Jannie, it's mamma.
Look at me!
Jane.
No!
Oh, thank God.
You've had a nightmare, honey.
Let's get you into nice hot bath.
Can I do it later, please?
All right.
But you have to get ready for your father. It's his weekend with you.
What's this?
I found it in the attic.
You know the attic's off limits.
Sorry.
Just don't do it again. Okay?
I know how you feel.
November 1849.
I hoped that no one would ever found cause to open this letter.
If you have, I must assume that unexplained or even supernatural events have become to occur.
The story of the Bell Witch had always been considered to be a tale.
This is not so.
Please read this journal with great care for it's contents may save your life.
Now where you're gonna go?
Just one kiss.
No, Joshua.
Leave that young lady alone.
Did he try to kiss you again?
Isn't there something you should be doing miss Bell?
I'm sorry, mother. I was thinking about someone else.
Probably about torturing poor Joshua.
You really should be nicer to him, Betsy.
A women must keep a man on his toes at all times. Isn't that what you taught me?
I taught you no such thing, Betsy Bell.
I'm gonna make Joshua love me forever.
Well then you better stop mistreating him.
Do you think I was too hard on him?
Just a little bit.
What would I do without you?
Oh, you'll just travel up and blow away.
And don't forget your school work.
I won't.
Good evening, mister Johnston.
Thank you.
Hi.
And then he took forward the wheel of the axle.
An then their carriage was up that snow bank as if ten men had hold of it.
Speak of the devil.
I thought you've gotten lost.
I'm not so stupid that I can't find my friend's door.
I was telling about you and that carriage.
Not yet!
Who has the drink?
He gets three shoots to the wind already.
I am so sorry, professor Powell.
Is there not a tradition connected to mistletoe, Professor Powel?
Yes, but...
Miss Bell, it's not appropriate for a student to put a teacher in such a compromising situation.
You know better than that, precious.
Well, it is Christmas, father.
And I am simply attempting to learn the traditions.
Who better to learn from? From one's teacher.
People always seems to have a ready answer for everything, John.
Would you settle for a dance, Betsy?
Oh John, let them have their dance.
May I steal missis Bell for a dance?
I promise not to step on your toes.
John.
I heard noises on the roof.
It's coming from the attic.
Squirrels?
No, it's too loud for squirrels.
The third time I've heard them in as many nights.
I haven't heard at all.
You sleep so sound.
You don't even feel me get out of bed.
Yes I do.
Listen.
It's stopped.
What was it?
Probably that witch is trying to warm me up before tomorrow's trial.
John Bell.
- The man's a lying pig! - Miss Batts!
He stole my land!
Miss Batts.
We have heard your side of the story. Please allow John Bell to finish his.
We offered her the use of our slave Samuel
and the loan of a hundred dollars in exchange for our use of that small piece of her land I bought.
At twenty percent interest!
We shook on it! Spit and shook!
I gave you two harvests. You didn't pay for, so you profit the land.
It was a fair price for it.
Twenty percent interest?
Seemed like a reasonable charge under the circumstances given her reputation.
John Bell, you broke Church law.
Twenty percent interest on a Church canon is usury.
Miss Batts' land will be returned to her.
What about my timber?
He took it off my land and sold it.
You would not have allowed to cut the wood, had you not received that money and the use of a slave.
But he broke Church law.
You have the hundred dollars and Samuel. The profit on the land is John Bell's.
His loss - the loss of his good name.
His punishment is enough.
That's not fair.
That's their punishment for you, John Bell. Just wait until you see mine.
You can't touch me, woman.
Treasure your land, health, and happy family, while you can. For I swear a dreadful darkness will fall upon you.
You and your precious daughter too.
Kate Batts, well she was feared by everyone in the village.
They were all convinced she was a witch.
So the Bells took her coursing name very seriously.
At the time I didn't believe in curses, ghosts or spirits.
I do now.
- John. - Father.
You alright?
Yeah.
We got it, father.
The wolf?
Wolf?
We shot a deer.
Come see it, father.
Father.
I've heard it.
Right there.
Keep your eyes peeled, he's as black as night.
Mama, mama, mama!
Betsy, what was that crunch?
Mother, there's something in my room!
It was a wind blew the window open. I'll close it.
No! There's something in here.
He got inside.
It doesn't seem anything to be in here, Betsy.
It's probably just mice, darling.
I don't think so, mother.
Let's go find your brothers.
Come on.
Let's go find that scary mouse.
Everything alright?
We're fine.
Let's get back to bed.
You could have killed us.
It was young John.
- He shot a musket into the house? - He discharged it accidentally.
He shot a musket into the house, John.
We were taking aback.
I can't get Kate Batts out of my head.
What's done is done.
The judge has a say and that's that so just put it out of your mind.
INDEPENDENCE.
New England Primer Way of Independence.
Now class, who were the couriers, ordered to ride to concord to warn that the British would come?
Yes, Theny Thorne.
Paul Weer, Samuel Prescot, And William Daws.
Right Theny.
And did they succeed, Betsy?
Betsy?
All right class, let's leave this for a moment. It's time for your physical exercise anyway.
Fifteen minutes only.
Are you all right Betsy?
I'm tired.
Our house makes strange noises at night.
It's hard to sleep.
Betsy.
Betsy, are you hurt?
Where did she go?
Who?
The girl who was swinging with me.
You were swinging alone, Betsy.
Did you see a girl?
No.
Mama!
Betsy!
Mama!
Betsy.
- It touched me. - Where? Who touched you?
I don't know.
I couldn't see.
It was just a bad dream, darling.
It was for real.
She's all right, John.
She's had a bad dream.
Let's just get you back to sleep.
It was just your dream.
It wasn't a dream.
There was someone on the roof.
What?
I think maybe Kate Batts sent one of her slaves to turn on us.
When I find him, I'll whip him till the last inch of his life.
My God, John. Look at this.
- That son of a bitch. - John.
John!
John, wait.
John, stop.
We don't know who did this.
- I know who did this. - You don't!
Listen to me.
Witch is not gonna hurt my daughter.
Go on then! Be a fool!
What are the two foundations of any civilized community?
Church and occupation.
And this man pioneer them both for our community with his money and with his hands.
He build the church and the church condemns him.
Usury. I broke Church law.
- But father... - Moral turpitude.
Moral turpitude?
He charged the interest that was just a little higher than church canon.
But what he didn't realize was who he was dealing with.
The boys are finally asleep.
That's good.
Now a few chapters from the Bible will take care of this house's troubles.
Quiet and generous.
Hannah prayed and said: My heart exalts in your heart.
My mouth is in lock.
... spirit that spoke to him. And Jesus answered: Be silent.
And come out of there.
The spirit gave a loud cry.
And departed.
Please all join hands.
As one we shall speak this prayer three times.
Demon, in the name of Jesus Christ, be silent and leave this house forever.
Almost twelve and all is well. I believe your home is safe.
I'm sure Kate Batts is connected to these disturbances.
Three nights ago I saw something.
Man, I think.
Moving about the property.
Who was it?
Who can make it for sure.
It's probably the professor, he's the only one who lives nearby.
You don't think Richard has his eye on Betsy, do you?
He's a teacher for goodness sake.
Halleluiah, Lucy.
God has answered. It's midnight and your house is quiet.
Thank you, James.
- I lost, Lucy. - Oh, did you?
- Good night all. - Good night.
I wasn't looking, John. I was talking to your wife. That game don't count.
Don't you blame that on me!
I'll set up for another one.
I ain't gonna play if you're gonna cheat.
I don't cheat.
My move.
Help!
Betsy!
Open the door!
Help me!
Help!
It's all right.
Demon, ghost, entity, call it what you will, it is not natural.
James listen to yourself, you're not being realistic.
There must be a rational explanation.
Listen Richard.
I have documented evidence. It's a testimony of John Jordan at the witch trial of 1599.
First scraping on the walls.
Then knocking, after that shuffling and then
it clapped the maid on the cheek half of score times.
Do you not think it is far more likely that Kate Batts
unhappy with the ruling has sent her slaves to exact a pound of flesh from you?
Well that's what I thought. But this was not the work of slaves.
No, she was dangling there.
Two feet off the ground.
All right.
Incidents always happen at night. And always in Betsy's room. Correct?
That's right, professor.
So it was dark.
It would have been quite easy for you not to have seen someone holding her.
She was suspended in mid air by something not of this earth.
John, the only logical explanation is that someone was holding her.
There was nobody in that room.
And what about the door?
The strength of three of us couldn't break it.
Well, the rain that night could have caused the door to swell.
Yeah, could have.
And the slaps? How do we imagine them?
That's a boy's trick.
- Dried peas blown through a hollow reed. - A pea shooter?
No pea shooter could smack her face that violently.
Did you actually see someone slapping her?
No, I saw her being slapped.
But you did not see someone slapping her?
No that's the point.
So it stands to reason you may also not have seen someone holding her.
Whatever happened it's very clear that confusion was about that room.
Professor, we do not all imagine the same thing.
There was something unholy in that room.
John, when the school week is over, I will come and spend the night at your house.
And I will prove to you that this is nothing more than someone trying to frighten you.
All right, time's up class.
Put your sheets on my desk, please.
Betsy.
Hurry up, we gotta get to the river before it gets dark.
Not today, Joshua.
We've been playing this for weeks.
I just don't feel like it.
Come on, Betsy.
I said no!
Leave me alone!
- What did you say to her? - Nothing.
This will pass, Betsy.
REMEMBER.
Remember what?
Lucy!
No, don't!
Lucy, what's happening?
Richard you should not be watching it.
John!
Open your eyes, John.
He'll be all right, missis Bell.
- And the palpus? - You keep them roots on his head a while.
Well, that's a pierce to suffer from violent nightmares.
- Did you see my sister? - Of course I did.
You think what my daughter just went through...
- Lucy, just spare with me for a minute. - Covers were pulled off her bed.
That was no nightmare.
Nightmares may appear to be more than they are!
People often imagine that they've seen things...
She didn't imagine any of this, you were there you saw it!
It was not natural.
There's something evil here.
This is blasphemy!
Who's there! Show yourself!
- Betsy, is that you? - Destroy them, oh Lord!
Destroy them! Destroy them!
Cast them out!
Stop it James!
Thou shall not stand. Thou shall not stand!
Cast them out!
Stop it! Damn you to hell!
Are you familiar with that which Mr. Johnston reads?
Of course it understands the words of the Lord.
That's why I've stopped it.
Was that readen from the Gospel according to Matthew?
Is that a yes or no?
The Gospel according to Mark?
Is it a Song of David?
Why you're here?
Have the Bells disturbed you?
Are we all having nightmares now, professor?