Longlegs (2024) Movie Script
1
[guitar strumming]
[guitar being tuned]
[faint voices carrying,
indistinct]
[guitar being tuned]
[]
[engine idling]
[engine turning off]
[]
[soft male voice calling]
Cuckoo!
[bird calling]
[bird calling]
[startling musical tone pulses]
[startling musical tone pulses]
[wind rising, breath-like]
[panting]
[soft male voice] There she is,
the Almost Birthday Girl.
Oh, but...
it seems I wore
my long legs today.
What happens if I...?
[discordant music surging,
scream-like]
["Jewel" by T. Rex
begins to play]
Well, I've got
a little babe
With jewels upon her lip
[]
Well, I've got
a little babe
With jewels upon her lip
[]
Her hair's like a river
It's fast and slowly drips
[vocalizing] How, how
How, how
[]
She bathes in thunder
The elves are under her
[]
She bathes in thunder
The elves are under her
She walks the wind
And has a panther
with silver fur
[vocalizing] How, how
How, how
Ow!
[]
[song fades, echoing]
All right, kids.
This is the part
where you get to do the things
the grownups
don't wanna do anymore.
Door to door, on foot,
knock-knock,
"Have you seen this man?"
Just like in the movies.
Partners have already
been assigned,
so no one gets hurt feelings.
Suspect likes to visit
a certain kind of neighborhood.
He's a middle-aged
Caucasian male
and not likely to go quietly,
so let's always assume
he's armed.
We'll go alert and careful.
That's all.
Okay, well,
I am good to be the one
who goes up and knocks,
if you wanna be the one
who hangs back.
Harker?
You good?
Yeah, I'm good.
[door ajar tone chimes]
[]
[]
That kid
smelled like narcotics.
Harker.
It's that one.
What's what one?
He's in there.
What makes you say that?
I don't know.
We should call it in.
What? No.
[chuckling]
No, we're not gonna
call in a hunch
on our first day out doing this.
Just relax.
But I'll go take a look.
All right?
Lee, relax.
[clearing throat]
[Fisk knocking on door]
FBI!
[front door opens]
[Fisk] Hi there!
Hi, I just wondered if you'd
take a look at that for me--
[gunshot blasts]
[panting]
[Harker panting]
[panting]
[eerie music playing]
[panting]
Don't move.
I won't.
[Harker panting]
[]
[intercom voice echoing]
State your name and rank.
Special Agent Lee Harker.
Can someone tell me
what I'm doing in here?
[intercom voice echoing]
Special Agent Lee Harker,
are you ready to begin?
Ready to begin what?
State the first word
that comes to mind
to accompany each image.
Are you ready to begin?
Yes.
Camera.
Table.
Legs.
Tiger.
Door.
Mother.
Father.
Piano.
A number has been generated
between zero and 100,
inclusive.
What is the number?
I-I don't know.
33?
A number has been generated
between zero and 100,
inclusive.
What is the number?
Zero.
[Agent Carter]
You a baseball fan, Harker?
No, sir.
Damn.
I need to talk to someone
about my beautiful Mariners,
but...
Well, my wife's getting
pretty good at faking it, so...
That's a slippery slope.
[chuckles]
Damn, Agent Browning,
that's cold.
I only work with
what you give me, Agent Carter.
[Carter] You beat that
numbers generator eight times.
How'd you do that?
[Harker]
I also missed it eight times.
Hmm.
Half-psychic is better
than not psychic at all,
I'd say.
Family of four
lived in that house
for 12 years.
The Horns.
Nice people.
Dad taught college,
coached T-ball.
Mom ran the church bake sale,
and then, two months ago,
they all get murdered inside.
[Agent Browning] Four victims,
but technically three murders
and a suicide.
The father?
[Carter] Yeah, he didn't do it
halfway, either.
Stabbed his wife 61 times
before the blade
snapped off the handle.
What about the kids?
What about 'em?
How many wounds?
You can read about it
in the file.
You said four were murdered.
I don't understand.
[Browning] Neither do we.
A letter was left
with the bodies,
written in a coded alphabet,
and not in the hand of anyone
in any way
connected to the family.
So...
We have ten letters like it,
made by the same hand.
Ten houses, ten families,
over the past 30 years,
and all of them signed
with one word...
"Longlegs".
Someone or something
is making the fathers do it.
So far, we've been goddamned
to figure out what or who.
[Browning] I'm telling you,
she's not ready for this.
You got a better idea,
Browning,
then you can run with it.
There you go, Harker,
take a nice long look.
Tell me your version
of what happened in Colfax
with the shooting of Agent Fisk.
[Harker]
It's hard to explain, sir.
It's like something
tapping me on the shoulder,
telling me where to look.
You identified
a suspect's house,
with no prior knowledge,
no real indication
that it was any way different
than all the cookie-cutters
all around it.
Anything like that
ever happen to you before,
Agent Harker?
From time to time, sir.
Well, maybe we'll just
call you "highly intuitive".
[Harker] Yes, sir.
Uh-huh.
Tell me what you see.
What do the families
have in common?
That's a good question.
All the victim families
have daughters
whose birthdays are on the 14th
of any given month.
But only the Horns
were actually murdered
on that date.
Get to work.
[]
[recording clicks on
and begins to play]
[operator] 9-1-1.
What's your emergency?
[man] It's...
It's my daughter.
It's...
it's not my daughter...
[9-1-1 operator]
Sir, who's not your daughter?
[man] I gotta be quiet.
I've gotta be quiet.
[9-1-1 operator]
Sir, where are you?
[man] When she's sleeping...
When she's sleeping,
it's the best time to do it.
[9-1-1 operator] Do what?
[man] When her eyes are closed.
[9-1-1 operator] Sir, can you
stay on the line with me?
[man panting]
-[yelling]
-[9-1-1 operator] Sir?
Hello?
Can you stay on the line?
-[man yelling]
-[9-1-1 operator] Sir?
[yelling and screaming]
[9-1-1 operator]
9-1-1. What is your emergency?
[panicked voices rising,
indistinct]
[woman] Help!
[camera shutter clicking]
-[door bursts open]
-Harker!
You know, there's such a thing
as looking too long.
I must have lost track of time.
I'm still thirsty.
Are you thirsty?
Come on, let's go for a drink.
You'll have to excuse me, I...
it's late, and I don't drink.
You don't drink, you're right.
I'll drink
while you tell me things.
Agent Harker.
[voice receding]
Come on, bag it up!
Ah, thanks, Melissa.
Go ahead, Harker.
Well, there's no signs
of forced entry.
In fact, forensics says
there's no indication
he was ever in the house at all.
There's only the bodies
of the victims,
and they've all been killed
with something
from inside the house.
Two times, a shotgun,
both legally registered
to the father.
Eight times, a knife
from the family's kitchen.
Once, a hammer
from the family's toolbox.
All right.
And...?
Longlegs would have to be
inside the house
to use the shotgun,
the knife, the hammer,
but according
to physical evidence,
he never is.
If it wasn't for the letters
he left behind,
it's almost like
he was never there at all.
He murders them,
but not in person.
Maybe he tells the families
what he wants them to do--
to themselves, to each other--
then they do it.
[laughs]
Well, now, that...
that reads
like a page out of Manson.
Manson had accomplices.
His Family.
You think Longlegs has help?
Hmm.
All right.
Mm!
Oh, man.
[grunting]
Whoo!
Okay, bedtime.
I'll drive.
You take a left right here.
And the lights are on.
I'm busted.
Well, all right, Harker,
you get to come meet
my wife and kid.
Um, sir...
do I have to?
Yeah.
[car door closes]
Come on in.
Hey, there she is!
[clapping]
[laughing]
You didn't call
to say goodnight.
Oh, 'cause it was late,
and it was past your bedtime.
[Ruby]
Well, now it's even later,
and way, way past my bedtime.
[Carter] Uh, yeah.
I guess I screwed that up, huh?
Hello.
[Carter] Oh, hey,
this is, uh, Agent Lee Harker.
Harker, this is
my beautiful wife, Anna,
and our daughter, Miss Ruby.
Nice to meet you, Harker.
-Hi, honey.
-Hey, babe.
[Anna] I'm glad you're home.
Do you want to see my room?
What happened to this one?
[Ruby] Its head got cut off,
and I don't know where it is.
I guess that's more my job...
finding things, I mean.
What about that thing,
do you go in it?
It's too babyish.
Dad says he wants to keep
some of my old stuff around
so I don't grow up too fast,
but I'm gonna grow up anyway.
Even veals grow a little,
and they live in a box
with their legs all tied up
and everything.
Veals have it pretty tough,
don't they?
Did you wanna be an FBI agent
when you were a little girl?
No.
I actually
wanted to be an actress.
That messes up kids.
So they say.
Is it scary
being a lady FBI agent?
Yeah.
Yeah, it is.
[Anna] All right, you two.
I'm sure Agent Harker's got
a lot of very important
work to do,
and, Miss Ruby Carter, it's...
Well, it's tomorrow.
Can she come
to my birthday party?
Sounds great to me.
Why don't you ask her?
I'll be there.
[car radio playing softly]
[car radio playing softly]
[loud music playing
and stopping]
[door being unlocked]
[line ringing]
[line ringing]
[woman] Yes?
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
Lee?
Yup, still only me.
Are you okay?
Yeah, spent the day at home.
Where else would I be?
What are you doing
in the house?
Do you have to let the phone
ring so long?
Trying to go through
some stuff over here.
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
I just can't sleep.
A lot on my mind.
Work stuff.
Nasty stuff?
[laughing]
Um, yeah.
[faint clicking on phone]
Want to tell me about it?
No...
No.
Don't forget
I was a nurse for eight years.
I saw more than my fair share
of nasty stuff.
I think I just need to be quiet
for a little bit.
Somebody's birthday's
coming up.
[whispering voice swirling]
Honey? Are you still there?
Mom, I gotta go.
I-I'll call you back, okay?
[beeps phone off]
[banging on door]
[soft click of Lee's gun]
[Lee] Hello?
[sliding chain]
[crickets chirping]
[chilling music surging]
[Lee panting]
[panting]
[discordant music pulses]
[discordant music pulses]
[Lee panting]
[strings holding
a chilling discordant note]
[]
[switchblade clicks open,
music stops abruptly]
[slicing open envelope]
[creaking]
[creaking]
[thudding]
[phone ringing]
[answering machine clicks on]
Hello,
no one is available
to take your call.
Please leave a message
after the tone.
[beep]
[Lee's mother] Lee?
Are you there?
Call me back.
[]
[phone ringing]
[gasping]
Yes, Mom, I'm fine.
[man's voice, brusque] Harker?
Carter's looking for you.
Um, yeah, I'll be right in.
[beeps phone off]
[woman]
Can you have a look at this?
[]
[ominous note sounds]
Him again.
We are real late on this one.
Looks like the family
was planning a trip.
A friend assumed they'd gone,
so no one bothered
to check in on 'em.
Found plane tickets
for Los Angeles
and reservations for Disneyland.
Sounds like a nice idea.
And the girl's birthday
was the 14th?
Seems like it.
How'd you figure that out?
I only looked
long enough, sir.
Yeah, well,
there's a dead family
in the master bedroom,
so let's go
take a long look at that.
We found dad in the garage.
Wrists and throat,
kitchen knife in his hand.
His wounds look self-inflicted,
but we'll be sure
when we're sure.
This is everyone else here,
and it's not great.
How long ago?
I'd say about a month.
[Carter] Jesus.
Okay.
Let's take a look.
Are you sure she--
Yeah, she's good. You're good,
aren't you, Harker?
Pull it.
How old's the girl?
I'm guessing nine or ten.
Fuck.
[cat hissing]
[line ringing]
[Lee's mom] Yes, who is it?
Hi, Mom.
Lee?
Yes.
Still your only daughter.
Anyways, I was calling
to let you know
that I'm gonna busy now,
with work,
and I probably
won't be able to make it.
I want to, it's just--
[buzzing on line]
Mom, are you still there?
[Lee's mom] Be careful
they don't work you too hard,
all right?
Yeah, but it's good.
It's really good.
They put me on
something important.
Yeah?
What is it?
Well, I can't tell you.
You wouldn't
wanna hear about it anyways.
Not nice things.
I don't think the Bureau
has a division for nice things.
Will I see you
on your birthday next week?
I'll try.
Lee?
Are you still saying
your prayers?
Yeah.
Listen I gotta go.
Lee, honey,
our prayers protect us
from the Devil.
I know.
I know, Mom.
I'll call you later, okay?
[]
[]
[faint whispering]
[discordant music
growing shrill]
[single thudding pulse]
Help me out here.
It's an algorithm.
His algorithm.
Help me out more.
The first murder happens
on July 14th, 1966.
The rest occur within six days
of the daughters' birthdays,
either before or after...
...creating
an inverted triangle.
Okay, what am I
supposed to do with this?
I also decoded
all his letters.
The one thing that stood out
was the repeated reference
to "the fine time we had
at the Camera family farm,"
where X's mark the spot.
The Camera family.
I was at Georgetown
when that happened.
Their local priest
makes his weekly visit,
but it goes bad,
due to Carrie Anne's father
and the axe from the toolshed.
He kills the priest, his wife,
and then himself.
Carrie Anne's at school,
so she survives.
Look at the date.
March 8th.
Now look at
Carrie Anne's birthday.
March 14th.
Six days apart.
Well, no shit.
I believe Longlegs was
at the Camera family farm,
and it's possible
that Carrie Anne saw him.
What about the 13th?
It's missing.
I'm still not sure about that,
but it's three days from now.
Maybe Longlegs will kill again.
And this Carrie Anne,
she still alive?
Water Rock
Psychiatric Hospital.
That's not far from here.
132 miles, sir.
And the old farm?
Let's start there.
[]
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder rumbling]
[Lee] It's over there.
[thunder rumbling]
[]
[Lee] Xs mark the spot.
[rattling door]
[anxious music tones rising]
Carter?
Yeah?
[low chilling music tones]
[Carter brushing hay away]
[dramatic, sharp musical tone]
[Coroner] She's handmade,
that's for sure.
and beautifully handmade
at that.
Porcelain head, hands and feet,
unbleached canvas body,
cotton stuffing.
The hair is human,
what's left of it.
All in all,
it's beautifully made,
by a highly-skilled craftsman.
[Carter]
But what about the ball there?
[Coroner] Mm.
It was inside the head.
So I've been calling it
the "brain".
It's hollow,
empty of object or matter,
but listen...
[high-pitched ringing]
[surging of loud hissing]
[snarling hiss, almost a voice]
[pulsing hiss]
[fades to a dull
discordant tone]
And what's your name,
little angel?
Nice to meet you, Carrie Anne.
Now...
I know you're not afraid
of a little bit of dark...
[whispering]
...because you are the dark.
[chilling discordant tones
rising]
[tones silence to faint
background ringing]
[Coroner] The other night,
I could have sworn
it was whispering
my ex-wife's name
over and over again,
but...
I've been working very late,
and of course it--it wasn't.
[chuckling nervously]
Yeah, can the--
Can the "brain" be opened up?
Of course,
but it's not likely
there's a solution
to your case in there,
because
there's nothing in there.
[Carter] Well,
let's go see Carrie Anne Camera
at the mental hospital.
[music playing on car stereo]
[]
[]
[door entry bell jingles]
Can I help you
with anything else today?
Cuckoo.
Cuckoo. Cuckoo.
Cuckoo.
I don't know what that
was supposed to be.
And what day is your birthday,
little angel?
[chuckling wheezily]
Daddy!
That gross guy is back again!
[shrieking] Daddy!
[shriek becoming scream] Mommy!
Unmake me!
And save me
from the hell of living!
[screams fade, echoing]
Two days ago, Carrie Anne
is postcard catatonic.
Well, slumped in a chair
by the door
for as long as I've been here,
and I've been here eight years.
Then yesterday,
she gets a visitor,
and I've never seen
that happen either,
and like someone
flipped a switch
on the back of her head,
and all of a sudden,
she's right there.
Wide awake,
eyes bright.
You saw this visitor?
No, I wasn't on site
at the time, unfortunately,
but the log should say.
Does the guard check IDs?
Well, it does sound like
a good idea, but no.
No, we do not require that.
[Lee] Thank you, Carrie Anne,
for taking the time
to talk to me today.
I've seen you before,
ain't I?
I don't think so.
You...
been to my house...
...or someone s'looks s'lots
like you, anyways.
How are you feeling today,
Carrie Anne?
Mm...
...different.
It's like...
a long dream...
...and so dark.
A world of dark.
Like a nowhere
'tween here and there.
What's that called?
Doin' the limbo?
And before...
the long dream,
do you remember anything?
Do you remember coming here?
Do you remember your parents?
They didn't a'know
what to do with themselves.
I mean...
gosh, and I knew
I was a handful as it were's.
Momma always hated me,
'cause how I'd come out wrongly
when I was borned.
Bled her up too much.
Poppa was a good man.
That's the somethin'
I remember good.
That's why he done it.
[tinkling melody playing]
You had a visitor yesterday.
Can you describe him for me?
Gosh, I don't ever
wanna forget 'im.
I was jus' waitin' on him
to come and get me.
To come and tells me
somethin's to do for 'im.
Or even better,
to do somethin' for
the Man Down The Stairs,
and, boy, I just wanna do
whatsever-so he says me to do.
Like, if'n he told me
to take a jumpy out a window,
I'd surely do.
Just happy as peaches
to watch the ground
as it come up to meet me.
Or if'n he told me
to kill you right-right here
in this room with my bare hand,
I'd surely do.
Just happy as peaches
to watch your heavy heart
go pop-pop,
and your eyeses
to go all to blood.
Do you remember having a doll?
A special doll
that looked just like you?
Nope.
And you don't remember neither,
you dirtsy, flirtsy
ol' angel bitch.
[gasping]
[chilling tones rising]
[ominous score rising]
[]
[]
[]
A'ight, a'ight,
so he murders a family in '75,
but he probably isn't even
in the house
when they're killed.
Then comes back
almost 20 years later
to visit the only survivor,
signs in
as the agent chasing him,
and then leaves
his only surviving victim
feeling much, much better
than before he got there.
Mm.
She came out of her catatonia
the same day we found the doll.
Yeah, that couldn't be
anything but a coincidence.
Look, we opened the ball
in the doll's head,
and there's nothing inside.
Maybe we're missing something.
Something that...
I don't know, makes it work.
In some cultures,
dolls are used in magic,
to control people.
So, he kills them with a doll
from somewhere else
by what, remote control?
Longlegs is just a man, Harker,
not a witch doctor.
Sit down.
How does Longlegs
know your name, Harker?
I don't know, sir.
You know, last week,
this investigation is ice-cold.
Then you come on to it,
and all of a sudden,
it's flowing like...
I don't know, hot lava.
What aren't you telling me?
I revisited your file.
When was the last time
you talked to your mother?
Sorry, sir,
but what does that
have to do with the case?
She called in a police report,
January 13, 1974.
That's one day
before your 9th birthday.
That makes your birthday
the 14th.
She did?
She did.
Gave a description
of a trespasser.
Tall and pale.
Harker...
look at me.
Do you remember someone
at your house
that might have looked that way?
I don't know, sir.
You go see your mother,
and tell me what she says
about the person
who came to your house
when you were a kid,
understood?
Yes, sir.
[high-pitched ringing]
[door creaking open]
Hi, Mom.
Mm.
Will you tell me
the honest truth
about something?
I'll try.
Do you still say your prayers?
No, Mom.
I never said my prayers,
never once.
They scared me.
[laughing]
[chuckling]
[laughing heartily]
Ah...
[wheezing silent laughter]
[trails into chuckles]
What's so funny?
You're right.
All our prayers don't help us.
Prayers don't do
a goddamn thing.
I'm gonna make you
something to eat.
[muttering] Jesus Christ, Mom.
[anxious tones rising]
[hissing]
[menacing voice-like snarl]
Good news.
I got Deborah
to cover my shift tomorrow,
and it's somebody's birthday.
[distant dog barking]
[vehicle accelerating]
[engine rumbling]
[distorted voice speaking]
[static]
[clicking rifle open]
[turning doorknob, locked]
Lee?
I can't believe it's gonna be
your birthday again so soon.
What a day that was.
I bled...
bled... bled...
bled...
[whispering] bled--
Mom.
Do you remember
my 9th birthday?
No, I don't think so.
I don't remember anything.
Do you?
What happened that day?
No.
What do you mean, "no"?
"No" is just
the way it sounds, baby girl.
But you called the police,
about a trespasser.
No one ever came to visit us.
Not any family.
No strangers.
No big, bad wolves.
No anybody.
But these are things
a little girl shouldn't know.
I'm not a child anymore, Mom.
You're not a child
because you were allowed
to grow up.
Allowed?
This is a cruel world.
Especially
for the little things.
Not all of them
are allowed to live.
What are you talking about?
I might have forgotten
everything I possibly could,
for both of our sakes,
but I never threw
anything away.
All of your things...
...it's all in your room.
[discordant tone surging]
[chilling music bubbling]
[ominous chord strikes]
[voice high and playful]
Cheese and crackers!
[Polaroid whirring]
[Lee's mom shouting] Hey!
Excuse me.
Who are you,
and why are you talking
to my kid?
[singing with discordancy]
Let me in now!
And it can be nice
Make me go now
And I'll have to come back
Not once
Not twice
But as many times as I like!
Harker.
Did you go see your mother?
What's this?
It's him.
It's him how?
I found it in a box of photos
at my house.
You really
don't remember this guy?
[sighing] Okay.
We're gonna need
to bring her in,
see what else she remembers.
We will,
but for now, we have this.
You sure you wanna start
a manhunt with this?
I'm sure.
[distant sirens]
[sirens approaching]
[sirens, closing in]
Sir!
I'm gonna need you to get down
on the fucking ground.
[discordant music surging]
[agent] State your name
for the camera.
[soft voice]
Dale Ferdinand Kobble.
[agent]
Ever call yourself "Longlegs"?
When do I see Lee?
[Agent] Lee who?
Harker...
the herald angels sing.
[agent]
How do you know Lee Harker?
[Kobble] A friend of a friend
of a friend...
[breathing laboriously]
...and this friend
wants me to say,
[tenderly] "Happy Birthday,
Lee Harker..."
[breathing with heavy emotion]
...and he wants you all
to know...
that he'll be there...
[breathing hard]
...and you'll be there,
and you'll be there...
[pointedly]
...and you'll be there.
[singing in soft wail]
Happy Birthday
To you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, Lee Harker
Hap--
[turns off playback]
It goes on like that
for a while.
For how long?
24 minutes.
A'ight, everyone out of here.
Browning, Harker, you stay.
Go.
You guys go.
[exhaling]
His luggage was stuffed
with notebooks
filled with handwriting.
Handwriting that matches
the letters found at the scene,
and, suffice to say,
it's all heavily Satanic.
Agent Harker,
while the Bureau does appreciate
your contribution here,
it also puts us
in an odd position.
So far,
there's no physical evidence
that Kobble has ever
killed anyone.
I mean, he worships the Devil,
that's for sure,
but in the United States
of America,
he's allowed to do that.
I'm more concerned
about the fact
that he knows who you are,
Agent Harker.
But...
he can't do anything else
about that
now that we have him.
"And I stood upon
the sand of the sea,
and I saw a Beast rise up
out of the sea,
with seven heads and ten horns.
And on his horns,
he wore ten crowns,
and on each head was written
the blasphemous name."
Book of Revelations, isn't it?
Revelation.
There's no "S".
It's singular.
Longlegs isn't alone.
He has to have someone
helping him.
Maybe multiple, but it...
it has to be someone
that the families
felt comfortable
letting into their house.
Someone they know,
or have met before.
Maybe a child, or...
someone that could pass
as a child.
A'ight, Harker, come on.
We got the guy
who wrote the letters,
and if we do this right,
he'll spend
the rest of his life in jail.
But it's not over.
The triangle isn't complete,
we're still missing the 13th.
[Browning] The 13th is today,
Agent Harker.
What are we supposed to do
about that?
We can expect his accomplice
to kill at least
one more family...
...and Kobble's the only one
who knows who that is.
[sighing deeply]
Kobble...
where is he now?
[Browning] He's downstairs.
Right under your feet.
[Kobble]
I'm a friend of a friend.
[Lee's mom] What friend?
My friend.
That lives downstairs.
Downstairs?
Downstairs from where?
Everywheres.
You can even call him
"Mr. Downstairs".
[door lock buzzing open]
[high-pitched wailing] Oh...
there she is!
[gasping in delight]
The Almost Birthday Girl.
[gasping]
Oh...
[chuckling] It's funny.
The day you decided
to go into law enforcement,
you were...
We had such a big laugh
about it.
Although, it was only me
who laughed, not she.
Who is the "she"
that you're talking about?
The seventh "she".
To be given the same choice
that they've all been given.
Crimson or clover.
Accept the gift,
and destroy it,
and destroy yourself,
and your selves,
or keep it,
and bow down.
Bow all the way down,
and get right down
to the dirty, dirty work.
Work that gets dirty
as it cleans.
Like a mop.
Like a ra...ag.
But...
you don't work alone, do you?
Someone's been helping you.
An accomplice.
Knock-knock,
on the farmhouse door.
A nice lady with a Bible
and a, "Congratulations!
You have been selected.
You may now collect
your gift from the church."
It says it right here,
right here on the orders.
On the orders
from the man downstairs.
The Camera family farmhouse
will be so bright and white,
you can't miss it!
Are you referring
to Carrie Anne Camera?
What did you say to her
at the mental institution?
Oh, but, Lee,
your house was even whiter
when I came to visit.
January 13th, 1974, right?
House Number Eight
was so white.
Whiter than a fish's throat.
Whiter than tits.
I knew then
that the work we were doing
was immaculate.
But your work's over.
It's done,
and you're gonna be in here
for the rest of your life.
Yes.
I am done...
...but I won't only be in here.
I'll be a little bit
of everywhere.
Waiting...
in the wings.
In the father's wings.
Who's been helping you?
Well...
I'll let you get started now.
Who is the man downstairs?
Why don't you ask your mommy?
My mother
doesn't know anything.
Hail Satan.
[slamming]
[gasping]
[slamming and crunching,
Lee gasping]
[choking]
Stop!
[gasping and wheezing]
[thud]
[Lee breathing shakily]
[Carter, voice muffled]
That's it, Harker.
That's more than enough.
We had the guy,
and now we got nothin'.
We let all those families die,
and nothin' about any of that
is better, or okay,
but it's done!
Oh, and as for the 13th--
while you were in there,
Carrie Anne Camera jumped
off the roof at Water Rock.
Yeah.
He must have told her to do that
when he saw her.
Just like he somehow told
all the others
to do what he wanted,
but he did it alone,
with no accomplices!
No black magic, no voodoo,
no nothing!
You didn't
have to come with me.
I wasn't gonna let you drive
after what you saw today.
How do you wanna do this?
I should go in alone.
I'll tell her
we need to bring her in
for questioning.
That we think she could help us
identify the accomplice.
All right.
I'll stay right here.
Mom?
[chilling music surging]
Mom?
[crack of a gunshot outside]
[shot blasts]
[gasping]
[panting]
[panting]
Mom!
Put the gun down!
What is that thing?
You caught him.
Now he's free.
You mean Kobble?
But...
But Kobble's de-- he's gone.
Kobble's dead.
It's okay, Mom.
It's...
It's okay.
It's...
it's done now.
And you're free, too,
baby girl.
[shot blasting]
[high-pitched ringing]
[Lee's mom] Once upon a time,
there was a girl named Lee.
She lived in a little house
with her mother...
and no one ever
came to visit them.
No family.
No big, bad wolves.
No anyone.
One day, a man did come...
[Kobble, distantly] Cuckoo!
[Lee's mom] ...a doll maker.
Just dropping off
an early birthday gift,
a gift from the church.
[sobbing in excitement]
You've won!
[Lee's mom] The doll maker
started his work...
...his terrible magic.
The work of the Devil...
...with a little bit of him...
in every one.
The doll
made the little girl forget...
and told her where to look...
and what not to see.
The Devil wanted
the little girl for his own,
but her mother could never
let that happen.
[muffled screaming]
[Kobble] You could've
made nice with me,
-but you didn't...
-[muffled cries]
...and now that has led
to all of this.
[discordant music pulse]
[muffled sobbing]
[Lee's mom]
So her mother begged
for the little girl's life
to be spared.
In exchange,
she would have to help him.
[hissing and snarling]
She had once been a nurse.
Now her work would be...
murdering families...
...and so it went like this...
...knock-knock-knock,
on the farmhouse door.
A nice lady with a Bible...
and a "Congratulations,
you've won!
A gift from the church."
All her mother had to do...
was get it inside...
...and from his hiding place
within the dolls,
the Devil did the rest.
All her mother had to do...
was watch...
...and make sure it happened
the way he wanted it to.
That was the deal
that she made.
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[Lee breathing hard]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[low, monstrous voice]
You're late...
for Miss Ruby's birthday party.
[ominous score plays]
[]
[sobbing]
[screaming]
[gasping and sobbing]
[]
[knocking frantically]
Hey, Harker, you made it!
Hi there, Harker.
It's really nice that you came.
Is everything okay?
Of course, everything's great.
In fact, you're here
just in time,
because Miss Ruby just started
opening her presents.
Come, sit. Sit.
No, Carter, that's my mom.
She's the accomplice.
She's Kobble's accomplice--
Sit down!
Oh, I'm so sorry,
I've forgotten your name.
I'm a terrible,
terrible, terrible hostess.
Oh, don't mind me.
I'm just a friend
of a friend.
No...
Carter,
you have to listen to me.
[discordant tones surging]
Honey, maybe now would be
a good time
to bring out the cake.
[Carter] The cakes.
Yeah,
I'll find something
to cut up the cakes with.
[sobs suddenly and gasps]
Uh...
What did you say, honey?
I just said,
do you have to...?
Do I have to--
Do I have to cut up the cakes?
Yeah, I gotta cut the cakes.
It was your stupid
fucking suggestion
in the first place,
so I have to cut the cakes.
[Lee's mom]
The woman is already dead...
and the little girl
will be next.
Anna...
would you like to join me
in the kitchen, honey?
I'm so sorry,
I'll be right back.
[Carter]
No, I'll be right back.
you'll still be in the kitchen.
[Lee's mom]
All three of them have to die.
[Lee]
Mom, why are you doing this?
If they don't die,
then we will burn...
...and twist,
and burn, and twist,
in hell...
forever...
and ever.
[utensils clattering in kitchen]
I'm doing this for you...
[sobbing]
...just like I've always done.
[sobbing]
So that the little girl
named Lee
would be allowed to grow up...
...and that makes it right...
...and so I'll do it again...
and again...
...and again...
[stabbing blow,
shout of shock and pain]
[stabbing sounds]
[gasping]
[Lee's mom, voice deepening]
...And I'll do it
until I stand
upon the sand of the sea,
and I see a beast rise up
out of the sea.
Hail Satan.
Carter, stop!
[Lee's mother, harshly]
Move away from the girl!
Mom, please...
Don't call me that!
[fires]
[sobbing]
[breathing hard]
Hey...
Hey, come on.
Come on.
[empty gun clicks]
[trigger clicking]
[trigger clicking]
[trigger clicking]
[Longlegs, singing]
Happy Birthday to you
[cackling]
Happy Birthday to you
Ruby, let's go.
Happy Birthday, Lee Harker
Happy Birthday to...
...You
Hail, Satan.
[smooch]
["Get It On" by T. Rex playing]
[]
Well, you're dirty and sweet
Clad in black, don't look back
and I love you
You're dirty and sweet
oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're slim
and you're weak
You've got the teeth
of the hydra upon you
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...
Bang a gong, get it on
[]
Well, you're built
like a car
You've got a hubcap
diamond-star halo
You're built
like a car, oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're
an untamed youth
That's the truth
With your cloak
full of eagles
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...
Bang a gong, get it on...
[]
Well, you're windy and wild
You've got the blues
in your shoes
And your stockings
You're windy and wild
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're built
like a car
You've got a hubcap
diamond-star halo
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're dirty and sweet
Clad in black
Don't look back
And I love you
You're dirty and sweet
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you dance
when you walk
So let's dance
Take a chance
Understand me
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...
[guitar strumming]
[guitar being tuned]
[faint voices carrying,
indistinct]
[guitar being tuned]
[]
[engine idling]
[engine turning off]
[]
[soft male voice calling]
Cuckoo!
[bird calling]
[bird calling]
[startling musical tone pulses]
[startling musical tone pulses]
[wind rising, breath-like]
[panting]
[soft male voice] There she is,
the Almost Birthday Girl.
Oh, but...
it seems I wore
my long legs today.
What happens if I...?
[discordant music surging,
scream-like]
["Jewel" by T. Rex
begins to play]
Well, I've got
a little babe
With jewels upon her lip
[]
Well, I've got
a little babe
With jewels upon her lip
[]
Her hair's like a river
It's fast and slowly drips
[vocalizing] How, how
How, how
[]
She bathes in thunder
The elves are under her
[]
She bathes in thunder
The elves are under her
She walks the wind
And has a panther
with silver fur
[vocalizing] How, how
How, how
Ow!
[]
[song fades, echoing]
All right, kids.
This is the part
where you get to do the things
the grownups
don't wanna do anymore.
Door to door, on foot,
knock-knock,
"Have you seen this man?"
Just like in the movies.
Partners have already
been assigned,
so no one gets hurt feelings.
Suspect likes to visit
a certain kind of neighborhood.
He's a middle-aged
Caucasian male
and not likely to go quietly,
so let's always assume
he's armed.
We'll go alert and careful.
That's all.
Okay, well,
I am good to be the one
who goes up and knocks,
if you wanna be the one
who hangs back.
Harker?
You good?
Yeah, I'm good.
[door ajar tone chimes]
[]
[]
That kid
smelled like narcotics.
Harker.
It's that one.
What's what one?
He's in there.
What makes you say that?
I don't know.
We should call it in.
What? No.
[chuckling]
No, we're not gonna
call in a hunch
on our first day out doing this.
Just relax.
But I'll go take a look.
All right?
Lee, relax.
[clearing throat]
[Fisk knocking on door]
FBI!
[front door opens]
[Fisk] Hi there!
Hi, I just wondered if you'd
take a look at that for me--
[gunshot blasts]
[panting]
[Harker panting]
[panting]
[eerie music playing]
[panting]
Don't move.
I won't.
[Harker panting]
[]
[intercom voice echoing]
State your name and rank.
Special Agent Lee Harker.
Can someone tell me
what I'm doing in here?
[intercom voice echoing]
Special Agent Lee Harker,
are you ready to begin?
Ready to begin what?
State the first word
that comes to mind
to accompany each image.
Are you ready to begin?
Yes.
Camera.
Table.
Legs.
Tiger.
Door.
Mother.
Father.
Piano.
A number has been generated
between zero and 100,
inclusive.
What is the number?
I-I don't know.
33?
A number has been generated
between zero and 100,
inclusive.
What is the number?
Zero.
[Agent Carter]
You a baseball fan, Harker?
No, sir.
Damn.
I need to talk to someone
about my beautiful Mariners,
but...
Well, my wife's getting
pretty good at faking it, so...
That's a slippery slope.
[chuckles]
Damn, Agent Browning,
that's cold.
I only work with
what you give me, Agent Carter.
[Carter] You beat that
numbers generator eight times.
How'd you do that?
[Harker]
I also missed it eight times.
Hmm.
Half-psychic is better
than not psychic at all,
I'd say.
Family of four
lived in that house
for 12 years.
The Horns.
Nice people.
Dad taught college,
coached T-ball.
Mom ran the church bake sale,
and then, two months ago,
they all get murdered inside.
[Agent Browning] Four victims,
but technically three murders
and a suicide.
The father?
[Carter] Yeah, he didn't do it
halfway, either.
Stabbed his wife 61 times
before the blade
snapped off the handle.
What about the kids?
What about 'em?
How many wounds?
You can read about it
in the file.
You said four were murdered.
I don't understand.
[Browning] Neither do we.
A letter was left
with the bodies,
written in a coded alphabet,
and not in the hand of anyone
in any way
connected to the family.
So...
We have ten letters like it,
made by the same hand.
Ten houses, ten families,
over the past 30 years,
and all of them signed
with one word...
"Longlegs".
Someone or something
is making the fathers do it.
So far, we've been goddamned
to figure out what or who.
[Browning] I'm telling you,
she's not ready for this.
You got a better idea,
Browning,
then you can run with it.
There you go, Harker,
take a nice long look.
Tell me your version
of what happened in Colfax
with the shooting of Agent Fisk.
[Harker]
It's hard to explain, sir.
It's like something
tapping me on the shoulder,
telling me where to look.
You identified
a suspect's house,
with no prior knowledge,
no real indication
that it was any way different
than all the cookie-cutters
all around it.
Anything like that
ever happen to you before,
Agent Harker?
From time to time, sir.
Well, maybe we'll just
call you "highly intuitive".
[Harker] Yes, sir.
Uh-huh.
Tell me what you see.
What do the families
have in common?
That's a good question.
All the victim families
have daughters
whose birthdays are on the 14th
of any given month.
But only the Horns
were actually murdered
on that date.
Get to work.
[]
[recording clicks on
and begins to play]
[operator] 9-1-1.
What's your emergency?
[man] It's...
It's my daughter.
It's...
it's not my daughter...
[9-1-1 operator]
Sir, who's not your daughter?
[man] I gotta be quiet.
I've gotta be quiet.
[9-1-1 operator]
Sir, where are you?
[man] When she's sleeping...
When she's sleeping,
it's the best time to do it.
[9-1-1 operator] Do what?
[man] When her eyes are closed.
[9-1-1 operator] Sir, can you
stay on the line with me?
[man panting]
-[yelling]
-[9-1-1 operator] Sir?
Hello?
Can you stay on the line?
-[man yelling]
-[9-1-1 operator] Sir?
[yelling and screaming]
[9-1-1 operator]
9-1-1. What is your emergency?
[panicked voices rising,
indistinct]
[woman] Help!
[camera shutter clicking]
-[door bursts open]
-Harker!
You know, there's such a thing
as looking too long.
I must have lost track of time.
I'm still thirsty.
Are you thirsty?
Come on, let's go for a drink.
You'll have to excuse me, I...
it's late, and I don't drink.
You don't drink, you're right.
I'll drink
while you tell me things.
Agent Harker.
[voice receding]
Come on, bag it up!
Ah, thanks, Melissa.
Go ahead, Harker.
Well, there's no signs
of forced entry.
In fact, forensics says
there's no indication
he was ever in the house at all.
There's only the bodies
of the victims,
and they've all been killed
with something
from inside the house.
Two times, a shotgun,
both legally registered
to the father.
Eight times, a knife
from the family's kitchen.
Once, a hammer
from the family's toolbox.
All right.
And...?
Longlegs would have to be
inside the house
to use the shotgun,
the knife, the hammer,
but according
to physical evidence,
he never is.
If it wasn't for the letters
he left behind,
it's almost like
he was never there at all.
He murders them,
but not in person.
Maybe he tells the families
what he wants them to do--
to themselves, to each other--
then they do it.
[laughs]
Well, now, that...
that reads
like a page out of Manson.
Manson had accomplices.
His Family.
You think Longlegs has help?
Hmm.
All right.
Mm!
Oh, man.
[grunting]
Whoo!
Okay, bedtime.
I'll drive.
You take a left right here.
And the lights are on.
I'm busted.
Well, all right, Harker,
you get to come meet
my wife and kid.
Um, sir...
do I have to?
Yeah.
[car door closes]
Come on in.
Hey, there she is!
[clapping]
[laughing]
You didn't call
to say goodnight.
Oh, 'cause it was late,
and it was past your bedtime.
[Ruby]
Well, now it's even later,
and way, way past my bedtime.
[Carter] Uh, yeah.
I guess I screwed that up, huh?
Hello.
[Carter] Oh, hey,
this is, uh, Agent Lee Harker.
Harker, this is
my beautiful wife, Anna,
and our daughter, Miss Ruby.
Nice to meet you, Harker.
-Hi, honey.
-Hey, babe.
[Anna] I'm glad you're home.
Do you want to see my room?
What happened to this one?
[Ruby] Its head got cut off,
and I don't know where it is.
I guess that's more my job...
finding things, I mean.
What about that thing,
do you go in it?
It's too babyish.
Dad says he wants to keep
some of my old stuff around
so I don't grow up too fast,
but I'm gonna grow up anyway.
Even veals grow a little,
and they live in a box
with their legs all tied up
and everything.
Veals have it pretty tough,
don't they?
Did you wanna be an FBI agent
when you were a little girl?
No.
I actually
wanted to be an actress.
That messes up kids.
So they say.
Is it scary
being a lady FBI agent?
Yeah.
Yeah, it is.
[Anna] All right, you two.
I'm sure Agent Harker's got
a lot of very important
work to do,
and, Miss Ruby Carter, it's...
Well, it's tomorrow.
Can she come
to my birthday party?
Sounds great to me.
Why don't you ask her?
I'll be there.
[car radio playing softly]
[car radio playing softly]
[loud music playing
and stopping]
[door being unlocked]
[line ringing]
[line ringing]
[woman] Yes?
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
Lee?
Yup, still only me.
Are you okay?
Yeah, spent the day at home.
Where else would I be?
What are you doing
in the house?
Do you have to let the phone
ring so long?
Trying to go through
some stuff over here.
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
I just can't sleep.
A lot on my mind.
Work stuff.
Nasty stuff?
[laughing]
Um, yeah.
[faint clicking on phone]
Want to tell me about it?
No...
No.
Don't forget
I was a nurse for eight years.
I saw more than my fair share
of nasty stuff.
I think I just need to be quiet
for a little bit.
Somebody's birthday's
coming up.
[whispering voice swirling]
Honey? Are you still there?
Mom, I gotta go.
I-I'll call you back, okay?
[beeps phone off]
[banging on door]
[soft click of Lee's gun]
[Lee] Hello?
[sliding chain]
[crickets chirping]
[chilling music surging]
[Lee panting]
[panting]
[discordant music pulses]
[discordant music pulses]
[Lee panting]
[strings holding
a chilling discordant note]
[]
[switchblade clicks open,
music stops abruptly]
[slicing open envelope]
[creaking]
[creaking]
[thudding]
[phone ringing]
[answering machine clicks on]
Hello,
no one is available
to take your call.
Please leave a message
after the tone.
[beep]
[Lee's mother] Lee?
Are you there?
Call me back.
[]
[phone ringing]
[gasping]
Yes, Mom, I'm fine.
[man's voice, brusque] Harker?
Carter's looking for you.
Um, yeah, I'll be right in.
[beeps phone off]
[woman]
Can you have a look at this?
[]
[ominous note sounds]
Him again.
We are real late on this one.
Looks like the family
was planning a trip.
A friend assumed they'd gone,
so no one bothered
to check in on 'em.
Found plane tickets
for Los Angeles
and reservations for Disneyland.
Sounds like a nice idea.
And the girl's birthday
was the 14th?
Seems like it.
How'd you figure that out?
I only looked
long enough, sir.
Yeah, well,
there's a dead family
in the master bedroom,
so let's go
take a long look at that.
We found dad in the garage.
Wrists and throat,
kitchen knife in his hand.
His wounds look self-inflicted,
but we'll be sure
when we're sure.
This is everyone else here,
and it's not great.
How long ago?
I'd say about a month.
[Carter] Jesus.
Okay.
Let's take a look.
Are you sure she--
Yeah, she's good. You're good,
aren't you, Harker?
Pull it.
How old's the girl?
I'm guessing nine or ten.
Fuck.
[cat hissing]
[line ringing]
[Lee's mom] Yes, who is it?
Hi, Mom.
Lee?
Yes.
Still your only daughter.
Anyways, I was calling
to let you know
that I'm gonna busy now,
with work,
and I probably
won't be able to make it.
I want to, it's just--
[buzzing on line]
Mom, are you still there?
[Lee's mom] Be careful
they don't work you too hard,
all right?
Yeah, but it's good.
It's really good.
They put me on
something important.
Yeah?
What is it?
Well, I can't tell you.
You wouldn't
wanna hear about it anyways.
Not nice things.
I don't think the Bureau
has a division for nice things.
Will I see you
on your birthday next week?
I'll try.
Lee?
Are you still saying
your prayers?
Yeah.
Listen I gotta go.
Lee, honey,
our prayers protect us
from the Devil.
I know.
I know, Mom.
I'll call you later, okay?
[]
[]
[faint whispering]
[discordant music
growing shrill]
[single thudding pulse]
Help me out here.
It's an algorithm.
His algorithm.
Help me out more.
The first murder happens
on July 14th, 1966.
The rest occur within six days
of the daughters' birthdays,
either before or after...
...creating
an inverted triangle.
Okay, what am I
supposed to do with this?
I also decoded
all his letters.
The one thing that stood out
was the repeated reference
to "the fine time we had
at the Camera family farm,"
where X's mark the spot.
The Camera family.
I was at Georgetown
when that happened.
Their local priest
makes his weekly visit,
but it goes bad,
due to Carrie Anne's father
and the axe from the toolshed.
He kills the priest, his wife,
and then himself.
Carrie Anne's at school,
so she survives.
Look at the date.
March 8th.
Now look at
Carrie Anne's birthday.
March 14th.
Six days apart.
Well, no shit.
I believe Longlegs was
at the Camera family farm,
and it's possible
that Carrie Anne saw him.
What about the 13th?
It's missing.
I'm still not sure about that,
but it's three days from now.
Maybe Longlegs will kill again.
And this Carrie Anne,
she still alive?
Water Rock
Psychiatric Hospital.
That's not far from here.
132 miles, sir.
And the old farm?
Let's start there.
[]
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder rumbling]
[Lee] It's over there.
[thunder rumbling]
[]
[Lee] Xs mark the spot.
[rattling door]
[anxious music tones rising]
Carter?
Yeah?
[low chilling music tones]
[Carter brushing hay away]
[dramatic, sharp musical tone]
[Coroner] She's handmade,
that's for sure.
and beautifully handmade
at that.
Porcelain head, hands and feet,
unbleached canvas body,
cotton stuffing.
The hair is human,
what's left of it.
All in all,
it's beautifully made,
by a highly-skilled craftsman.
[Carter]
But what about the ball there?
[Coroner] Mm.
It was inside the head.
So I've been calling it
the "brain".
It's hollow,
empty of object or matter,
but listen...
[high-pitched ringing]
[surging of loud hissing]
[snarling hiss, almost a voice]
[pulsing hiss]
[fades to a dull
discordant tone]
And what's your name,
little angel?
Nice to meet you, Carrie Anne.
Now...
I know you're not afraid
of a little bit of dark...
[whispering]
...because you are the dark.
[chilling discordant tones
rising]
[tones silence to faint
background ringing]
[Coroner] The other night,
I could have sworn
it was whispering
my ex-wife's name
over and over again,
but...
I've been working very late,
and of course it--it wasn't.
[chuckling nervously]
Yeah, can the--
Can the "brain" be opened up?
Of course,
but it's not likely
there's a solution
to your case in there,
because
there's nothing in there.
[Carter] Well,
let's go see Carrie Anne Camera
at the mental hospital.
[music playing on car stereo]
[]
[]
[door entry bell jingles]
Can I help you
with anything else today?
Cuckoo.
Cuckoo. Cuckoo.
Cuckoo.
I don't know what that
was supposed to be.
And what day is your birthday,
little angel?
[chuckling wheezily]
Daddy!
That gross guy is back again!
[shrieking] Daddy!
[shriek becoming scream] Mommy!
Unmake me!
And save me
from the hell of living!
[screams fade, echoing]
Two days ago, Carrie Anne
is postcard catatonic.
Well, slumped in a chair
by the door
for as long as I've been here,
and I've been here eight years.
Then yesterday,
she gets a visitor,
and I've never seen
that happen either,
and like someone
flipped a switch
on the back of her head,
and all of a sudden,
she's right there.
Wide awake,
eyes bright.
You saw this visitor?
No, I wasn't on site
at the time, unfortunately,
but the log should say.
Does the guard check IDs?
Well, it does sound like
a good idea, but no.
No, we do not require that.
[Lee] Thank you, Carrie Anne,
for taking the time
to talk to me today.
I've seen you before,
ain't I?
I don't think so.
You...
been to my house...
...or someone s'looks s'lots
like you, anyways.
How are you feeling today,
Carrie Anne?
Mm...
...different.
It's like...
a long dream...
...and so dark.
A world of dark.
Like a nowhere
'tween here and there.
What's that called?
Doin' the limbo?
And before...
the long dream,
do you remember anything?
Do you remember coming here?
Do you remember your parents?
They didn't a'know
what to do with themselves.
I mean...
gosh, and I knew
I was a handful as it were's.
Momma always hated me,
'cause how I'd come out wrongly
when I was borned.
Bled her up too much.
Poppa was a good man.
That's the somethin'
I remember good.
That's why he done it.
[tinkling melody playing]
You had a visitor yesterday.
Can you describe him for me?
Gosh, I don't ever
wanna forget 'im.
I was jus' waitin' on him
to come and get me.
To come and tells me
somethin's to do for 'im.
Or even better,
to do somethin' for
the Man Down The Stairs,
and, boy, I just wanna do
whatsever-so he says me to do.
Like, if'n he told me
to take a jumpy out a window,
I'd surely do.
Just happy as peaches
to watch the ground
as it come up to meet me.
Or if'n he told me
to kill you right-right here
in this room with my bare hand,
I'd surely do.
Just happy as peaches
to watch your heavy heart
go pop-pop,
and your eyeses
to go all to blood.
Do you remember having a doll?
A special doll
that looked just like you?
Nope.
And you don't remember neither,
you dirtsy, flirtsy
ol' angel bitch.
[gasping]
[chilling tones rising]
[ominous score rising]
[]
[]
[]
A'ight, a'ight,
so he murders a family in '75,
but he probably isn't even
in the house
when they're killed.
Then comes back
almost 20 years later
to visit the only survivor,
signs in
as the agent chasing him,
and then leaves
his only surviving victim
feeling much, much better
than before he got there.
Mm.
She came out of her catatonia
the same day we found the doll.
Yeah, that couldn't be
anything but a coincidence.
Look, we opened the ball
in the doll's head,
and there's nothing inside.
Maybe we're missing something.
Something that...
I don't know, makes it work.
In some cultures,
dolls are used in magic,
to control people.
So, he kills them with a doll
from somewhere else
by what, remote control?
Longlegs is just a man, Harker,
not a witch doctor.
Sit down.
How does Longlegs
know your name, Harker?
I don't know, sir.
You know, last week,
this investigation is ice-cold.
Then you come on to it,
and all of a sudden,
it's flowing like...
I don't know, hot lava.
What aren't you telling me?
I revisited your file.
When was the last time
you talked to your mother?
Sorry, sir,
but what does that
have to do with the case?
She called in a police report,
January 13, 1974.
That's one day
before your 9th birthday.
That makes your birthday
the 14th.
She did?
She did.
Gave a description
of a trespasser.
Tall and pale.
Harker...
look at me.
Do you remember someone
at your house
that might have looked that way?
I don't know, sir.
You go see your mother,
and tell me what she says
about the person
who came to your house
when you were a kid,
understood?
Yes, sir.
[high-pitched ringing]
[door creaking open]
Hi, Mom.
Mm.
Will you tell me
the honest truth
about something?
I'll try.
Do you still say your prayers?
No, Mom.
I never said my prayers,
never once.
They scared me.
[laughing]
[chuckling]
[laughing heartily]
Ah...
[wheezing silent laughter]
[trails into chuckles]
What's so funny?
You're right.
All our prayers don't help us.
Prayers don't do
a goddamn thing.
I'm gonna make you
something to eat.
[muttering] Jesus Christ, Mom.
[anxious tones rising]
[hissing]
[menacing voice-like snarl]
Good news.
I got Deborah
to cover my shift tomorrow,
and it's somebody's birthday.
[distant dog barking]
[vehicle accelerating]
[engine rumbling]
[distorted voice speaking]
[static]
[clicking rifle open]
[turning doorknob, locked]
Lee?
I can't believe it's gonna be
your birthday again so soon.
What a day that was.
I bled...
bled... bled...
bled...
[whispering] bled--
Mom.
Do you remember
my 9th birthday?
No, I don't think so.
I don't remember anything.
Do you?
What happened that day?
No.
What do you mean, "no"?
"No" is just
the way it sounds, baby girl.
But you called the police,
about a trespasser.
No one ever came to visit us.
Not any family.
No strangers.
No big, bad wolves.
No anybody.
But these are things
a little girl shouldn't know.
I'm not a child anymore, Mom.
You're not a child
because you were allowed
to grow up.
Allowed?
This is a cruel world.
Especially
for the little things.
Not all of them
are allowed to live.
What are you talking about?
I might have forgotten
everything I possibly could,
for both of our sakes,
but I never threw
anything away.
All of your things...
...it's all in your room.
[discordant tone surging]
[chilling music bubbling]
[ominous chord strikes]
[voice high and playful]
Cheese and crackers!
[Polaroid whirring]
[Lee's mom shouting] Hey!
Excuse me.
Who are you,
and why are you talking
to my kid?
[singing with discordancy]
Let me in now!
And it can be nice
Make me go now
And I'll have to come back
Not once
Not twice
But as many times as I like!
Harker.
Did you go see your mother?
What's this?
It's him.
It's him how?
I found it in a box of photos
at my house.
You really
don't remember this guy?
[sighing] Okay.
We're gonna need
to bring her in,
see what else she remembers.
We will,
but for now, we have this.
You sure you wanna start
a manhunt with this?
I'm sure.
[distant sirens]
[sirens approaching]
[sirens, closing in]
Sir!
I'm gonna need you to get down
on the fucking ground.
[discordant music surging]
[agent] State your name
for the camera.
[soft voice]
Dale Ferdinand Kobble.
[agent]
Ever call yourself "Longlegs"?
When do I see Lee?
[Agent] Lee who?
Harker...
the herald angels sing.
[agent]
How do you know Lee Harker?
[Kobble] A friend of a friend
of a friend...
[breathing laboriously]
...and this friend
wants me to say,
[tenderly] "Happy Birthday,
Lee Harker..."
[breathing with heavy emotion]
...and he wants you all
to know...
that he'll be there...
[breathing hard]
...and you'll be there,
and you'll be there...
[pointedly]
...and you'll be there.
[singing in soft wail]
Happy Birthday
To you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, Lee Harker
Hap--
[turns off playback]
It goes on like that
for a while.
For how long?
24 minutes.
A'ight, everyone out of here.
Browning, Harker, you stay.
Go.
You guys go.
[exhaling]
His luggage was stuffed
with notebooks
filled with handwriting.
Handwriting that matches
the letters found at the scene,
and, suffice to say,
it's all heavily Satanic.
Agent Harker,
while the Bureau does appreciate
your contribution here,
it also puts us
in an odd position.
So far,
there's no physical evidence
that Kobble has ever
killed anyone.
I mean, he worships the Devil,
that's for sure,
but in the United States
of America,
he's allowed to do that.
I'm more concerned
about the fact
that he knows who you are,
Agent Harker.
But...
he can't do anything else
about that
now that we have him.
"And I stood upon
the sand of the sea,
and I saw a Beast rise up
out of the sea,
with seven heads and ten horns.
And on his horns,
he wore ten crowns,
and on each head was written
the blasphemous name."
Book of Revelations, isn't it?
Revelation.
There's no "S".
It's singular.
Longlegs isn't alone.
He has to have someone
helping him.
Maybe multiple, but it...
it has to be someone
that the families
felt comfortable
letting into their house.
Someone they know,
or have met before.
Maybe a child, or...
someone that could pass
as a child.
A'ight, Harker, come on.
We got the guy
who wrote the letters,
and if we do this right,
he'll spend
the rest of his life in jail.
But it's not over.
The triangle isn't complete,
we're still missing the 13th.
[Browning] The 13th is today,
Agent Harker.
What are we supposed to do
about that?
We can expect his accomplice
to kill at least
one more family...
...and Kobble's the only one
who knows who that is.
[sighing deeply]
Kobble...
where is he now?
[Browning] He's downstairs.
Right under your feet.
[Kobble]
I'm a friend of a friend.
[Lee's mom] What friend?
My friend.
That lives downstairs.
Downstairs?
Downstairs from where?
Everywheres.
You can even call him
"Mr. Downstairs".
[door lock buzzing open]
[high-pitched wailing] Oh...
there she is!
[gasping in delight]
The Almost Birthday Girl.
[gasping]
Oh...
[chuckling] It's funny.
The day you decided
to go into law enforcement,
you were...
We had such a big laugh
about it.
Although, it was only me
who laughed, not she.
Who is the "she"
that you're talking about?
The seventh "she".
To be given the same choice
that they've all been given.
Crimson or clover.
Accept the gift,
and destroy it,
and destroy yourself,
and your selves,
or keep it,
and bow down.
Bow all the way down,
and get right down
to the dirty, dirty work.
Work that gets dirty
as it cleans.
Like a mop.
Like a ra...ag.
But...
you don't work alone, do you?
Someone's been helping you.
An accomplice.
Knock-knock,
on the farmhouse door.
A nice lady with a Bible
and a, "Congratulations!
You have been selected.
You may now collect
your gift from the church."
It says it right here,
right here on the orders.
On the orders
from the man downstairs.
The Camera family farmhouse
will be so bright and white,
you can't miss it!
Are you referring
to Carrie Anne Camera?
What did you say to her
at the mental institution?
Oh, but, Lee,
your house was even whiter
when I came to visit.
January 13th, 1974, right?
House Number Eight
was so white.
Whiter than a fish's throat.
Whiter than tits.
I knew then
that the work we were doing
was immaculate.
But your work's over.
It's done,
and you're gonna be in here
for the rest of your life.
Yes.
I am done...
...but I won't only be in here.
I'll be a little bit
of everywhere.
Waiting...
in the wings.
In the father's wings.
Who's been helping you?
Well...
I'll let you get started now.
Who is the man downstairs?
Why don't you ask your mommy?
My mother
doesn't know anything.
Hail Satan.
[slamming]
[gasping]
[slamming and crunching,
Lee gasping]
[choking]
Stop!
[gasping and wheezing]
[thud]
[Lee breathing shakily]
[Carter, voice muffled]
That's it, Harker.
That's more than enough.
We had the guy,
and now we got nothin'.
We let all those families die,
and nothin' about any of that
is better, or okay,
but it's done!
Oh, and as for the 13th--
while you were in there,
Carrie Anne Camera jumped
off the roof at Water Rock.
Yeah.
He must have told her to do that
when he saw her.
Just like he somehow told
all the others
to do what he wanted,
but he did it alone,
with no accomplices!
No black magic, no voodoo,
no nothing!
You didn't
have to come with me.
I wasn't gonna let you drive
after what you saw today.
How do you wanna do this?
I should go in alone.
I'll tell her
we need to bring her in
for questioning.
That we think she could help us
identify the accomplice.
All right.
I'll stay right here.
Mom?
[chilling music surging]
Mom?
[crack of a gunshot outside]
[shot blasts]
[gasping]
[panting]
[panting]
Mom!
Put the gun down!
What is that thing?
You caught him.
Now he's free.
You mean Kobble?
But...
But Kobble's de-- he's gone.
Kobble's dead.
It's okay, Mom.
It's...
It's okay.
It's...
it's done now.
And you're free, too,
baby girl.
[shot blasting]
[high-pitched ringing]
[Lee's mom] Once upon a time,
there was a girl named Lee.
She lived in a little house
with her mother...
and no one ever
came to visit them.
No family.
No big, bad wolves.
No anyone.
One day, a man did come...
[Kobble, distantly] Cuckoo!
[Lee's mom] ...a doll maker.
Just dropping off
an early birthday gift,
a gift from the church.
[sobbing in excitement]
You've won!
[Lee's mom] The doll maker
started his work...
...his terrible magic.
The work of the Devil...
...with a little bit of him...
in every one.
The doll
made the little girl forget...
and told her where to look...
and what not to see.
The Devil wanted
the little girl for his own,
but her mother could never
let that happen.
[muffled screaming]
[Kobble] You could've
made nice with me,
-but you didn't...
-[muffled cries]
...and now that has led
to all of this.
[discordant music pulse]
[muffled sobbing]
[Lee's mom]
So her mother begged
for the little girl's life
to be spared.
In exchange,
she would have to help him.
[hissing and snarling]
She had once been a nurse.
Now her work would be...
murdering families...
...and so it went like this...
...knock-knock-knock,
on the farmhouse door.
A nice lady with a Bible...
and a "Congratulations,
you've won!
A gift from the church."
All her mother had to do...
was get it inside...
...and from his hiding place
within the dolls,
the Devil did the rest.
All her mother had to do...
was watch...
...and make sure it happened
the way he wanted it to.
That was the deal
that she made.
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[Lee breathing hard]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
[low, monstrous voice]
You're late...
for Miss Ruby's birthday party.
[ominous score plays]
[]
[sobbing]
[screaming]
[gasping and sobbing]
[]
[knocking frantically]
Hey, Harker, you made it!
Hi there, Harker.
It's really nice that you came.
Is everything okay?
Of course, everything's great.
In fact, you're here
just in time,
because Miss Ruby just started
opening her presents.
Come, sit. Sit.
No, Carter, that's my mom.
She's the accomplice.
She's Kobble's accomplice--
Sit down!
Oh, I'm so sorry,
I've forgotten your name.
I'm a terrible,
terrible, terrible hostess.
Oh, don't mind me.
I'm just a friend
of a friend.
No...
Carter,
you have to listen to me.
[discordant tones surging]
Honey, maybe now would be
a good time
to bring out the cake.
[Carter] The cakes.
Yeah,
I'll find something
to cut up the cakes with.
[sobs suddenly and gasps]
Uh...
What did you say, honey?
I just said,
do you have to...?
Do I have to--
Do I have to cut up the cakes?
Yeah, I gotta cut the cakes.
It was your stupid
fucking suggestion
in the first place,
so I have to cut the cakes.
[Lee's mom]
The woman is already dead...
and the little girl
will be next.
Anna...
would you like to join me
in the kitchen, honey?
I'm so sorry,
I'll be right back.
[Carter]
No, I'll be right back.
you'll still be in the kitchen.
[Lee's mom]
All three of them have to die.
[Lee]
Mom, why are you doing this?
If they don't die,
then we will burn...
...and twist,
and burn, and twist,
in hell...
forever...
and ever.
[utensils clattering in kitchen]
I'm doing this for you...
[sobbing]
...just like I've always done.
[sobbing]
So that the little girl
named Lee
would be allowed to grow up...
...and that makes it right...
...and so I'll do it again...
and again...
...and again...
[stabbing blow,
shout of shock and pain]
[stabbing sounds]
[gasping]
[Lee's mom, voice deepening]
...And I'll do it
until I stand
upon the sand of the sea,
and I see a beast rise up
out of the sea.
Hail Satan.
Carter, stop!
[Lee's mother, harshly]
Move away from the girl!
Mom, please...
Don't call me that!
[fires]
[sobbing]
[breathing hard]
Hey...
Hey, come on.
Come on.
[empty gun clicks]
[trigger clicking]
[trigger clicking]
[trigger clicking]
[Longlegs, singing]
Happy Birthday to you
[cackling]
Happy Birthday to you
Ruby, let's go.
Happy Birthday, Lee Harker
Happy Birthday to...
...You
Hail, Satan.
[smooch]
["Get It On" by T. Rex playing]
[]
Well, you're dirty and sweet
Clad in black, don't look back
and I love you
You're dirty and sweet
oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're slim
and you're weak
You've got the teeth
of the hydra upon you
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...
Bang a gong, get it on
[]
Well, you're built
like a car
You've got a hubcap
diamond-star halo
You're built
like a car, oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're
an untamed youth
That's the truth
With your cloak
full of eagles
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...
Bang a gong, get it on...
[]
Well, you're windy and wild
You've got the blues
in your shoes
And your stockings
You're windy and wild
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're built
like a car
You've got a hubcap
diamond-star halo
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you're dirty and sweet
Clad in black
Don't look back
And I love you
You're dirty and sweet
Oh, yeah
[]
Well, you dance
when you walk
So let's dance
Take a chance
Understand me
You're dirty, sweet
and you're my girl
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on, bang a gong
get it on
[]
Get it on...