold enough
33:15strength, enough vibrational strength to actually remove what is there.
33:21It can subdue, but it usually comes back.
33:24Do you think you can get rid of them?
33:27I don't exactly get rid of them.
33:29In Shambhala, we try to heal the negative energies and help all the spirits to ascend.
33:34Is that dangerous?
33:36It can be.
33:39It's going to be all right.
33:46I'd like you to meet my husband Jim and son David.
33:49When I first met Sue, I said, I've met you before.
33:53Not that I know of, I haven't, but I felt very comfortable with her.
33:58I'm going to take David into town.
34:01Sue thinks it's best if no one is home during the cleansing.
34:04She said that it's like opening a door to the other side.
34:09These spirits, they could attach themselves to people around her.
34:22I was concerned.
34:24There was evil on the property.
34:27And it was the largest spiritual gateway that I've come across.
34:34Aren't you going with them?
34:37I feel like I need to stay.
34:38Well, I need to walk the property.
34:40Sue believes the presence has retreated to the woods surrounding the farm.
34:46I'll be in the stable.
34:47Good luck.
34:48Joanne is used to doing everything herself, but now she can only wait.
34:54We were all hoping that this would work.
34:57We were just hoping and praying that she could help us.
35:04I could feel my hair starting to rise in the back of my neck.
35:18What was coming at me was evil.
35:33So,
35:44so,
36:03when I walk a piece of property, things come to me in different ways.
36:09Mostly, I sense.
36:11I can sense who's standing beside me.
36:15I can sense who is walking towards me.
36:19I see the dimensions that are trapped there.
36:30When working with energy, you can be harmed.
36:34I have been stabbed.
36:37I've been scratched, choked, pinned down.
36:48So,
37:02to cleanse the property, she must convince the spirits to move on.
37:14You are no longer alive.
37:16You do not belong here.
37:24And the anticipation was incredible, waiting to see what the outcome was going to be.
37:35I want to help you ascend to a better place.
37:39Sue senses the spirits want to ascend,
37:41but something is holding them back.
37:56You are free to move on.
38:00Every spirit has to be released.
38:04It must.
38:11So,
38:18my stomach starts turning.
38:22My heartbeat starts racing.
38:24I knew what was coming at me was evil.
38:33Leave my slaves alone.
38:41So,
39:05and I hear Samuel.
39:07Samuel.
39:09Sue realizes it is Samuel who has held the other spirits captive for centuries.
39:15The only thing going through my mind was, am I strong enough for this job?
39:21It wasn't a question of who was going to win.
39:24It was I had to come out alive.
39:37Samuel is pulling my neck.
39:41He's ready to rip it off.
39:57When I pushed him down, I released all of his negative energy and I could breathe again.
40:06So,
40:16you are all free now.
40:20You can go.
40:23It almost made me want to cry.
40:26Just the release of their energy and the relief that they felt.
40:32The ability to ascend in the freedom
40:36of the spirit.
40:37Amazing, amazing.
40:45I could hear the birds chirping.
40:47The sun was out.
40:49It was like a big blanket had been lifted off of me and off of my property.
40:56She is forever grateful to Sue.
41:00Sue is the one true help that we've had here throughout the years.
41:07The presence is finally gone, but it has changed Jim and Joanne forever.
41:20I'm not sure where I've gotten the inner strength from.
41:24It's probably from God, but I know that I have the strength to fight
41:29anything when it comes to the health and well-being of my family.
41:33It's made me believe that there is something else out there.
41:38What?
41:39It's hard to really explain, but there is something else.