- Hey, do you know what happened? - Some kind of accident.
Those construction guys left before the ambulance got here.
- Lites, right? - Yeah. Two packs.
- Does that work? - I hope so.
Whoa... good one.
- The card didn't go through. - I'm sorry. Here, try this one.
No prob...
There we are.
You have a good one. See ya.
- Hey, good evening, Daisy. - Hey, Luis, what happened?
They were working on the electrical system today.
Junction box shorted out as someone was working.
- Blew them out a 3rd floor window. - Oh, my God. That's awful.
There is goes again. The contractor quit...
- right after it happened. - Do you know who it was?
Joe Sterling. The foreman. An older gentleman.
The one who wore the plaid shirts?
- That's him. - Oh, 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 three.
Wednesday at three. Okay?
God, I already changed my shift twice.
Hi, Daisy. William here. You never called me back.
I thought we could go hiking at Angeles Crest this weekend.
Give me a call.
All right.
Are you aiming for Dante's 3rd or 4th circle of Hell?
- It was just bad timing. - Honey...
bad timing is arriving late for dinner.
This is fire balling a restaurant.
We moved in on a crazy night, all right?
They haven't fixed the place yet. That's all gonna change.
- I just don't like it. - Honey...
Sorry to interrupt.
Remember me? I'm Byron the building manager.
- Oh, yeah, of course. - Hello!
Oh, this must be your wife, Nell.
I just dropped by to say hello. Just to welcome you guys.
It's a bit of a shock with all the hub-bub, emergency personnel, but...
we're really a quiet building. Did I give you the storage keys?
We have them.
Well, I live in the apartment below you guys.
Same apartment Elizabeth Short lived in.
The Black Dahlia.
There's a lot of great old history in this building.
It's so old... so much to...
Oh, do you want to see the laundry room?
Look, our faucets are leaking, like shooting out brown water.
And you said you were going to replace our stove.
We'll get Ned right on it.
Any fixit problems you have, just call Ned at extension 10.
He's our handyman around the premises. No need to wait.
Shit.
- Need to take that? Should I... - Hold on a minute.
There's also a problem with the shower.
Uh... right. You know, there's one really big plus.
You can always buzz Luis. The doorman...
and have him call Ned.
Or let him know if somebody's coming over, like this.
The vice chancellor will be here at three for finger sandwiches.
- All right, Byron. - Isn't that great?
There's not too many buildings in this price range...
that offer the safety and security of a doorman.
Well, that's something.
Can I show you guys the outside?
I just want to show something out in the hallway real quick.
This is really... quite interesting.
Notice the unique architectural designs that 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. Must go. Gotta run.
No, really, we're a...
a very friendly building. Welcome. Welcome!
Let's go. Thanks.
New people. A 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.
- You have not created the mood. - Well, that can be arranged.
The neighbors...
- What now? - Hang on.
Hold that thought.
- Do you like tea? - I guess.
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? Hans is coming over later.
- Got it. - Mine's broken.
So... do you hear all of the hammering?
- What? - Late at night and 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. - Okay, well I gotta go.
- Did you leave school early? - No.
Luis said you came home at noon.
Honey. He doesn't have afternoon classes.
Oh. Right.
So aren't you guys going to be late?
Philip... I can't wear black hose with this!
- You said... - I didn't mean that.
What's all the hoopla about?
Oh, I'm working a cancer society benefit.
I love cancer.
Look, don't stay up so late, tonight. Okay?
Hello. No, I don't know...
Missed it!
Bullshit! You were hanging all over her.
You fucking bitch. Always going off about every thing...
I can't take care of everything!
Why is everything I do wrong?
You go around like a bag lady.
Don't I get enough drugs for you?
Why do you always leave me?
You're always leaving me.
Shout it!
- I love you! - No, you don't.
I love you! All this fucking hate.
I hate you! I hate you!
Get the fuck out of my house!
Are you leaving? Are you going to come back?
I don't know if I'm coming 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?
Come on in, don't mind me. Just foldin' my skivvies.
That one will run hot, no matter what you tell it to do.
Oh, really? Thanks.
You new here?
Yeah. My husband and I 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.
Too many pretty ones move here and get their hearts broken.
They leave and 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 a residency at the ER...
at the Wilshire Memorial.
How about 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.
- As in this building Lusman? - Yep. He built it.
He wanted it to be a getaway for all the movie stars...
who shared his proclivities.
But... they're fickle.
Discard one fad and just embrace another.
You can't count on them for anything.
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.
- Here you go. Catch! - You're a lifesaver.
Hey, it's a full time job with you, isn't it?
Always huffing and puffing and running around in circles...
to get back where you started?
One of these days I'm gonna get you to come with me.
Oh, no. I'm a stand in one place kind of a guy.
It's working.
- 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. No, you dick.
Get out!
What the fuck is that? What the fuck is it?
Ma'am, you just stay right there.
Get out, motherfucker! Get the fuck out.
Shut up and die, motherfucker!
Police! Freeze!
What's going on here?
Byron's helping me run lines.
I have a callback. Look...
"Sweet Jesus, what the fuck is that?"
"Shut up and bleed, motherfucker!"
Mrs. Barrow, you should take a look at this.
They were rehearsing.
Dude, this part is mine.
I'm so sorry. I really thought something awful was happening.
That's okay. You were just being a good neighbor.
Break a leg.
So those 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 eighty bucks to fix that door.
That's a great story.
In two days you'll be calling your whole family.
- I'm sorry. - No, it's all right, it's okay.
Jesus, these walls are cardboard.
That's what I'm talking about. It's been like that all night.
You know what I'm going to do. I'm gonna put up some acoustic tiles...
some baffling here.
Leave them alone. They're finally making up.
Hey, honey, you want to call the cops? Or should I?
Steven!
They aren't...
Yeah, they are.
Perhaps a family that lived here a long time ago.
Maybe this is the way they handled the tooth fairy.
Those are not children's teeth. They have gold fillings in them.
The roots are still attached to them like they were wrenched out.
Honey, no visuals.
Well, the building's been here since the twenties.
I'd say from the look of the box 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 Barrow's apartment.
- And dispose of the teeth. - Yes, sir.
You said these renovations would be a minor inconvenience.
They're not even happening and yet we're living in a madhouse.
I've got to get some rest. And Nell shouldn't have to put up with all...
Really, folks. You know, I'm unsettled, too.
I mean teeth in the wall equals weird, no question about it.
But 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.
We'll have to wait till the end of this rotation.
- Not now. - I'll be back as soon as I can.
I'll figure this out. I promise.
Hi, Julia.
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
I feel just like A Dali painting
It's a surrealistic summer
A surrealistic summer
As I sit here Slowly waiting
I feel just like A Dali painting
Come on!
Thank you.
Who the fuck are you?
My boyfriend's gonna be back any minute. Get the fuck out of here.
Stay the fuck away from me, you crazy fuck!
Somebody help me! Please!
Please help me! Please!
Please!
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 have beaten her. Or worse.
Saffron. You home?
Ma'am, I know you mean well. Okay.
But this is your second call in two days.
She and her boyfriend had a horrible fight just the other day.
They always do.
If you have a noise complaint just call me and I'll take care of it.
You've just told me it was part of the building's "charm".
This guy is running a rathole... Look around you.
"Historic Building". Thank you very much.
Enough! Both of you.
We're already here so just let us check out the room, OK?
Fine.
Open it up!
- Ned, open the door. - Yes, sir. Right away.
- Police! - It's Byron. Are you okay?
Stay here please, gentlemen.
It looks like it usually does.
Saffron!
Just like I told you, Ma'am. Nothing's going on in here.
- Nothing. - Come on, let's go. Come on.
You didn't check closets. Under the bed.
Go on.
Nothing happened here.
You should come to bed.
No... not her.
She probably spent the night at her boyfriend's.
Would you 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 coming?
Luis?
Ned?
Is there a problem?
No, I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Excuse me, I'm Nell Barrows. I'm Saffron's new neighbor.
And I was wondering, is she okay? I thought I heard something.
Fucking?
No... a scream like.
She likes the hurt, too.
We went up to check on her and she wasn't there.
What do you care if she's in or not?
Unless you're fucking her too.
Oh, no, I just thought she might be hurt.
Hurt? Excuse me, hurt?
Because she's making lots of noise?
Oh, no, it's nothing. I just thought I heard her scream.
Fucking bitch must've gone to Ojai with Kevin.
If you see Miss Dirty Legs again, tell her that I am out of here.
Hey, great taste in shoes.
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.
So you've gotta show me these trails.
- How about tomorrow morning at eight? - That's great.
There's a great farmer's market on Sunday mornings.
And a lot of good book stores a few blocks over.
Really? Gotta check them out.
Steven, is at the hospital all the time. Even today.
That's no fun.
I know. He's a young doctor. It's part of the deal...
But with moving thrown into 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 open my mouth and this came out.
- I didn't mean to ruin our talking. - No. You didn't ruin anything.
Yes. Yes, I did. It just popped out.
It's huge. You lost the first man you ever loved.
Yeah, that's it. That's it exactly.
What do you say you and I go find a place to get a piece of cake?
Let's go.
Chocolate.
Hello. This is Julia.
I have a problem with my bedroom door.
- Austin. - Hey, Mom.
- My door knob 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 me!
You know you're not supposed to do any repair work on Sunday.
I didn't do any. I didn't.
I received numerous noise complaints here yesterday.
There was hammering.
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. - I'm glad we cleared that up.
I'm going to 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, 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?
- I know you've been taping Julia. - Jesus Christ, did my mom tell...
No, no, please. Please. I just want to look at it.
No fuckin' way! That's freaky!
Look, I think something happened to her.
Can I please just see the inside of her apartment?
Or the tape that you made yesterday?
- Please. - Sorry. No can do.
Parents made me erase the hard drive.
Sorry.
Please come home now.
What happened? Are you okay?
I just don't want to be alone. I need you here.
Nell, listen. Are you okay? Is this an emergency?
Are you okay? Are you hurt?
I'm sorry, I've got to go.
Can't I just please have 5 minutes of your undivided attention?
Do you know the kind of pressure I'm under?
I'll be right there, guys. I swear 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 frustrated. I'm freaking out.
It's crazy over here.
I've got to go. All right?
Just be calm. Take it easy. I'll be home as soon as I can.
You're 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... have you seen Julia today?
Julia Cunningham? She lives...
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.
It took me a long time to feel at home here.
Now I can't be anywhere else.
Well, 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 I?
They paid me 50 dollars a week.
More than enough to cover my fees here.
- This is a great picture of you. - See ya, Nell.
Oh, your magazine.
All these changes, these renovations.
They can't be good.
Opening the place up like a...
patient anesthetized on a table.
Not good.
Well, 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... 504 should be... this way.
506.
505.
504?
502.
506, 505, 50... 4?
Yes, what is it?
Is there an apartment number 504?
Can you help us? Jesus Christ.
No. 503, 505... no 504.
Don't you think that's weird?
I don't understand your fascination with a building you despise.
Is this about the deposit?
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 104.
You've got a sharp eye. No one's noticed that before.
But why?
There is no 'why'. There's no mystery here.
I mean, you know, skyscrapers don't have a 13th floor.
This building doesn't have certain rooms.
Chalk it up as another one of the Lusman's charming oddities.
Is that all?
You live at the Lusman?
You're right there at the end. Pale rider's galloping in.
You're lucky to see what it once was before the quote unquote improvements.
There are some strange things about that building.
You want to know about the symbols, right?
- 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 want to hear all this?
Lusman hung out with these hipsters...
into 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...
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 occult 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?
Each one's part of a spell. So they say.
- They're all over the blueprints. - Oh, let me see that.
This is awesome.
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 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 there so nobody knows the difference.
Wacky Jack's a fucking genius.
Wait. Wait. Slow down. What are you saying?
I'm saying there's a whole townhouse inside your building.
The only problem is, there's no entrance.
It's like 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.
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.
I hear you.
Good evening, Nell.
Shit.
Luis! I'm stuck in the goddamned elevator.
Shit.
You've got to be kidding me.
Luis! Get me the hell out of here, man!
Third floor, baby. You can do it.
What are you...?
Thank God for backups.
Holy shit!
Come on. Open up!
Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?
- I need to see your wife. - What?
- Her friend's fuckin' dead! - What are you talking about?
- Jesus Christ! She's dead! - What are you talking about?
Nell? What are you? Nell!
Julia? Julia?
Oh, please, let me get out of here.
Please, God! Please!
- Help! - She was right...
She was right the whole time.
The lines are dead.
- It's just a quirk in the building. - Byron, you've heard the rumors.
They're full of shit.
- 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. There's these cracks.
- Austin! Go get the police. - Right.
Be careful.
Oh, my God, what is this?
- Nell! - Oh, Jesus Christ!
Nell!
Oh, my God... Wait! Wait! Wait!
Nell!
What the fuck!
We've got to get the police and let them come in...
with their body armor and the guns.
- She could be dead by then! - So could we.
We can't wait for the police.
We stay together.
I can't believe this is here and no one knew about it.
What is this place?
It's where people 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.
Probably rats.
Well, then you go back! Luis and I...
Where's Luis?
- Where the fuck did he go? - Luis?
No!
What is this?
- How do we get out of here? - Stop talking.
- Are you crazy? - Listen. There's somebody here.
Nell! Nell, it's me.
Oh, my God!
How'd you get here? How do we get out of here?
There's a trap door on the roof.
Don't kill me!
Oh, my God.
Come on. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
Let's go! Let's go!
Steven, it's a spell! The building is a spell, Steven!
The symbols, the symbols are part of the spell.
Nell, be quiet. Be quiet.
Nell! Be quiet.
Nell, I'm going to get you out of here. Come on.
All this death... It taps into something.
Steven, it taps into something. It keeps him here.
It keeps him alive.
If they change the building, they'll destroy him.
Back up. Back up.
No, no, Steven, it's okay! No, Steven!
It's okay, Steven! It's okay!
- 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.
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...
and pulled him out.
He was born of death.
I can get you out of here. But we don't have much time.
Come on.
I'm so sorry.
Steven!
Run, run, run.
Tell me you can hear me. Can you hear me? Tell me!
Steven!
No!
Please...
You're hurt, baby. You're hurt.
If he hurt you...
We need more officers here now.
Puncture wound to the abdomen.
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.
Good luck.
Don't talk. Don't talk.
Jacobs...
Okay, guys, on three.
One, two, three.
Now you go to hell.
- Can you hear me? - Mrs. Barrows.
Get the paramedics. Room 306.
He's dead. Understand me? He's dead.