DAVID: I had an epiphany a long time ago. And I felt God was trying to tell me something. But... He's been silent since.
LeROUX: And I'm so sorry about imagining snapping the necks of your little girls.
BEN: Hey, why do you have blood on your leg?
-[scrubbing] -I don't have blood on my leg. See?
DAVID: The Slaughter of the Innocents isn't killing two-year-olds. It's corrupting the eggs.
MIRA: LeRoux is dead.
KRISTEN: Oh, my God.
MIRA: He was bludgeoned. We're thinking by his wife, but we're not sure. I'm... so sorry. That is-that is... that is terrible. No, it's not. Your troubles are over.
Aah!
-[dog barking] -[train horn blowing]
Mom, what's wrong?
Nothing. Go back to sleep. -What happened? -[shushing] -Is Dad home? -No, no, no, he's not home. What? I didn't do it. What are you doing, Mom? Why are your hands dirty?
-They're not dirty. -Yes, they are. -You want us to help clean them? -Were you digging?
-Why are they dirty? -[overlapping chatter] Okay, shh! No-no-no-no-no-no... Shh! Everyone go back to sleep. Everything's fine now, okay?
[panting] -[siren wailing] -[horns honking] Please, God. Please, God. Please...
Please, God. Help me... [coughs] Help me see again.
REPORTER: The man was discovered in the backyard of his Bay Terrace home. The body has been identified as Orson LeRoux, the recently convicted, and then cleared, serial killer. There are no suspects at this time, but New York police are asking for the public's assistance.
It's called RSM Fertility. We think there's an attempt -to corrupt its fertilized eggs. -I'm sorry, what?
We've been dealing with a lot of cases piecemeal. Demonic and possessed children. We think it's not an accident. We discovered it's connected to this clinic. And you think it's... what?
A demonic presence is trying to corrupt a generation through manipulating their eggs.
And-and you two believe this, too?
Well, one of my daughters was conceived with the help of that clinic. So if there's something wrong, I'd like to know what it is. DAVID: Your Eminence, we want to focus on this exclusively. We've always talked about getting proactive with evil, not just reacting defensively. Do you have the children's names?
Um, I've... tried to access the clinic's databases online. They've wiped them clean. We are looking into other ways to locate the parents and their kids. Okay, okay, let me look at it. Meanwhile, I have an important assessment. This is important... And I'm not saying it isn't. But this came to us directly from the cardinal. He has a new parishioner, a good man. He's been giving generously to the Church. And he finally confessed why. In his youth he allowed himself to become possessed. -Allowed himself? -Diabolical subjugation. He voluntarily submitted. [scoffs] To the Devil?
-DAVID: In exchange for...? -MARX: It's better that he tell you himself. He's here. DAVID: Your Eminence, can we talk?
Saw that your serial killer's dead.
My serial killer?
LeRoux. Bludgeoned?
Is there anything I should be worried about there?
I have no idea what you're talking about, Ben. The blood on your leg yesterday. Your hand now. There's nothing you should be worried about. In fact... I put this in my hand last night. I got a skin rash. Could you see what the metal is?
How long was it in your hand?
Just a few seconds. Can I see your hand?
No. His Eminence wants us to handle this first. He's in here.
Is this the guy who sold his soul to the Devil?
Oh, hello there. You're kidding. This is Leland Townsend. -We've met. -Yes... David and I are casual acquaintances and Ms. Bouchard and I share a profession. This is the man who wants an exorcism?
LELAND: Yes, please. Some of my past choices have been so... ill-advised. And my life, of late, is undergoing such a change. The most wonderful, vibrant woman has entered my life. Our wedding is right around the corner. My mother. -That's right. -Really?
What a small world. LELAND: But I want no roadblocks to our future happiness. I still have certain...
...dark moments. So, David, Kristen... Ben.
Knowing my heart and mind as you do, I think you'll find that... an exorcism is in order.
KRISTEN: We cannot fall for a word that comes out of that fucker's mouth. -Ms. Bouchard. -I know, I know you think you know him, Your Eminence, but you don't. It doesn't matter if I know him. It only matters if we can help him. But he doesn't want help!
MARX: How do you know that?
-Because he's demonic. -He's a psychopath. MARX: But isn't that why we're obligated to help him?
David, he has come here saying he's possessed. -Oh, my God. -He's come here saying he's welcomed the diabolic into his life. You're saying the same thing. So the only question is whether or not he's being genuine in his plea. And that's the goal of assessing him. Should he receive an exorcism?
You're doing this for the money.
-What? -You said he's giving generously to the Church. The cardinal has become his friend. -That has nothing to do... -Oh, it has everything to do with it. And he-- that man in there-- wants to co-opt you. He wants to co-opt us. That's why he proposed to my mother, that's why he came to my house. And now he's moving on from me to here, to you.
Are you done?
I'm not done if you're not listening. Jesus said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick." If Townsend is sick, then all the greater glory is God's.
Why didn't you say anything?
Hmm? I was thinking. -What? -That we should be smart. -And what is smart here? -Well, look, I don't believe in possession, I don't believe in exorcism, but I still think that we do some good here because we target bad people and keep them from hurting good people. Ben, this is a con job. Exactly. So let's con him back. How?
We're gonna assess him, right?
We're gonna find out about his life. We're gonna talk to him, he's gonna talk to us. -KRISTEN: He's gonna lie. -Exactly. And in my experience, people who lie reveal just as much about themselves. So let's let him lie.
Well, isn't this civilized? Look at the four of us.
Mr. Townsend, why do you want an exorcism?
Well, I'm in love.
What does an exorcism mean to you?
It's the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to separate man from his darker nature. And my darker nature has enjoyed a pretty free rein. How exactly did you go about offering your soul to the Devil?
Well, you don't offer, you sell. And unlike with your Christ, where the rewards don't come until after death-- and then not particularly well-defined-- with Satan, it's a clear contract. The rewards are now, it's always something that you've asked for, -something you covet. -BEN: What did you covet?
How have you been sleeping, Ben?
-Well. What did you covet? -No nightmares?
DAVID: Mr. Townsend, we can only assess your need for an exorcism if you answer our questions. Otherwise, we have other cases. Well, then, let me set the scene. High school, senior year. Class of 1979, Roosevelt High, Des Moines.
Kristen has been kind enough to investigate my background. -And talk to your ex-wives. -That's right. A whole cornucopia of biographical details. Marching band, never made it to prom. Kristen, you're looking especially fetching today. What am I missing? Oh, this is what I look like when I'm bored.
Go ahead. You were setting the scene?
Roosevelt High, Des Moines. -Mm-hmm. -After marching band, I was forced to ride the school bus home. The bus driver enjoyed making fun of me. Incessantly. I had always been intrigued by the dark arts. And one day I decided to apply what I had learned, and I conjured up the living Devil.
While my parents were watching M*A*S*H in the next room, the deal was sealed: my soul in exchange for the excruciatingly painful and lingering death of that bus driver. What was his name?
Luke Faraday. What exactly did Satan look like?
I'm sorry?
You said you conjured up the Devil. What did the Devil look like?
Tall. Seven feet. Body thick with gray-brown hair, an animal's muzzle and long, curving horns.
-You all right? -Yeah. You look different. -I'm not. -Ready to start? Yes, but I wanted to make sure about the ground rules first.
The ground rules?
We have patient/doctor privilege, right?
Jaffee v. Redmond, Supreme Court decision, demands absolute protection from communication between psychotherapists and their patients... Kristen, what is this about, a parking ticket? And it cannot be reported to the police, as long as -it's not about a future crime. -Okay, yes. -We both know the ground rules. -And I also know how psychiatrists sometimes bend these rules and tell anonymous stories to the police in order to achieve what they consider justice. -That would never happen... -Kurt, I worked with the D.A.'s office. It happens all the time. Kristen, you know how seriously I take confidentiality. It's absolutely sacred. I will in no way share or hint to the police. Now, what are we talking about here-- shoplifting?
I killed someone.
You killed someone?
How-how did you kill someone?
I took an ice ax, I went to a man's house and I killed him. In self-defense?
No.
Kristen. I... I don't...
-What were the circumstances? -Well, you heard me talk -about Orson LeRoux... -Mm-hmm. ...the serial killer, right?
So, he was threatening my family. So I went to his house with an ice ax. I told him not to come near my family again or I would kill him. And he said he was gonna call the police, tell them I threatened him, and when they came for me, he was gonna go to my house and kill my daughters. So I stepped inside, I closed his door and I hit him over the head.
I, um...
I'm stunned. Um... You couldn't find any other way?
To protect my daughters? No.
The way you're telling me this, you don't seem bothered. I'm not. I am... I'm glad he's dead. And the police? You're not worried?
No. They think it's LeRoux's wife. -Oh, my God. -They-They're wrong. They'll quickly find that out. She was with friends. I made sure of that -before I went to his house. -You made sure she had an alibi?
-Mm-hmm. -So it was premeditated?
You knew you were going there to kill him?
Well, I knew that if I did kill him, they would blame his wife, so I made sure she had an alibi.
[grunts softly] So, um... how do you feel about your actions now?
Mm... I can't change my actions.
And I wouldn't.
So, if you, uh, if you're not bothered, why call me to come in today?
I came in contact with an object last night, and it left a rash on my skin. -Yeah, is that a-a cross? -Yeah. It's from a rosary, it had a crucifix on it. Uh, I'm wondering if I might be showing psychosomatic symptoms. Oh, um... Well, uh, we have talked about your Catholic guilt before. Could be a-a remnant, an anachronism from your childhood. Have you seen anything like it before?
Well, I have had people come in with rashes on their neck and back. You know, the body has a tendency to object even when the mind doesn't.
Kristen.
You're pretending to be unaffected by a terrible act. So your PTSD is coming out in ways both primitive and sub-logical. That's why the rash. I want you to take this prescription of prazosin. -[paper tears] -And we should talk again.
-Lexi... -Mom, it's my teeth. -What? Is it the brushing again? -No, I don't know. I was just sleeping and then it just started hurting. Let me see.
-Ow, ow, ow. -See... Hold on, hold on. It's just about your baby teeth. -Ow! -What? What happened?
Nothing. You've just... [chuckles]: You've got some sharp teeth coming in there. Am I a freak, Mom?
No. [exhales] You are the best daughter in the whole world. And you have the most beautiful smile. A vampire smile. No. A beautiful smile.
-I love you. -I love you, too. -Hey. -It's cobalt. Cobalt can cause a rash. [stammers] Oh, sorry. Is it too late?
No, no, no. It's-it's fine. Come in. So, cobalt can cause a rash, but more importantly, it's a great conductor of heat. So if it's heated up even a few degrees, it can cause a burn. Let me see your hand. See, that's a burn. Where was this? Where was the cross?
Whoa. Whoa. What happened?
What the hell? Did you slaughter a pig?
It's, uh, teeth issues. Um, so, it was here. BEN: This was on, right?
Uh, I don't know. The girls turned it on?
It was on earlier, and it was cooling down?
That's what did it. -You think? -I know. Cobalt doesn't create a rash on its own, but you heat it up, yes, it will.
DAVID: What'd you find out about the bus driver?
Luke Faraday died in 1978.
The same year Leland went to Roosevelt High? -Yeah. I couldn't find him. -His name was Jake Perry.
Leland's name was Jake Perry. You did your own research?
Yes, a few weeks ago.
How'd the bus driver die?
There was a crash. Luke Faraday was trapped inside the bus. The fire was so intense, nobody could get close enough to help him. No other vehicles involved. The bus just seemed to careen -out of control all by itself. -Mm-hmm. Well, that means nothing. Right? Nothing supernatural anyway. He knew this bus driver died. Made up the tension with the bus driver to match the facts. So how do we find out if it's a lie? I talked to his ex-wife before. I'll call her again. See if he even knew this bus driver. Well, good, you do that. We'll go in and deal with him. -[door opens] -[phone dialing] DAVID: Mr. Townsend.
Where's Kristen?
Uh, she was hoping to join us later. She's not ill, I hope.
Did you look up Luke Faraday, Ben?
I did. Tell us more about him. Poor man. He had such a future in bus driving. It's such a promising career. Don't you think?
Instead, that awful fire. Suffered for a week in the hospital. Unimaginable pain.
So, how do you decide if I'm worthy of an exorcism?
We ask questions, looking for causes other than the supernatural. LELAND: What causes?
Mental illness. So if I'm a psychopath, I can't be possessed?
DAVID: No, you can be both. Yay. Then what is it that you do?
I'm the comic relief.
I look for physical causes. And if there are physical causes of my diabolical possession, then I don't get my exorcism?
That's right.
You don't believe.
In the Devil? No.
LELAND: In God?
No. LELAND: Do you ever pray?
In the dark of night, when there are strange sounds, strange forebodings?
BEN: Do you?
Do I pray?
Oh, yes. To my father below. -Mm. -You should try it sometime. It's so comforting to pray to power instead of weakness. Did you know that Christianity is the only religion -that prays to a criminal? -[Ben chuckles] The more I listen to you, the more ridiculous you sound. [chuckles] You're gonna have a dream tonight, Ben. Good guess. LELAND: One you've never had before. Oh, my God. Tell me more. -[chuckles softly] -[door opens] Ah, Kristen. We've been having the most wonderful chat. I'd heard that you were ill. Oh, no, not at all. I was just having a wonderful talk with your ex-wife, Janie.
Ah. The lovely Janie. How is she?
Good. She was just telling me how you never took the bus because you had your own car, so you never knew Luke Faraday, and he never teased you. So there was absolutely no reason for you to pray to Satan to cause his fiery accident.
Any thoughts on that, Leland?
Well, of course I lied. I'm possessed. Did you really think that the spawn of the Devil would be honest with you? [chuckles] Well, we believe the spawn of the Devil would at least offer some evidence that he was, in fact, the spawn of the Devil.
LELAND: It's an eight now, but this read nine last month. And ten before that. It's counting down my debt. I have eight months to get you to help me. You're saying you didn't do that tattoo?
I'm saying that Satan did this.
I was home one night. I heard scratching noises moving around on my hardwood floors. Like the claws of some beast coming for me.
How do you run away from something you can't see?
And then a searing pain, like a claw digging into my flesh. Carving out the number eight. Really?
God, how frightening for you.
I understand your skepticism, Kristen, but have a little pity.
It was awful.
Well, it's a good thing we're investigating.
We'll have to examine your residence now. What? No, that won't be necessary. DAVID: Actually, it is. We'll check with the bishop, but I'm sure -he'll agree. -KRISTEN: Mm. DAVID: Yeah. We need to look for signs of demonic infestation.
Or we could just drop this whole thing right now.
Good. It's settled. Tomorrow. We'll drop on by.
This is not real. Kiss me. Come on. Why won't you kiss me? Please. Okay, this is from the talk today. Leland put this in my mind. You know what I love?
-Men's nipples. [snarls] -[shouts] -Remember the safeword? -[screams] [panting]
Cas-3.
Just a second more, Lexis. My goodness, those are sharp, aren't they?
They've been hurting for a long time.
I think this will just require a little reshaping, that's all. Can you do it today?
-I think so. -Do I need a shot?
Just local anesthesia. It won't hurt.
-Maybe we won't do these today. -Is everything all right? It's nothing to worry about, but incisors can be tricky, and these... are buried pretty deep in her jaw. -KRISTEN: Why? -Sometimes teeth form this way in the womb if the mother had a fever. It's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Bouchard. I just want to put Lexis under general anesthesia to deal with the underlying problem. -Is the operation serious? -No, no. It just means going in deeper. Let's do it Thursday.
Am I all right, Mom?
[exhales] Oh, you're great, babe.
Why are my teeth like this?
I don't know. They just are. You know, my feet were webbed when I was a kid. -Really? -Yeah. I don't know why. But everyone made fun of me. They called me Swamp Thing. So, I stopped caring. I just decided I would climb. I'd read about it in a magazine. I started climbing everything. You know, school, the side of our building, -a mountain. -Should I do that?
No. I'm just saying, kids make fun until they realize who you really are.
Told Leland we needed four hours. He'll be back at midnight.
Well, very tasteful. Looks like he removed anything that'd reveal anything about himself.
[chuckles softly] He's being sarcastic. DAVID: Nothing in the bathroom.
No mirrors. David.
He's toying with us.
-♪ Feliz Navidad ♪ -[gasps]
BEN: Hey, I got something in here. -I'm in. -It's not password-protected?
BEN: Yeah, but not a great one. "Lucifer8." Seems like he does most of his work in the cloud. Can you add some surveillance software?
I could hack into his webcam so the camera light doesn't come on, and we could watch him whenever we want. Yeah, great.
All right, so Leland said that he heard scratching noises, right?
Hmm.
[distorted]: Anything?
Oh! Oh... Turn off the lights. They're too loud. [whispers]: Sorry.
Huh, really weird. What?
No sound. DAVID: So maybe he lied about the scratching. No, no, no. That's not what I mean. Usually an apartment building will have all kinds of ambient sounds, you know?
Wood settling, water in the pipes. But I'm getting nothing. It's like it's completely devoid of any natural sound.
Oh, oh, oh... -Oh, I got something. -What?
Coming from there.
Oh, no, that's... The thing does a... -♪ Feliz Navidad ♪ -Fuck! Whoa! KRISTEN: Are you all right?
-What the hell is that-- -♪ Feliz Navidad ♪ -some cheap-ass alarm? -DAVID: No, -it's just a... -♪ Feliz Navidad ♪ -♪ Próspero año y felicidad ♪ -Wait a minute. Maybe you're right. -Maybe he is hiding something. -♪ Feliz Navidad ♪
Whoa... [shushing]
[quietly]: There.
I feel air.
-Fuck. -Whoa. -BEN: Damn. -Oh, my God, what is that?
A dead rat?
That is not how a dead rat smells.
Ah, that's the sound. Paper flapping.
-Sigil map. -KRISTEN: The photos we took. -How did he get it? -My mother. DAVID: What is all this writing?
It's some weird-looking math?
-BEN: Chinese? -Is that Arabic?
I don't recognize it. Hold on. -[camera clicks] -Oh... Do you think he wanted us to find this? No. I would never have found it without the sound. So we put it back exactly the way we found it.
Ow! Oh! -Oh, man. -You okay?
What happened?
DAVID: Good morning.
A tattoo kit?
尊貴嘅黑暗之王係咪就係用呢樣嘢嚟標記你隻耳仔？係你自己整㗎。你同我哋講嘅所有嘢都係大話。除咗嚴重嘅自戀之外，我仲會話你有表演型人格障礙。你剝開晒所有嘢，睇落完全唔似一個所有邪惡願望都達成咗嘅人。或者我只係好有耐性。你有冇咁樣諗過？
攞我個衰人前妻做例子，Janie。哦，係喎，我啱啱先同佢傾完偈。佢冇咗你之後，人生反而精彩十倍。哼。你可能要再同佢傾下。
你好，唔該我想搵Janie？
女聲：你...你係咪Janie啲朋友？
我係Kristen Bouchard。你係邊位？
我係...我係Janie嘅媽咪。佢出咗意外。我...我好抱歉。發生咩事？
佢返屋企嗰陣俾架貨車撞到。佢而家昏迷緊。
我唔係咁信。大人，佢為咗證明自己嘅講法，所講嘅每一單過去嘅惡行都係大話。咁佢前妻呢？
你話佢昏迷緊。Leland可以有好多方法查到呢件事。絕對唔代表係佢造成嘅。睇下，我唔係一個唔講道理嘅人。但我係咁收到樞機主教嘅電話。你想要我說服佢，咁就說服我先。你相信Townsend係個心理變態？
我信。咁就俾一個心理變態嘅正面分析我，而唔係一個著魔嘅負面分析。佢點樣做得到？去同佢做訪問。你明㗎，你嘅工作。咁，你點睇？
我覺得佢講得啱。我需要評估佢。
[輕笑] 有咩咁好笑？
冇。[笑] 只係張凳啫。知道仲有邊個坐過喺度。
我會問你一連串係定唔係嘅問題。啊哈，經典做法。你本名係Jake Perry？係。你喺愛荷華州嘅德梅因長大？
係。十八歲嗰陣，你將靈魂賣咗俾撒旦？
係。你老公成日唔係身邊，一定好難捱。身邊嘅人傷心，你會覺得難過？
唔會。你鍾意日落多過...日出？
咦，係喎，我係。
Just how insane are you, Leland?
癲？
幾咁古雅嘅講法。順帶一提，小Laura點樣？
佢個心臟好返晒未？哦，係喎。
你偷咗我嘅治療筆記。咁只係代表你係個賊。如果你想做驅魔儀式，你就要做得比呢啲更好至得。你嘅邪惡程度唔會比...唔會比咩更甚？
你？
自從你同David合作以嚟，有啲事就一直發生喺你身上。黑暗已經進入咗你嘅生命。你容許佢發生。所以你先咁容易對付。David會難搞啲。佢先係真正嘅大獎。所以先需要你嘅幫忙。哦，天啊。呢個係交易--你想我放過你啲女？
咁就幫我引誘David離開聖職之路。佢仲有兩個月就升神父。兩個月潛在嘅性行為。正呀，正呀。你只需要同佢講我需要驅魔。就係咁多。佢表現出晒心理變態自戀人格嘅跡象。所以你嘅睇法冇變？冇，佢想我哋以為佢有啲超自然力量，但佢嗰啲浮誇嘅宣稱只係佢自戀防禦嘅一部分。你點睇？我覺得跟住落嚟值唔值得做，取決於我哋。你意思係建議做驅魔儀式，只係為咗睇佢有咩反應？唔做嘅唯一原因，就係因為佢想我哋咁做。BEN：嗯，呢度仲有另一個可能性。DAVID：係咩？係一個求救信號。KRISTEN：你係咩意思？嗯，佢想驅魔，因為佢想做個好人。
唔係。BEN：係，我都唔信。KRISTEN：所以我哋建議唔做驅魔？
DAVID：同意。佢喺度做緊咩？
冇嘢。佢只係直直咁望住前面。佢維持咁樣成十分鐘。DAVID：你覺得係咪重複播放？
BEN：嗯，我有諗過，但窗外嘅陰影冇重複。
DAVID：好。一個鐘之後呢度見。
KRISTEN：好，係，我會到。
HAM：我諗我哋要再深入少少... [尖叫] 天啊！喂！我哋需要醫生！天啊！呢度需要醫生！天啊！呢度需要醫生呀，有冇人呀！
感覺OK？
我覺得有啲奇怪。係。只係麻醉藥啫。藥效會過。好嘅。[引擎啟動] [呼氣] MARX：我搵緊一啲確切嘅嘢，但我...我睇唔到有。嗯，我喺開始嗰陣就預咗，我哋只會搵到佢想我哋搵到嘅嘢。正如你見到，佢留低咗...係，我睇緊嗰度。有趣。或者甚至有啲令人不安。你嘅評估唔係好長。
唔好意思。咩話？
佢嘅心理有啲方面係超出已知常規嘅？
冇錯。但你仍然相信佢嘅問題係長期自戀同心理變態特徵？正確。David，你寫咗你認為驅魔儀式並唔合適。佢並唔想要。
佢想呃教會為佢做嘢。
我會向樞機主教建議我哋繼續進行驅魔儀式。咁樣，我哋講咩都唔重要啦。
絕對重要。我有聽。我考慮過你哋嘅意見，然後得出咗唔同嘅結論。等等。
我要你哋三個在場。
在場？做咩？佢嘅驅魔儀式。你哋都相信Townsend先生會模仿一個被附身嘅靈魂。唔。佢會嘅。所以先想你哋喺度。
做我把關嘅眼睛。[抽屜打開，關上]