Shh...
It's okay, baby.
It's okay.
It was just a nightmare.
I was awake.
She was there.
She screamed so loud it hurt my ears.
- Maybe it was Theo playing a joke. - No.
- It wasn't Theo. - Okay.
It was...
like...
a bent-neck lady.
Well, that's a new one.
She's gone now, right?
Yeah.
If she comes back...
you come find us, okay?
Yeah, and we'll scare her away.
Promise?
Just tonight.
Won't you miss your brother?
I'd rather sleep here.
In case she comes back.
Okay, just tonight, then.
- I'll stay with her a bit. - Okay.
Good night.
- Young ladies. - Good night.
- Hey, will you grab her blanket? - Yeah.
Thanks.
You feeling a little better?
Tell me what's inside your locket.
You know what's inside my locket.
I am.
You are.
Both of you are.
Right?
Can I have a locket like that someday?
You can hold onto it tonight,
and when you're older, I'll give you this one.
That exact one?
This exact one.
When you're older.
Okay?
No, no, no, no.
I'm frozen.
I can't talk.
Or move my arms or legs.
I usually start to panic and my breath gets fast and heavy.
My heart feels like it's pounding out of my chest.
Okay...
and how long does this last?
Until you're able to move again?
Maybe a minute, maybe two.
But it feels like hours sometimes.
And you said the first occurrence happened...
When I was six.
Do you ever see anything during these episodes?
Like what?
People sometimes say they see things.
I know this all must sound really weird.
Not at all.
Sleep paralysis is actually more common than you think,
but it's completely harmless.
Which is easy for the sleep tech to say, right?
Ah... and so...
you've never sought treatment or done any other sleep studies?
No.
I Googled it. I...
I was surprised to find that there was something to be done.
Okay.
So, during the night, you... you cycle
through different stages of sleep.
In the deepest stage, your brain basically switches off the muscles to
stop you from acting out your dreams.
Some people just come out of that stage quicker than others.
Your brain wakes up before it starts the engines again.
It just takes a minute for your muscles to catch up.
Mm-hm...
About the things I sometimes see...
It's funny, the things people...
sometimes report. Shadow people.
Animals.
Dead loved ones.
Hallucinations are actually fairly common
because of the disrupted boundary between
your dream state and your wakefulness.
So your dreams may carry over.
"A little spill."
What's that?
So...
what now...
Dr. Vance?
Oh, I'm not a doctor,
I'm just a sleep tech.
Oh.
Okay, um... Well then, what now,
Mr. Sleep Technician?
- Tech... Technologist. - Technologist.
Yeah.
Just... Just call me Arthur.
So what now, Arthur?
Well, first, we'll schedule you for a sleep test,
where we chart your brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing while you sleep,
then we'll use that information to develop a kind of escape plan.
An escape plan?
A series of actions you'll be able to recall during these episodes
to help you get through them.
It won't stop the process, but it could get rid of the panic.
You okay?
Yeah, I...
The last doctor I saw, my general practitioner,
he wasn't an expert.
He just told me to avoid TV before bedtime.
It's...
It's nice to be listened to.
Do you drink coffee?
Yeah, I...
Are...
Are you asking me if I want to get coffee?
Uh, it's for the...
health history section in your file.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
- No, don't be. - No, I really misread that.
I was planning on waiting until the end of your visit to ask you out for coffee.
But since you brought it up...
- Yeah. - Okay.
Ever had a better offer in your whole life?
One with everything?
Ten!
Nine!
Eight!
Seven!
Six! Five!
Four! Three!
Two! One!
Happy New Year!
Yes!
Hey.
You haven't had one of these in a while.
Hey.
You got it.
Remember the plan.
All right?
Control your breath.
Uh-huh.
Now clench your fist.
Uh-huh.
And I'll get the light.
Okay? Right here.
Uh-huh.
There you go.
Clench your fist.
Good.
Huh? Yeah.
You did it.
- Watch. Any second now. - Okay.
It's taking her forever.
No, any second. Penny's gonna drop.
There it is.
Ten minutes. It took her almost ten minutes.
Ten minutes and 30 years.
- Hey, did you close on the house yet? - Next week.
Arthur doesn't start his UCLA job till June,
so we'll have lots of time to spend with you guys.
- Great. - Yeah.
Luke said he might move out there too.
He's following you west, huh?
Yeah, it's a twin thing.
I wouldn't get my hopes too high. I mean...
Who knows if he'll be in any condition to?
I hope he does.
I wish he was here today.
You're gonna love LA.
- Oh, yeah? - Oh, yeah.
You can go skiing and surfing on the same day.
- Why? - I don't know.
I don't know why you'd want to do that, but you can.
And you'll never have to scrape ice off your windshield ever again.
That's so nice.
It's very nice.
It's the best.
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
Nobody.
Too much champagne maybe.
You deserve this, Nellie.
Thank you.
I mean, Eleanor Vance.
Oh, yeah.
I'm gonna have to get used to that, but I like it.
It's perfect.
Whoa.
It's been a long time.
Honey...
Hey.
Shh.
Relax.
I'll get the light.
No!
No.
Arthur!
He was dead.
He was dead and she was back.
How long had it been?
Since you'd seen her, I mean?
It'd been almost two years.
I actually hadn't...
seen her since...
well, since Arthur and I met.
I started seeing her...
when I was a kid.
And after the house when we lived with my aunt, I saw her some more.
But then he came into my life and she went away.
And then she killed him.
We've talked about this before. Arthur died of an aneurysm.
I know.
Well, if you know, then you must also know that it was a...
a random tragic event.
I know it looked like an aneurysm.
It's perfectly normal to want to find something to blame.
I know what's to blame.
Hill House.
That's right.
Don't worry, Dr. Montague.
I don't expect you to believe me.
Your hair is awful tangled, Mr. Bristles.
Maybe I could find a brush for you.
Mrs. Dudley, look what I found.
My goodness.
What a lovely tea set.
Can I keep it?
Well, let's see.
Where did you find this?
In the toy room.
Where?
Look at this one.
Stars.
A cup of stars.
Well, I'll be.
It's beautiful.
You know...
I think I know who this may have belonged to.
Jacqueline.
Jacqueline's cup of stars.
Here she is.
- Jacqueline? - Jacqueline Hill.
Her mom owned this house, Mrs. Hill.
This was her room, actually. Hazel. Her name was Hazel.
That's her when she was young.
- Did you know her? - I did.
I took care of her when she was old.
She lived in that bed.
She said a lot of things toward the end that didn't make sense.
One of the things she kept saying was that Jacqueline needed her cup of stars.
I didn't understand then, but I guess I do now.
So, can I keep it?
Yes, I'm sure it's fine that you keep the tea set.
As long as your parents agree.
I'm only going to drink out of this one.
For anything.
For juice, or milk, or anything Mommy has.
Unless Mommy says no.
I broke a mug once.
I'm not supposed to have things that are fragile.
And this looks fragile.
No, dear.
Use your cup of stars.
Insist on your cup of stars.
Once they've trapped you into being like everyone else,
you'll never see your cup of stars again.
But you should wash it first.
It's very dusty.
Nellie.
Mommy...
look what I found.
- Can we have a tea party? - Not now.
- Young lady. - Please, oh please, oh please?
No.
Come with me, right now.
We have a very, very important job.
And that's to take care of this house.
To fix it.
We take care of the house, it takes care of us.
- So why would you do that? - I... I didn't.
- I saw you playing with chalk yesterday. - On the patio.
I wouldn't write on the wall.
What happened?
Would you like to tell your sister what you did?
I didn't!
She says she didn't.
Are you okay?
No.
I have a steel poker in my head and my daughters
are trashing my...
You know what?
You can help her clean up, Theo.
And I expect it to be done
before I get back.
Well, she's in a mood.
I didn't do it.
I swear.
No.
You didn't.
You can tell?
With your hand?
I don't see why it matters.
They're pulling down this wallpaper anyway.
- Hey. - Hey. Thanks for picking me up.
How you doing?
- I'm good. So we're going to... - It's on Seventh.
- Just go like you're going to the stadium. - Okay.
I'm proud of you.
Yeah. I'm a real winner.
- Is this a good place? - Oh, yeah.
It's a palace. Turn left here.
A summer camp for junkies.
I'm proud of you.
Doesn't matter where you do it. What matters is you want to change.
It's always gonna make me proud of you.
How are you?
- Me? - Yeah.
How you doing?
I'm good.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Yeah, it's been really hard ever since Arthur, you know.
I've been having a hard time sleeping in that house without him, so...
Well, yeah. I mean...
Yeah, it's just been...
Can you take a right and pull over, please?
I, uh... I just need one more favor.
- Why are we... - See that guy?
The guy in the white hat over there?
Yeah.
See...
Okay, so here it is.
I need to get well before I go in.
I'm not sure I understand.
It helps, you know, you... you get well...
one last time.
You get to kind of go through the gates and kind of get it out of your system,
you know, and... and get well one last time.
And it helps, it's really helpful.
Okay.
You know, I was gonna have you stop here
and I was gonna hop out and take care of it, but...
But you see that guy in the white hat?
See, I owe that guy,
and if he sees me coming and I don't have enough money,
he's...
He's just not gonna sell to me.
But... he doesn't know you.
- So... - So you want me to...
- Nellie, it's a little... - You want me to buy you heroin?
- It's... Don't say it like... - And then drop you off at rehab?
It's a little thing, Nellie.
And I'll pay you back as soon as I get out.
And it's going to take, I promise you.
Look, I'm tired of this shit. Okay? I'm done.
I'm gonna do it this time.
All right?
Look, I can bullshit Steve and Shirl
and Theo if I gotta, but not...
not you, Nellie.
Never you.
Look at me.
It's just you and me.
That's it. This is it.
I'm... I'm gonna do it. I just...
I just... I just need to get...
I just need to get well one last time, just to...
just to push me through the gates and then that's it. That's it.
You believe me, right?
I believed you.
I always, always believed you.
When we were kids and then...
and later when you saw...
when you said you saw... I believed you.
Believe me now.
How much is it gonna cost?
Twenty bucks.
One balloon. That's all you need.
You know, I always believed in you, you know that?
And I get it.
I've been having a really hard time too, and nobody wants to see it...
Look, I wanna see it. Okay? I wanna see it.
I get it. So...
you help me get well...
and then you can tell me all about it.
Okay?
- Okay. - Okay?
Okay.
Yeah.
I'll be right back.
Fuck. Fuck.
- Thanks. - He just spit that out of his mouth.
Yeah, that's what they do.
You still collecting those buttons?
Huh?
I'll see if I can find some for you at the center.
Sorry.
We all just need a little help sometimes, right, Nellie?
Nellie.
I saw my brother last month.
A bed opened up in a center downtown and he needed someone to drive him.
And did you?
I did.
Last month?
That's right.
Is there any particular reason that you didn't mention this
at any of our other sessions since then?
How's he been doing?
Good, actually.
You've...
you've spoken to him again?
No.
The first few days he was there,
I felt like I had the worst flu of my life.
Day four, I started to feel better.
And I haven't had any phantom pains or anything like that.
You probably don't believe in the twin thing, do you?
I believe a unique shared empathy exists between twins, sure.
Well...
my shared empathy made me feel nauseous for the first few days,
but then...
I guess he got better.
How is this new medication working for you?
Any... issues?
None.
It's great.
Are you sure?
What kind of question is that?
I mean, this event seems to have really upset you.
Is there more to this story?
He needed my help and I helped him, and...
that's all.
Wait, you did what?
He needed to get well.
I wish you would have called me. That is not the way you help an addict.
It was a little thing and he's fine.
Can we drop it?
So are we heading out?
- I'm really excited to see the beach... - Not yet.
Could you just...
You said you would.
- Please, you know I don't like... - You said you would.
Where?
The pillow.
- Which one? - That one.
Anything?
No.
I'm sorry.
Here.
Theo.
Okay, okay.
It's where he died.
Nellie, I don't want to...
- You said you would. - Hey! Hey!
The fuck! Nellie!
- Anything? - Jesus, no! All right?
You really can't feel anything? I mean, I feel like
I can feel him here sometimes.
I am feeling serious fucking concern. That is what I am feeling.
- I just want to know if he's still here. - He's not.
And that fucking sucks.
And I know that.
And I'm sorry, but you can't...
You can't live like this.
Jesus, when was the last time you cleaned?
I came out here to see my sister.
I thought we would go to a museum, go to the beach,
I thought we might get drunk and fucking cry,
but I didn't think I'd be treated like a servant.
I'm sorry!
What is this new doctor doing for you, anyway?
I'm sorry.
You look worse now than you did four months ago.
- Has this new quack got you on new meds? - He's not a quack.
Well, he's not exactly impressing me,
and I know what the fuck I'm talking about.
Oh my God.
Honestly, Nell, I wish you would consider just moving back east.
- You are here all by yourself. - I have Steven.
When he's not on a book tour.
And...
I have to be here for Luke, you know, when he gets out.
- So he has a place to crash after a binge? - He's in rehab.
He made you buy him heroin on the way in.
Does Shirley know what he made you do?
Like you're above taking money from family?
You want to talk about what Shirley knows and doesn't know?
What does that mean?
I guess that's a no.
She might not let you freeload anymore.
Nellie.
I've got your back...
- but I also have my limits. - Only with us.
Yeah, never with yourself.
You've never cared about anyone more than yourself,
and that's sad.
But don't lecture me about adulthood, Theo,
not from Shirley's fucking guest house.
It was fascinating.
Prisoners, rangers, visitors.
They had so many stories to tell, more than I could fit in the book.
Whispering in cells, locked cell doors shutting,
phantom figures.
Even the sounds of musical instruments and sewing machines.
I wish I could have included it all.
Any other questions?
Yeah.
Have you or your siblings been back to Hill House since '92?
Look, I'm thrilled you guys came out for the reading today,
but I'm really here to talk about Alcatraz.
Yes.
Do you keep in touch with your father?
Again, I'm not going to answer questions about my family.
So does anyone else have another question...
not related to Hill House?
I have a question.
Oh my God. That's Nell Crain.
I have a question, Steve.
Nell. I didn't know you...
I'm so glad you're here.
Why do you keep lying to these people?
What?
I'm saying, why did you charge these people $30 a head
to sit here and listen to you talk about things that you don't believe.
Nellie, we can talk about this after the reading.
No.
I'd like you to answer me now.
Look, everybody, I'm sorry about this.
My family is just like any other family.
- We don't always agree on everything. - We're not, though.
Like any other family.
We're different.
Because of where we grew up.
Now, you stand there and you talk about ghosts and spirits.
And you sell tickets for the privilege, and yet you don't believe in any of it.
- Nell... - And you tell me I'm crazy,
and that Mom was crazy and Luke's crazy
and we're all just nuts,
and then you tell our stories.
My stories, the same stories that you told me
were just dreams or delusions.
We can talk about this later...
And you're supposed to be my big brother.
You know, you're supposed to protect me.
But you say the meanest things to me when I try to tell you.
And then you make
so much money.
- Nell. - I'm just asking why.
I don't ask you for anything, ever.
Just this.
I just want to know why.
What the fuck, Nell?
It was a fair question.
This is my work.
This place, think of it as my office.
I'm at work right now.
You don't come in here and embarrass me like that.
- Me embarrass you? - Jesus.
Have you read what you wrote about us?
You've had six years to file a complaint.
Why the hell are you doing this now?
Huh?
- Are you off your meds? - No.
Bullshit.
I've seen all the phases with you.
The Christian phase, the New Age phase,
the crystal phase, the antidepressant phase.
You don't get to just start smashing up our lives
because you're transitioning into a new treatment, Nell.
This was not the time or place.
Not the time or place.
I confronted my brother.
Just like you told me to.
I'm not so sure I used that word "confront."
I drove to Ojai
and I called him out,
in front of all of his little fans.
You should have seen his face.
Do you think that was constructive?
It felt good.
I'm going to...
I'm going to ask you something
- and I need you to be honest with me. - Yes, I'm taking my meds.
And I'm standing up for myself.
For the first time.
In ever.
You're certain you're taking your medications?
Because, you know, this was never about confronting Steven
or your other siblings.
The problem is that you haven't confronted your past.
Every time we talk about
your mother or your childhood...
or your symptoms or Arthur...
it always comes back to one thing.
The house.
There's an excellent reason for that.
How can a house, just a collection of
bricks, wood, and glass...
have that much power over people?
You've never been there.
Well, that's true.
But see, neither have you, not for a long, long time.
And I think that if you were to look at it today after all these years,
empty in the woods, you'd find it's not a monster.
It's barely even a house.
It's a carcass.
I mean, no one's lived there in...
what, 26 years, you said?
It's just a building.
Probably littered with...
with graffiti and dirt.
- I... - What would Arthur say to you
if he could talk to you right now?
What do you think he'd want for the rest of your life?
What are we doing here?
Are we going back for Mom?
Not yet.
Come in.
Why did we leave Mommy?
It's okay.
Everything's okay.
I just need you guys to camp out here for a little while.
I have to...
I have to go back to the house and get Mommy.
You're leaving?
I'll be right back. I promise.
Stevie, I need you to be in charge, okay?
- What's wrong with Mommy? - She looked hurt.
When?
I'll bring her back,
but I have to go now.
Now, I need you guys to take care of each other right now.
Can you do that for me?
Come here.
Okay.
You lock this door behind me.
What the hell is happening?
I don't know.
You were the last one out. What'd you see?
Dad woke me up, carried me out.
- I'm not sure what I... - Theo.
Did you see anything?
I don't know what I saw.
What did you mean, Mommy looked hurt?
She fell on the floor.
Where?
We were in the Red Room.
What?
We were in the Red Room having a tea party
with Abigail and Mommy.
How? The Red Room's locked.
That wasn't Mommy.
Mm.
One, two,
three, four,
five, six,
seven.
Come on.
Did you find Mommy?
I found her.
Is she okay?
She's okay now.
It's just paint.
You should get some sleep. You've had a rough night.
I was waiting for you.
I didn't know if you'd come back.
It's okay, honey. I called them.
Why?
Give me a second, sweetie.
Thank you. I'll just be a moment.
What's going on?
I have to go with them now and answer some questions,
but one of them is going to stay here with you guys
- until your Aunt Janet gets here. - What?
- She'll be here a little later. - Later?
How long is later?
- It won't be that long. - No.
You said you'd be right back before, and it was the longest time.
Your Aunt Janet's flight gets in at...
She should be here no later than two o'clock.
See, so...
when a little hand's on the two and...
the big hand's on the 12...
she should be here, okay?
Two o'clock.
You hold onto this,
and I'll try to...
I'll try to be back here soon as I can. Okay?
Okay, Daddy.
Ready.
Thank you.
Holy shit.
How are your brother and sisters doing, I wondered, since the book?
How are they doing these days?
You know who I wish would write a book? Your dad.
I'm sorry.
So...
Are you saying you'd prefer not to do a viewing?
It's Nell, um...
I need you to call me.
It's hard to understand, everything's so...
twisted and it's hard to explain, but...
I'm worried about Luke.
Have you talked to him?
Call me.
It's Steve. Sorry I missed your call.
I talked to Shirley. I know you're worried about Luke,
but I called his rehab center and he's fine.
He actually got his 90-day chip today, if you can believe that.
I'll be around tomorrow if you still need to chat.
I hope you're well, Nellie.
I mean that.
Okay... Okay.
How long are you gonna put this off, Nellie?
Okay.
You probably shouldn't have slept all day.
There's nothing wrong with going at night.
It's just a carcass in the woods.
It's just a carcass...
in the woods.
Nell?
Daddy.
Honey, are you okay? What time is it?
Do you remember the Bent-Neck Lady?
Yes.
She's back.
Okay.
Nell, where are you?
I'm at home.
In bed.
I want you to go to Steve and Leigh's.
I'm... I'm gonna drive to Orlando...
and get a flight to LA.
You... Steve's closest, so you go to him.
Okay? And I'll see... I'll see you there tomorrow.
Okay.
I love you, Daddy.
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
I'm sorry to wake you.
Good night, Daddy.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten,
eleven, twelve, thirteen,
fourteen, fifteen, sixteen...
Where have you been?
...eighteen, nineteen.
Here I come.
Which way did he go, Nellie?
Oh, there you are.
Where have you been?
It's almost bedtime.
We were going to have a tea party.
Okay, then.
Nellie, your mom's looking for you.
Mom?
Shirley, where's your mother?
Come on.
She's over here.
Mommy.
Oh, good.
You're here.
But you're not even dressed.
Sorry.
I didn't...
I didn't write that.
I know.
We know.
I know you didn't, sweetie.
We always knew.
We always believed you.
Now you have to get dressed for bed.
I have something you can wear. Middle drawer of my dresser.
You're so beautiful.
So...
So are you, Momma.
My goodness.
We need to get downstairs.
Downstairs?
Of course.
We can't be late for the reception.
You're expected.
Wow.
You look amazing.
Sorry for everything I said.
I always should have believed you.
About everything.
I'm so sorry that we fought.
It's okay.
You were right.
I'm so proud of you, button.
Thanks for believing in me, Nellie.
It did the trick.
I'm clean and sober, all thanks to you.
Hi, gorgeous.
Hi.
I've missed you.
So much.
I've missed you.
I know.
Hello.
Come along.
We're going to have a tea party.
Nellie.
It's yours now.
Mom?
It's okay, honey.
Mommy.
It's time to wake up, sweetheart.
No, no, no, no, no, no.