1 00:00:01,512 --> 00:00:03,116 WILLIAM SHATNER: A lake where a shockingly 2 00:00:03,215 --> 00:00:04,987 high number of people have drowned. 3 00:00:05,186 --> 00:00:07,457 An ancient tomb 4 00:00:07,524 --> 00:00:10,598 that is guarded by the soul of an evil warlord. 5 00:00:11,633 --> 00:00:14,906 And objects with the power to harm anyone 6 00:00:15,106 --> 00:00:16,776 who touches them. 7 00:00:19,381 --> 00:00:22,120 All over the world, there are places and objects 8 00:00:22,253 --> 00:00:24,225 that are thought to be cursed. 9 00:00:24,291 --> 00:00:28,066 But are curses simply the product of our need to find 10 00:00:28,132 --> 00:00:31,640 reasons for tragedies that we can't explain? 11 00:00:32,675 --> 00:00:35,781 Or could they actually be real? 12 00:00:36,783 --> 00:00:39,421 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 13 00:00:39,454 --> 00:00:41,492 ♪ ♪ 14 00:00:57,558 --> 00:01:01,432 SHATNER: Deep within this mountain range lies Lake Lanier. 15 00:01:01,465 --> 00:01:04,872 Millions of people venture to this popular vacation spot 16 00:01:04,872 --> 00:01:04,907 Millions of people venture to this popular vacation spot to relax and unwind 17 00:01:04,907 --> 00:01:07,143 to relax and unwind 18 00:01:07,277 --> 00:01:09,882 despite the fact that every year 19 00:01:09,882 --> 00:01:09,949 despite the fact that every year a shocking number of people drown 20 00:01:09,949 --> 00:01:13,056 a shocking number of people drown 21 00:01:13,222 --> 00:01:14,892 within its placid waters... 22 00:01:16,228 --> 00:01:20,470 ...and many of their bodies are never seen again. 23 00:01:20,571 --> 00:01:22,007 LISA RUSSELL: If you live anywhere 24 00:01:22,140 --> 00:01:23,476 near Lake Lanier in North Georgia, 25 00:01:23,577 --> 00:01:26,816 you're gonna hear, every summer, all of the deaths. 26 00:01:27,852 --> 00:01:29,521 There are bad boating accidents. 27 00:01:29,655 --> 00:01:31,926 And when somebody goes overboard, 28 00:01:32,193 --> 00:01:35,166 it's almost impossible to find them before they drown. 29 00:01:36,435 --> 00:01:40,110 BUCK BUCHANAN: Lake Lanier, from the surface, looks clear. 30 00:01:40,243 --> 00:01:43,049 But we hear time and time again 31 00:01:43,182 --> 00:01:44,719 when we respond to these drownings, 32 00:01:44,786 --> 00:01:46,422 people would say that, "He didn't go into the water, 33 00:01:46,589 --> 00:01:49,027 "come up, struggle, and drown. 34 00:01:49,161 --> 00:01:51,465 He went in and never came back up." 35 00:01:51,599 --> 00:01:54,739 And this happens time and time again. 36 00:01:54,739 --> 00:01:54,806 And this happens time and time again. This lake seems to take people 37 00:01:54,806 --> 00:01:58,279 This lake seems to take people 38 00:01:58,479 --> 00:02:00,516 in one gulp. 39 00:02:03,623 --> 00:02:06,930 MITCH HOROWITZ: Lake Lanier is 26 miles long, 40 00:02:06,930 --> 00:02:06,997 MITCH HOROWITZ: Lake Lanier is 26 miles long, it has 700 miles of shorefront. 41 00:02:06,997 --> 00:02:10,705 it has 700 miles of shorefront. 42 00:02:10,804 --> 00:02:14,345 And it's tempting to attribute the inordinate 43 00:02:14,411 --> 00:02:17,918 number of fatalities to the size of the lake. 44 00:02:17,918 --> 00:02:17,919 number of fatalities to the size of the lake. The fact is, 45 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:19,756 The fact is, 46 00:02:19,789 --> 00:02:24,766 there are lakes of commensurate size in Northern Georgia... 47 00:02:25,768 --> 00:02:27,905 ...that don't have half that number 48 00:02:27,905 --> 00:02:27,972 ...that don't have half that number of fatalities or accidents. 49 00:02:27,972 --> 00:02:30,010 of fatalities or accidents. 50 00:02:30,276 --> 00:02:33,683 So, clearly, there is something about Lake Lanier 51 00:02:33,683 --> 00:02:33,717 So, clearly, there is something about Lake Lanier that is cause for alarm. 52 00:02:33,717 --> 00:02:35,520 that is cause for alarm. 53 00:02:36,522 --> 00:02:37,792 SHATNER: Since the 1950s, 54 00:02:37,892 --> 00:02:40,698 it is estimated that more than 600 people 55 00:02:40,798 --> 00:02:43,737 have lost their lives in Lake Lanier. 56 00:02:43,804 --> 00:02:47,177 It is such a staggering number of fatalities that, 57 00:02:47,243 --> 00:02:49,514 for decades, many have come to believe 58 00:02:49,649 --> 00:02:52,688 that these waters may be cursed. 59 00:02:54,424 --> 00:02:56,195 RUSSELL: Even though there's a lot of people around, 60 00:02:56,261 --> 00:02:59,434 there's just some strange vibe about the lake. 61 00:02:59,534 --> 00:03:02,608 I feel it's a majestic body of water, 62 00:03:02,641 --> 00:03:06,749 but you can't deny that there's something odd about Lake Lanier. 63 00:03:07,918 --> 00:03:09,922 BUCHANAN: When you actually get into Lanier... 64 00:03:10,958 --> 00:03:13,362 ...you get a feeling that you're not alone, 65 00:03:13,529 --> 00:03:15,601 when you should be alone. 66 00:03:16,669 --> 00:03:19,375 I don't feel like someone's reaching out to grab me, 67 00:03:19,441 --> 00:03:22,514 but the water feels thicker than it should. 68 00:03:22,681 --> 00:03:24,485 And what I mean by that is, 69 00:03:24,552 --> 00:03:26,690 a lady fell out of a boat, and we actually witnessed it. 70 00:03:26,756 --> 00:03:29,763 And we ran over there and pulled her out of the water 71 00:03:29,862 --> 00:03:31,432 and she was very upset, and she said, 72 00:03:31,566 --> 00:03:33,036 "I'm so embarrassed," and I said, 73 00:03:33,302 --> 00:03:35,775 "Don't worry, we see people do this all the time." 74 00:03:35,874 --> 00:03:37,211 And she said, "No, you don't understand. 75 00:03:37,410 --> 00:03:39,447 I'm a lifeguard." 76 00:03:39,514 --> 00:03:42,020 And she said just when she found herself in that water, 77 00:03:42,020 --> 00:03:42,054 And she said just when she found herself in that water, it was just like molasses. 78 00:03:42,054 --> 00:03:43,757 it was just like molasses. 79 00:03:44,759 --> 00:03:46,997 So all the things that we see in this lake, 80 00:03:47,063 --> 00:03:50,336 it finally got so bad and scared the locals so much, 81 00:03:50,536 --> 00:03:52,140 that we think 82 00:03:52,373 --> 00:03:54,679 maybe we're just stuck with a curse we have to live with. 83 00:03:56,014 --> 00:03:57,752 SHATNER: Could the numerous fatalities 84 00:03:57,852 --> 00:03:59,956 that have taken place at Lake Lanier 85 00:03:59,956 --> 00:03:59,989 that have taken place at Lake Lanier be the result of a curse? 86 00:03:59,989 --> 00:04:01,993 be the result of a curse? 87 00:04:01,993 --> 00:04:02,060 be the result of a curse? It may sound far-fetched to some. 88 00:04:02,060 --> 00:04:05,233 It may sound far-fetched to some. 89 00:04:05,333 --> 00:04:08,005 But for decades, researchers have been examining 90 00:04:08,005 --> 00:04:08,072 But for decades, researchers have been examining the possibility that Lake Lanier 91 00:04:08,072 --> 00:04:11,245 the possibility that Lake Lanier 92 00:04:11,345 --> 00:04:14,251 could be harboring the power to inflict harm. 93 00:04:14,351 --> 00:04:16,757 And according to their investigations, 94 00:04:16,789 --> 00:04:20,864 it may have something to do with the history of Lake Lanier. 95 00:04:22,801 --> 00:04:25,240 JASON OCKER: Lake Lanier is the largest lake in Georgia. 96 00:04:25,406 --> 00:04:27,043 It's a man-made lake 97 00:04:27,076 --> 00:04:31,285 meant to provide water and power to the surrounding communities. 98 00:04:31,385 --> 00:04:33,624 They actually made it by flooding a valley 99 00:04:33,757 --> 00:04:35,092 that had a town in it, Oscarville. 100 00:04:36,461 --> 00:04:38,566 So, they had to relocate the people that lived there 101 00:04:38,633 --> 00:04:42,808 and then they just drowned the entire town under water. 102 00:04:44,377 --> 00:04:46,616 SHATNER: Oscarville wasn't the only town 103 00:04:46,683 --> 00:04:49,555 that was affected by the building of Lake Lanier. 104 00:04:51,391 --> 00:04:53,897 In the 1940s and 50s, the U.S. government acquired 105 00:04:53,930 --> 00:04:58,539 the rights to more than 56,000 acres of land in Forsyth, 106 00:04:58,707 --> 00:05:01,546 Hall and Dawson counties 107 00:05:01,646 --> 00:05:04,586 to make room for the 38,000-acre lake 108 00:05:04,685 --> 00:05:07,658 and more than 700 miles of shoreline. 109 00:05:08,727 --> 00:05:11,566 This included several small towns, 110 00:05:11,666 --> 00:05:14,004 and the remains of these communities 111 00:05:14,070 --> 00:05:18,580 are still submerged beneath the surface of Lake Lanier. 112 00:05:19,782 --> 00:05:21,285 BUCHANAN: When they built the lake, 113 00:05:21,385 --> 00:05:23,623 they left tons of structure in the water. 114 00:05:23,723 --> 00:05:27,397 We've got concrete, roads, bridges. 115 00:05:27,530 --> 00:05:28,532 We've got a racetrack under there. 116 00:05:28,700 --> 00:05:30,904 We've got standing timber 117 00:05:30,971 --> 00:05:36,114 that stands as high as 40, 60, 70 feet from the bottom. 118 00:05:37,818 --> 00:05:40,825 HOROWITZ: There seems to be a great deal of debris in the water, 119 00:05:40,958 --> 00:05:44,699 so it's not an ideal place for people 120 00:05:44,765 --> 00:05:47,738 to be swimming or boating, or jet skiing, or partying. 121 00:05:47,838 --> 00:05:50,009 The fact is, it's a dangerous place. 122 00:05:51,746 --> 00:05:54,619 SHATNER: Authorities claim that many people drown in Lake Lanier 123 00:05:54,719 --> 00:05:56,723 because they get caught in the debris 124 00:05:56,856 --> 00:05:59,461 lurking beneath its surface. 125 00:05:59,595 --> 00:06:01,934 But researchers studying the lake 126 00:06:02,033 --> 00:06:04,773 believe this is only part of the story. 127 00:06:04,872 --> 00:06:07,711 And that the source of the dark force 128 00:06:07,778 --> 00:06:10,785 drawing people down into its murky depths 129 00:06:10,917 --> 00:06:13,624 is a Native American burial ground 130 00:06:13,723 --> 00:06:17,631 that was submerged by the lake's construction. 131 00:06:19,602 --> 00:06:22,609 Back in 2007 there was a drought and the water went way low. 132 00:06:22,741 --> 00:06:26,014 And because of that, they found an area 133 00:06:26,114 --> 00:06:29,454 called the Summerour Mound, Indian Mounds. 134 00:06:29,622 --> 00:06:31,626 It's considered a sacred area 135 00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:33,663 that belonged to the Native Americans, 136 00:06:33,797 --> 00:06:35,701 the Creeks and the Cherokees. 137 00:06:35,767 --> 00:06:38,874 Lake Lanier was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, 138 00:06:38,973 --> 00:06:41,178 and according to the Army Corps of Engineers, 139 00:06:41,178 --> 00:06:41,245 and according to the Army Corps of Engineers, they removed all the bodies 140 00:06:41,245 --> 00:06:42,615 they removed all the bodies 141 00:06:42,748 --> 00:06:44,585 while they were creating Lake Lanier. 142 00:06:44,652 --> 00:06:46,088 But back when they were building these lakes, 143 00:06:46,154 --> 00:06:48,159 they didn't have ground-penetrating equipment. 144 00:06:48,225 --> 00:06:50,998 So there's a great likelihood that there are bodies 145 00:06:51,064 --> 00:06:55,106 of the Native Americans under the waters of Lake Lanier. 146 00:06:56,508 --> 00:06:59,214 SHATNER: Could the presence of Native American remains 147 00:06:59,214 --> 00:06:59,315 SHATNER: Could the presence of Native American remains beneath Lake Lanier have a connection 148 00:06:59,315 --> 00:07:01,820 beneath Lake Lanier have a connection 149 00:07:01,886 --> 00:07:04,992 to the unusual number of accidental deaths there? 150 00:07:06,061 --> 00:07:07,899 Has the Native American belief in the power 151 00:07:07,998 --> 00:07:13,208 of ancestral spirits cursed Lake Lanier? 152 00:07:14,578 --> 00:07:16,181 TOK THOMPSON: Certainly among Native American 153 00:07:16,181 --> 00:07:16,214 TOK THOMPSON: Certainly among Native American traditions, we have a widespread 154 00:07:16,214 --> 00:07:18,152 traditions, we have a widespread 155 00:07:18,218 --> 00:07:22,126 belief in curses, particularly land-based curses. 156 00:07:22,193 --> 00:07:26,301 And this connects to an overall sort of belief in animism, 157 00:07:26,535 --> 00:07:30,076 that the material world is infused with spiritual aspects. 158 00:07:30,109 --> 00:07:33,884 Now, many Native American traditions have long-standing, 159 00:07:33,950 --> 00:07:37,123 very deep beliefs about how to treat dead bodies 160 00:07:37,156 --> 00:07:40,897 and how not to disturb them and how not to disturb burial sites. 161 00:07:40,964 --> 00:07:43,837 The desecration of those is held in Native communities 162 00:07:43,970 --> 00:07:47,911 to bring on a lot of bad spiritual energy. 163 00:07:48,947 --> 00:07:50,584 SHATNER: Is it possible that Lake Lanier 164 00:07:50,717 --> 00:07:53,823 is home to dark spiritual energy? 165 00:07:54,859 --> 00:07:56,395 Perhaps. 166 00:07:56,562 --> 00:07:57,999 But what's most surprising 167 00:07:58,098 --> 00:08:00,971 is that even though this lake may be cursed, 168 00:08:01,071 --> 00:08:06,082 people continue to enter its waters every day. 169 00:08:06,114 --> 00:08:09,521 BUCHANAN: There's world-class divers that will not dive Lake Lanier. 170 00:08:09,655 --> 00:08:12,928 We have 11 to 14 million people a year 171 00:08:13,028 --> 00:08:15,032 that are coming here and taking their chances 172 00:08:15,132 --> 00:08:18,106 in spite of the fact that there has been somewhere 173 00:08:18,205 --> 00:08:21,613 between 600 and 700 drownings on this lake. 174 00:08:21,712 --> 00:08:23,349 I'm not saying that there's a curse, 175 00:08:23,616 --> 00:08:26,623 but I'm saying there's definitely some bad energy. 176 00:08:26,722 --> 00:08:29,762 And if it's not cursed, maybe it should be. 177 00:08:31,599 --> 00:08:35,272 Can disturbing the sanctity of human remains 178 00:08:35,272 --> 00:08:35,339 Can disturbing the sanctity of human remains actually unleash a deadly curse? 179 00:08:35,339 --> 00:08:38,278 actually unleash a deadly curse? 180 00:08:39,247 --> 00:08:40,617 Well, there are those who believe that 181 00:08:40,750 --> 00:08:43,155 when archaeologists tampered 182 00:08:43,288 --> 00:08:45,561 with the tomb of an ancient warlord, 183 00:08:45,660 --> 00:08:47,932 they triggered one that was so strong, 184 00:08:48,031 --> 00:08:52,808 it changed the course of human history. 185 00:08:58,318 --> 00:09:01,626 SHATNER: Near the center of this ancient city in Central Asia, 186 00:09:01,759 --> 00:09:05,801 is a mausoleum known as Gur-e Amir. 187 00:09:05,901 --> 00:09:08,773 It is also known as the Tomb of the King... 188 00:09:09,942 --> 00:09:12,682 ...because inside its magnificent dome 189 00:09:12,781 --> 00:09:15,754 lie the remains of one of the most feared 190 00:09:15,921 --> 00:09:17,724 rulers in history. 191 00:09:18,793 --> 00:09:20,998 Tamerlane the Great. 192 00:09:22,166 --> 00:09:26,609 RICHARD SPENCE: Tamerlane was often credited as being the last of the great 193 00:09:26,676 --> 00:09:29,682 Asiatic conquerors in the mold of Genghis Khan. 194 00:09:30,784 --> 00:09:35,126 He started off basically as a minor tribal leader 195 00:09:35,226 --> 00:09:39,702 and then he embarked upon a 35-year career 196 00:09:39,835 --> 00:09:42,340 of constant war and conquest... 197 00:09:42,340 --> 00:09:42,407 of constant war and conquest... -(clamoring) -...during which 198 00:09:42,407 --> 00:09:45,915 -(clamoring) -...during which 199 00:09:45,981 --> 00:09:48,587 he's often credited with exterminating five percent 200 00:09:48,753 --> 00:09:49,955 of the world's population. 201 00:09:51,124 --> 00:09:54,766 Tamerlane was very adept at psychological warfare 202 00:09:54,865 --> 00:09:57,069 and putting his adversary on the wrong foot. 203 00:09:58,740 --> 00:10:02,346 His most chilling battlefield signature was the erection of 204 00:10:02,346 --> 00:10:02,347 His most chilling battlefield signature was the erection of large numbers of towers around the city he'd just conquered. 205 00:10:02,347 --> 00:10:06,254 large numbers of towers around the city he'd just conquered. 206 00:10:08,025 --> 00:10:11,264 And these towers were made up from the decapitated heads... 207 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:14,404 ...of the victims of the latest conquest. 208 00:10:15,406 --> 00:10:17,243 A really awful warning 209 00:10:17,343 --> 00:10:20,717 to anyone else who might think about rebelling. 210 00:10:21,719 --> 00:10:22,921 "This is the fate that awaits you 211 00:10:23,021 --> 00:10:25,894 "if you even think about any opposition. 212 00:10:25,994 --> 00:10:28,532 I will destroy you and destroy your city." 213 00:10:29,868 --> 00:10:34,310 SHATNER: In 1405, Tamerlane died of a fever at the age of 69. 214 00:10:34,410 --> 00:10:37,985 By that time, his empire stretched from Siberia 215 00:10:38,151 --> 00:10:40,389 to the Mediterranean Sea. 216 00:10:40,389 --> 00:10:40,456 to the Mediterranean Sea. But some claim that even in death, 217 00:10:40,456 --> 00:10:43,228 But some claim that even in death, 218 00:10:43,262 --> 00:10:46,903 Tamerlane wasn't finished exerting his power on the world 219 00:10:47,003 --> 00:10:51,144 because his tomb is believed to be protected 220 00:10:51,144 --> 00:10:51,178 because his tomb is believed to be protected by a deadly curse. 221 00:10:51,178 --> 00:10:53,115 by a deadly curse. 222 00:10:54,718 --> 00:10:57,625 Certain people attain that level of, you know, 223 00:10:57,758 --> 00:10:59,795 absolutely terrifying, vicious person. 224 00:11:01,431 --> 00:11:03,770 Something is evil in them, so when they die, 225 00:11:03,903 --> 00:11:05,306 whatever it is that makes them evil, 226 00:11:05,439 --> 00:11:07,811 a lot of people think it still exists. 227 00:11:09,748 --> 00:11:10,884 And where would it be? 228 00:11:11,017 --> 00:11:11,986 It would be wherever the body is, 229 00:11:12,153 --> 00:11:14,057 so in the tomb of Tamerlane... 230 00:11:15,025 --> 00:11:16,194 ...would be this evil presence 231 00:11:16,294 --> 00:11:19,200 that's now still terrifying in his death. 232 00:11:20,436 --> 00:11:23,075 SHATNER: For centuries, Tamerlane's tomb was untouched 233 00:11:23,175 --> 00:11:25,981 by archaeologists, for fear of unleashing 234 00:11:26,147 --> 00:11:28,352 the dark forces inside. 235 00:11:29,454 --> 00:11:33,896 But 80 years ago, his tomb was finally disturbed, 236 00:11:33,963 --> 00:11:35,934 and there are those who believe that it set off 237 00:11:36,001 --> 00:11:40,275 a chain of events that changed the course of history. 238 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,298 Under the orders of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, 239 00:11:51,364 --> 00:11:55,941 Russian archaeologists enter Tamerlane's mausoleum 240 00:11:56,141 --> 00:11:58,478 and open his tomb. 241 00:11:59,548 --> 00:12:01,719 MAROZZI: Stalin was interested in the clues 242 00:12:01,852 --> 00:12:03,455 behind Tamerlane's greatness. 243 00:12:03,522 --> 00:12:07,464 Tamerlane was such an incredibly powerful man... 244 00:12:08,833 --> 00:12:11,271 ...whose career had been one of bloodshed and savagery. 245 00:12:11,371 --> 00:12:13,777 And Stalin wanted to send a very strong message 246 00:12:13,876 --> 00:12:16,214 that he was a 20th-century equivalent. 247 00:12:18,485 --> 00:12:19,955 STEAVU: When the expedition 248 00:12:20,089 --> 00:12:21,959 arrived on-site, they were told, 249 00:12:21,993 --> 00:12:25,199 "Tamerlane's tomb has remained undisturbed for centuries." 250 00:12:26,167 --> 00:12:27,838 And not to open the tomb, 251 00:12:27,904 --> 00:12:30,944 that if they did, something terrible would happen. 252 00:12:33,883 --> 00:12:37,023 Of course, the expedition proceeded to open the tomb... 253 00:12:38,525 --> 00:12:42,567 ...and this very powerful smell of frankincense, 254 00:12:42,567 --> 00:12:42,634 ...and this very powerful smell of frankincense, of rose oil and camphor suddenly 255 00:12:42,634 --> 00:12:46,241 of rose oil and camphor suddenly 256 00:12:46,341 --> 00:12:49,047 burst forth and envelops the expedition. 257 00:12:49,113 --> 00:12:52,821 Some of the members of the expedition believe that it was 258 00:12:52,988 --> 00:12:54,357 the smell of a curse. 259 00:12:55,492 --> 00:12:56,863 MAROZZI: There are, supposedly, 260 00:12:56,996 --> 00:12:59,100 two inscriptions on the tomb of Tamerlane. 261 00:13:00,135 --> 00:13:02,239 The first inscription reads: 262 00:13:08,151 --> 00:13:10,289 The second inscription read: 263 00:13:17,303 --> 00:13:18,807 And that's an indication 264 00:13:18,940 --> 00:13:20,242 this is a sacred resting place. 265 00:13:20,342 --> 00:13:22,648 This is not somewhere to be trifled with. 266 00:13:22,881 --> 00:13:25,352 It was not something that-that should even be entertained. 267 00:13:26,454 --> 00:13:28,058 SPENCE: The body was removed 268 00:13:28,158 --> 00:13:30,563 and it was taken back to Leningrad 269 00:13:30,563 --> 00:13:30,664 and it was taken back to Leningrad where the remains were being studied 270 00:13:30,664 --> 00:13:32,466 where the remains were being studied 271 00:13:32,466 --> 00:13:32,500 where the remains were being studied at that point in time. 272 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:33,970 at that point in time. 273 00:13:34,070 --> 00:13:35,373 One of the things that was in the paper 274 00:13:35,472 --> 00:13:38,613 was a picture of a Soviet archaeologist 275 00:13:38,613 --> 00:13:38,680 was a picture of a Soviet archaeologist holding the skull of Tamerlane. 276 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:41,017 holding the skull of Tamerlane. 277 00:13:42,052 --> 00:13:44,524 And in the article accompanying this, 278 00:13:44,524 --> 00:13:44,558 And in the article accompanying this, there is a reference that 279 00:13:44,558 --> 00:13:46,629 there is a reference that 280 00:13:46,929 --> 00:13:50,502 there were locals who were disturbed about this. 281 00:13:53,408 --> 00:13:55,312 SHATNER: On June 22, 1941, 282 00:13:55,379 --> 00:13:58,953 two days after Tamerlane's tomb was opened, 283 00:13:59,053 --> 00:14:01,191 Russia was hit with a surprise attack 284 00:14:01,324 --> 00:14:03,295 by Germany, its supposed ally. 285 00:14:03,361 --> 00:14:08,372 Over three million Nazi troops marched into Russia 286 00:14:08,472 --> 00:14:11,979 in the most massive invasion in history. 287 00:14:12,079 --> 00:14:13,784 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union 288 00:14:13,950 --> 00:14:15,319 without any warning. 289 00:14:16,387 --> 00:14:19,595 Up until then, there had been a pact of nonaggression, 290 00:14:19,661 --> 00:14:23,168 so this came as quite a surprise to the Soviet Union. 291 00:14:23,235 --> 00:14:27,109 The Nazis called this surprise attack Operation Barbarossa. 292 00:14:27,143 --> 00:14:30,750 And they were very swift and overwhelming in their attacks, 293 00:14:31,017 --> 00:14:36,028 and they managed to get very far into the Soviet Union, 294 00:14:36,127 --> 00:14:39,066 rather quickly, causing great devastation 295 00:14:39,233 --> 00:14:41,538 and loss of life to the Soviets. 296 00:14:42,674 --> 00:14:47,016 Tamerlane's body is removed from its tomb on the 20th, 297 00:14:47,082 --> 00:14:52,159 and the Eastern Front erupts in flames two days later. 298 00:14:54,998 --> 00:14:57,437 Remember, there was a curse. 299 00:14:57,536 --> 00:15:02,146 "Whosoever will disturb my tomb will unleash 300 00:15:02,279 --> 00:15:05,519 an invader worse than I." 301 00:15:06,589 --> 00:15:09,628 So a lot of people would say the synchronicity 302 00:15:09,695 --> 00:15:14,003 between the removal of Tamerlane's body from his tomb 303 00:15:14,103 --> 00:15:18,813 and the launching of Operation Barbarossa 304 00:15:19,013 --> 00:15:20,315 isn't an accident. 305 00:15:22,687 --> 00:15:25,760 SHATNER: As German troops continued to overpower Russian forces, 306 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:25,827 SHATNER: As German troops continued to overpower Russian forces, Stalin's advisors began to question 307 00:15:25,827 --> 00:15:28,498 Stalin's advisors began to question 308 00:15:28,566 --> 00:15:33,241 if the curse of Tamerlane's tomb had been unleashed. 309 00:15:34,477 --> 00:15:36,448 They urged him to return Tamerlane's remains 310 00:15:36,549 --> 00:15:39,154 to Uzbekistan in the desperate hope 311 00:15:39,287 --> 00:15:42,293 that it would turn the tide of battle. 312 00:15:43,295 --> 00:15:46,467 And to their astonishment... 313 00:15:46,467 --> 00:15:46,468 And to their astonishment... it worked. 314 00:15:46,468 --> 00:15:48,238 it worked. 315 00:15:48,338 --> 00:15:49,909 Tamerlane's remains are put back in, 316 00:15:50,075 --> 00:15:51,545 in December of 1942. 317 00:15:52,747 --> 00:15:54,150 But the whole course of the war 318 00:15:54,317 --> 00:15:57,456 at the Eastern Front changes 319 00:15:57,557 --> 00:16:01,031 and from that point on, it's just one long 320 00:16:01,164 --> 00:16:03,301 nightmare retreat for the Germans 321 00:16:03,468 --> 00:16:07,711 back to Berlin in April 1945. 322 00:16:09,247 --> 00:16:12,186 SHATNER: Is it possible that returning Tamerlane's remains to his tomb 323 00:16:12,319 --> 00:16:13,990 broke the curse that triggered 324 00:16:14,090 --> 00:16:16,394 Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union? 325 00:16:16,494 --> 00:16:21,271 For many, the evidence is hard to ignore. 326 00:16:22,774 --> 00:16:24,410 MAROZZI: I think for those who subscribe 327 00:16:24,510 --> 00:16:26,549 to what we call the Curse of Tamerlane, 328 00:16:26,649 --> 00:16:28,719 there are these two great coincidences. 329 00:16:28,719 --> 00:16:30,591 Coincidence one, 330 00:16:30,623 --> 00:16:32,961 the tomb is opened against all the objections of the Uzbeks, 331 00:16:33,094 --> 00:16:35,767 Hitler invades the Soviet Union. 332 00:16:36,769 --> 00:16:38,338 Coincidence number two, 333 00:16:38,405 --> 00:16:41,645 Tamerlane is reinterred with full burial rights, 334 00:16:41,645 --> 00:16:41,679 Tamerlane is reinterred with full burial rights, Hitler is defeated. 335 00:16:41,679 --> 00:16:42,915 Hitler is defeated. 336 00:16:43,081 --> 00:16:44,651 So it comes full circle. 337 00:16:44,651 --> 00:16:44,719 So it comes full circle. Two coincidences, or two proofs 338 00:16:44,719 --> 00:16:47,523 Two coincidences, or two proofs 339 00:16:47,624 --> 00:16:50,196 that the curse was absolutely for real. 340 00:16:50,395 --> 00:16:51,431 Take your pick. 341 00:16:52,499 --> 00:16:55,306 The idea that the curse of Tamerlane's tomb 342 00:16:55,372 --> 00:16:58,980 somehow brought about the Nazi invasion of Russia 343 00:16:59,113 --> 00:17:02,220 is unsettling, to say the least. 344 00:17:02,252 --> 00:17:05,994 But curses that don't have such far-reaching implications 345 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,463 are no less alarming. 346 00:17:07,564 --> 00:17:10,804 Consider the case of a hotel in Los Angeles 347 00:17:10,837 --> 00:17:14,377 where, for decades, there were dozens of guests who checked in, 348 00:17:14,543 --> 00:17:16,615 but never checked out. 349 00:17:23,629 --> 00:17:27,036 SHATNER: Numerous guests staying at the Cecil Hotel 350 00:17:27,136 --> 00:17:30,475 file complaints about low water pressure. 351 00:17:31,444 --> 00:17:32,715 A maintenance worker 352 00:17:32,814 --> 00:17:34,250 is dispatched to check the water tanks 353 00:17:34,417 --> 00:17:36,454 located on the hotel's roof 354 00:17:36,555 --> 00:17:39,294 where he makes a shocking discovery. 355 00:17:39,393 --> 00:17:44,203 Floating facedown in one of the water tanks 356 00:17:44,370 --> 00:17:46,375 is the decomposing body 357 00:17:46,474 --> 00:17:50,683 of 21-year-old hotel guest, Elisa Lam. 358 00:17:53,188 --> 00:17:54,691 On the last day of 2012, 359 00:17:54,691 --> 00:17:54,692 On the last day of 2012, New Year's Eve, 360 00:17:54,692 --> 00:17:56,094 New Year's Eve, 361 00:17:56,194 --> 00:17:57,496 was the last time she was seen alive. 362 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,172 Elisa Lam was caught by the camera in the elevator. 363 00:18:03,174 --> 00:18:05,145 And then she disappears. 364 00:18:05,312 --> 00:18:06,849 The LAPD, they released 365 00:18:06,849 --> 00:18:06,850 The LAPD, they released a video of Elisa Lam 366 00:18:06,850 --> 00:18:09,254 a video of Elisa Lam 367 00:18:09,353 --> 00:18:13,395 and it's a really bizarre, bizarre video. 368 00:18:14,530 --> 00:18:19,474 She's seen going in and out of an elevator, 369 00:18:19,608 --> 00:18:22,346 she seems to be interacting 370 00:18:22,446 --> 00:18:25,587 or playing hide-and-seek with someone. 371 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,425 She's frantically, erratically, 372 00:18:28,525 --> 00:18:31,397 pushing all the buttons in the elevator. 373 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,507 And then, she was found facedown... 374 00:18:37,476 --> 00:18:40,817 ...inside a sealed water tank 375 00:18:40,817 --> 00:18:40,850 ...inside a sealed water tank at the roof of the hotel. 376 00:18:40,850 --> 00:18:42,854 at the roof of the hotel. 377 00:18:44,323 --> 00:18:46,695 SHATNER: After conducting an investigation, 378 00:18:46,795 --> 00:18:49,434 the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled 379 00:18:49,533 --> 00:18:53,274 that Elisa Lam's death was an accident. 380 00:18:54,243 --> 00:18:57,316 But the bizarre circumstances 381 00:18:57,383 --> 00:19:00,289 surrounding her case led some researchers to believe 382 00:19:00,355 --> 00:19:02,527 that something more insidious had taken place. 383 00:19:02,660 --> 00:19:04,497 And that Elisa Lam was actually 384 00:19:04,631 --> 00:19:07,369 the latest victim of a deadly curse 385 00:19:07,503 --> 00:19:10,676 that plagues the Cecil Hotel. 386 00:19:13,381 --> 00:19:16,521 Since it first opened in 1924, 387 00:19:16,588 --> 00:19:19,160 an alarming number of people have taken their lives 388 00:19:19,260 --> 00:19:22,367 while staying there, earning it the nickname 389 00:19:22,533 --> 00:19:24,503 "the Suicide Hotel." 390 00:19:26,274 --> 00:19:27,210 HOROWITZ: The Cecil Hotel 391 00:19:27,376 --> 00:19:28,913 is a Beaux Arts structure. 392 00:19:28,946 --> 00:19:33,221 It was built in the style of grand American hotels. 393 00:19:34,223 --> 00:19:36,327 Back in its day, it was quite beautiful, 394 00:19:36,394 --> 00:19:39,868 with columns, marble floors, an expansive lobby, 395 00:19:39,935 --> 00:19:43,208 and it was intended to be a very high-class hotel 396 00:19:43,341 --> 00:19:45,613 for an upwardly mobile clientele. 397 00:19:47,483 --> 00:19:49,588 BARTLETT: All hotels have deaths in them, 398 00:19:49,688 --> 00:19:52,393 but for some reason, the Cecil Hotel 399 00:19:52,459 --> 00:19:54,999 seems to have far much more than the average number. 400 00:19:55,265 --> 00:19:58,806 When I was doing my research, I found 17 suicides 401 00:19:58,839 --> 00:20:02,479 within the newspaper archives that linked to the hotel. 402 00:20:02,580 --> 00:20:04,016 And those are just reported ones. 403 00:20:04,016 --> 00:20:04,083 And those are just reported ones. Now, it doesn't sound like a lot, 404 00:20:04,083 --> 00:20:05,453 Now, it doesn't sound like a lot, 405 00:20:05,553 --> 00:20:07,523 but compared to all the other hotels, 406 00:20:07,557 --> 00:20:11,632 I would find maybe one or two, almost without exception. 407 00:20:11,698 --> 00:20:14,638 So it makes this particular hotel stand out. 408 00:20:15,706 --> 00:20:18,879 EBNER: The Cecil Hotel had only been open a few short years... 409 00:20:19,948 --> 00:20:23,421 ...and the sheer number of suicides 410 00:20:23,589 --> 00:20:25,426 was already coming to a peak. 411 00:20:25,525 --> 00:20:30,035 W.K. Norton, he poisoned himself in his room. 412 00:20:31,738 --> 00:20:36,014 And Army medic Sergeant Louis D. Borden, 413 00:20:36,047 --> 00:20:40,322 he surgically slit his own throat in the hotel room. 414 00:20:40,455 --> 00:20:43,328 The list of unexplained deaths 415 00:20:43,495 --> 00:20:46,602 goes on and on and on. 416 00:20:46,735 --> 00:20:48,973 And people were like, thinking, "Wow, 417 00:20:49,073 --> 00:20:52,513 "could it be something about the Cecil Hotel 418 00:20:52,614 --> 00:20:56,788 that triggered this kind of insane behavior?" 419 00:20:57,891 --> 00:21:00,964 There are certain places that seem to attract 420 00:21:01,063 --> 00:21:04,003 an inordinate amount of violent activity. 421 00:21:05,372 --> 00:21:07,610 It's very easy for us to talk in terms of coincidence 422 00:21:07,777 --> 00:21:10,616 when we're discussing curses. 423 00:21:10,683 --> 00:21:14,591 But if people hear that there was an act of violence, 424 00:21:14,758 --> 00:21:18,699 suicide at a certain place, 425 00:21:18,766 --> 00:21:21,806 that seems to spark something in the human imagination 426 00:21:21,905 --> 00:21:24,244 including in the most negative sense. 427 00:21:24,376 --> 00:21:26,649 Hence, we have the phenomena of 428 00:21:26,748 --> 00:21:30,522 people being attracted to certain spots. 429 00:21:31,992 --> 00:21:33,929 You might use the expression, "I don't like the energy 430 00:21:33,929 --> 00:21:33,963 You might use the expression, "I don't like the energy coming off of that place." 431 00:21:33,963 --> 00:21:35,365 coming off of that place." 432 00:21:35,532 --> 00:21:36,902 We use it metaphorically, 433 00:21:36,969 --> 00:21:39,641 although there may be something actual to it. 434 00:21:41,077 --> 00:21:44,985 SHATNER: What is it about certain places such as the Cecil Hotel 435 00:21:45,051 --> 00:21:48,524 that causes people to harm themselves or others? 436 00:21:49,728 --> 00:21:52,132 Could they really be cursed? 437 00:21:53,534 --> 00:21:56,274 Some researchers claim that if there is a dark energy 438 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,311 at the Cecil Hotel, 439 00:21:58,411 --> 00:22:01,952 it may have already existed at this site 440 00:22:01,952 --> 00:22:02,019 it may have already existed at this site long before the hotel was built. 441 00:22:02,019 --> 00:22:04,423 long before the hotel was built. 442 00:22:05,893 --> 00:22:08,498 Another interesting aspect of curses and cursed places 443 00:22:08,565 --> 00:22:11,003 particularly is that there's always a reason 444 00:22:11,003 --> 00:22:11,037 particularly is that there's always a reason of why this became cursed. 445 00:22:11,037 --> 00:22:13,742 of why this became cursed. 446 00:22:15,111 --> 00:22:17,350 So for example, in L.A., 447 00:22:17,449 --> 00:22:19,153 this has been a very contentious area 448 00:22:19,420 --> 00:22:21,925 for a long time, ever since the initial colonization. 449 00:22:23,161 --> 00:22:27,236 So the local tribe, the Tongva tribe, suffered greatly. 450 00:22:27,436 --> 00:22:28,806 (shouting) 451 00:22:28,906 --> 00:22:32,413 They were pretty much massacred at the hands 452 00:22:32,479 --> 00:22:34,951 of the Spanish colonists who arrived in this area. 453 00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:40,395 Or later, in 1871, where they have the Chinatown massacre 454 00:22:40,495 --> 00:22:42,901 where this was an ethnic-driven violence 455 00:22:42,967 --> 00:22:46,440 perpetrated against the Chinese community in L.A. 456 00:22:46,507 --> 00:22:49,547 that had been established here, and it was horrific. 457 00:22:50,549 --> 00:22:53,856 The idea is that there's a curse on this area 458 00:22:53,956 --> 00:22:56,327 that reflects these atrocities and that 459 00:22:56,460 --> 00:22:58,465 the curse is not gonna be lifted 460 00:22:58,531 --> 00:23:01,338 as long as those atrocities are not accounted for. 461 00:23:02,674 --> 00:23:06,114 SHATNER: Is it possible that the dark history of the Cecil Hotel 462 00:23:06,180 --> 00:23:09,921 was caused by a violent energy permeating the area? 463 00:23:11,023 --> 00:23:12,994 True or not, 464 00:23:13,061 --> 00:23:18,438 the Cecil Hotel nevertheless closed its doors in 2017 465 00:23:18,572 --> 00:23:23,147 as a result of its sinister reputation. 466 00:23:23,147 --> 00:23:23,181 as a result of its sinister reputation. A lot of people, of course, 467 00:23:23,181 --> 00:23:24,685 A lot of people, of course, 468 00:23:24,784 --> 00:23:27,189 roll their eyes at the idea of a curse. 469 00:23:28,859 --> 00:23:31,765 But if you gave a person the option of spending 470 00:23:31,832 --> 00:23:34,871 a night alone in a place that was rumored to be cursed, 471 00:23:34,871 --> 00:23:34,872 a night alone in a place that was rumored to be cursed, like the Cecil, 472 00:23:34,872 --> 00:23:36,609 like the Cecil, 473 00:23:36,641 --> 00:23:39,614 most of the people who roll their eyes would probably pause, 474 00:23:39,781 --> 00:23:43,087 given such a macabre history. 475 00:23:44,657 --> 00:23:48,866 Is it possible for a place to be imbued with dark energy? 476 00:23:49,934 --> 00:23:52,741 In the case of the Cecil Hotel, it certainly seems possible. 477 00:23:52,874 --> 00:23:55,713 But there are also many who believe 478 00:23:55,780 --> 00:23:59,555 that objects can carry curses, too. 479 00:23:59,654 --> 00:24:01,490 For instance, there's a sports car 480 00:24:01,591 --> 00:24:04,029 that has a reputation for killing its drivers, 481 00:24:04,063 --> 00:24:08,572 including one of the most iconic movie stars of all time. 482 00:24:14,851 --> 00:24:16,755 SHATNER: At 5:45 in the afternoon, 483 00:24:16,855 --> 00:24:21,397 a brand-new 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder 484 00:24:21,565 --> 00:24:24,470 traveling west on US 466 485 00:24:24,604 --> 00:24:27,643 collides with an oncoming sedan. 486 00:24:29,681 --> 00:24:33,254 The impact instantly kills the driver of the Porsche. 487 00:24:33,254 --> 00:24:33,321 The impact instantly kills the driver of the Porsche. News of the ill-fated accident 488 00:24:33,321 --> 00:24:34,892 News of the ill-fated accident 489 00:24:34,958 --> 00:24:38,799 sends shockwaves around the world because... 490 00:24:39,834 --> 00:24:41,471 ...the driver was none other 491 00:24:41,571 --> 00:24:45,780 than the iconic American actor James Dean. 492 00:24:47,282 --> 00:24:49,020 At the time of his death, 493 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,092 James Dean was definitely the one to watch. 494 00:24:53,261 --> 00:24:56,635 He had his debut movie star performance 495 00:24:56,835 --> 00:24:58,940 in East of Eden, 496 00:24:59,072 --> 00:25:01,912 and he had two other movies in the can, 497 00:25:02,012 --> 00:25:06,555 and he was launched into becoming the face 498 00:25:06,721 --> 00:25:09,794 of rebellious Hollywood. 499 00:25:09,928 --> 00:25:12,399 But all that came to a crashing end 500 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,173 on September 30, 1955. 501 00:25:17,877 --> 00:25:20,516 SHATNER: James Dean's death behind the wheel 502 00:25:20,649 --> 00:25:22,753 shocked friends and fans alike. 503 00:25:23,755 --> 00:25:24,925 Not only because the actor 504 00:25:25,024 --> 00:25:26,728 was such a rising star at the time... 505 00:25:27,930 --> 00:25:30,603 ...but also because even at his relatively young age, 506 00:25:30,669 --> 00:25:34,811 24-year-old Dean had already proven himself to be 507 00:25:34,944 --> 00:25:37,115 an accomplished race car driver. 508 00:25:38,986 --> 00:25:42,894 When James Dean came to Southern California in 1954, 509 00:25:43,027 --> 00:25:45,331 he entered the Palm Springs Road Races 510 00:25:45,331 --> 00:25:45,366 he entered the Palm Springs Road Races as a novice driver. 511 00:25:45,366 --> 00:25:47,302 as a novice driver. 512 00:25:50,175 --> 00:25:52,847 He won his race 513 00:25:52,914 --> 00:25:56,622 as a novice and qualified for the Sunday main event 514 00:25:56,788 --> 00:25:58,693 against veteran drivers. 515 00:25:58,792 --> 00:26:02,399 He was a very serious and aggressive competitor 516 00:26:02,399 --> 00:26:02,499 He was a very serious and aggressive competitor with a lot of skill as a novice driver. 517 00:26:02,499 --> 00:26:05,205 with a lot of skill as a novice driver. 518 00:26:06,373 --> 00:26:09,179 SHATNER: James Dean's reputation as a competent driver 519 00:26:09,179 --> 00:26:10,816 was so well known, 520 00:26:10,916 --> 00:26:12,519 that many found it difficult to believe his death 521 00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:15,693 could have been the result of poor driving. 522 00:26:15,793 --> 00:26:17,897 Over the years, some people have claimed 523 00:26:17,930 --> 00:26:21,572 that there is only one possible explanation for the crash. 524 00:26:21,671 --> 00:26:25,245 They believe that James Dean's car 525 00:26:25,245 --> 00:26:27,215 was cursed. 526 00:26:29,386 --> 00:26:31,390 And as evidence of the curse, 527 00:26:31,691 --> 00:26:34,329 they point to a fateful encounter that Dean had 528 00:26:34,363 --> 00:26:38,672 with a fellow actor shortly before his untimely death. 529 00:26:39,974 --> 00:26:44,283 Two days after James Dean purchased his Porsche Spyder, 530 00:26:44,383 --> 00:26:46,888 he was having dinner with Alec Guinness. 531 00:26:48,124 --> 00:26:50,930 During the course of the dinner, James Dean told Alec Guinness 532 00:26:51,030 --> 00:26:53,434 he had just purchased a new Porsche Spyder. 533 00:26:53,434 --> 00:26:53,501 he had just purchased a new Porsche Spyder. It was outside in the parking lot 534 00:26:53,501 --> 00:26:55,840 It was outside in the parking lot 535 00:26:55,973 --> 00:26:59,180 and he wanted to show him the new car. 536 00:26:59,246 --> 00:27:03,589 Alec Guinness, upon setting eyes on that vehicle, 537 00:27:03,722 --> 00:27:06,160 he had a very strange reaction. 538 00:27:07,262 --> 00:27:12,073 Some strange thing came over me, some almost different voice. 539 00:27:12,172 --> 00:27:13,943 And I said, "If you get into that car, 540 00:27:14,009 --> 00:27:17,115 by 10:00 at night next Thursday, you'll be dead." 541 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:23,863 EBNER: Five days after Alec gave that warning to James Dean, 542 00:27:23,996 --> 00:27:28,071 James Dean died in a head-on collision 543 00:27:28,170 --> 00:27:30,709 with the only other vehicle on the road. 544 00:27:31,878 --> 00:27:34,183 Sir Alec Guinness recounted 545 00:27:34,283 --> 00:27:37,455 that as soon as he laid eyes on the car, 546 00:27:37,455 --> 00:27:37,489 that as soon as he laid eyes on the car, he felt a sense of evil 547 00:27:37,489 --> 00:27:40,295 he felt a sense of evil 548 00:27:40,428 --> 00:27:43,200 emanating out of the vehicle itself. 549 00:27:44,771 --> 00:27:49,179 SHATNER: Is it possible that James Dean's car was possessed by evil? 550 00:27:49,246 --> 00:27:52,887 Well, if that's true, the curse was apparently 551 00:27:52,954 --> 00:27:56,861 strong enough to survive even after his tragic death. 552 00:27:57,964 --> 00:28:01,872 Because in the years following James Dean's accident, 553 00:28:01,905 --> 00:28:06,982 several strange incidents involving his car took place. 554 00:28:08,184 --> 00:28:12,258 The exterior of the car was pretty much obliterated... 555 00:28:13,461 --> 00:28:17,770 ...but the chassis and the engine block remained intact. 556 00:28:17,937 --> 00:28:20,475 Another race car enthusiast 557 00:28:20,475 --> 00:28:20,542 Another race car enthusiast by the name of Dr. William Eschrich 558 00:28:20,542 --> 00:28:24,083 by the name of Dr. William Eschrich 559 00:28:24,182 --> 00:28:27,657 took the engine block from James Dean's car 560 00:28:27,790 --> 00:28:30,262 and put it into his own car. 561 00:28:30,361 --> 00:28:33,268 And then he parceled out some of the parts 562 00:28:33,367 --> 00:28:35,840 to a good friend of his and colleague, 563 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:37,943 Dr. Troy McHenry. 564 00:28:38,912 --> 00:28:41,517 So Eschrich and McHenry 565 00:28:41,517 --> 00:28:41,584 So Eschrich and McHenry are now driving their Porsches 566 00:28:41,584 --> 00:28:44,323 are now driving their Porsches 567 00:28:44,423 --> 00:28:48,497 with James Dean parts in the same race. 568 00:28:48,497 --> 00:28:48,531 with James Dean parts in the same race. Guess what happens next? 569 00:28:48,531 --> 00:28:50,401 Guess what happens next? 570 00:28:51,537 --> 00:28:54,977 McHenry loses control of his Porsche 571 00:28:55,044 --> 00:28:59,386 and drives head-on into a tree and dies at the scene. 572 00:29:00,355 --> 00:29:01,925 And Eschrich, 573 00:29:01,992 --> 00:29:06,902 he flips his car and winds up severely injured 574 00:29:07,102 --> 00:29:09,106 in the same race. 575 00:29:11,143 --> 00:29:13,849 RASKIN: George Barris was a legendary 576 00:29:13,982 --> 00:29:16,487 car customizer in California. 577 00:29:16,487 --> 00:29:16,521 car customizer in California. He got hold of the carcass 578 00:29:16,521 --> 00:29:21,130 He got hold of the carcass 579 00:29:21,263 --> 00:29:24,103 of James Dean's Porsche Spyder 580 00:29:24,269 --> 00:29:27,042 and put it on display, 581 00:29:27,142 --> 00:29:30,582 and loaned it to the Los Angeles Safety Council 582 00:29:30,849 --> 00:29:35,491 with the theme that "Speed kills, drive safely." 583 00:29:37,262 --> 00:29:42,740 He told stories about how individuals touched this car 584 00:29:42,907 --> 00:29:45,444 and injured themselves. 585 00:29:47,115 --> 00:29:49,854 JOJI BARRIS-PASTER: The stories that are from my father are really interesting. 586 00:29:50,021 --> 00:29:51,523 When the car was dropped off 587 00:29:51,523 --> 00:29:51,558 When the car was dropped off at the Barris Custom Shop 588 00:29:51,558 --> 00:29:53,094 at the Barris Custom Shop 589 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:54,831 in North Hollywood and first came to the shop, 590 00:29:54,964 --> 00:29:57,135 his mechanic came out to help him, 591 00:29:57,302 --> 00:29:58,605 you know, unload the car. 592 00:29:58,605 --> 00:29:58,672 you know, unload the car. It rolls and breaks his legs. 593 00:29:58,672 --> 00:30:00,810 It rolls and breaks his legs. 594 00:30:00,909 --> 00:30:02,546 Rolls over his legs and breaks his legs. 595 00:30:03,548 --> 00:30:06,555 Incidents keep happening and at that time, 596 00:30:06,621 --> 00:30:10,162 these stories that he's telling us, it's concerning. 597 00:30:10,294 --> 00:30:11,631 And you could tell he's realizing, 598 00:30:11,631 --> 00:30:11,732 And you could tell he's realizing, "Hey, there's a curse tied to this car. 599 00:30:11,732 --> 00:30:14,771 "Hey, there's a curse tied to this car. 600 00:30:14,937 --> 00:30:16,608 This is serious now." 601 00:30:18,177 --> 00:30:22,286 SHATNER: Is it possible that the curse on James Dean's car lived on, 602 00:30:22,352 --> 00:30:25,626 even after it had been wrecked and salvaged for parts? 603 00:30:26,628 --> 00:30:28,565 It's an unsettling notion. 604 00:30:28,665 --> 00:30:31,404 So disturbing in fact, that some people believe 605 00:30:31,470 --> 00:30:35,378 George Barris took matters into his own hands. 606 00:30:38,184 --> 00:30:41,224 RASKIN: In 1960, George Barris sent the car 607 00:30:41,323 --> 00:30:43,929 to a safety exhibit in Miami, Florida. 608 00:30:45,031 --> 00:30:47,102 He said that when the transporter 609 00:30:47,202 --> 00:30:50,777 came back to L.A., the car was missing. 610 00:30:50,943 --> 00:30:53,214 In all my research, 611 00:30:53,314 --> 00:30:57,255 we cannot find any trace of the missing car. 612 00:30:57,355 --> 00:31:01,363 And looking at all the speculation... 613 00:31:02,633 --> 00:31:05,071 ...revolving around the curse, 614 00:31:05,138 --> 00:31:09,479 I believe that George Barris disposed of the car 615 00:31:09,479 --> 00:31:09,513 I believe that George Barris disposed of the car and it disappeared forever. 616 00:31:09,513 --> 00:31:12,452 and it disappeared forever. 617 00:31:15,424 --> 00:31:18,632 The question of the curse and the death of James Dean 618 00:31:18,632 --> 00:31:18,666 The question of the curse and the death of James Dean has been going on for 65 years. 619 00:31:18,666 --> 00:31:22,405 has been going on for 65 years. 620 00:31:23,407 --> 00:31:26,848 And looking at those strange incidents, 621 00:31:26,981 --> 00:31:29,888 they may have been coincidences, 622 00:31:29,987 --> 00:31:33,862 or there may have been an actual curse. 623 00:31:33,995 --> 00:31:37,068 Unfortunately, we'll never know. 624 00:31:39,306 --> 00:31:41,578 Was it merely a coincidence that several people 625 00:31:41,678 --> 00:31:45,285 who came into contact with James Dean's car 626 00:31:45,418 --> 00:31:47,322 were harmed, and two even died? 627 00:31:47,455 --> 00:31:50,261 Or is it possible that this vehicle 628 00:31:50,394 --> 00:31:53,101 was actually a cursed object? 629 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,839 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining 630 00:31:56,006 --> 00:31:58,244 a collection of artifacts 631 00:31:58,344 --> 00:32:01,217 believed to contain such dangerous energies 632 00:32:01,316 --> 00:32:04,456 that they are kept under lock and key. 633 00:32:09,099 --> 00:32:10,803 SHATNER: Just outside the city, 634 00:32:11,036 --> 00:32:14,911 on a normal suburban street in an ordinary neighborhood 635 00:32:15,044 --> 00:32:18,652 is the home of Greg and Dana Newkirk. 636 00:32:18,718 --> 00:32:21,691 From the outside, their home is not much different 637 00:32:21,691 --> 00:32:21,758 From the outside, their home is not much different from any other house on the block. 638 00:32:21,758 --> 00:32:23,294 from any other house on the block. 639 00:32:23,427 --> 00:32:26,266 -Get some fork action going on. -Yeah. 640 00:32:26,433 --> 00:32:27,937 SHATNER: But inside, 641 00:32:28,037 --> 00:32:31,844 it contains something quite extraordinary. 642 00:32:32,111 --> 00:32:35,719 Because there is a room in the basement that is filled 643 00:32:35,719 --> 00:32:35,786 Because there is a room in the basement that is filled with a collection of strange objects 644 00:32:35,786 --> 00:32:38,124 with a collection of strange objects 645 00:32:38,224 --> 00:32:41,330 sent by people from all over the world 646 00:32:41,496 --> 00:32:43,033 that are believed to be... 647 00:32:44,069 --> 00:32:45,304 ...cursed. 648 00:32:46,373 --> 00:32:50,514 Greg and I lead normal lives, and we go about our life 649 00:32:50,649 --> 00:32:52,452 the same way that everyone else does. 650 00:32:52,518 --> 00:32:56,561 We just happen to be caretakers for very strange objects. 651 00:32:57,630 --> 00:32:59,767 The way that we got started collecting cursed objects 652 00:32:59,767 --> 00:32:59,801 The way that we got started collecting cursed objects was complete accident. 653 00:32:59,801 --> 00:33:01,336 was complete accident. 654 00:33:02,338 --> 00:33:05,145 It wasn't something that we had set out to do. 655 00:33:05,244 --> 00:33:08,284 Never would have imagined myself doing this. 656 00:33:08,350 --> 00:33:11,256 We were just interested in-in general weirdness. 657 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:16,868 My wife and I investigate all manner of high strangeness. 658 00:33:18,270 --> 00:33:22,312 And we were both very interested in the idea of cursed objects. 659 00:33:22,412 --> 00:33:25,218 We slowly gained a reputation as being 660 00:33:25,351 --> 00:33:27,221 particularly good people for this. 661 00:33:27,288 --> 00:33:30,629 And so anytime anyone had a problem with an artifact, 662 00:33:30,629 --> 00:33:30,696 And so anytime anyone had a problem with an artifact, they would come to us and say, 663 00:33:30,696 --> 00:33:32,098 they would come to us and say, 664 00:33:32,231 --> 00:33:33,568 "I don't know what to do with this. 665 00:33:33,702 --> 00:33:35,271 "This thing is affecting my life. 666 00:33:35,371 --> 00:33:36,975 "Will you just take it off my hands? 667 00:33:37,108 --> 00:33:38,745 "It'd be easier to just give it to you 668 00:33:38,745 --> 00:33:38,779 "It'd be easier to just give it to you and let you deal with it." 669 00:33:38,779 --> 00:33:40,115 and let you deal with it." 670 00:33:40,247 --> 00:33:41,951 And so we built up this collection 671 00:33:42,118 --> 00:33:43,655 of very bizarre things. 672 00:33:45,391 --> 00:33:48,531 SHATNER: Visitors to the Newkirks' home are given ample warning 673 00:33:48,565 --> 00:33:53,141 that the basement is filled with objects that are cursed. 674 00:33:53,273 --> 00:33:56,814 We have a lot of haunted robes... 675 00:33:56,814 --> 00:33:56,881 We have a lot of haunted robes... SHATNER: But curiously, every day, 676 00:33:56,881 --> 00:33:58,785 SHATNER: But curiously, every day, 677 00:33:58,785 --> 00:33:58,818 SHATNER: But curiously, every day, the Newkirks receive requests 678 00:33:58,818 --> 00:34:00,454 the Newkirks receive requests 679 00:34:00,521 --> 00:34:04,798 from people who are eager to view their cursed collection. 680 00:34:04,830 --> 00:34:07,970 OCKER: You'd think with cursed objects, you want to avoid them. 681 00:34:08,137 --> 00:34:10,408 But there is a draw to them. 682 00:34:10,541 --> 00:34:12,446 When an object is said to be cursed, 683 00:34:12,546 --> 00:34:14,183 another word you can use is "special." 684 00:34:14,282 --> 00:34:16,253 It's special. If this chair is cursed, 685 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,226 it's different from every other chair in the world. 686 00:34:19,292 --> 00:34:21,363 And that makes it unique, that makes it interesting, 687 00:34:21,430 --> 00:34:23,267 and that draws our attention every single time. 688 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,305 And the fact that that specialness 689 00:34:25,471 --> 00:34:27,109 is that it hurts people, 690 00:34:27,241 --> 00:34:28,712 that appeals to a certain macabre, 691 00:34:28,812 --> 00:34:30,649 a streak that we all have as human beings. 692 00:34:32,820 --> 00:34:36,828 DANA NEWKIRK: People think of cursed objects as being kind of fun and spooky. 693 00:34:36,828 --> 00:34:38,464 But working with them, 694 00:34:38,530 --> 00:34:41,604 it feels a lot less about that and a lot more about 695 00:34:41,738 --> 00:34:43,508 that kind of heavy responsibility 696 00:34:43,608 --> 00:34:45,979 to keep some of these objects with us 697 00:34:46,246 --> 00:34:48,885 under lock and key and maybe out of the wrong hands. 698 00:34:49,854 --> 00:34:51,758 And maybe in a place that's safer 699 00:34:51,858 --> 00:34:54,262 not only for everyone else but for them. 700 00:34:55,732 --> 00:34:57,402 SHATNER: The Newkirks' collection 701 00:34:57,468 --> 00:34:59,339 includes several objects that are considered to have 702 00:34:59,372 --> 00:35:03,748 the power to inflict harm on anyone who comes near them. 703 00:35:04,884 --> 00:35:08,391 This is the cursed deer skull. 704 00:35:08,457 --> 00:35:11,063 We drove down to Nashville to pick up from a woman 705 00:35:11,196 --> 00:35:14,069 who saw this in an antique store 706 00:35:14,202 --> 00:35:16,073 and took it back to her office, 707 00:35:16,206 --> 00:35:18,344 and almost immediately, her employees 708 00:35:18,510 --> 00:35:19,914 started getting sick. 709 00:35:19,914 --> 00:35:20,015 started getting sick. One of her employees was hit by a car. 710 00:35:20,015 --> 00:35:21,652 One of her employees was hit by a car. 711 00:35:21,751 --> 00:35:25,626 And then, the wall that this was hanging on, 712 00:35:25,659 --> 00:35:28,565 actually fell down and took half of the building with it. 713 00:35:29,967 --> 00:35:33,107 DANA NEWKIRK: There are certain objects specifically in our museum that, 714 00:35:33,273 --> 00:35:34,409 without people knowing 715 00:35:34,509 --> 00:35:36,447 why they feel the way that they feel... 716 00:35:37,616 --> 00:35:41,223 ...they will definitely have heart palpitations, anxiety. 717 00:35:41,356 --> 00:35:43,528 We've had people almost faint, 718 00:35:43,695 --> 00:35:45,264 we've had people throw up, 719 00:35:45,431 --> 00:35:46,701 we've had people dry heave. 720 00:35:47,703 --> 00:35:49,707 People have very visceral physical reactions 721 00:35:49,807 --> 00:35:52,245 to being around some of the objects. 722 00:35:55,384 --> 00:35:58,157 SHATNER: Among the cursed objects in the Newkirks' collection 723 00:35:58,290 --> 00:36:00,796 is a deadly ring that is claimed 724 00:36:00,796 --> 00:36:00,829 is a deadly ring that is claimed to kill anyone who wears it, 725 00:36:00,829 --> 00:36:03,401 to kill anyone who wears it, 726 00:36:03,534 --> 00:36:07,075 a Bible used during a failed exorcism, 727 00:36:07,308 --> 00:36:12,619 and a doll that is believed to spread illness wherever it goes. 728 00:36:13,788 --> 00:36:16,728 But of all the cursed objects the Newkirks have come across, 729 00:36:16,861 --> 00:36:20,168 there is one that is so harrowing, 730 00:36:20,267 --> 00:36:22,305 they refused to keep it in their collection. 731 00:36:22,371 --> 00:36:27,716 It is an unsettling wooden effigy known as the Crone. 732 00:36:27,783 --> 00:36:30,889 DANA NEWKIRK: The Crone really is the definition 733 00:36:30,889 --> 00:36:30,923 DANA NEWKIRK: The Crone really is the definition of kind of a cursed object. 734 00:36:30,923 --> 00:36:33,227 of kind of a cursed object. 735 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,832 It is a carved statue of a woman. 736 00:36:35,832 --> 00:36:35,899 It is a carved statue of a woman. Someone at some point in time 737 00:36:35,899 --> 00:36:38,537 Someone at some point in time 738 00:36:38,571 --> 00:36:41,711 took this object and attached the noose and the nails. 739 00:36:42,780 --> 00:36:46,386 It was given to us by some hikers who found it 740 00:36:46,453 --> 00:36:49,760 in the Catskills, off the beaten path in a cave. 741 00:36:50,962 --> 00:36:54,269 They took it home and initially started to experience 742 00:36:54,435 --> 00:36:55,773 really frightening things. 743 00:36:55,872 --> 00:36:58,812 Their animals were behaving strangely, 744 00:36:58,912 --> 00:37:00,882 they were finding wet footprints on the ground, 745 00:37:00,882 --> 00:37:00,949 they were finding wet footprints on the ground, and they didn't know what to do. 746 00:37:00,949 --> 00:37:03,220 and they didn't know what to do. 747 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,358 Someone who we had worked with previously 748 00:37:05,524 --> 00:37:07,128 put them in contact with us, 749 00:37:07,361 --> 00:37:10,235 and after, you know, having some communication with them, 750 00:37:10,367 --> 00:37:12,438 they-they sent the Crone to us. 751 00:37:13,608 --> 00:37:16,447 GREG NEWKIRK: People who would get near the Crone, 752 00:37:16,513 --> 00:37:19,587 they would be just overwhelmed with anxiety. 753 00:37:20,555 --> 00:37:23,294 This guy came all the way from Canada 754 00:37:23,460 --> 00:37:24,930 to come and see the Crone. 755 00:37:25,899 --> 00:37:28,403 He begged us to take it out of the box. 756 00:37:29,506 --> 00:37:31,309 Almost immediately... 757 00:37:32,345 --> 00:37:33,782 ...his eyes roll up in the back of his head 758 00:37:33,882 --> 00:37:36,453 and he starts to bleed from his mouth. 759 00:37:36,621 --> 00:37:38,324 And he has a violent seizure. 760 00:37:38,423 --> 00:37:41,396 And he has to be taken out by the paramedics. 761 00:37:41,496 --> 00:37:42,934 And that's when Dana and I looked at each other 762 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,504 and we said, "We have to do something about this." 763 00:37:52,753 --> 00:37:55,458 SHATNER: After a string of frightening incidents, 764 00:37:55,625 --> 00:37:57,228 Greg and Dana Newkirk 765 00:37:57,495 --> 00:38:00,367 are convinced that a strange object in their possession, 766 00:38:00,501 --> 00:38:04,843 known as the Crone, is cursed. 767 00:38:06,614 --> 00:38:08,785 So they've traveled to this remote region 768 00:38:08,785 --> 00:38:08,819 So they've traveled to this remote region of Upstate New York 769 00:38:08,819 --> 00:38:10,522 of Upstate New York 770 00:38:10,655 --> 00:38:13,962 to free themselves of the evil object. 771 00:38:15,397 --> 00:38:18,070 The Crone is one of the objects that does fall 772 00:38:18,070 --> 00:38:18,136 The Crone is one of the objects that does fall into that very small category 773 00:38:18,136 --> 00:38:19,807 into that very small category 774 00:38:19,873 --> 00:38:22,646 of objects that we didn't feel like we could handle. 775 00:38:23,781 --> 00:38:26,420 It got to a point where the Crone was just too dangerous 776 00:38:26,587 --> 00:38:28,391 for even us to take care of. 777 00:38:28,523 --> 00:38:32,465 And what we wanted to do was bring her back 778 00:38:32,531 --> 00:38:35,872 to the Catskills, which is where she is from. 779 00:38:39,078 --> 00:38:40,883 SHATNER: To remove the Crone's curse, 780 00:38:40,982 --> 00:38:43,555 the Newkirks' plan was to return to the area 781 00:38:43,588 --> 00:38:47,896 where it was originally found by two hikers many years before. 782 00:38:48,965 --> 00:38:51,605 At which point, they would remove the nails 783 00:38:51,704 --> 00:38:55,077 embedded in the Crone in a cleansing ritual. 784 00:38:56,112 --> 00:38:58,852 DANA NEWKIRK: We wanted to bring her back, 785 00:38:58,952 --> 00:39:00,956 and every time a nail was pulled out, 786 00:39:00,956 --> 00:39:02,627 the intention was 787 00:39:02,693 --> 00:39:04,997 that we were pulling that curse out of the object. 788 00:39:06,834 --> 00:39:10,107 We hiked into the woods for miles... 789 00:39:11,109 --> 00:39:14,148 ...and I set up a circle. 790 00:39:14,148 --> 00:39:14,216 ...and I set up a circle. The idea of setting up a circle 791 00:39:14,216 --> 00:39:16,053 The idea of setting up a circle 792 00:39:16,119 --> 00:39:18,758 was basically just to create an energetic space 793 00:39:18,925 --> 00:39:20,762 for containing this ritual. 794 00:39:21,764 --> 00:39:23,434 And the whole time we were doing this, 795 00:39:23,601 --> 00:39:25,437 we were hearing footsteps... 796 00:39:27,041 --> 00:39:28,612 ...and strange sounds 797 00:39:28,745 --> 00:39:31,149 that weren't animals around our circle, 798 00:39:31,182 --> 00:39:32,953 but... 799 00:39:32,953 --> 00:39:32,986 but... we couldn't see anything. 800 00:39:32,986 --> 00:39:35,524 we couldn't see anything. 801 00:39:36,861 --> 00:39:38,732 GREG NEWKIRK: We were absolutely terrified, 802 00:39:38,865 --> 00:39:41,036 but we start performing the ritual. 803 00:39:41,036 --> 00:39:41,069 but we start performing the ritual. I pull the nails out. 804 00:39:41,069 --> 00:39:42,706 I pull the nails out. 805 00:39:42,873 --> 00:39:45,144 As soon as that happens, 806 00:39:45,144 --> 00:39:45,210 As soon as that happens, we feel this almost electric pop 807 00:39:45,210 --> 00:39:48,016 we feel this almost electric pop 808 00:39:48,016 --> 00:39:48,017 we feel this almost electric pop in the air. 809 00:39:48,017 --> 00:39:49,653 in the air. 810 00:39:50,889 --> 00:39:53,628 When we were done, every coyote on the mountain 811 00:39:53,795 --> 00:39:55,031 just started howling. 812 00:39:55,164 --> 00:39:58,003 -(howling) -And the ritual was finished 813 00:39:58,036 --> 00:40:01,611 and what we were looking at was just a block of wood. 814 00:40:01,777 --> 00:40:02,947 And we just kind of knew 815 00:40:03,046 --> 00:40:05,652 that we had done what we went there to do. 816 00:40:07,021 --> 00:40:09,359 Scholars of religion have long known 817 00:40:09,525 --> 00:40:10,829 the power of ritual, 818 00:40:10,929 --> 00:40:12,666 that when a group of people get together 819 00:40:12,766 --> 00:40:14,870 and engage in the same set of actions, 820 00:40:14,937 --> 00:40:17,776 believing that there's a supernatural origin behind them, 821 00:40:17,909 --> 00:40:19,713 that brings people together. 822 00:40:20,782 --> 00:40:23,788 And so, special movements that you need to go through, 823 00:40:23,888 --> 00:40:26,527 special sayings or songs that you need to do... 824 00:40:26,694 --> 00:40:27,963 (singing in unison) 825 00:40:28,063 --> 00:40:30,836 ...it's incredibly powerful phenomena 826 00:40:30,935 --> 00:40:33,575 that can help rid us of the devil... 827 00:40:33,674 --> 00:40:36,781 or whatever other force has cursed us. 828 00:40:37,916 --> 00:40:40,689 SHATNER: Is it possible that ritually cleansing 829 00:40:40,855 --> 00:40:43,327 the Crone removed its curse? 830 00:40:43,561 --> 00:40:45,665 Perhaps. 831 00:40:45,799 --> 00:40:47,903 But of course, it all depends on 832 00:40:47,936 --> 00:40:51,777 whether you believe curses are real in the first place. 833 00:40:51,944 --> 00:40:53,280 OCKER: Whether you believe 834 00:40:53,548 --> 00:40:56,120 in cursed objects or don't believe in cursed objects, 835 00:40:56,219 --> 00:40:58,591 they can still have a power over you. 836 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:01,764 What that power is, 837 00:41:01,831 --> 00:41:05,104 to what extent that is, how it kind of comes out? 838 00:41:06,707 --> 00:41:08,510 Who knows? 839 00:41:08,644 --> 00:41:09,613 But they're still powerful objects, 840 00:41:09,713 --> 00:41:11,015 no matter how you look at it. 841 00:41:12,552 --> 00:41:14,389 GREG NEWKIRK: For people who don't believe in curses, 842 00:41:14,556 --> 00:41:16,694 what I would say is, 843 00:41:16,827 --> 00:41:18,163 keep believing they're not real. 844 00:41:18,230 --> 00:41:21,637 That's the best defense you have against a curse, 845 00:41:21,837 --> 00:41:23,975 is to not feed it. 846 00:41:24,977 --> 00:41:27,481 So, what's your take on this? 847 00:41:27,682 --> 00:41:29,285 Are curses real? 848 00:41:29,285 --> 00:41:29,385 Are curses real? Or is it simply human nature to look for 849 00:41:29,385 --> 00:41:31,290 Or is it simply human nature to look for 850 00:41:31,557 --> 00:41:34,730 a supernatural explanation when bad things happen? 851 00:41:34,763 --> 00:41:38,671 Well, until we know for sure, it might be wise to avoid 852 00:41:38,771 --> 00:41:41,543 those so-called cursed places and objects. 853 00:41:41,744 --> 00:41:43,614 Let them remain... 854 00:41:44,750 --> 00:41:46,053 ...unexplained. 855 00:41:46,186 --> 00:41:48,156 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS