Curl your fingers.
Curve.
Peter?
I heard something.
What?
Peter?
What time is it?
What did you hear?
Come on.
This one?
Hmm.
I don't hear anything.
Do you?
This is an old house.
There's bound to be bumps in the night.
Come to bed.
You have a great, big, beautiful imagination.
And all those scary things?
They're just in your head.
You'll get more at recess.
All right, settle. Settle.
Students.
This is Miss Devine.
She'll be your substitute teacher
until Mrs. Bitler comes back.
Good luck.
Good morning.
As your principal just said, my name is Miss Devine.
I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.
Peter.
Recess is coming.
Okay...
Oh!
Hi. Um...
Peter.
You're supposed to be at recess.
I don't like recess.
You don't want to play with your friends?
Okay. You can stay here.
Yeah, you can help me with the decorations.
I love Halloween.
Do you know what you're going as?
Well, you have plenty of time to figure it out.
Look, it's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. Here.
Um...
Yeah, and take this and slide it under, okay?
It's okay.
Yeah.
There you go. Like that.
Pick it up. We're gonna take this to the window.
Um...
What am I gonna be for Halloween?
I want to dress up. I want to trick-or-treat.
All the other kids at school get to do it.
And we're not their parents.
Hey, Pete.
You know the old house down the end of the lane,
with the boarded windows?
He's going to find out eventually.
- Carol. - What?
Well, a few years ago, before you were born,
the little girl that lived there,
she vanished on Halloween.
What happened?
Well, nobody knows.
She went out trick-or-treating and she disappeared.
It was a very traumatic event.
For everybody in the neighborhood.
And I, personally,
don't like remembering it.
- Am I gonna disappear? - Oh, Peter.
Of course not, honey. No.
We would never let that happen to you. Ever.
Okay?
- Peter. - Daddy!
No, Peter. Don't tell him.
Daddy!
Peter.
Pete?
What's going on?
I heard something again.
Peter.
I really did, though.
All right, and, uh, from where?
Okay.
You know what? I bet it's rats.
But I've got something that'll take care of that.
Rats?
It smells like cinnamon.
Well, be careful.
Not everything is as sweet as it seems.
They eat it?
That's the idea. Then what?
Well...
Pete, we can't have rats.
They bite. They... They spread disease.
Not to mention, keep you up all hours of the night.
Mm-hmm?
I guess.
Look.
Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions
to protect your family.
You understand?
Mm-hmm.
"Throws his shadow on the floor.
"And my soul from out that shadow
"that lies floating on the floor,
"shall be lifted...
"nevermore."
May I help you?
Uh, are you Peter's mom?
Yes...
Sorry for showing up like this, uninvited.
I'm Peter's teacher.
Substitute.
Of course, he did mention that he had a substitute.
Never known one to make house calls.
Yeah, I just wanted to come over
and... and check on him personally.
Hmm. I was a teacher myself.
That was before I... I became a mother.
Is he all right?
Peter? Yes.
Um...
I... I did want to show you something.
What's this?
The children were drawing for Halloween.
Peter painted this?
Yes. Yes.
The other children drew monsters and witches, but Peter...
I see.
Huh. Well, this is embarrassing.
You see, Peter has an overactive imagination.
He still wakes his father and I up
in the middle of the night
with all of his little flights of fancy which, uh,
which is all this picture is.
I do appreciate your concern though.
What is this?
A drawing. A drawing of what?
This is your room, Peter. Why are you asking for help?
I'm not.
Why are you asking strangers for help, Peter?
I'm not.
She is. What was that?
It's just a scary drawing, Mom.
Oh, that imagination of yours, Peter.
It's going to get you into trouble one day.
Wake up, Peter.
Peter.
Don't be scared.
I just want to talk.
Please be quiet.
I'm imagining you.
You're not real.
Maybe, maybe not.
But it seems to me like you could use a friend.
I know I could.
But if you don't want one, I'll just leave.
Wait, don't go.
I'm sorry.
Please stay.
Are you sure?
Yes, we can talk.
- Peter, this is great. - What's his name?
Hector.
Of course.
He looks like a Hector.
This one's my favorite.
Shh.
Stop!
Please!
Peter. Are you there?
Are you okay?
Why are you crying?
Did someone hurt you?
Mm.
Brian.
He shoves me down every day.
I was afraid of something like that.
But I believe in you, Peter.
Mm.
I bet you're strong enough to stand up for yourself.
If you just try.
Busted.
I'm sorry, Peter.
That was very nice of Brian, wasn't it, Peter?
Show him you're not afraid anymore.
Make him afraid of you.
You have to push back.
Peter! Why are you...
Help!
I don't understand how this could have happened!
Peter has never done anything like this before!
He doesn't have a violent bone in his body!
It was an accident. I'm sure of it.
Expelled?
Do you have anything to say for yourself, Peter?
Peter?
I didn't mean for him to fall down the stairs.
For God's sakes. We are not a family
that solves our problems with violence, Peter.
Ever.
I don't understand where this kind of behavior comes from!
Peter drew a picture. For school.
What? I'm sorry.
I know that I should have told you earlier.
But I... Hold on, hold on. What kind of picture?
What kind of picture, Carol?
A child.
A child asking for help.
What?
I knew that you would jump to conclusions.
You're only telling me this now?
- And it's just not possible. - Okay, stop.
- Even when I tell you about... - Stop.
Peter. Why would you draw a picture like that?
Peter! Because I really heard her!
No, you did not! No!
You're grounded.
Okay, Peter. Go to your room.
No, no, no! Carol, he's grounded.
He's going in the basement.
Now.
Stand up.
I said, stand up.
Get up.
Go.
Mom?
Sit.
We're doing this because we love you. Because we love you.
Hello?
Are you there?
Please talk to me.
What a stupid thing.
God damn it!
Why won't you work? You went to a student's house?
I did.
I wanted to make sure that Peter was okay.
Is he showing up with bruises?
No, not that I can see.
Does he wet himself?
Is he talking about sex or other things a boy his age shouldn't know about?
No.
Then, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do.
There are a lot of Peters.
Delicate little kids you want to protect from life's cruelties,
but you can't get personally invested.
You'll be eaten alive.
You've met his parents? His mother, there's something...
off about her.
There's a child that disappeared
from their neighborhood years ago.
Something like that
would make any parent overprotective.
Hello. Hi.
I have Peter's last math quiz.
I thought you should have it. He only missed two.
Thank you for coming by.
- Uh... - Hi, there.
Honey, this is Miss Devine.
Peter's former teacher.
Nice to meet you.
She was just coming by to drop off his last math test.
That's wonderful. We can hang it on the fridge.
Please, come in.
We just made coffee.
This way.
Have a seat.
Thanks.
Here you go.
You're bleeding.
Oh, I'm just doing some remodeling.
Loose nail.
Don't worry about it.
Uh, well, since I'm here,
I just want to express how sorry I am
about what happened. Aw.
That's very, very sweet of you.
But honestly, no apology necessary.
Peter is a spirited boy.
Uh, do you have any idea where Peter will be going to school?
Of course, we do.
Here. At home.
Oh.
Carol is the best teacher Peter could ever have.
What? You don't think that's a good idea? Uh...
I just think that, um,
given his behavior, he might benefit from an environment
more suited toward his needs?
No, we're not going to give our son away.
Thank you. No. No.
No. No, we're not. Family is what he needs.
Family's what he's gonna get.
Where is he?
He's grounded. In his room.
May I see him? No, you may not.
I don't think it's appropriate.
I would just like to say goodbye.
What is your interest in our son?
You're no longer his teacher. So, I... I don't...
It's very strange to me
that you continue to show up at our house.
I just wanted to make sure he was all right.
I'm sorry, "that he was all right"?
You think that Peter's in danger?
Do you think that I'm the kind of mother
that would harm my child? Okay.
- Honey. It's okay. - I love Peter.
We love Peter. We love Peter.
With every fiber of our being.
You don't know anything about...
Hey. Hey, enough. No. No. Before...
How dare you? How dare you come into our home...
Honey, honey, honey. Carol. Carol. Stop.
...for you to tell us what's best for our son.
She doesn't... Listen to me.
What mother gives up on her child? Sweetheart, that's enough.
The audacity of this woman! This stranger.
You don't know anything. Don't let the opinion
of a stranger upset you.
Enough. Hey. Enough.
No, before I had Peter, the doctor said...
...Peter's a miracle... Help!
...and I would never give up on him.
I would never give him away. Never. Peter's a miracle.
An institute, for what?
Help!
Excuse me. I think you better leave.
I'm sorry. This was a mistake.
What is that?
What?
The noise. The banging.
The washing machine.
Please.
Forgot your keys, Miss Devine.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
You can come out now.
Here.
Pumpkin.
For our pumpkin.
Well, Peter.
Have you had time to think?
About what?
About how I need to grow up.
Stop acting out. Stop telling lies.
And no more nightmares.
No more.
We're very proud of you, Peter.
Things are going to be different from now on.
You won't be going back to school any longer.
I'm gonna be your teacher now. That's right.
Your mom here, she's going to teach you the three R's, Pete.
You know what they are?
Readin', Writin', and Arithmetic.
Oh...
Okay, I'm sorry.
You're a good boy, Peter.
Oh, and we love you.
And we forgive you.
Love you too.
Goodnight, Peter.
See you in the morning, son.
Good night.
Please talk to me.
Peter. I was worried about you.
My mom and dad locked me in the basement.
I knew it.
You have to be careful with them.
They are not what they seem.
I want to see you. No.
I've been here too long.
You wouldn't like the looks of me.
You'll scream and get us caught.
No, I won't. I promise.
Okay.
There's a hole behind the wallpaper.
Do you see it?
Who are you?
I'm your sister.
Hmm?
I've been waiting, Peter.
I had to wait till you were big enough.
Big enough for what?
Big enough to move the clock that hides the door.
Big enough to help me escape. To leave the dark.
To leave the wall.
Please stop. No, you're scaring me.
You need to be scared.
Mom and Dad, they're evil, Peter.
Now you know.
Your time is coming.
Hello?
Mom?
Hello?
Mom?
Peter.
Look what you've done to your mother, Peter.
Peter.
You were screaming and thrashing around.
Shh.
It's okay. It was just a bad dream.
Shh.
Wha...
What was it about?
I...
I don't remember.
Well, it can't hurt you now.
If they keep you in their room,
then how are you talking to me?
I escaped.
I scratched and clawed my way to you.
Mom and Dad? They hate me, Peter.
Once they've had enough of me, I'm finished.
They'll kill me.
And they'll put you in the wall.
No.
They wouldn't do that.
They wouldn't kill anybody.
No, Peter.
They already have.
You need to see what's buried in the garden.
I'll tell you where.
Peter.
What are you doing?
I was thinking that, um,
I know I can't go trick-or-treating,
but maybe we could carve a pumpkin.
It was Halloween.
Before they locked me in the wall.
A trick-or-treater came to the door.
I asked her for help.
And she saw me.
They killed her, Peter.
I don't want to end up like that girl.
I'm getting you out of there.
I'm gonna get you out of there and then,
then we're gonna run away.
We're gonna be a family. A real one.
But how?
I think I know somebody that can help.
Hello?
Miss Devine?
Peter?
I need your help.
What did you say?
I need your help.
Hello?
Hi, is this Peter's mom?
It is. Is this Miss Devine?
I think Peter just tried to call me.
He did, indeed.
Peter was just telling me how dearly he misses his teacher,
and so I said, "Peter, just give her a ring.
"Tell her yourself."
But unfortunately, his shy streak seems to have gotten the best of him.
He's like a little blushing bride over here.
It's so cute.
Well, better luck next time, I suppose.
So sorry to have bothered you. Have a happy Halloween.
That was bad, Peter.
I'm sorry.
You did a very bad thing.
You called a stranger?
She doesn't know best for you.
She doesn't love you the way your father and I do.
I am so disappointed in you.
What is that?
It's nothing!
No.
No...
No, no.
No. No.
No.
What... What did she tell you?
What did she tell you?
It doesn't matter. Whatever.
Whatever happens now, it will be your fault.
You just wait until your father gets home.
Peter.
I heard them.
They know.
They are going to kill us.
Peter, you have to do something.
Peter.
Clean house. That's all there is to it. I don't want to.
We can't keep finding temporary solutions.
That is...
I know you're awake, son.
You get a good night's sleep.
When I get home tomorrow, you'll help me out in the garden.
There's a problem we need to take care of.
It's black rot. Killing off the whole garden.
And blight like this,
it spreads fast.
Get rid of it now or...
or all the healthy pumpkins will get infected.
And we can't have that.
We're going to bury the pumpkins,
and we're going to hope that the next crop is better.
Better luck next time.
You understand?
So, I want you to pick up that shovel
and dig.
Hey, cuz, this is the house?
Yeah.
Wicked.
Sorry.
Can a family not eat in peace?
Stop playing with your food, Peter.
Trick-or-treat!
Go away!
Porch light off?
Yes.
Did you do something different with the soup tonight?
Did I do something different with the soup?
Yeah.
No.
I mean, it's delicious. It's great. Right?
It just tastes a little different.
Hmm.
It smells like...
Smell it. Yeah, it smells like cinnamon.
Mm.
Peter.
Peter. Have you done something?
Peter.
Son, look at me.
Tell me the truth.
What have you done?
What did you do? You tell me.
Tell me, what did you do?
You hurt my sister.
What did you say? Oh, my God.
Call 911.
What is going on? Call 911!
Peter!
Stop!
Peter.
Don't let her out.
Don't let her...
out.
Peter, is that you?
Did you do it?
Are they gone?
I don't know.
I think so.
Do you have the keys?
Yeah.
The clock.
Be careful.
It's so heavy.
Peter. Are you all right?
I'm okay.
Do you see it?
Do you think you could open it?
Good boy, Peter.
What was it like watching them die?
Trick-or-treat!
Just like the girl in the garden.
Hey, Peter! You alone in there?
We just came by to say hi.
Are they fucking with us?
Let's get this done.
Hey, Peter.
Are you here?
We know you're in here!
Peter, where the fuck are you?
What the fuck?
Huh?
No!
Brian, my leg!
It's got my leg. Brian, help me!
No! No!
No, no!
Brian?
What?
Brian?
Brian!
What did you say?
Go!
No!
When you were born,
they were so happy.
When I was born,
they screamed.
So, Daddy made me a pit.
Then he made me a cage.
While you were whining in this warm bed,
I was suffering among cobwebs and rats,
learning how to climb.
how to bite,
learning how to make you do what I want.
Trick-or-treat.
Let me go, please!
Help!
You'll be safe in here.
Hello?
Peter?
Peter.
Oh, my fucking God. What the fuck?
Run!
Peter?
Miss Devine! Peter.
Miss Devine, run!
Peter! God. Oh, my God.
You have to run.
No, no, I'm not leaving you here.
You have to get out of here!
What the hell is that thing?
It's my sister.
She's coming!
Stand back.
Peter, come on. Come on, Peter. Come on.
Come on, Peter.
- Where are you going? - The keys.
Come on. Go, go.
No!
Why are you like this?
Not every child can be as perfect as you, Peter.
I was just born this way.
And no one loves a monster.
Peter! Miss Devine!
I don't know what you are,
but if you hurt him,
I'll fucking kill you.
No!
Miss Devine!
Peter!
Please.
You're my brother.
Peter, let's go.
Don't you see, Peter?
It's in our blood.
You killed Mom and Dad.
You're just like me.
No!
I'm not like you.
Do you really think this is gonna keep me down here?
Every night,
when you lie in bed,
you'll wonder if you locked the door,
or saw a shadow move.
Every creak,
every groan,
every tap in the wall,
you'll think of me.
We're family, Peter.
I will always be with you.
Always.