Hello? Hey, now! Hello!
Shit.
Sorry.
What about, like, a shot for the pain?
How about, like, a shot of water?
Do you want to tell me what happened this time, Frankie?
Mum's so wasted she never remembers the horrible things she says to me.
How'd you hurt your knee?
Jay says I was causing a public nuisance.
And were you?
I jumped out at the lights and ran away.
So, what do you want from me, Frankie?
-Do you believe in spirits? -Yes, I do.
Do you know Mum's sister, Gracie Darling, the one that disappeared?
Yeah, I heard of the stories.
-Everyone says I look just like her. -Hm.
How does that make you feel?
Something really bad happened back then. Something really evil.
What if it happens again?
What if it, like, comes for me too?
I'm so scared.
What's your usual means of contraception?
-Condoms. -Okay.
And, uh, you didn't use a condom this time?
-Clearly not. -All right.
How many hours is it since you had unprotected sex?
Six? Seven? Seven. Can I just have the medication, please?
Sure.
-Anita. Hi. -Hi, Joni.
-How was the rest of your night? -Oh, fine. Thanks.
Jay never tells me anything anymore.
But I just bumped into the young constable on the way in,
and apparently, they found something at the tip this morning.
-Really? What? -Frankie Darling's backpack.
Oh, my God.
-Hey. -Hey.
I just bumped into Anita. She said that they found Frankie's backpack.
For God's sake.
-So it's true? -Yeah. Yeah.
Sadly, it doesn't look good.
Do you think that anything to do with Peter Darling getting arrested?
Is there anything that doesn't get around this fucking town?
-They brought him in for questioning. -Oh, yeah? About what?
Someone saw him arguing with Frankie
the night she disappeared out on the old forest road.
Do they think that he did something?
It's usually the man in the family, isn't it?
Yeah. Well, 'cause when I saw him last night,
-I mean, he didn't seem to-- -Last night?
Um…
Last night, I ended up dropping Ruth home.
And Peter and I had a drink.
Right. Okay.
Um…
Right. Well, you'll be happy to hear he's getting released this morning.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
-You really should be careful around him. -Yeah.
-I've gotta go. -Jay…
Hey!
-Joni? -What did the police want?
-They just had more questions. -About what?
Frankie.
Did you hurt her? 'Cause I'd really like to know who I just--
Come on. You've known me since we were kids.
I know that you had an argument with Frankie the night she disappeared.
-I shouldn't have gotten involved. -What was it about?
-She was just bringing up stuff. -What stuff?
-About the past. -About the past? What? Gracie?
Come on, Peter! The more secrets that you have, the guiltier you look.
After Gracie…
me and Ruth were the only ones that got it. Okay?
Yeah, I understand that. I was left behind too.
We were always closer than cousins. Maybe it wasn't healthy.
-What do you mean? -Spending so much time together.
Well, it's normal that you'd want to support each other.
We tried to stop. Okay?
You're Frankie's father?
-Did you tell the police? -No.
Well, you should.
There's no point in having secrets when you're trying to find your daughter.
That's just one. For instance,
where Pa and I come from in England, there are the druids.
-Hm. -See, every culture has different rituals.
Like what else?
Well, you've seen smoking ceremonies at school,
-and it's just a way to… -Morning.
Well, look what the cat dragged in. Where have you been all night?
Or shouldn't I ask?
So sorry. I got caught up.
-This is known as a walk of shame. -Mum!
-Did you have a good date then? -Date?
-It wasn't a date. -With who?
-Where's Lulu? -She had another nightmare.
She woke up in the middle of the night screaming the house down.
-Lu, your mummy's home. -Hey, baby.
We missed her in the middle of the night.
Okay, I can handle it from here.
-But these nightmares, the bedwetting… -We'll just talk about it later.
I'm just saying, I don't think being here is good for you or for them.
I just need to tie up a few things, okay? That's what I need to do,
-and then we're going. -No need to bite my head off.
-Hello. -It's pretty.
-Can I have it? -Yeah. Of course.
Oh, look. This is a mood ring.
And it changes color with your body temperature.
It's supposed to tell you how you're feeling.
You've been feeling a bit anxious, have you?
Hm? Oh, honey. Nan told me that you had another nightmare.
You want to talk about it?
Maybe, how about you draw it for me.
-Ta-da. -Okay.
Yeah? Okay.
Yeah.
That's branches.
Is it a tree? It's good.
It's a forest.
Okay. Is it a girl?
Gracie.
Why was the dream scary?
"…an otter lived by the streams."
"Foxes had dens in the hills and deer roamed everywhere."
Mummy?
Mummy, can I?
No!
Yes.
-It's an icon? -Yeah. When you go farther.
Sorry.
Jay?
Back, back, back! Get back. Back. Get back in there.
-Hi, Samantha. -What are you doing here?
-Jay sent me. -Caity wants Zac.
-Well, Zac's not answering. -She says she'll only talk to Zac.
Okay. Well, I hope he picks up.
Joni, wait.
She couldn't get out of bed this morning.
-Who's there? -Hey, Caitlyn. It's me. It's Joni.
Where's Zac?
Zac's not picking up, so I can talk to you about what's going on.
He's here.
-Who's here? -He won't leave me alone.
Caitlyn, what are you seeing? Caitlyn, what are you seeing?
No!
Hello?
Hey, what's going on?
Zac!
Oh, my God! Caitlyn!
Hold her!
-Hi, everybody. Hi, look, let me-- -Look, we hear that--
-Oh, I'm so sorry. You go, you go. -No. Okay.
Look, I understand how worried you all are.
I can offer my perspective from my work with kids.
But I think we're really lucky
to have Joni's expertise as a child psychologist.
Thank you. Uh, so, I hope that I can reassure you a bit. Um…
I think what's going on here is a really normal response to trauma.
The trauma of a friend going missing
and the trauma of another girl's body being found.
It's big stuff. Um, but this is not unprecedented.
There have been cases like this all around the world.
It's sometimes called collective psychosis.
The kids are not making this up. It feels very real to them.
Uh, even though there isn't any, yeah, physical illness.
Doesn't… they're not sick.
What we have found to work is you keep the kids--
We have to keep the kids apart.
So that's no phones.
And I know that sounds harsh, but truly--
Look, I agree with Joni.
You know, this is a really troubling situation for our kids.
Um, but we can help them. Yeah.
And let me just say this to further reassure you.
These evil spirits that the kids are seeing,
while not to be trifled with, are not to be feared either. Okay?
Jesus Christ not only unmasked the voices of evil,
but he humiliated them.
Yeah.
Whether you're a believer or not, the key thing is this.
Let's support our kids.
Let's sit with them. Let's listen to them.
Just support, authority, and faith.
Yeah? Okay.
Look, please feel free to stay for the evening service. Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thanks, guys. See you later.
Are you aware of what you're doing?
What am I doing?
Well, you know how powerful suggestion can be,
especially with kids.
I'm taking it just as seriously. Guided by the Bible.
So you seriously think that this town is possessed by evil spirits?
I believe in a transcendent spirit world.
Uncontrollable forces that we don't fully--
A kid is missing and that's what you believe?
What do you believe?
I mean, like, after everything that has happened,
where do you find solace and strength?
I believe in rational thought.
I believe in things that can be proven with science and logic.
Not theological speculation.
This must be very triggering for you.
I'm fine. Thank you for your concern.
As I light these candles…
please protect me from any malevolent spirits
that would wish me harm.
And evil forces seen or unseen.
Gracie Darling. Gracie Darling. Gracie Darling.
Can we play?
Gracie, are you there?
Gracie, give me a sign.
Mina, what are you doing?
Are you stupid? Stop it!
-Stop! -What harm is there if it's all bullshit?
-Get inside. Mina! -Are you saying spirits are real?
-You're such a hypocrite. -Get inside right now!
-What's going on? -This is your fault.
Look at what you're done. You've encouraged her with all your tarot shit.
-Don't blame Nan! -That's all right, Mina.
-She can blame me if she likes. -Thank you. Yeah.
I know you were doing all this stuff with Gracie.
It wasn't Nan. The whole town knows.
Come on, let's go and watch another episode of our show, shall we?
Knock, knock.
Shit, Jay.
Uh…
-You got another one of those? -Uh, you know where he keeps them.
What's your relationship with Peter Darling?
-Fuck off, Jay. -Right.
Can you believe that he and Ruth were fucking?
Well, I looked it up. It's not actually illegal.
Serious?
Is this what you came to talk to me about?
I wanted your opinion.
Okay.
Please.
They found Frankie's phone in her backpack.
Mm-hm.
-Okay. -Good.
Yeah, okay. I'm the vessel. Remember what you have to ask?
-Yup. -Okay.
Gracie Darling, Gracie Darling, Gracie Darling, can we play?
Gracie Darling…
Are you there, Gracie?
Yeah. Can I ask you some questions?
Is Noah gonna ask me to the deb?
Okay.
Frankie wanted me to ask you something.
Gracie…
What happened the night you died?
What's happening?
Gracie.
Gracie, who's there? Who's there?
-Gracie! -Levi!
Let me out!
God with a feeling of one
God with a feeling of one…
Oh, Lord, forgive us our sins.
Forgive us the sins of our souls. Forgive us the sins of our bodies.
God with a feeling of one
Let me out.
Hello?
-Are you awake? -No.
Still mad at me?
Why is it okay for you to have done all that stuff, but I can't?
Wisdom of hindsight, I guess. I don't know. I'm sorry.
Mina, what were you trying to do?
I just wanted to find out if all that stuff's real.
With the game and all that.
-By playing Gracie Darling? -Yeah.
Was Caitlyn faking it out in the bush?
What about the others?
Was Caitlyn the ringleader?
Yeah. She was selling the drugs too.
-Does everyone do what she says? -Yeah.
Everyone's scared of her. Except for Frankie. They were enemies.
-No worries. Did I wake you up? -I'm on nights this week. Shh!
I just thought I'd check in with Caitlyn.
-Have a bit of a follow-up chat. -Well, she's resting too.
Yeah, it was Zac's idea. Figured we'd go for a two-pronged approach.
-Come on. -Thanks.
Come, let's go inside.
Oh, my God. Did you hear about Ruth and Peter?
-Mum. -Hi, Caitlyn.
-Oh. -Oh!
Sorry, puppy. Thanks, Samantha. We won't be long.
Okay.
See you soon.
-Is Zac coming? -Yeah.
I just thought we could have a little chat while we wait.
Can you tell me again what's been happening?
-I feel really weak. My legs ache. -Mm-hm.
I'm freezing, but then I'm hot.
Last night…
I woke up in the middle of the night and he was in my room.
He came closer and closer, but I couldn't move.
Have you ever heard of sleep paralysis?
Uh, sometimes when the mind is awake, the body is still asleep.
This wasn't that. This was Gracie's killer.
He wants to hurt me.
I used to have some of these when I was your age.
Perfect place for hiding my stash.
Does your mum know that you deal drugs?
Because I've got a whole bunch of kids telling me that you were doling out MDMA
right before everyone got possessed.
And, you know, they'll test the drugs.
And if they cause some kind of psychosis that made all your friends sick--
-Please don't tell Mum. -Did you really see an evil spirit?
Now, I thought they were supposed to have confiscated your phones.
I know where Mum hides it.
Did you see a spirit in this room, Caitlyn?
No.
Okay. So tell me what happened in the forest.
Raffy told us how Frankie got possessed.
So you were… You were faking it?
I did feel something.
-And what about the others? -I don't know what trip they're on.
Why?
I want Zac to pray over me.
Zac?
Frankie was his favorite.
They always had private sessions in his office.
Ask Raffy about it.
Thanks. I will.
Yeah.
But you can pass. Yeah.
Okay, no worries.
Sorry. Hi! Sorry.
-Uh, is Raffy here? -Uh, no, not yet.
-Are you a friend? -Yeah.
Yeah. I'm Zac. I'm the group leader.
Mina.
-Joni's daughter? -Yeah.
Welcome. Yeah. It's great to have a new face.
Incest babies. Come on, it's so…
Hey, guys. I hope we're keeping it kind.
So how are you doing? It's been tough on you kids.
Yeah. Uh, Mum dragged us up here, and she's barely looked at us since.
I mean, all she cares about is her dead friend.
Well, look, you're welcome to join us if you like.
-Yeah? -Yup.
Take a seat. Hey, everybody. This is Mina.
-Hi. -Hi, Mina.
-Hey. -Excuse me.
-Hey. Did you talk to her? -No, no, she didn't reply.
They're not home. I don't know if this is cool.
Jay, we're talking about a potential sexual predator.
-Right. What am I looking for? -Um…
Teenage girls, they write about this stuff. Trust me.
Does she have a diary or journal?
Uh, what. A real one? I don't fucking know. Um…
-Laptop? -Yeah. Yeah. Yes.
Well, do you know her password?
Internet… creeps.
Don't tell her I know.
-Yup. -All right. Do a search for Zac.
Nothing.
Uh, look in downloads. Mina and her friends use AirDrop.
-Did you find something? -Maybe.
-What is it? -Photos. Photos with notes on them.
-From Frankie? -Yeah. Yeah, I think so.
What do they say?
Z was there for me.
He wiped the tears from my cheeks. I kissed him. He kissed me back.
Thunder and lightning. Jesus gazed down.
Z laid me down and fucked me on the desk.
Oh, Mina.
Got a sec?
Yeah.
So I hope you found it helpful, being in a supportive space.
-It was nice. Thanks. -Yeah. Good.
Look, I just want you to know that your concerns are valid.
Actually, I do have a few questions if you've got time.
-Yeah. Of course. -Yeah?
Why don't you come downstairs? I'll put the kettle on.
-Okay. -Yeah.
-After you. -Thanks.
I'm gonna go down and talk to him.
No, no. No, Joni.
You-- This isn't actually evidence. You can't just--
Why can't I? I'm not the police. It's a friendly visit.
You tip him off, uh, you obstruct the course of justice.
Oh, come on. Justice? You said yourself they're not even looking at him.
He's-- Fuck.
-What are you doing here? -Dad?
You're not gonna get that?
Nothing would piss my mum off more than me turning religious.
I mean, not the most auspicious way to start a relationship with God.
Uh…
-Black, green, or chai? -Chai.
Why are you the only adult that believes us?
What do you mean, exactly?
There's something bad here.
Got Frankie and the others, but no one believes us.
You know, if there's anything that I've learned,
it's don't jump to conclusions too quickly.
You know, when I was younger, I was a lot more reckless.
But now, I let the scriptures guide me.
So how were you reckless when you were young?
Hi, it's Mina. Can't pick up right now.
Don't leave me a message. Text me.
Hey. It's me again. Just want to make sure that you're okay.
Call me, please.
Mina.
Joni.
Hey, Mom.
What are you doing here?
Getting close to Jesus.
-Go wait upstairs. -Mum, chill.
-You heard me, Mina! Go wait upstairs. -Okay. She didn't tell you--
What the fuck do you think you're doing?
Okay. Mina came to me for guidance.
Do you make a habit of being alone with young girls?
I'm available to anyone who seeks my counsel.
Because I just had a chat with Caitlyn, and she admitted she's been faking it all.
You know, the reason that she gave me was to get your attention.
She's jealous of your relationship with Frankie.
And she implied that you and Frankie have been sexually intimate.
What? No, no.
You honestly think that I've slept with--
We found notes written by Frankie.
Suggestive notes, detailed.
Look, I'm a protector, Joni.
Okay? I'm a servant of God.
-Great defense. -I've never encouraged any--
Why'd you have to leave your hometown?
Sex with a minor.
Yeah. I was a minor too. It wasn't illegal.
We were both underage. Her parents didn't like me.
So a few days after I turned 18, they called the cops.
You know, I thought you of all people would know how dangerous gossip can be.
You okay?
Have you totally lost it? We were just talking.
-I'm sorry. -No. Zac was actually there for me.
Mum? sorry. -No. Zac was actually there for me.