[serene music]
* *
[bicycle rattling]
[dogs barking]
* *
[barking continues]
[ominous music]
* *
[barking continues, birds cawing]
* *
- [gasps]
* *
- This is a place of evil.
It has been for a long time.
- [screaming]
Dark things have happened here...
* *
Baptizing this house in blood...
- [screaming]
- And leaving it abandoned to marinate.
- [breathing heavily]
- This house sucks them in.
[imitates sucking]
- Aah!
- In our suburbs,
evil lurks behind closed doors--
true stories so terrifying
because the horror is real.
You will never look at your neighbors the same way again.
I'm John Carpenter,
and this is "Suburban Screams."
[person screams]
* *
- In every neighborhood in America,
there's always that one house that you ride your bike past
just a little bit faster than the others.
That was that house.
* *
My name is Dr. Torrence Temple.
When I was young, we moved to this place called Jamul
in San Diego County.
[soft music]
That little area of Jamul that I lived in
was very close-knit.
Everybody knew everybody else.
And it was close enough
to where you could hear people's conversations
from their driveways.
Nobody locked their doors.
We didn't have central air,
so we just left all the windows open.
It was just the most serene sense of peace.
I remember as a kid just thinking
that the whole world operated like that.
So I spent a lot of time making friends on the block,
and we'd spend time at each other's houses.
But there was one house
that was right across the way from us,
this ancient building
that had been there since the 19th century.
[suspenseful music]
* *
- Whoa.
Dude, someone's buying the house next door.
[eerie whooshing]
* *
- Seriously?
- Torrence, he was truly scared or frightened almost
to live in his house 'cause he was so close to it.
I mean, his window...
100 yards maybe, it seemed like, from the house.
I mean, he wasn't very far from everything.
- All right, man, I got to bounce.
* *
- My bedroom was on the east side of the house,
which was a straight shot
to everything that happened in that house.
So, if there was so much as an aggressive disagreement,
we could hear it.
And nobody had lived in that house
since I was a little kid,
so I couldn't help but just want to take a seat
and watch the brand-new family as they were moving in.
[laughter]
[light music]
* *
I remember the first time I saw Lisa.
* *
There was just something about her.
She was--she was different.
* *
She had a swagger
and a confidence
that was intoxicating.
* *
You don't see that in Jamul.
I don't know where she was from,
but she wasn't from around here.
Ah...
I knew I was both...
gravitationally pulled to her
and scared to death of her at the same time.
It was very confusing.
- The new neighbor's a dentist?
- He's taking over Dr. Henry's practice,
so he will be your dentist now.
- How old are their kids?
- Um, fourth grade, I think, she said.
And the older girl is a senior.
[gasps] We should throw them a welcome barbecue.
- Oh, sounds great.
- Oh, I'm just glad that somebody is moving in.
- So they don't know? - Know what, honey?
- The house is haunted.
[knife clatters loudly]
- [sighs]
- [sighs] Don't be ridiculous.
- [scoffs] Everyone knows, Dad.
Jennifer disappeared. Then her family vanished.
- They didn't vanish.
They left.
It was very painful.
[eerie music]
- When I was a kid, there was a girl next door
that I became real close friends with.
Her name was Jennifer.
And the two of us were buds.
[soft music]
* *
[ominous music]
* *
- [screaming]
[ominous music]
- [breathing heavily]
- I was just a kid, but I know what I saw.
They sent a couple of officers over to the house next door,
and they found nothing.
It seemed as if somebody just snapped their fingers,
and they were just gone.
- Law enforcement showed up to at least investigate,
and Torrence came into school.
He was very upset about it,
looking back, as to be expected.
* *
- People just don't up and vanish.
The disappearance of that family
has gone unsolved to this day.
Jennifer was, ah, maybe the first person
I ever truly loved.
[sniffles]
Sorry. Ah.
* *
I spent years trying to forget.
And the house, it sat empty
until Dr. Kennedy and his family moved in.
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music playing]
[laughter, indistinct chatter continues]
* *
- Dr. Kennedy, the dentist next door, he was a big dude,
genuine...
kind.
- So get this. I go, I'm sorry, angel, right?
- Uh-huh.
- You're gonna have to take this up
directly with the Tooth Fairy.
[laughter]
[indistinct chatter]
* *
When I do your teeth, I'm gonna cause you a lot of pain.
[ominous music]
* *
[indistinct chatter continues]
- [clears throat] I guess we're neighbors now.
I'm, uh, Torrence.
I've seen you around... [clears throat]
'Cause you live next door.
I mean...
Sorry. I'm not very good at this.
I've lived in this neighborhood all my life.
I can show you around, uh, if you--if you want.
- I'm good. Thanks.
- [sniffs]
Sure.
- Oh, my God, awkward doesn't even begin.
I'm terrible with girls.
[upbeat music]
[music turns ominous]
* *
Over the next few months...
the emotional temperature of that entire property
started to change.
It felt more unwelcoming.
And I don't know why.
It's just something that I felt.
It started to get darker.
* *
[tool whirring, eerie creaking]
* *
[loud screech]
* *
[distant door slams]
* *
- [grunting] [object clatters]
[animal whimpering] [chuckles]
[animal screeching, barking]
* *
[object thuds]
[tool whirring]
* *
[animal screeching]
[strange moaning]
* *
[animal screeching]
- I don't' know if you ever heard animals scream
for their life.
It's terrifying.
[animal screeches]
That's what I heard...
unidentifiable...
lurches of horror
coming from something innocent.
So I told my parents what I heard,
but I remember getting one of those...
sounds interesting.
Nothing came of it.
And I remember asking, well, how are you not hearing this?
Like, I don't know what you're talking about.
We didn't hear anything.
[ominous music]
* *
And so I was worried about Lisa,
but at this point in time, she didn't really care about me.
[sighs]
* *
[rock music playing through headphones]
* *
- What the fuck?
My heart just came out of my throat.
What's wrong with you? - Sorry.
Chem papers are due tomorrow. - Great.
Thanks for the reminder. I'll pull an all-nighter.
- Or...
just hand this in.
- "The Environmental Impact of Consumer Products,
by Lisa Kennedy."
Why did you do this?
- Uh, you were out,
so I thought maybe you didn't have time, so...
- Great, thanks.
Hey, Torrence?
You want some?
[soft music]
* *
- This was--I remember this was the first time
she opened up to me, like, at all.
Hey, thank you for helping me.
All I could think of was... [sighs in relief]
She's talking to me.
[light music]
* *
I don't know if you want to call that love,
but I hadn't felt this way
since my friend Jennifer when I was a kid.
* *
[eerie whooshing]
- [screaming]
- [sniffles]
[dramatic music]
* *
[distant dog barking]
* *
It wasn't too long after that
that I saw something disturbing.
* *
[static whirs, electricity buzzing]
[eerie whooshing]
[ominous music]
* *
[screeching]
* *
[suspenseful music]
* *
[bird cawing]
After that, I was anxious about Lisa.
But I didn't know how to tell her,
hey, you're the person living in this crazy-ass house.
[ominous music]
* *
- You always seem to be watching my house.
- [chuckles] Just want to make sure you're okay.
- In my house?
Why wouldn't I be?
- Bad things always happen here.
Have you ever seen anything strange?
- Just you.
- [chuckles]
[soft music]
* *
- I remember like it happened yesterday--
the warm, soft...
caress of her lips.
I don't know how long it lasted,
but it felt like an eternity.
[brakes squeak, vehicle approaches]
- Shit! It's my dad!
He'll kill me if he catches us! Get out of here!
[emergency brake cranks]
[suspenseful music]
* *
[car door opens]
* *
- [breathing heavily]
[soft thudding]
* *
[car door closes]
[insects buzzing]
* *
[heart beating rapidly]
[suspenseful music]
* *
- Dr. Kennedy dragged this large bag
of something that was bloody out to the barn.
So I didn't want to move.
I didn't want to blink.
[bag scraping]
* *
[insects buzzing]
* *
[buzzing continues]
* *
[tool clattering]
* *
[tool thudding on table]
* *
[bag scraping]
* *
- [breathing heavily]
- This bag was leaking blood.
I-I can't imagine it was anything else.
But what was inside of it...
You chop anything up small enough,
and it'll fit into that bag.
- I know you probably think I'm crazy,
but I've seen things, all right?
And I'm worried about you.
- I'm fine. And I'm not your problem.
- Hey, w-wait, wait.
Just tell me, all right?
The noises, your dad...
tell me you don't notice anything weird about the house.
* *
- I don't know what you're talking about.
[ominous music]
* *
- So I sat up most of the night...
[distant animal howling]
Worried about Lisa.
[soft music]
* *
- [echoing] I'm not your problem.
I'm fine.
[eerie trilling]
[suspenseful music]
- Sucks them in. [imitates sucking]
* *
[clock ticking]
- [echoing] I don't know what you're talking about.
[clock ticking, dog barking]
* *
[odd screeching]
- [inhales sharply]
* *
Lisa.
What are you doing here?
[Lisa sobbing]
[soft music]
[sniffles, cries softly]
- Remember when you asked me if anything was strange?
- Hey, hey.
- [sniffles] - Hey, Lisa.
- [sobs]
- Please.
What's happened?
- [breathes deeply]
You have to keep your distance from me...
* *
For the both of us.
[dramatic music]
* *
[sniffles]
- I could feel that she cared about me,
and I was thinking, all right, well, um...
what are you not telling me?
* *
There's a sense of panic that comes with that
because you don't know.
And when you don't know, that breeds fear.
* *
- It's not my imagination. That house is cursed!
It's haunted! - [slams table] Enough!
Now, this is obscene.
You spend hours in your room, doing God knows what.
You look like you haven't slept in weeks.
- You just don't understand!
You don't see stuff the way I do!
- [sighs]
You need to pull yourself together.
Your mother's made you an appointment
to talk to a professional.
[ominous music]
* *
- I needed help.
I didn't know what to do.
I mean, I was only a teenager,
but my dad just didn't see eye to eye with me.
So it was up to me to figure out
what the hell was going on in that house.
- [groaning]
* *
[groans, exhales deeply]
[yelling]
[dog barking]
* *
Lisa!
* *
Lisa!
[shouts]
* *
- It all ran through my head so fast.
But I just couldn't stand--
I could not stand idly by and have something happen to Lisa.
[suspenseful music]
* *
[door creaking]
* *
- Lisa?
- [gasps] Torrence, what the fuck?
- You got to get out of here.
This house is gonna kill you, all of you.
- My dad is gonna kill you if he catches you in here.
- Lisa, who are you talking to? - Go, go, go!
I'll come get you when it's safe.
- I could see the look in Lisa's eyes.
* *
And then down the hall to the right,
there's another bedroom, and in this bedroom...
Well, that was no bedroom.
[insects buzzing]
[ominous music]
* *
It was the most disgusting display of animal debauchery
I think I've ever seen.
I mean, entire animals skinned and hung on the wall,
blood dripping.
But the tools that were being used
didn't seem crude.
They seemed professional...
thought-out, meticulous.
[tool whirring]
* *
[drill whirring loudly]
[whirring stops]
* *
- What are you doing in here?
* *
It's impolite to enter someone's home
without permission.
* *
- [gasps, grunts]
[drill whirring loudly]
* *
- He gave me something...
and then he put me in the chair.
And he pulls the drill,
and he's throttling the drill. [drill whirs]
He brings his face up next to mine.
And he says...
you leave my daughter alone,
or I will rip your dick off.
- Have I made myself clear?
Or do I need to do a little work on you?
[drill whirring loudly]
[Torrence screaming] - Daddy, no!
- Ah!
[winces, grunts in pain]
- Run!
[suspenseful music]
I have to get my mom and Fiona out of here.
Distract him!
- Ah!
* *
- [breathing heavily]
[ominous whooshing]
Ah!
Come on!
No, no, no!
[grunting]
* *
[both sobbing]
* *
- Open the door.
[bang on door]
[both sobbing]
- Dolly, Lisa put the syringe in my neck.
[grunts] You're seeing things.
You just got to open the door.
* *
I don't want to have to come in there.
Open the goddamn door!
[speaks indistinctly]
[both sobbing] Open the door!
I promise you, I won't hurt you!
I won't goddamn cut you to pieces!
[sobbing continues]
Huh? Open the goddamn door!
* *
Aah! [all screaming]
* *
Aah! [all screaming]
Aah!
[all screaming]
* *
- [breathing heavily]
Mom! Mom, call the police!
He's got 'em!
[breathing heavily]
- Torrence? [dial tone drones]
[both screaming]
[indistinct shouting]
- It's okay. - Please!
No! He's gonna kill us!
[ominous music]
- [sobbing]
* *
- They were shaking and frightened,
and they are covered in blood.
- He's coming! He's coming!
[sobbing continues]
- It's okay. It's okay.
* *
[breathing heavily]
[loud screech]
* *
- There was Dr. Kennedy.
Didn't move.
He just stood there,
illuminated by the moonlight in the most horrifying way.
And when I looked back outside...
* *
He was gone.
* *
I don't remember the next three days.
[dramatic music]
My mom and dad told me that the police came.
* *
There was no sign of Kennedy...
and no sign of his family.
My parents told me that they moved out.
* *
Just like Jennifer...
[exhales sharply]
They were gone.
* *
I never got to say goodbye to Lisa.
But, honestly, I don't think I could have.
* *
I don't think I was strong enough
to watch another person that I loved disappear.
* *
My parents moved out of Jamul not too long after that.
I went away to college.
I don't know who moved in after the whole Kennedy situation
'cause that house became...
yeah, a tortured memory.
[birds chirping]
[bird cawing]
[ominous music]
* *