My Encounter with Evil (2022) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
[ominous music playing]
It's a war between good and evil.
[footsteps approaching]
There's a point where your will
leans to what you believe
is right or wrong.
[door creaks open]
[suspenseful music playing]
I thought my life would be a soap opera.
It could be a romance,
or an action movie, or whatever,
but not a horror movie.
[priest praying in Latin]
The day I made contact,
I could feel the energy of a demon.
I was very concerned.
[screeching]
[guttural screaming]
[tense music playing]
[woman grunting]
[guttural scream]
Sharing this story
weakens the devil.
I never thought
this would happen to us. Never.
Wow. It's here.
[low grunting]
[screams]
[eerie opening theme music plays]
MY ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL
My name is Andrea Viridiana Rostro Olvera.
My name is Florencia Macías.
I am Sully Urbina.
THESE THREE STORIES ARE REAL
[Andrea] I'm here
to tell my mother's story.
An encounter with God,
the demon, and her exorcisms.
- [jarring music plays]
- [screeches]
[Sully] My story and my daughter's.
She was possessed by a demonic entity.
[jarring music plays]
[Florencia] I'm the mother of the girls,
and I lived this story with them.
- [dramatic sting]
- [screams]
THESE ARE THEIR STORIES
[eerie music playing]
[woman] Jessy!
[Sully] I'm a forensic psychiatrist,
a graphology and body language specialist.
Currently, I am an alternative therapist
and medium.
JESSICA'S MOTHER
And I am here with you to tell you about
the paranormal experience
with my daughter,
the horror story that we lived.
REAL FOOTAGE
[Jessica squealing]
[Jessica sobbing]
[Sully] Listen to me!
This is the last time I'll face you!
Leave her right now.
She doesn't belong to you.
[Jessica] What it feels like
to be possessed by a demon
That made me feel
like there was something wrong with me.
My name is Jessy,
and I was possessed by a demon.
[sinister sting]
I was a target of violence
when I was a child.
My childhood was
full of physical and emotional abuse.
It was a very rough childhood.
But my grandfather, Jorge Urbina,
was there.
- [gentle music playing]
- He was like courage to me,
with his affection, love and tenderness.
He used to heal every injustice
and every blow
that I received when he wasn't there.
I wanted to know why a human being
could contain so much evil.
That led me to study forensic psychiatry.
We wanted Jessica.
I remember very well
when her dad asked me to give him a child.
When I was pregnant,
she was very active in my belly,
she moved a lot.
And weird things were always happening.
Jessy was going to be a very special girl.
And yeah, she definitely was.
[Jessica] My childhood
My childhood was very tough.
I did feel a little sad,
because I saw that my friends,
both parents picked them up at school,
and they had a normal life.
Their mom and dad were together
and had a happy family.
But, at the end of the day,
I didn't need my dad.
My mom was always there,
and I never needed that father figure.
Because my mom was always there.
I began to see her characteristics
when she started kindergarten.
[school bell rings]
[teacher] Hurry up. Go to your classroom.
Go to your classroom. Hurry up.
You with the ball, go to class!
Go.
Jessy, look at those hands!
Wash them in the restroom. Hurry up!
Go to class! Come on!
[children playing and laughing]
[eerie music playing]
[tense music playing]
[music fades]
- [gasps]
- [dramatic sting]
[children laughing]
[water sloshing]
[eerie music playing]
What are you doing, Jessy?
- [music fades]
- [gasps]
What happened?
[panting]
There was a girl, there.
Nobody's there.
[eerie music playing]
[Sully] "Who is that girl?
We don't see anyone."
Jessy would desperately cry sometimes,
because she said that she was there
and no one saw her.
- [eerie sting]
- [panting]
[Jessica] She was a girl about my age,
five or six years old.
She had long hair.
She had kind of pearly skin.
She'd say,
"Look, she's the girl from the bathroom."
She used to draw her,
and you could see
how she drew her with black or red,
saying that she was crying.
"Look, she was beaten. She's dirty."
After that, it was very difficult.
My teacher ignored me too much.
Her treatment towards me
was very different
than with my classmates.
I wanted to belong.
I saw everyone was part of a group.
They had boyfriends.
They'd go to the movies.
They had a social life.
They had friends.
And I was the girl
who spent her time reading and drawing.
[students laughing]
I remember they'd bully me.
They'd pull my hair.
Once they locked me in the bathroom,
saying that I was crazy
and crazy people had to be locked up.
[students laughing]
[eerie sting]
That made me feel
like there was something
wrong with me.
[Sully] At school, they started suggesting
that I take her to a pediatrician.
And then to therapy,
or to a psychologist who could help her
because it wasn't normal.
I mean, the behavior that she had.
I remember how in Jessica's room,
she started to tell me
that she felt restless.
[objects thudding and scraping softly]
[whimpers]
- [object scrapes loudly]
- [gasps]
[sobbing]
[sinister music playing]
- [gasps]
- [dramatic eerie music playing]
[screams]
[gasps, sobs]
[eerie sting]
- [ominous music playing]
- [sobs]
What's wrong?
There's a man in my room, Mom!
[eerie string music playing]
A man in your room?
[gasps]
Jessy!
Stay here! Stay here.
[tense music playing]
[off-screen] This was
practically every night.
She'd cry or yell, "Mom, come!"
[Jessica sobbing]
And obviously I was very concerned,
because Jessica had bruises,
bruises that were not normal.
It was an old man with a stick, Mom.
Trust me. He was there.
I saw him.
[off-screen] He was an old man.
He always wore a hat,
like those palm hats.
And he always had a stick,
like a broom, and he'd hit me with it.
Jessy tell me the truth.
Who did this to you?
[sobs]
[ominous music playing]
My reaction was crying, in fear.
The next day I woke up
with bruises, scratches and bites.
Many times I'd scream to wake up my mom.
[Jessica whispering indistinctly]
He's there! He's there!
He's there!
He's there. He's there!
He's there!
Things were getting much worse.
Her behavior became stranger.
It was always between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m.
when he visited me.
[faint scraping]
[object thuds]
- [eerie music playing]
- [gasping]
[muffled screams]
- [thudding]
- [groaning]
- [thuds]
- [sobs]
- [blow thuds]
- [wailing]
- No, no. Stop!
- [thuds]
[whimpers]
[sobbing]
[Sully] Jessy?
- Sweetheart?
- [wails]
- [thuds]
- Sweetheart? Jessy?
She insisted that there was an old man
with a stick that beat her.
[sinister music playing]
- Jessy! Honey, sweetheart, sweetheart!
- [blows landing]
Stop it! Stop it!
[wailing]
- Honey! Sweetheart! Stop it! Stop it!
- [wailing]
Stop it! What's wrong?
Look. He's there, Mom.
The The old man, Mom! He's there!
[stifles sob]
He was always expressing anger,
as if he wanted to take it out on me.
One day it occurred to me
to play some prayers.
[man on recording] That cruel, ancient
serpent called the Devil or Satan
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Fight, on this day,
the battle of the Lord.
Now have come
the salvation and the power
What are you doing?
[ominous music playing]
Jessica immediately turned to me
with a face full of hate.
I love you.
You can't know what it's like
to witness your girl getting hurt
and you don't know who's hurting her,
and you can't protect her like a parent.
It makes you feel incredibly impotent.
[clacks]
I am Archbishop Andrés Tirado Pérez,
founder of the Independent Congregation
of International Catholic Priests.
For 20 years, I've been
the minister of liberation and exorcism.
REAL FOOTAGE
- [Andrés praying indistinctly]
- [girl] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
[Andrés] People believe nowadays
that these spiritual
and paranormal phenomena don't exist,
but they are actually very real.
There are different types of possessions.
[sobs]
Many shout, many become contorted,
and the first signs
of manifestation appear.
[guttural voice screams]
They start moving
with desperation and aggression.
They become violent, aggressive.
I am Ruth Alcalá Lozano,
a psychiatrist.
Possession cases may be people
with a serious chronic mental illness.
HYSTERIA
But also there may be
another type of circumstance,
not necessarily a chronic condition.
For instance,
like a person who suddenly behaves
as if they had a demon inside of them.
And in some cases,
it might last just a few minutes
before they go back to normal.
Honey! Honey!
But everyone comes to them saying,
"Hey, you lost it,
as if you were possessed."
And sometimes the person
doesn't even remember any of it.
[eerie music playing]
[woman] Why did we move here?
ON AIR
MEXICO CITY, 2020
[radio show theme music plays]
[male host] Welcome to my radio show,
where we talk about what no one dares,
horror, mystery, the paranormal.
I'm Héctor Uribe,
better known as "El gamer chilango",
and it's a pleasure
to introduce you to our guest today.
My name is Andrea Viridiana Rostro Olvera.
I'm here to share my experience,
some stories,
and the process of writing my book.
I have it right here.
It's a narrative novel entitled
The Fascination of Evil Obscures Good.
It's inspired by what my mother told me
about her experience with the Devil.
I am Esther Aguilera Olvera.
I'm here to tell you a little of what
I experienced in the story
that my sister wrote about in her book.
Where my mother was possessed.
I was very young,
but now it makes sense to me.
[Andrea] Although I didn't
experience it in person,
one of the reasons
why I wanted to write the book
was so that people
who have had paranormal events
would have the certainty
that they are not the only ones
who have experienced this.
Yeah, sure,
my mom had to live through this.
Things happen for a reason.
[solemn choral music playing]
[Concepción] When I remember this,
I feel afraid
that the enemy could possess me again.
It's a story so strong and so ugly
that I don't want to relive it.
My name is Coni.
I am here to tell you what happened to me
to tell you my truth.
Frankly, what I'm about to tell you,
I don't wish it on anyone.
[gentle music playing]
[Andrea] My mother
was at a true crossroads
MEXICO CITY, 1979
at the moment when all this happened,
this exorcism.
She was vulnerable because,
on top of everything,
she was going through a divorce.
She was wondering
what to do as a single mother.
We didn't have our father's support,
but we certainly had our mom's.
My father was always gone.
I saw my mother cry.
Of course something was going on
because, well, she was always crying.
[Concepción] I was affected by my divorce.
I felt, how do you say sad.
My children were very young then.
Although I have gaps, I do remember
several things that happened.
This happened because my neighbors
used to play with the Ouija board.
[eerie sting]
They had this dog.
But suddenly I noticed
that the dog was acting strangely.
MEXICO CITY, 1979
[dog barking in distance]
I'm tired, Luis.
I'm chained here.
The children are your responsibility.
Yes, sure.
More effort.
It's what I do.
What do you do, Luis?
Hello?
[scoffs]
[sniffles]
Brush your teeth and go to bed.
It's late.
[dog howls]
- [eerie music playing]
- [dog continues howling]
[dog continues barking and howling]
Mom?
Are you okay?
[Esther] I remember that
the neighbor's dog started to howl.
[dog howling]
Mom?
[dog continues howling]
[dog barks, growls]
[barking]
[Concepción] The dog started barking.
And when it started howling,
I started to shiver. I was afraid.
[barking]
[dog continues barking and howling]
[dramatic sting]
[gasps]
- [eerie music playing]
- [dog whimpers]
[barking]
What's happening, Mom?
[breathing rapidly]
We have to go.
We have to go. We have to get out of here.
And then my mother
started to talk strangely.
[tense music playing]
Esther, get dressed.
Quickly!
Damián.
Damián, honey. We have to go, come on.
[dog continues barking and howling]
Calm down. Calm down.
Put your pants on. Help your brother.
[whines]
The dog's eyes
they turned bright red.
The enemy doesn't care
and possesses whatever he can,
dogs, cats, humans.
My mother was completely shocked
by the dog with those eyes staring at her.
At that point,
she realized that something was off.
[tense music playing]
She then turned to my sister's dolls.
What's going on with your dolls?
Why are they looking at me?
What happened to your dolls?
One of them had the same eyes as the dog
and it was smiling.
"Look at how the dolls are laughing
and look at how they're moving."
"They're moving their eyes."
And we didn't see anything.
[child's voice giggling]
Why are you looking at me like that?
Mom? What's wrong?
- [power clunks off]
- [gasps]
- [gasps]
- [eerie music playing]
Let's go. Quickly, Esther.
The lights went out,
we couldn't see anything.
It was an immense darkness.
[lighter clicks]
[suspenseful music building]
Come on. Come on, Esther.
Come on.
- [low growling]
- [Concepción gasps]
[screams]
Stay with your brother.
[off-screen] All my life
I've used candles.
The candles were blinking horribly.
I said to myself, "This is the devil."
[low huffing]
I experienced an indescribable fear
because I wasn't sure
what was going on with my mom.
And that's why
we went to my uncle's house.
- Come on.
- [dog barking]
I wasn't afraid of it attacking me,
but my children.
So, I got them out of the house
as soon as I could.
[Andrea] My uncle, who was very religious,
has a charismatic revival group.
[all] Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning
- [banging at door]
- is now, and will be forever. Amen.
[brooding music playing]
My mom was uneasy.
She was always looking around.
[people praying in other room]
What's wrong?
You don't believe me. You think I'm crazy.
I believe you.
You're my sister.
I'm always here for you.
[Concepción] I was restless.
The devil was making me restless.
What do you think?
I've never told you this.
I didn't want you to worry.
What visited you today
already visited me.
[ominous sting]
Two years ago.
I pushed it away.
It was a lot of work at the church.
It's time for you to do the same.
He had already tormented him.
He tormented him before my mother.
He told me that he had already been there.
Since he couldn't beat my brother,
he went for me. He preys on the weak.
My uncle said that the enemy
was visiting her and was attacking her.
The enemy in question
is a being described in Holy Scripture
as the tempter, as Satan, as Beelzebub,
as the forces of evil,
seeking to destroy mankind.
There are many people who,
during the course of their lives,
have never had a paranormal encounter,
a spiritual encounter
REAL FOOTAGE
- [on-screen]the blood of Christ.
- [distorted voice groaning]
or an attack from this being
or these characters.
But there are others
who have had direct contact,
who are affected by these forces
that instill a force, a fear,
very strong things towards the person.
There's a war between good and evil.
There's always been
a war between the extremes.
It's always existed.
We look for a way to stabilize ourselves.
We're not on the good side all the time
nor on the bad side all the time.
When this is difficult for someone
it is possible that that person
will live in a very painful way.
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER
But with mental illness, for example
it is sometimes difficult
to find this balance.
- [girl in Spanish] Don't worry, Mommy
- [woman gasps]
MEXICO CITY, 2022
[gentle piano music playing]
[Florencia in English] I used to live
with my boyfriend my fiancé Pablo.
There's where it all happened.
[melancholy music playing]
FLORENCIA'S EX-PARTNER
My name is Pablo.
I'm here because
we had paranormal activity
in the apartment where we lived.
FLORENCIA'S MOTHER
My name is Roxana Torres,
and I am Florencia's mother,
the girls' grandmother.
This happened to us, to my family.
[Pablo] The first time I saw her
was where we worked.
She was a sales executive
and I was a validator,
let's say, a higher position.
I liked her. Yep.
The moment I saw her,
I wanted to be with her.
[Florencia] The girls got along well
with him from the first day.
I really wanted to move out.
I wanted to live on my own.
We were already engaged.
It was the next logical step.
REAL FOOTAGE
It was like a good start
for what we wanted to build.
[dance music playing faintly]
When I met Pablo, I didn't like him.
I just didn't.
I don't know why. I didn't like him.
I tried not to impose
my prejudice on Florencia.
If I told her that he wasn't good for her,
it's like saying, "Go with him."
Then she said
they were moving in together.
I told her, "If you want."
And she left. She left to live with him.
Florencia's friend told us
about the apartment.
MEXICO CITY, 2022
Wow!
- No way!
- Come here! Come see these!
Wow! No way!
No way!
- Come on!
- [Florencia] Watch out! Careful, girls.
[both] Wow!
[grunts]
[eerie music playing]
Look at these, Emma.
Look at these shoes.
Wow!
Wow.
They're so cool!
- I was happy.
- [gentle piano music playing]
And I think it was like a good start
for what we wanted.
Hey!
[sighs]
Finally.
They're so excited.
Not as much as me.
Oh, is that so?
The first day in the apartment was tiring.
We had lots of things to do.
And when we were lying down
on the mattress,
it happened.
What?
What?
[both chuckle]
What's up with you?
Me? I'm fine.
- [Florencia] Tell me.
- Nothing.
I was just thinking.
Thinking about the next room.
- We can turn it into a nursery for a baby.
- [ominous music playing]
What do you think?
A baby
Yeah, a baby.
[laughs]
You're crazy.
[Pablo off-screen] We both
wanted another baby.
In addition to the girls
we wanted one together.
A little Pablo.
Hmm?
I wanted to be with her
until the end of our days.
[music fades]
[eerie music playing]
[door creaking]
- [dramatic sting]
- [gasps]
[Pablo] What?
- There was a girl at the door.
- [eerie music playing]
I turned my head and she was gone.
Nothing.
[eerie music continues]
That was the first time I saw her.
The girl that was lurking.
Strange things started happening
after about four or five days.
[Florencia moaning softly]
[Emma whispering] Mom is awake.
[child giggling]
[Florencia gasps]
[dramatic sting]
[both] Emma?
[eerie music playing]
What happened, honey?
What's wrong, honey?
Are you alright?
She was staring into nothing.
Like she saw everything,
but nothing at the same time.
Like she wasn't there.
- [dramatic sting]
- [Florencia gasps]
[gasping]
- [panting]
- [eerie music playing]
I got some information from the neighbors.
One of them told me that before us
there was a lady who lived
in that apartment with two girls,
but they disappeared overnight.
The rooms' and the bathroom's doors
began to open and close on their own.
- [eerie music playing]
- [creaking]
The light in the closet
would turn on and off on its own.
The atmosphere was heavy.
It was tense.
[light buzzing]
Pablo, let me sleep. Pablo!
[Emma in Spanish] Sleep, baby ♪
The moon has come out ♪
They all went ♪
[Florencia] Emma?
to sleep ♪
[ominous music playing]
[in English] Florencia told me,
"Mom, Emma's sleepwalking."
[in Spanish] Go to sleep
The moon has come out ♪
[tense music playing]
The moon has come out ♪
They all went ♪
[in English] What is that, dear?
Who are you singing to?
She carried it as if it were a baby.
She was caressing it.
Heading towards our bed.
Like this, like a baby.
She was deep in the void.
Calm down, Mom.
He's dead.
[dramatic sting]
[eerie music playing]
[in Spanish] Sleep little baby ♪
[in English] Emma stood up like this.
Looking into the dark.
That moment was when I said,
"Something terrible is going on here."
CHILD PSYCHIATRIS
I am Doctor Marco Antonio Ávila Olvera.
I am a psychiatrist
at the National Institute of Psychiatry
and child psychiatrist at Dr. Navarro's
Children's Psychiatric Hospital.
It's not uncommon for a person to identify
shapes and figures in the dark.
There's a name for that.
It's called pareidolia.
[eerie sting]
We understand that in these cases,
the paranormal,
it's usually the person's interpretation.
There's a stage of life
in which this is problematic.
You have to consider
it's something outside of the imagination,
and more typical of a psychological
or psychiatric dysfunction.
Evil has existed
since the creation of the universe.
REAL FOOTAGE
[in Spanish] At this time,
we will create a protective circle
with the blood of Christ,
and we ask you, Lord,
with the blood of our sins.
[in English] When humans
began to drift away from the divine plan
God has a wonderful purpose for our lives.
He saves us, blesses us, liberates us.
But when the human being, in his freedom,
drifts away from the ways of God
- [in Spanish] I command you, spirit
- No!
[in English] that force of evil
increases itself
[laughing]
And it becomes incredibly strong
and powerful enough to destroy us.
[fire crackling]
They performed psychological
and psychiatric studies on my mom.
These are the characteristics
of a psychotic break.
I recommend hospitalization and treatment.
Since Jessy was waking up
practically every day at 3:00 a.m.,
I found a mantra I had on a CD.
[man on recording] That cruel, ancient
serpent called the Devil or Satan
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God.
Pablo wanted us to have a child.
I wanted another baby too.
We were looking forward to it,
to form that family.
[Pablo sighs]
[ominous music playing]
Girls, what did we say
about eating in the living room?
Girls?
[muttering]
[tense string music playing]
Concepción, we want to help you.
But you need to help yourself.
That's what's upsetting you, right?
I gathered my courage
and entered her room.
[man on recording] That cruel,
ancient serpent
- called the Devil or Satan
- [groaning]
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God.
Jessy.
[Jessy groaning]
Jessica was still asleep.
Suddenly, she sat up, clenching her teeth.
[groans]
[muttering prayer]
[tense music playing]
What's up, sweetheart?
I don't want to meddle, but we have to
do something about the girls
[Florencia] Pablo
[Pablo] You haven't seen the mess
they made in the living room.
My mom?
When?
- But it's all
- Pablo!
What?
[tense music continues]
[girl] Mommy, no!
- No.
- [girl] Not my mommy, please!
[Florencia off-screen] I did the math
My period was late.
Am I pregnant?
I sure am.
No way!
[girl] Not my mommy. Not my mommy.
[tense music continues]
[man] Alone in this house.
In charge of your daughter.
You feel responsible for them.
[music stops]
[dramatic music playing]
[screams]
- Shut your mouth, Manolo!
- [Óscar] Concepción!
[Concepción] Son of a bitch! Fuck you!
[Manolo choking]
[Concepción grunts]
Ah!
[snarls]
[choking]
They couldn't stop her or subdue her.
[Concepción] Fuck you!
- [Manolo coughing]
- [Concepción grunts]
[panting]
[Concepción grunting]
Open her mouth!
Wide!
[all straining]
[music fades]
- [men panting]
- [Concepción grunting]
[eerie music playing]
[snarls]
Jessy! Honey
[gasps]
Sweetheart?
[both panting]
[groaning]
Sweetheart? Sweetheart?
[squelching, popping]
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
She had a hateful look on her face.
She seemed completely lost.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
- [popping]
- Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us
- [panting]
- [Jessica howling]
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[popping, cracking]
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
[gasping]
- [cracking]
- [Jessica moaning]
[growling]
[gasps]
Jessy
That's when I knew she had an infestation.
[sinister music playing]
We needed help.
[unsettling closing theme music playing]
[music fades]
[ominous music playing]
It's a war between good and evil.
[footsteps approaching]
There's a point where your will
leans to what you believe
is right or wrong.
[door creaks open]
[suspenseful music playing]
I thought my life would be a soap opera.
It could be a romance,
or an action movie, or whatever,
but not a horror movie.
[priest praying in Latin]
The day I made contact,
I could feel the energy of a demon.
I was very concerned.
[screeching]
[guttural screaming]
[tense music playing]
[woman grunting]
[guttural scream]
Sharing this story
weakens the devil.
I never thought
this would happen to us. Never.
Wow. It's here.
[low grunting]
[screams]
[eerie opening theme music plays]
MY ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL
My name is Andrea Viridiana Rostro Olvera.
My name is Florencia Macías.
I am Sully Urbina.
THESE THREE STORIES ARE REAL
[Andrea] I'm here
to tell my mother's story.
An encounter with God,
the demon, and her exorcisms.
- [jarring music plays]
- [screeches]
[Sully] My story and my daughter's.
She was possessed by a demonic entity.
[jarring music plays]
[Florencia] I'm the mother of the girls,
and I lived this story with them.
- [dramatic sting]
- [screams]
THESE ARE THEIR STORIES
[eerie music playing]
[woman] Jessy!
[Sully] I'm a forensic psychiatrist,
a graphology and body language specialist.
Currently, I am an alternative therapist
and medium.
JESSICA'S MOTHER
And I am here with you to tell you about
the paranormal experience
with my daughter,
the horror story that we lived.
REAL FOOTAGE
[Jessica squealing]
[Jessica sobbing]
[Sully] Listen to me!
This is the last time I'll face you!
Leave her right now.
She doesn't belong to you.
[Jessica] What it feels like
to be possessed by a demon
That made me feel
like there was something wrong with me.
My name is Jessy,
and I was possessed by a demon.
[sinister sting]
I was a target of violence
when I was a child.
My childhood was
full of physical and emotional abuse.
It was a very rough childhood.
But my grandfather, Jorge Urbina,
was there.
- [gentle music playing]
- He was like courage to me,
with his affection, love and tenderness.
He used to heal every injustice
and every blow
that I received when he wasn't there.
I wanted to know why a human being
could contain so much evil.
That led me to study forensic psychiatry.
We wanted Jessica.
I remember very well
when her dad asked me to give him a child.
When I was pregnant,
she was very active in my belly,
she moved a lot.
And weird things were always happening.
Jessy was going to be a very special girl.
And yeah, she definitely was.
[Jessica] My childhood
My childhood was very tough.
I did feel a little sad,
because I saw that my friends,
both parents picked them up at school,
and they had a normal life.
Their mom and dad were together
and had a happy family.
But, at the end of the day,
I didn't need my dad.
My mom was always there,
and I never needed that father figure.
Because my mom was always there.
I began to see her characteristics
when she started kindergarten.
[school bell rings]
[teacher] Hurry up. Go to your classroom.
Go to your classroom. Hurry up.
You with the ball, go to class!
Go.
Jessy, look at those hands!
Wash them in the restroom. Hurry up!
Go to class! Come on!
[children playing and laughing]
[eerie music playing]
[tense music playing]
[music fades]
- [gasps]
- [dramatic sting]
[children laughing]
[water sloshing]
[eerie music playing]
What are you doing, Jessy?
- [music fades]
- [gasps]
What happened?
[panting]
There was a girl, there.
Nobody's there.
[eerie music playing]
[Sully] "Who is that girl?
We don't see anyone."
Jessy would desperately cry sometimes,
because she said that she was there
and no one saw her.
- [eerie sting]
- [panting]
[Jessica] She was a girl about my age,
five or six years old.
She had long hair.
She had kind of pearly skin.
She'd say,
"Look, she's the girl from the bathroom."
She used to draw her,
and you could see
how she drew her with black or red,
saying that she was crying.
"Look, she was beaten. She's dirty."
After that, it was very difficult.
My teacher ignored me too much.
Her treatment towards me
was very different
than with my classmates.
I wanted to belong.
I saw everyone was part of a group.
They had boyfriends.
They'd go to the movies.
They had a social life.
They had friends.
And I was the girl
who spent her time reading and drawing.
[students laughing]
I remember they'd bully me.
They'd pull my hair.
Once they locked me in the bathroom,
saying that I was crazy
and crazy people had to be locked up.
[students laughing]
[eerie sting]
That made me feel
like there was something
wrong with me.
[Sully] At school, they started suggesting
that I take her to a pediatrician.
And then to therapy,
or to a psychologist who could help her
because it wasn't normal.
I mean, the behavior that she had.
I remember how in Jessica's room,
she started to tell me
that she felt restless.
[objects thudding and scraping softly]
[whimpers]
- [object scrapes loudly]
- [gasps]
[sobbing]
[sinister music playing]
- [gasps]
- [dramatic eerie music playing]
[screams]
[gasps, sobs]
[eerie sting]
- [ominous music playing]
- [sobs]
What's wrong?
There's a man in my room, Mom!
[eerie string music playing]
A man in your room?
[gasps]
Jessy!
Stay here! Stay here.
[tense music playing]
[off-screen] This was
practically every night.
She'd cry or yell, "Mom, come!"
[Jessica sobbing]
And obviously I was very concerned,
because Jessica had bruises,
bruises that were not normal.
It was an old man with a stick, Mom.
Trust me. He was there.
I saw him.
[off-screen] He was an old man.
He always wore a hat,
like those palm hats.
And he always had a stick,
like a broom, and he'd hit me with it.
Jessy tell me the truth.
Who did this to you?
[sobs]
[ominous music playing]
My reaction was crying, in fear.
The next day I woke up
with bruises, scratches and bites.
Many times I'd scream to wake up my mom.
[Jessica whispering indistinctly]
He's there! He's there!
He's there!
He's there. He's there!
He's there!
Things were getting much worse.
Her behavior became stranger.
It was always between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m.
when he visited me.
[faint scraping]
[object thuds]
- [eerie music playing]
- [gasping]
[muffled screams]
- [thudding]
- [groaning]
- [thuds]
- [sobs]
- [blow thuds]
- [wailing]
- No, no. Stop!
- [thuds]
[whimpers]
[sobbing]
[Sully] Jessy?
- Sweetheart?
- [wails]
- [thuds]
- Sweetheart? Jessy?
She insisted that there was an old man
with a stick that beat her.
[sinister music playing]
- Jessy! Honey, sweetheart, sweetheart!
- [blows landing]
Stop it! Stop it!
[wailing]
- Honey! Sweetheart! Stop it! Stop it!
- [wailing]
Stop it! What's wrong?
Look. He's there, Mom.
The The old man, Mom! He's there!
[stifles sob]
He was always expressing anger,
as if he wanted to take it out on me.
One day it occurred to me
to play some prayers.
[man on recording] That cruel, ancient
serpent called the Devil or Satan
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Fight, on this day,
the battle of the Lord.
Now have come
the salvation and the power
What are you doing?
[ominous music playing]
Jessica immediately turned to me
with a face full of hate.
I love you.
You can't know what it's like
to witness your girl getting hurt
and you don't know who's hurting her,
and you can't protect her like a parent.
It makes you feel incredibly impotent.
[clacks]
I am Archbishop Andrés Tirado Pérez,
founder of the Independent Congregation
of International Catholic Priests.
For 20 years, I've been
the minister of liberation and exorcism.
REAL FOOTAGE
- [Andrés praying indistinctly]
- [girl] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
[Andrés] People believe nowadays
that these spiritual
and paranormal phenomena don't exist,
but they are actually very real.
There are different types of possessions.
[sobs]
Many shout, many become contorted,
and the first signs
of manifestation appear.
[guttural voice screams]
They start moving
with desperation and aggression.
They become violent, aggressive.
I am Ruth Alcalá Lozano,
a psychiatrist.
Possession cases may be people
with a serious chronic mental illness.
HYSTERIA
But also there may be
another type of circumstance,
not necessarily a chronic condition.
For instance,
like a person who suddenly behaves
as if they had a demon inside of them.
And in some cases,
it might last just a few minutes
before they go back to normal.
Honey! Honey!
But everyone comes to them saying,
"Hey, you lost it,
as if you were possessed."
And sometimes the person
doesn't even remember any of it.
[eerie music playing]
[woman] Why did we move here?
ON AIR
MEXICO CITY, 2020
[radio show theme music plays]
[male host] Welcome to my radio show,
where we talk about what no one dares,
horror, mystery, the paranormal.
I'm Héctor Uribe,
better known as "El gamer chilango",
and it's a pleasure
to introduce you to our guest today.
My name is Andrea Viridiana Rostro Olvera.
I'm here to share my experience,
some stories,
and the process of writing my book.
I have it right here.
It's a narrative novel entitled
The Fascination of Evil Obscures Good.
It's inspired by what my mother told me
about her experience with the Devil.
I am Esther Aguilera Olvera.
I'm here to tell you a little of what
I experienced in the story
that my sister wrote about in her book.
Where my mother was possessed.
I was very young,
but now it makes sense to me.
[Andrea] Although I didn't
experience it in person,
one of the reasons
why I wanted to write the book
was so that people
who have had paranormal events
would have the certainty
that they are not the only ones
who have experienced this.
Yeah, sure,
my mom had to live through this.
Things happen for a reason.
[solemn choral music playing]
[Concepción] When I remember this,
I feel afraid
that the enemy could possess me again.
It's a story so strong and so ugly
that I don't want to relive it.
My name is Coni.
I am here to tell you what happened to me
to tell you my truth.
Frankly, what I'm about to tell you,
I don't wish it on anyone.
[gentle music playing]
[Andrea] My mother
was at a true crossroads
MEXICO CITY, 1979
at the moment when all this happened,
this exorcism.
She was vulnerable because,
on top of everything,
she was going through a divorce.
She was wondering
what to do as a single mother.
We didn't have our father's support,
but we certainly had our mom's.
My father was always gone.
I saw my mother cry.
Of course something was going on
because, well, she was always crying.
[Concepción] I was affected by my divorce.
I felt, how do you say sad.
My children were very young then.
Although I have gaps, I do remember
several things that happened.
This happened because my neighbors
used to play with the Ouija board.
[eerie sting]
They had this dog.
But suddenly I noticed
that the dog was acting strangely.
MEXICO CITY, 1979
[dog barking in distance]
I'm tired, Luis.
I'm chained here.
The children are your responsibility.
Yes, sure.
More effort.
It's what I do.
What do you do, Luis?
Hello?
[scoffs]
[sniffles]
Brush your teeth and go to bed.
It's late.
[dog howls]
- [eerie music playing]
- [dog continues howling]
[dog continues barking and howling]
Mom?
Are you okay?
[Esther] I remember that
the neighbor's dog started to howl.
[dog howling]
Mom?
[dog continues howling]
[dog barks, growls]
[barking]
[Concepción] The dog started barking.
And when it started howling,
I started to shiver. I was afraid.
[barking]
[dog continues barking and howling]
[dramatic sting]
[gasps]
- [eerie music playing]
- [dog whimpers]
[barking]
What's happening, Mom?
[breathing rapidly]
We have to go.
We have to go. We have to get out of here.
And then my mother
started to talk strangely.
[tense music playing]
Esther, get dressed.
Quickly!
Damián.
Damián, honey. We have to go, come on.
[dog continues barking and howling]
Calm down. Calm down.
Put your pants on. Help your brother.
[whines]
The dog's eyes
they turned bright red.
The enemy doesn't care
and possesses whatever he can,
dogs, cats, humans.
My mother was completely shocked
by the dog with those eyes staring at her.
At that point,
she realized that something was off.
[tense music playing]
She then turned to my sister's dolls.
What's going on with your dolls?
Why are they looking at me?
What happened to your dolls?
One of them had the same eyes as the dog
and it was smiling.
"Look at how the dolls are laughing
and look at how they're moving."
"They're moving their eyes."
And we didn't see anything.
[child's voice giggling]
Why are you looking at me like that?
Mom? What's wrong?
- [power clunks off]
- [gasps]
- [gasps]
- [eerie music playing]
Let's go. Quickly, Esther.
The lights went out,
we couldn't see anything.
It was an immense darkness.
[lighter clicks]
[suspenseful music building]
Come on. Come on, Esther.
Come on.
- [low growling]
- [Concepción gasps]
[screams]
Stay with your brother.
[off-screen] All my life
I've used candles.
The candles were blinking horribly.
I said to myself, "This is the devil."
[low huffing]
I experienced an indescribable fear
because I wasn't sure
what was going on with my mom.
And that's why
we went to my uncle's house.
- Come on.
- [dog barking]
I wasn't afraid of it attacking me,
but my children.
So, I got them out of the house
as soon as I could.
[Andrea] My uncle, who was very religious,
has a charismatic revival group.
[all] Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning
- [banging at door]
- is now, and will be forever. Amen.
[brooding music playing]
My mom was uneasy.
She was always looking around.
[people praying in other room]
What's wrong?
You don't believe me. You think I'm crazy.
I believe you.
You're my sister.
I'm always here for you.
[Concepción] I was restless.
The devil was making me restless.
What do you think?
I've never told you this.
I didn't want you to worry.
What visited you today
already visited me.
[ominous sting]
Two years ago.
I pushed it away.
It was a lot of work at the church.
It's time for you to do the same.
He had already tormented him.
He tormented him before my mother.
He told me that he had already been there.
Since he couldn't beat my brother,
he went for me. He preys on the weak.
My uncle said that the enemy
was visiting her and was attacking her.
The enemy in question
is a being described in Holy Scripture
as the tempter, as Satan, as Beelzebub,
as the forces of evil,
seeking to destroy mankind.
There are many people who,
during the course of their lives,
have never had a paranormal encounter,
a spiritual encounter
REAL FOOTAGE
- [on-screen]the blood of Christ.
- [distorted voice groaning]
or an attack from this being
or these characters.
But there are others
who have had direct contact,
who are affected by these forces
that instill a force, a fear,
very strong things towards the person.
There's a war between good and evil.
There's always been
a war between the extremes.
It's always existed.
We look for a way to stabilize ourselves.
We're not on the good side all the time
nor on the bad side all the time.
When this is difficult for someone
it is possible that that person
will live in a very painful way.
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER
But with mental illness, for example
it is sometimes difficult
to find this balance.
- [girl in Spanish] Don't worry, Mommy
- [woman gasps]
MEXICO CITY, 2022
[gentle piano music playing]
[Florencia in English] I used to live
with my boyfriend my fiancé Pablo.
There's where it all happened.
[melancholy music playing]
FLORENCIA'S EX-PARTNER
My name is Pablo.
I'm here because
we had paranormal activity
in the apartment where we lived.
FLORENCIA'S MOTHER
My name is Roxana Torres,
and I am Florencia's mother,
the girls' grandmother.
This happened to us, to my family.
[Pablo] The first time I saw her
was where we worked.
She was a sales executive
and I was a validator,
let's say, a higher position.
I liked her. Yep.
The moment I saw her,
I wanted to be with her.
[Florencia] The girls got along well
with him from the first day.
I really wanted to move out.
I wanted to live on my own.
We were already engaged.
It was the next logical step.
REAL FOOTAGE
It was like a good start
for what we wanted to build.
[dance music playing faintly]
When I met Pablo, I didn't like him.
I just didn't.
I don't know why. I didn't like him.
I tried not to impose
my prejudice on Florencia.
If I told her that he wasn't good for her,
it's like saying, "Go with him."
Then she said
they were moving in together.
I told her, "If you want."
And she left. She left to live with him.
Florencia's friend told us
about the apartment.
MEXICO CITY, 2022
Wow!
- No way!
- Come here! Come see these!
Wow! No way!
No way!
- Come on!
- [Florencia] Watch out! Careful, girls.
[both] Wow!
[grunts]
[eerie music playing]
Look at these, Emma.
Look at these shoes.
Wow!
Wow.
They're so cool!
- I was happy.
- [gentle piano music playing]
And I think it was like a good start
for what we wanted.
Hey!
[sighs]
Finally.
They're so excited.
Not as much as me.
Oh, is that so?
The first day in the apartment was tiring.
We had lots of things to do.
And when we were lying down
on the mattress,
it happened.
What?
What?
[both chuckle]
What's up with you?
Me? I'm fine.
- [Florencia] Tell me.
- Nothing.
I was just thinking.
Thinking about the next room.
- We can turn it into a nursery for a baby.
- [ominous music playing]
What do you think?
A baby
Yeah, a baby.
[laughs]
You're crazy.
[Pablo off-screen] We both
wanted another baby.
In addition to the girls
we wanted one together.
A little Pablo.
Hmm?
I wanted to be with her
until the end of our days.
[music fades]
[eerie music playing]
[door creaking]
- [dramatic sting]
- [gasps]
[Pablo] What?
- There was a girl at the door.
- [eerie music playing]
I turned my head and she was gone.
Nothing.
[eerie music continues]
That was the first time I saw her.
The girl that was lurking.
Strange things started happening
after about four or five days.
[Florencia moaning softly]
[Emma whispering] Mom is awake.
[child giggling]
[Florencia gasps]
[dramatic sting]
[both] Emma?
[eerie music playing]
What happened, honey?
What's wrong, honey?
Are you alright?
She was staring into nothing.
Like she saw everything,
but nothing at the same time.
Like she wasn't there.
- [dramatic sting]
- [Florencia gasps]
[gasping]
- [panting]
- [eerie music playing]
I got some information from the neighbors.
One of them told me that before us
there was a lady who lived
in that apartment with two girls,
but they disappeared overnight.
The rooms' and the bathroom's doors
began to open and close on their own.
- [eerie music playing]
- [creaking]
The light in the closet
would turn on and off on its own.
The atmosphere was heavy.
It was tense.
[light buzzing]
Pablo, let me sleep. Pablo!
[Emma in Spanish] Sleep, baby ♪
The moon has come out ♪
They all went ♪
[Florencia] Emma?
to sleep ♪
[ominous music playing]
[in English] Florencia told me,
"Mom, Emma's sleepwalking."
[in Spanish] Go to sleep
The moon has come out ♪
[tense music playing]
The moon has come out ♪
They all went ♪
[in English] What is that, dear?
Who are you singing to?
She carried it as if it were a baby.
She was caressing it.
Heading towards our bed.
Like this, like a baby.
She was deep in the void.
Calm down, Mom.
He's dead.
[dramatic sting]
[eerie music playing]
[in Spanish] Sleep little baby ♪
[in English] Emma stood up like this.
Looking into the dark.
That moment was when I said,
"Something terrible is going on here."
CHILD PSYCHIATRIS
I am Doctor Marco Antonio Ávila Olvera.
I am a psychiatrist
at the National Institute of Psychiatry
and child psychiatrist at Dr. Navarro's
Children's Psychiatric Hospital.
It's not uncommon for a person to identify
shapes and figures in the dark.
There's a name for that.
It's called pareidolia.
[eerie sting]
We understand that in these cases,
the paranormal,
it's usually the person's interpretation.
There's a stage of life
in which this is problematic.
You have to consider
it's something outside of the imagination,
and more typical of a psychological
or psychiatric dysfunction.
Evil has existed
since the creation of the universe.
REAL FOOTAGE
[in Spanish] At this time,
we will create a protective circle
with the blood of Christ,
and we ask you, Lord,
with the blood of our sins.
[in English] When humans
began to drift away from the divine plan
God has a wonderful purpose for our lives.
He saves us, blesses us, liberates us.
But when the human being, in his freedom,
drifts away from the ways of God
- [in Spanish] I command you, spirit
- No!
[in English] that force of evil
increases itself
[laughing]
And it becomes incredibly strong
and powerful enough to destroy us.
[fire crackling]
They performed psychological
and psychiatric studies on my mom.
These are the characteristics
of a psychotic break.
I recommend hospitalization and treatment.
Since Jessy was waking up
practically every day at 3:00 a.m.,
I found a mantra I had on a CD.
[man on recording] That cruel, ancient
serpent called the Devil or Satan
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God.
Pablo wanted us to have a child.
I wanted another baby too.
We were looking forward to it,
to form that family.
[Pablo sighs]
[ominous music playing]
Girls, what did we say
about eating in the living room?
Girls?
[muttering]
[tense string music playing]
Concepción, we want to help you.
But you need to help yourself.
That's what's upsetting you, right?
I gathered my courage
and entered her room.
[man on recording] That cruel,
ancient serpent
- called the Devil or Satan
- [groaning]
that seduced the whole world,
he was cast down onto the earth,
and his angels with him.
Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God.
Jessy.
[Jessy groaning]
Jessica was still asleep.
Suddenly, she sat up, clenching her teeth.
[groans]
[muttering prayer]
[tense music playing]
What's up, sweetheart?
I don't want to meddle, but we have to
do something about the girls
[Florencia] Pablo
[Pablo] You haven't seen the mess
they made in the living room.
My mom?
When?
- But it's all
- Pablo!
What?
[tense music continues]
[girl] Mommy, no!
- No.
- [girl] Not my mommy, please!
[Florencia off-screen] I did the math
My period was late.
Am I pregnant?
I sure am.
No way!
[girl] Not my mommy. Not my mommy.
[tense music continues]
[man] Alone in this house.
In charge of your daughter.
You feel responsible for them.
[music stops]
[dramatic music playing]
[screams]
- Shut your mouth, Manolo!
- [Óscar] Concepción!
[Concepción] Son of a bitch! Fuck you!
[Manolo choking]
[Concepción grunts]
Ah!
[snarls]
[choking]
They couldn't stop her or subdue her.
[Concepción] Fuck you!
- [Manolo coughing]
- [Concepción grunts]
[panting]
[Concepción grunting]
Open her mouth!
Wide!
[all straining]
[music fades]
- [men panting]
- [Concepción grunting]
[eerie music playing]
[snarls]
Jessy! Honey
[gasps]
Sweetheart?
[both panting]
[groaning]
Sweetheart? Sweetheart?
[squelching, popping]
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
She had a hateful look on her face.
She seemed completely lost.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
- [popping]
- Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us
- [panting]
- [Jessica howling]
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[popping, cracking]
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
[gasping]
- [cracking]
- [Jessica moaning]
[growling]
[gasps]
Jessy
That's when I knew she had an infestation.
[sinister music playing]
We needed help.
[unsettling closing theme music playing]
[music fades]