Hey, you know what happened?
Some kind of accident. Those construction guys left
before the ambulance even got here.
- Lights, right? - Yeah, two packs.
Does that work?
I hope so.
Good one!.
The card didn't go through.
- God, I'm sorry. Here, try this one. - No prob.
There we go.
You have a good one. See ya.
- Hey, good evening, Daisy. - Hey, Luis. What happened?
They're working on the electrical system today.
Junction box shorted out as someone was working.
- Blew them through the third floor window. - My God, that's awful!
There it goes again.
The contractor quit right after it happened.
- Do you know who it was? - Joe Sterling, foreman.
- He's an older gentleman. - The one who wore the plaid shirts?
- That's him. - He was a nice old man.
- Good night. - Good night.
Steven!
Come on!
Daisy, it's Eva.
Your callback has been rescheduled
for Wednesday at 3.. 00.
Wednesday at 3.. 00. Okay?
God, I already changed my shift twice.
Hi, Daisy. William here.
You never called me back.
Anyway, I thought we could go hiking
in Angeles Crest this weekend.
Give me a call.
Were you aiming for Dante's third
or fourth circle of hell?
It was just bad timing.
Honey, bad timing is arriving late for dinner.
- This is fireballing the restaurant. - We moved in on a crazy night.
They haven't even fixed the place up yet. That's all gonna change.
- I just don't like it. - Honey--
Sorry to interrupt.
Remember me? Byron, the building manager?
Yeah, of course.
Hi. This must be your wife Nell.
Yes.
I just dropped by to say hello. I wanted to welcome you guys.
I know it's a bit of a shock with all the hubbub
and emergency personnel,
but we're really a quiet building.
Did I give you the storage keys?
- We have them. - Okay, good.
Okay, well, I live in the apartment below you guys.
Same apartment Elizabeth Short lived in.
The Black Dahlia.
There's a lot of old history in this building. It's so old.
There's so much to... Do you wanna see the laundry room?
Yeah.
Look, our faucets are leaking. Like shooting out brown water.
And you said you were gonna replace our stove.
Okay. Well, yeah. We'll get Ned right on it.
Any fix-it problems you have, just call Ned at extension 1 0.
He's our handyman right on the premises.
No need to wait.
Shit.
- Do you need to take that? Should I just go? - In a minute.
There's also a problem with the shower.
Right. Here's one really big plus.
You can always buzz Luis, the doorman, and have him call Ned.
Or just let him know if somebody's comin' over like this.
Luis, the vice chancellor will be here at 3..00 for finger sandwiches.
- Right, Byron. - lsn't that great?
You know, there's not too many buildings in this price range
that offer the safety and security of a doorman.
That's something.
Can I show you guys the outside?
Just wanna show you something out in the hallway real quick.
This is really quite interesting.
Now notice the unique architectural designs.
It really adds to the ambience of the building.
And we've got modern amenities like the elevator.
Hey, guys, can you hold that for me?
Nice family. Good kid. You'll meet 'em and get along great.
Feel right at home. Listen, I've gotta run.
Really, we're a very friendly building. Welcome. Welcome.
Let's go. Thanks. New people. Teacher and a doctor.
- Our shower still doesn't work. - Ned should take care of that.
Keys are in the kitchen, I think.
Steven! Steven.
We need to break in the apartment.
- Uh-uh. You have not created the mood. - Uh-huh.
That can be arranged.
The neighbors.
What now?
Hang on.
Hold that thought.
- Yeah, do you like tea? - I guess.
'Cause I'm cleaning out my kitchen and I have all this tea.
Never opened. I'll bring it over.
Great. Thank you.
- I live next door. Saffron. - I'm Nell.
And this is...Steven.
Hey, Luis.
- Yeah. - Hans is coming over later.
- Got it. - Mine's broken.
So, do you hear all of the hammering?
What?
It's late at night and it never stops.
Sometimes I think that it's stuck inside my head.
Hi. I'm Julia.
- Austin! - Hand meet door.
No. It should be alphabetical.
- Philip, make sure I have a spare set of hose. - Yes, dear.
Look, I've gotta go.
- Austin, did you leave school early? - No.
- Luis said you came home at noon. - Honey.
- I don't have afternoon classes. - He doesn't have afternoon classes.
Oh. Right.
So, aren't you guys gonna be late?
Jesus, Philip, I can't wear black hose with this!
- You said-- - No, I didn't mean that.
What's all the hoopla about?
- I'm working a cancer society benefit. - I love cancer.
Don't stay up so late tonight. Okay?
Hello? No. I don't know.
Missed it!
Bullshit!
You were hanging all over her!
You're so full of shit!
I know everything that's going on!
You go around like a fucking bag lady!
You get so hysterical 'cause I don't have enough drugs for you?
Why do you always leave me?
You're always leaving me!
- I love you! I do! - No, you don't.
I fucking hate you!
I hate you! I hate you! Get the fuck outta my house!
Sounds great. I'm out!
- Are you leaving? Are you gonna come back? - I don't know if I'm comin' back.
Oh, God!
You're Ned, right?
I'm doing repairs.
Which way is the laundry room?
Go back outside, make a left.
You'll find it.
Hi, there. Any of these washers free?
Yup. Come on in.
Don't mind me. Just folding my skivvies.
That one'll run hot no matter what you tell it to do.
Oh, really? Thanks.
You new here?
Yeah. My husband and l just moved in tonight.
My name is Nell.
Charles Rooker. Call me Chas.
You and your hubby actors?
No.
He's just finishing up med school, and I am a teacher.
Stable. Honest. That's good.
Seen too many pretty ones who move here and get their hearts broken.
Leave just to make room for another.
Good for you for inculcating young minds!
Well, hopefully I'll get a job soon.
Steven's set though.
He's got residency at the E. R. at the Wilshire Memorial.
- How 'bout you? You lived here a long time? - Since '47.
- Right after the war. - You've lived here since 1947?
And still on my feet!
Hell, I was here before Jack Lusman disappeared.
Lusman. As in this building Lusman?
Yup. He built it.
Wanted it to be a getaway
for all the movie stars
who shared his proclivities.
But they're fickle.
Discard one fad just to embrace another.
Can't count on 'em for anything.
'Course it didn't help
that a lot of the guys working construction here
met a bad end.
What do you mean?
Luis, it's Julia.
Yeah.
Here you go. Catch.
- You're a lifesaver. - It's a full-time job with you, isn't it?
All this huffing and puffing and runnin' in circles
- to get back to where you started. - I'm gonna get you to come with me.
No, no, no. I'm a stand-in-one-place kind of a guy.
- It's working. - Yeah!
- Good night, Luis. - Good night.
Hi, Julia.
Hello, Ned.
You've lost a lot of weight.
Fifty-seven pounds.
I think you look pretty at any size.
Thanks.
Stop it! Stop it!
I told you, get out. Get out!
What, what the fuck is that?
What the fuck is that?
Stop it. Get out.
Ma'am, just stay right there.
Get the fuck out!
Shut up and die, motherfucker!
- Police! - Freeze!
What's goin' on here?
Byron's helping me run lines.
I have a callback.
Look. "Sweet Jesus, what the fuck is that?
- What the fuck is that??" - "Shut up and bleed, motherfucker."
Mrs. Barrow,
need you to take a look at this.
They were rehearsing.
Dude, this part is mine.
I am so sorry.
I really thought something awful was happening.
That's okay. You were just being a good neighbor. Break a leg.
- So these guys were acting. - Yeah, they were actors.
How can you laugh at that?
I can't believe you.
Sweetie, I'm laughing with you.
Am I laughing? I don't think so!
We have to shell out 80 bucks to fix that door.
That's a great story.
In two days, you'll be calling your whole family.
Nell, I'm sorry, hon.
No, it's all right. It's okay, it's okay.
Jesus, these walls are cardboard.
Yep, that is what I'm talking about.
It has been like that all night.
You know, what I'm gonna do is,
I'm gonna put up some acoustic tiles,
some baffling here.
Oh, leave 'em alone.
They're finally making up.
Oh, God!
Hey, honey, you wanna call the cops, or should l?
Steven!
They aren't...
Yeah, they are.
Perhaps a family that lived here long ago.
Maybe this is the way
they handled the tooth fairy.
Those are not children's teeth. They have gold fillings.
The roots are still attached to them like they were wrenched out!
Honey, no visuals.
Well, the building's been here since the '20s
so I'd say from the look of the box,
that it's been here a long time.
A lot of black magic uses various body parts.
The ancient Saxons built whole temples out of bones.
Ned, go take care of the damage in the Burrow's apartment.
- And dispose of the teeth. - Yes, sir.
You said these renovations would be a minor inconvenience.
They're not even happening, yet we're living in a madhouse!
I need rest, and Nell shouldn't have to put up with all this.
Folks, I'm unsettled, too.
Teeth in the wall equals weird, no question about it.
It's just part of the building's charm and character.
There's a lot of history here, and you're part of it.
And by the way,
if you break your lease,
you lose your security deposit.
- We'll be okay without it. - I don't think so.
This move set us back.
Steven, it just feels wrong here.
I can't get another day off to move, all right?
We'll have to wait till the end of this rotation.
Not now.
I'll be back as soon as I can, all right?
We'll figure this out. I promise.
Hi, Julia.
No. Wait a second.
Come on.
The government seems so surreal
When sun and heat is all I feel
It's a surrealistic summer
A surrealistic summer
As I sit here slowly waiting
It's a surrealistic summer
Surrealistic summer
As I sit here slowing waiting
I feel just like a Dali painting
Oh, come on!
Thank you.
Who the fuck are you?
My boyfriend's gonna be back any minute. Get outta here!
Stay the fuck away from me, you crazy fuck!
Help me! Somebody help me! Please!
Please help me!
Let me go! Help me!
Oh, God!
She was screaming and crying.
Please just check it out.
- She another actress, ma'am? - I would not call you if I didn't...
Her boyfriend could've beaten her or worse.
Saffron? You home?
Ma'am, I know you mean well.
But this is your second call in two days.
She and her boyfriend had a horrible fight the other day.
They always do.
If you have a noise complaint, I'll take care of it.
You would just tell me it was part of the building's charm.
This guy is running a rat hole. Look around you.
Historic building! Thank you very much!
Enough! Both of you.
Sir, we're already here so just let us check out the room, okay?
- Fine. - Open it up.
- Ned, open the door. - Yes, sir. Right away.
- Police! - Saffron, it's Byron. Are you okay? Hello!
Stay here please, gentlemen.
It looks like it usually does.
Saffron?
Just like I told you, ma'am. Nothing's going on here.
You didn't check the closets, under the bed.
Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?
Nothing happened here.
You should come to bed.
No. Not her.
She probably spent the night at her boyfriend's.
Will you please, please come to bed?
I'm on call in four hours.
I'm sure she's fine.
You're right.
I'm sure it's nothing.
Come on.
Are you comin'?
Luis?
Ned?
Is there a problem?
No.
I'm fine.
Excuse me.
My name is Nell Barrow. I'm Saffron's new neighbor.
I was just wondering. Is she okay?
- I thought I heard something. - Fucking?
No, a scream like.
She likes to hurt, too.
See, the thing is, is that we went up to check on her,
and she wasn't there.
- Did you see-- - Lady.
What do you care whether she's in or not unless you're fucking her, too.
No! I just thought she might be hurt.
Hurt? Excuse me, hurt because she's making lots of noise?
No, It's nothing. I thought I heard her scream.
Did the fucking bitch go to Ojai with Kevin?
I'll tell you what, neighbor lady,
if you see Miss Dirty Legs again,
you tell her that I am fucking outta here.
Hey, great taste in shoes.
Hey, you, too.
How far did you run?
Five miles I think.
Me, too.
- Julia. - I'm Nell.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
Hey, come to the patio.
Okay.
Are you kidding me?
I haven't missed a day of running in 14 months.
- I used to be enormous. - I can't even imagine that.
- You look amazing! - Thanks.
- You gotta show me these trails. - Yeah.
- How 'bout tomorrow morning at 8..00? - That's great.
There's a great farmer's market on Sunday mornings.
And a lot of good bookstores a few blocks over.
Really? Gotta check 'em out.
Steven, of course, is at the hospital all the time.
He's even at the hospital today.
That's no fun.
You know, he's a young doctor.
It's part of the deal.
But with moving thrown in the mix, and this awful building.
I know.
Did you like... Providence?
My dad died three weeks ago.
Oh, God.
- I am so sorry. - No, I'm sorry.
I opened my mouth and this came out. I didn't-- l--
- I didn't mean to ruin our conversation. - No, you didn't ruin anything.
Yes, I did. It just popped out. It's--
It's huge.
You lost the first man you ever loved.
Yeah.
That's it. That's it exactly.
What do you say that you and l go find a place to get a piece of cake?
Let's go.
Chocolate.
Luis, it's Julia.
I'm having a problem with my bedroom door.
- Austin! - Hey, Mom.
- My doorknob came off. - I'll send Ned up.
You know what? I think I can do it myself.
I'll call back if I need to. Thanks.
- No problem. - Over and out.
Help! Help! Help!
Help! No!
Help! Help me!
You know you're not supposed to do repair work on Sunday.
I didn't do any. I didn't.
I received numerous noise complaints yesterday.
It was him.
Ned, I appreciate your dedication to the job here,
but just follow the guidelines.
We wouldn't want your enthusiasm to result
in another noise complaint or bring the police again.
- Yes, sir. - Good, I'm glad we cleared that up.
I'm gonna go fix that door.
Luis, I was supposed to meet Julia.
Did she leave already?
- No. - Maybe I have the wrong time.
I'm sorry. I haven't seen her.
Julia?
It's Nell.
- Thanks, Luis. - Hey, Nell.
Did I miss Julia?
No, she didn't come down.
Her car's in the garage. She should be here.
Smoking pot is one thing.
He was taping that girl across the hall.
You sure it wasn't a porn site?
He's spying on our neighbor.
You know, the one who used to look like a whale.
- Excuse me. - Good day.
Julia, it's Nell.
Please, please open up the door.
Are you okay?
- What? - May I please speak with you for a moment?
What, are you the new shrink?
No. My name is Nell.
- I just moved in down the hall. - What do you want?
Listen. I know that you've been taping Julia.
- Jesus Christ! My mom-- - No, please. I just want to look at it.
No fucking way! That's freaky.
I think something happened to her.
Can I please just see the inside of her apartment?
Or the tape that you did yesterday? Please.
Sorry. No can do.
Parents made me erase the hard drive.
Sorry.
- Please come home now. - What happened, hon? Are you okay?
I don't wanna be alone. I need you here.
Listen, are you okay? Is this an emergency?
Are you okay? Are you hurt? What?
I'm sorry. I've gotta go.
No! Can't I please have five minutes of your undivided attention?
Do you know what kind of pressure I'm under? I'll be right there.
- And then I come home to-- - You come home to what?
Hold on, you guys. I'll be right there. I'm sorry, Nell. I'm sorry.
I'm just-- I'm frustrated. I'm freaking out.
It's crazy right here.
I've got to go, all right? Just be calm. Take it easy.
I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you. Okay?
Honey, okay?
- I love you, too. - Good-bye. I love you. Sit tight.
Damn it.
Oh, God!
I am so sorry. I didn't even see you.
It's okay. I've always been a wallflower of sorts.
How are you, Nell?
I don't know. I-- Have you seen Julia today?
Julia Cullingham? She lives here.
The walls listen.
The Lusman's an odd bird.
What do you mean, Chas?
Buildings have personalities just like people.
I've lived here for decades and haven't figured out this one.
Took me a long time to feel at home here.
Now I can't be anywhere else.
I'm glad to hear that. I can't believe how long you've lived here.
What is it, 60 years?
I came out as a contract player at Grand Street Pictures.
Look at me... right there.
Handsome devil, wasn't l?
They paid me $50 a week.
More than enough to cover my fees here.
This is a great picture of you.
See you, Nell.
- Your magazine. - All these changes,
these renovations, they can't be good.
Opening the place up like a patient anesthetized upon a table.
Not good.
At least we have a doorman.
It's not about what can get in.
It's about what's already here.
Don't worry. You'll find your friend.
Okay.
Room 504 should be...
This way.
Okay, 506.
505.
504.
502. 501.
502. 503.
506, 505, 50...4
Yes? What is it?
Is there an apartment number 504?
Can you handle this? Jesus Christ.
No.
503. 505. No 504.
Don't you think that's weird?
I'm really not understanding your fascination with a building you despise.
Is this about the deposit or--
Look, there's no 304 either.
All the keys are on the wall.
Each floor is missing the same apartment.
Look, no 404, no 204,
no 1 04.
You've got a sharp eye.
No one's ever noticed that before.
But why?
There is no why. There's no mystery here.
I mean, skyscrapers don't have a 1 3th floor.
This building doesn't have certain rooms.
Just chalk it up
as another one of the Lusman's charming oddities.
Is that all?
You live at the Lusman?
You're there right at the end, baby.
Pale rider's galloping in.
You're lucky to see what it once was before the quote, unquote improvements.
There's some strange things about that building.
You wanna know about the symbols, right?
- Yeah, I can tell you some stories. - What stories?
- I thought they were just decoration. - Hell, no.
Lusman had those symbols there for a reason. Bad juju.
That's what they're about.
- You sure you wanna hear all this? - Yes.
Lusman hung out with these hipsters,
and all sorts of black magic. The Talman Lunar Cult.
Main guy was some aerospace pioneer
trying to fuse science and magic.
Back in the day, the Lusman was as scary
to the squares as Cielo Drive was after Manson.
- Do you know it's missing apartments? - Lay that on me again.
Yeah. Each floor is missing the same apartment.
And there's no record of it.
Wild.
Check this out.
It's one of the great untold stories.
Lusman got all these stars to invest in his place.
And then all of a sudden, bam, shit goes down.
The scandal sheets start blasting him for his cult connections.
Construction workers are dying.
City goes in and shuts him down.
Poor old Jack spends ten years finishing the place by himself.
Didn't you say the symbols meant something?
Oh, yeah. Each one's part of a spell.
- So they say. - They're all over the blueprints.
Oh, let me see that.
Oh, man! This is awesome!
Oh, yeah. Wacky Jack done good.
Everything's connected.
- Where's the side view? - Right here.
See, they're stacked on top of each other like a deck of cards.
With stairs running through the whole thing, from the basement on up.
There are whole rooms in there!
Our minds don't work with these sort of spatial anomalies.
Each room takes a little bit here and a little bit there so nobody knows the difference.
Wacky Jack's a fucking genius.
Wait. Slow down. What are you saying?
There's a whole town house inside your building.
The only problem is there's no entrance.
It's like a wonderland without a little green pill.
It's like Oz without a yellow brick road.
Do you have anything else?
Yeah. They took a bunch of photos at the groundbreaking.
Okay, first floor, second floor.
Okay, first floor.
Triangle.
One, two, three.
So, you get the part?
You know the saying. You win some, you lose some.
And some get washed away by an Old Testament-style flood.
Yeah, I hear ya.
- Hey, good evening, Nell. - Hi.
Shit.
Luis, I'm stuck in the goddamn elevator!
Shit.
You've got to be kidding me.
Luis, get me the hell outta here, man!
Third floor, baby. You can do it.
What are you--
Yup.
Thank God for backups.
Help!. Help!.
Holy shit!
Help!. No!.
Help!. Help me!.
Come on, open up!
- Hey. What are you doing? - I need to see your wife.
- What? - Her friend's fucking dead.
- What are you talking about? - Jesus Christ! She's dead!
What in the hell are you talking about? Nell? Nell!
Julia? Julia!
Please, let me get out of here. Please, God, please.
Help!.
She was right. She was right the whole time.
Oh, my God.
The lines are dead.
It's a quirk in the building.
- Byron, you've heard the rumors. - Bullshit!
- She's in danger! - She's delusional.
Julia's dead. Go to her room. You'll see.
Just take it easy, man! There's nothing going on here!
Then what's this?
Look, look, look! There's these cracks.
- Austin, go get the police! - Right.
Be careful.
Oh, my God! What is this?
- Nell! Nell! - Oh, Jesus Christ!
- Oh, my God! Wait! - Nell!
- Shut up! - Oh, God!
What the fuck?
We gotta get the police and let them come in with their body armor and guns.
- She could be dead by then! - So could we.
- We can't wait for the police. - Why not? We stay together.
I can't believe this is here and no one knew about it.
- What is this place? - It's where you come to die.
- What the fuck does that mean? - You've heard the same stories I have.
What stories?
Things the residents say. Noises they can't explain.
- Like something lives in the walls. - Rats.
Well, then you go back!
Luis and I'll-- Where's Luis?
Luis?
No!
No! No!
What is this?
- Can we get outta here? - Stop talking.
- Are you crazy? - Listen!
There's somebody here. There's someone--
Nell, it's me.
- Steven! - It's me, it's me, it's me.
Thank God!
How'd you get in here? How can we get outta here?
There's a trap door on the roof.
Just kill me!
- Steven! - You okay? Come here.
Okay, okay.
Oh, my God.
Come on, we gotta go. Let's go, let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
- Oh, my God! - Come on, come on.
Steven.
Steven, it's a spell!
The building is a spell, Steven!
Steven, the symbols are part of the spell.
Nell, be quiet. Be quiet.
Nell! Be quiet.
I'm gonna get you outta here.
Come on. Let's go.
All this death.
It taps into something. It taps into something.
It taps into something that keeps him here. It keeps him alive.
If they change the building, they'll destroy him.
Back up, back up, back up!
No, Steven, no! It's okay! It's okay, Steven.
- Nell! - Chas.
Please. He knew I told you about the room.
I didn't think he'd find out.
Why? Why did you tell me about the room?
I knew you were the one meant to find it.
The separation between life and death is not the same for him.
He was a coffin birth,
fighting his way out of his mother's womb
as she laid in her casket.
The mourners heard his cries.
Pulled him out.
He was born of death.
I can get you out of here, but we don't have much time.
Come.
I'm so sorry.
Steven!
Run, run, run.
Tell me you can hear me. Can you hear me?
Tell me, can you hear--
No!
Please.
You're hurt, baby. You're hurt.
Did he hurt you?
We need more officers here now!
Puncture wound to the abdomen.
Don't talk.
They'll take good care of him, ma'am. Let them do their work.
I'll be okay. I'll see you at the hospital. I love you.
Don't talk. Don't talk.
Jacobs.
Okay, guys, on three.
One, two, three!
You go to hell.
- Can you hear me? - Mrs. Barrows?
Get the paramedics. Room 306.
He's dead. You understand me? He's dead.