The Movie Ended. The Haunting Began. | After Midnight

0:00Midnight has passed, and in the stillness of these hours, the hauntings are never silent. This is real ghost stories online. After midnight. Amy and Michelle expected the exorcist to feel dated. They had heard about the movie All Their Lives. Their mother claimed she had walked out of the theater the first time she saw it, and both sisters knew people who insisted they couldn't watch it alone. By the late 1990s, however, they assumed its reputation had become more frightening than the movie itself. Neither had ever watched it from beginning to end. One Saturday evening, Michelle drove to Amy's apartment for dinner. Amy had moved there six months earlier, and the sisters tried to get together whenever their work schedules allowed. Most of those evenings involved take out television and conversations that lasted later than either intended. That afternoon, Amy had noticed a copy of the exorcist at the video store.

1:03Rending it seemed perfect for a sister's night. They would order pizza, turn off the lights, and finally see whether it deserved everything they had heard about it. They began watching shortly after eight. At first, both women made jokes. Some of the clothes and furniture looked old-fashioned and several quiet scenes moved more slowly than the horror movies they were used to watching. The joking gradually stopped. By the middle of the movie, Michelle had pulled a blanket over her legs despite the apartment being warm. Amy turned on a lamp near the couch, claiming she needed more light to find the popcorn. Neither suggested turning it off again. What disturbed them wasn't any single image. It was the feeling the movie created inside the apartment. The rooms beyond the living room seemed darker than they had earlier. Pipes clicked inside the walls, footsteps crossed the apartment below, and the refrigerator shut off with a sudden silence that made both women look toward the kitchen.

2:03They knew they were frightening themselves. That was part of the fun. When the movie ended, Amy immediately turned on another lamp. Michelle laughed, then admitted she was relieved. They rewound the tape while discussing how ridiculous it was that a movie more than 20 years old had affected them so badly. It was nearly 1130 when Michelle gathered, her purse, and jacket. She lived about 20 minutes away and had planned to drive home. Standing near the door, however, she realized she didn't want to cross the dark parking lot, returned to an empty house, and tried to sleep with scenes from the movie still in her mind. Amy was equally reluctant to be left alone. They laughed at themselves again, but Michelle put down her purse, she would sleep on the couch and leave in the morning. Amy found an extra blanket and pillow, then put a comedy into the VCR to lighten the mood. The new movie had been playing for only a few minutes when something struck the bedroom wall. The sound was heavy enough to make both sisters stop talking.

3:06Amy muted the television and listened. Nothing followed. Her apartment was on the second floor of a three story building and she occasionally heard doors close or objects fall in neighboring units. The sound could easily have traveled through the walls. Even so, it had seemed to come from her bedroom. Michelle followed Amy down the short hallway. The bathroom was on the left and the bedroom was at the end. Amy turned on the light and looked around. A framed photograph lay on the floor beside the dresser. It had been standing near the back several inches from the edge. The glass wasn't broken and nothing else on the dresser had moved. Amy assumed vibrations from the apartment above had caused it to fall. Michelle wasn't convinced, but neither wanted to make the incident more important than it was. Amy returned the photograph to its place and pushed it against the wall. Back in the living room, they resumed the comedy. Neither paid much attention. The movies seemed too loud now, so Amy lowered the volume.

4:09A floor board creaked in the hallway. Michelle glanced toward it. Light from the bedroom stretched across the empty carpet. Another creek came from near the bedroom. Then one sounded closer to the living room. The noises were spaced like slow footsteps. Amy stepped into the hallway and walked across several areas of the floor, trying to reproduce them. One board near the bathroom creaked beneath her weight, but the others remained quiet. She checked the front door and the small balcony door behind the dining table. Both were locked. Michelle suggested the sounds might have come from the apartment below. Amy accepted that explanation, but she left the hallway in bedroom lights on. The comedy ended shortly after one, by then the building had become quiet, and Michelle was tired enough that her fears seemed foolish. She arranged the pillow and blanket on the couch while Amy turned off the television and went to bed. Michelle lay awake for several minutes, watching light from the parking lot move across the ceiling whenever a car passed.

5:11The apartment was silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and water running somewhere in the building. She was beginning to drift off when the television clicked. The screen brightened the room with a dull blue glow. Michelle sat up and reached for the remote on the coffee table. Before she could touch it, the VCR started. The machine was empty, but it word is if a cassette were turning inside it. Michelle called for Amy. Amy appeared in the hallway almost immediately and stared at the television, then at the empty VCR. Michelle used the remote to turn everything off. The apartment went dark. A moment later something moved inside Amy's bedroom. It sounded like someone getting out of bed. Amy turned on the hallway light and the sisters stood together outside the bedroom. Everything else moved. Amy had been in bed for only a few minutes before Michelle called her, but she had clearly heard the mattress shift after she left the room. The sound was followed by the soft creak of the wooden frame, exactly as though someone

6:13had stood up. Michelle remained in the doorway while Amy checked beneath the bed and inside the closet. Nothing was there. And the photograph they had returned to the dresser remained against the wall. They told themselves the bed had settled after Amy got up, but neither believed that explanation enough to separate again. Amy brought her pillow into the living room and the sisters settled on opposite ends of the couch. They turned on a table lamp and left the television off. Michelle suggested they talk until they became tired enough to sleep, but every new sound interrupted the conversation. The refrigerator came on, pipes knocked behind the kitchen wall and a car door closed in the parking lot. Each noise had an explanation. Then a kitchen cabinet opened and the hinges gave a slow squeak followed by the light tap of the door touching the cabinet beside it. From the couch, Amy could see that the door beneath the sink stood open several inches. She crossed the room and looked inside, but nothing had fallen against it and the cleaning

7:15supplies were pushed toward the back. Amy closed it firmly and returned to the living room. Less than a minute later, the cabinet opened again. Michelle tried to joke that the apartment was as frightened by the movie as they were, but the humor fell flat. Amy closed the cabinet once more and wedged a kitchen towel between the handles to hold it shut. The television clicked on behind her. Both sisters turned toward the blue screen as the empty VCR began worrying again. Amy used the remote to shut everything off, then unplugged the television and VCR from the wall. That should have ended at least one part of the problem. As Amy stood, a sharp knock came from the bedroom. Another followed from farther down the hallway and the third came from the wall beside the living room. The sisters moved closer together. They had spent the evening dismissing every disturbance separately, but the sounds no longer seemed random. Something appeared to be moving from the bedroom toward them again.

8:16Michelle asked whether Amy had ever experienced anything unusual in the apartment. Amy hadn't. The photograph had never fallen. The cabinet stayed closed and the television had never turned on by itself. She had lived there for six months without hearing footsteps inside the hallway. They both looked at the copy of the exorcist sitting on the shelf. Michelle wondered whether they should return it to the video store immediately. Amy had no intention of crossing the parking lot at two in the morning, and neither woman truly believed the tape itself was responsible. Amy placed the videotape in its plastic case and put it inside a drawer. The apartment remained quiet for several minutes. Michelle suggested that the VCR had malfunctioned and sent a signal that turned on the television. The cabinet door might have been uneven while the knocking could have come from plumbing inside the shared walls. Watching the movie had made them connect unrelated events. Amy wanted to accept that explanation, but before they could settle down again, the bathroom

9:19faucet came on. After struck the sink with enough force to be heard from the living room, Amy had used the bathroom before going to bed and knew she had turned it off. The sisters approached together, neither willing to enter first. From the hallway, they could see water running steadily from the faucet. Amy reached inside and turned the handle. It stopped without resistance. A smear of water roughly the size of a hand marked the edge of the sink, although there were no clear fingers or other details. Amy wiped it away before either sister could study it closely. They returned to the living room and decided to stay awake until morning. It was already after two and sunrise no longer seemed very far away. They turned on every light in the apartment and sat with their shoes nearby in case they decided to leave. For almost half an hour, nothing happened. Michelle began to feel embarrassed and wondered whether she should drive home after all. The parking lot no longer seemed as frightening as the apartment and remaining there felt like

10:21waiting for another disturbance. Before she could reach for her purse, the bedroom door slammed hard enough to shake the wall. Amy had left the door completely open. Now it was closed. A few seconds later, something struck the other side. The blow was soft but deliberate. Another came lower near the floor, followed by a faint, dragging sound across the wood. Many grabbed her keys and the sisters moved toward the front entrance, prepared to leave without their coats or purses. When Amy tried the dead bolts, it wouldn't turn. The lock had worked normally earlier, but now it seemed jammed. Michelle pulled on the door while Amy twisted the dead bolt with both hands. Behind them, the bedroom door opened, the sisters turned and watched it swing slowly into the hallway. The bedroom beyond it was empty. At the same moment, the front dead bolt released beneath Amy's hand. They could have left then. The hallway outside was brightly lit and Michelle's car was only a short distance from the

11:21building. Instead, both women hesitated. Going outside meant crossing the apartment's doorway and turning their backs on the dark bedroom. Amy closed and locked the front door again. They decided the safest place was the bedroom where they could shut the door and remain together until morning. Amy turned on every light inside and checked the closet once more. Michelle brought her purse and shoes while Amy carried the telephone from the living room. The sisters sat side by side on the bed with the door closed. For several minutes, the only sounds came from neighboring apartments. Someone coughed through the wall and a toilet flushed somewhere above them. Those ordinary noises were reassuring. When the living room floor creaked, a second creek followed at the entrance to the hallway. The sisters watched the bedroom door as slow footsteps began moving toward them. The footsteps continued down the hallway, slow enough that Amy and Michelle could follow everyone. They stopped outside the bedroom.

12:22Neither sister moved. Amy had locked the door after they entered, but the small button in the handle suddenly seemed like very little protection. Michelle held the telephone in her lap with one hand resting on the buttons, prepared to call for help even though she couldn't imagine what she would report. For several seconds, there was no sound from the hallway. Then the door knob moved and turned slightly to the right, stopped and slowly returned to its original position. A moment later it turned again, farther this time. The latch pulled against the frame, but the lock held. Both women saw it happen. Michelle lifted the receiver and listened for a dial tone. The line was working, but she hesitated. If someone had broken into the apartment, they would call the police immediately. Yet the front door had been locked all night and they had already searched every room. The knob stopped moving. Amy quietly asked who was there that immediately wished she hadn't. The question seemed to change the stillness outside the door.

13:26It no longer felt as though the hallway was empty. Something knocked once from the other side. Michelle covered her mouth to keep from crying out. Amy turned off the bedside lamp, leaving only the overhead light. She wasn't sure why the lamp suddenly bothered her, except that the framed photograph had fallen from the dresser beside it earlier. Another knock struck the door, louder than the first. The handle turned again, and the wood pressed against the frame as though someone had leaned against it. Michelle started dialing the police, but before she entered the final number, the pressure stopped. A creek sounded in the hallway, followed by another farther away. Whatever had approached the bedroom seemed to be returning to the living room. The sisters remained on the bed, listening. They heard several faint movements near the front of the apartment, then the kitchen cabinet opened with its familiar squeak. The towel Amy had wedged between the handles should have held it closed. A moment later, something dragged across the living room floor.

14:27Amy pictured the coffee table moving, although the sound could have come from almost anything. She had no intention of opening the bedroom door to find out. Michelle kept the telephone ready, but didn't complete the call. The apartment became quiet again. They sat without speaking for several minutes. The movie had left them frightened, but this was no longer a matter of being startled by pipes or noises from neighboring apartments. They had watched a locked doorknob turn while footsteps stood outside the room. Michelle wondered whether the activity had something to do with the videotape hidden in the living room drawer. Amy didn't know how watching a movie could cause anything, but she couldn't ignore the timing. Nothing unusual had happened in the apartment before that night. Neither wanted to say the word possession after what they had watched. Shortly after three, the telephone rang in Michelle's lap. Both women screamed. Michelle nearly dropped the receiver before answering it. No one spoke on the other end. She could hear a faint rushing sound followed by a click as the call disconnected.

15:32Amy checked the caller identification unit beside the bed. The small screen displayed no number. That happened occasionally without of area calls, but neither sister could imagine who would call at that hour and remain silent. The telephone rang again before Michelle could set it down. This time Amy answered. The line was quiet at first and then she heard what sounded like someone breathing. It was too faint to tell whether the sound came from a person or interference on the line. Amy disconnected the call and removed the cord from the wall. As she did, the overhead light went out. The bedroom fell dark. Michelle found the bedside lamp and switched it on. It worked normally and light still showed beneath the bedroom door from the hallway. The power hadn't failed only the ceiling fixture had gone out. Neither woman attempted to change the bulb at the footsteps returned. They began near the living room and again moved down the hallway. This time they were quicker and heavier. Amy and Michelle backed against the headboard as the sounds approached.

16:35The steps stopped at the bedroom door. The handle turned hard enough for the latch to rattle and something struck the wood with a single heavy blow. Then everything went silent. The silence lasted so long that it became almost as frightening as the activity. The door knob didn't move again and no more footsteps crossed the hallway. Amy and Michelle remained awake, watching the light beneath the door and waiting for the next sound. None came. Gradually the darkness outside the bedroom window began to soften. The first morning traffic moved through the parking lot and someone in the apartment above started to shower. Those ordinary sounds changed the atmosphere inside the room. Whatever had filled the apartment during the night seemed to weaken as daylight returned. At a little after six, Amy unlocked the bedroom door. The hallway was empty. The kitchen cabinets stood open and the towel that had secured its lay on the floor. In the living room, the coffee table had moved several inches away from the couch.

17:35On the television and VCR were still unplugged. The videotape remained inside the drawer. Amy checked the front door and balcony entrance. Both were locked and there was no sign that anyone had entered. The telephone worked normally after she reconnected it and the ceiling light came on when she replaced the bulb. Michelle left after sunrise taking the exorcist videotape with her so Amy wouldn't have to keep it in the apartment. She drove directly to the video store and returned it through the drop box without going inside. Amy continued living in the apartment for another year. The television never turned on by itself again. The cabinet stayed closed and she heard no more footsteps moving through the hallway. Nothing unusual happened at Michelle's home either. For the first few weeks, however, Amy found it difficult to be alone after dark. She slept with the hallway light on and kept the bedroom door open so she could see into the living room. Whenever a neighboring apartment became noisy, she stopped what she was doing and listened

18:35until she could identify where the sound came from. Michelle visited more often during that time, although neither sister suggested another horror movie. When they discussed that night, they tried to separate what could be explained from what couldn't. The photograph might have fallen because of vibrations. The cabinet latch could have been loose and footsteps from another apartment might have sounded as though they were inside Amy's hallway. They could not explain the locked door knob turning in front of them. They also couldn't explain the coffee table moving or why the disturbances appeared to follow them each time they retreated to another room. Over the years, the fear faded enough that they could laugh about how a fun sister's night ended with both of them barricaded inside a bedroom until sunrise. What happened inside the apartment was another matter. Neither woman claimed that watching the exorcist had opened a door or invited something into the home. That explanation still seemed too unbelievable. They also never tested it.

19:37Amy and Michelle watched other frightening movies together, but neither ever agreed to watch the exorcist again. They had already spent one night wondering whether something had followed the movie out of the television and into the room with them. Whatever happened after the credits ended, it stayed only until morning. One night had been enough. Want more real ghost stories? Then press subscribe now so you don't miss any of the multiple new ghost stories we drop for you every day. Only here at Real Ghost Stories Online.