Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026)
Director: Lee Cronin
Writer: Lee Cronin
Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, Verónica Falcón
Release dates: April 9, 2026 (American Legion Post 43), April 17, 2026 (United States)
Plot: In Aswan, Egypt, a man, a woman, their two sons, and their daughter, Layla, arrive home to find their pet bird dead. The parents go to the cellar, which is revealed to be built on a buried black pyramid. Inside, a black basalt sarcophagus contains mummified human remains that begin moving, and the father is killed by a supernatural force.
In Cairo, investigative TV reporter Charlie Cannon lives with his pregnant wife, Larissa, and their children Katie and Sebastián. Katie is friends with Layla. One morning, Katie is visited by the woman from Aswan, known as the Magician. She identifies herself as Layla’s mother and uses candy to lure Katie away before kidnapping her. Charlie gives chase but loses them in a sandstorm. He and Larissa report the kidnapping to the authorities, working with an English-speaking junior detective, Dalia Zaki, while the lead detective suspects the parents.
Eight years later, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Charlie, Larissa, Sebastián, and their third child, Maud, now live in the home of Larissa’s Catholic mother, Carmen. In Aswan, a teenager witnesses a cargo plane carrying the sarcophagus crash. Inside, archaeologists find Katie wrapped in parchment inscribed with an ancient language. Katie, who is in a catatonic state and habitually self-harms, is moved back home with Charlie and Larissa.
The family refuses to seek further medical help despite Katie’s erratic behavior, in which she frequently escapes her room and mutilates herself. After noticing the inscriptions on Katie’s skin, Charlie consults an archaeology professor, who translates the writings. The inscriptions are about Nasmaranian, an ancient demon who destroys families and communities, but is kept at bay through ritual mummification that embeds the scripture into skin. As the scripture is removed, Nasmaranian becomes more powerful.
Charlie realizes that Katie is communicating via Morse code, which she had learned in the Girl Scouts before her abduction. He translates her message and realizes that she is saying Layla’s name. He searches a collection of support letters received after Katie’s kidnapping and finds an unopened letter from Layla, featuring a picture of the candy used to lure Katie. He relays the name to Dalia, who traces the letter to the house in Aswan. Dalia investigates the property and discovers the pyramid. The Magician ambushes her, but Dalia shoots her. Layla arrives home and gives Dalia a VHS tape labelled ‘Katie’. Meanwhile, Katie sheds more of her bindings, takes control of her siblings’ minds, and kills Carmen. At Carmen’s funeral, Katie and Maud terrorize the guests and desecrate their grandmother’s corpse.
Dalia travels to Albuquerque with the tape, which reveals the ritual that transferred the demon into Katie by the Magician. The latter is revealed as a member of an ancient cult that keeps Nasmaranian buried by offering it live hosts. While Charlie and Larissa watch the tape, Katie hypnotizes Sebastián into helping remove more scripture from her body. She attacks her parents and Dalia, beating Charlie and forcing a scorpion into Dalia’s throat. Having memorized the demonic transfer chant from the tape, Dalia transfers Nasmaranian from Katie into Charlie, who willingly sacrifices himself. Bound inside a coffin in the basement, Charlie manages to tap “I love you” in Morse code. Katie, now free of demonic possession, slowly starts to recover and build a proper relationship with her siblings.
Some time later, Larissa calls Dalia about Charlie. Back in Cairo, the Magician, having survived, is incarcerated. Larissa and Dalia arrive at her cell, sedate her, and reveal the possessed Charlie. Dalia starts the chant of the ritual that will free Charlie from possession while sacrificing the Magician.
* * *
Transcript
Note for Students & Writers: This transcript is archived here for educational purposes, critical analysis, and screenwriting study. All rights belong to the original creators.
[New Line Cinema theme detunes]
[“Khamsa Santy” by Sharmoofers plays]
[singing along in Arabic]
[continues singing along in Arabic]
[in Arabic]
[all singing along in Arabic]
[“Khamsa Santy” stops] [voices trail off]
[distant metallic creaking]
[overlapping chatter]
[chatter continues]
[metallic creaking]
Mama!
[chirps weakly]
[rasping]
[bird whines weakly]
[feeble chirp]
[bones crunch]
[door opens]
[chains clattering]
[heavy gears grinding] [grunting]
[grunting]
[creaking, thudding]
[screeches]
[ropes creaking]
[breathing shakily]
[woman breathes shakily]
[lighter clicking rapidly]
[breaths echoing]
[exhaling sharply]
Mm-mm.
[roars] [screams]
[grunts, pained groans]
[gagging, sputtering]
[rhythmic thumping]
[rhythmic thumping continues]
[faint chatter on television]
[tapping continues]
Pepperoni pizza? Oh.
You have got this all wrapped up.
Can we get pizza tonight?
Not tonight, buddy.
You don’t even like pizza.
No, I don’t like cheese.
Pizza’s not pizza without cheese.
She’s got a point.
[reporter] …large scale efforts are being made…
Dad, come on. Another. Yeah, uh…
Okay. Let’s do…
[reporter] …our reporter on the ground outside Cairo is Charlie Cannon.
Critics suggest that three years of almost continuous drought has forced local farmers to find new and increasingly desperate measures to make money.
But government ministers…
Dad?
…are on the defensive…
Just a minute.
…as they roll out new major schemes in water management and irrigation in desert areas.
What is that, Seb? What are you doing?
An impression of you?
Oh, that’s an impression of me? With the hands thing?
Yeah.
Unlike the swath of looting that took place during the Arab Spring of 2011, the Egyptian authorities are unsure what has caused the current uptick in unauthorized digs.
Hey!
With the smuggling…
Katie.
…of ancient arti–
We need to practice this more, or I’ll fail it.
Okay.
Um…
Babe, do I use my hands too much when I’m on TV?
Um…
Isn’t it one of your tics?
My tics?
Like trademarks.
Like, you know, “Good night and good luck.”
Or “This is the way it is.” Those are catchphrases.
I mean, do I do too much of this shit with my hands?
‘Cause that could be potentially very annoying for my viewers.
You know what is really annoying?
That you are doing it in my peripheral vision, so stop it.
Oh, yeah?
It’s annoying… Yeah.
…in your peripheral vision? It’s very annoying.
Yeah? Yeah.
What about this? Is this annoying?
Is this annoying?
Stop it. [chuckles]
What about her? Is she gonna be annoying?
She’s gonna be really annoying, just like her dad.
Hmm. [Katie] Seb, why did you do that? [Sebastian] I’m sorry–
Get off! Get off me! You always mess with my stuff!
Katie, stop! Stop it. That’s enough.
That’s enough. Come on. Up. No, no, no. Stop it.
Come here. What happened?
He threw Veronica off the roof. [gasps]
Not gonna lie. I did do it. [sighs]
[sighs]
[Charlie] Oh, Seb.
[Sebastian] I was testing my new parachute.
But why do you always touch my stuff?
I never touch yours! I just wanted to use it.
[exclaims]
I will do murders to the guilty and the innocent, okay?
[sighs] Gotta go. Come on, kisses.
Mm?
Who do you love most, Mom?
Um… I’ll tell you after my shift.
Okay.
I know it’s not perfect.
What have you done to her?
But when we get back to Albuquerque next week, we’ll bring her straight to the doll hospital for a proper fix-up.
You said we were gonna live in New York next, not Grandma’s again. [sighs]
Wherever we go next, I hope you stay here on your own.
Hey, that’s not cool.
No! You didn’t even yell at him.
Butterfly. Come on.
Don’t call me Butterfly. I hate you both right now.
[footsteps]
[sighs] [door slams]
I won’t test the parachute on the new baby when it comes out of Mom.
Thanks, buddy.
[deep breathing]
[cell phone ringing]
Bob. Hi, how are you?
[Bob, over phone] Charlie Cannon.
What time is it all the way over there in Cairo?
Uh…
Minutes after three in the afternoon.
[Bob sighs] Just after 8 a.m. in New York City.
Let me ask you a question, Charlie.
Do you want that breakfast news gig?
[deep breathing]
[woman] Hello, there.
Layla?
I’m Layla’s mother.
Or mom. You would say “mom”, right?
Where’s Layla today?
[woman] She has a sick tummy.
But she didn’t want you to worry when she didn’t show up to play.
She loves being your friend.
[fence rattles]
Did she tell you anything about me?
Well, she said you’re a magician.
That’s right.
Would you like to see a trick?
Hey. [Larissa, over phone] Hey,
I’m just about to start my rounds.
Yeah, quick one. Um…
How do you feel about our new baby growing up a Yankees fan?
No fucking way. [laughs]
Yes fucking way.
[chuckles] -You got the job?
Yep. They just called.
[Larissa] Oh, my God.
I’m trying to be quiet ’cause I haven’t told the kids.
[Larissa] I knew you’d get it. I knew it.
I told you. I told you!
And you didn’t believe me. Idiot!
Oh, my God. When do they want you to start?
Jesus, there’s so much to organize.
Ta-da! [giggles]
[Larissa] Well, Mama’s not gonna be happy we’re not moving back in with her.
I’m gonna have to…
Babe.
…break it gently to her.
Have you been giving Katie candy?
Like, a lot of candy?
[Larissa] No. What candy?
Ah!
Your favorite.
[giggles]
Ah? Hah. Hm. [giggling]
I should go now before my dad wonders where I am.
Wait.
I have one more treat for you.
I grew it in my own garden.
It tastes sweeter than any candy.
[characters speaking Arabic on television]
Where did Katie get these?
She only shared with me if I promised not to tell you.
Tell me what?
About her friend who gives them to her at the end of the garden.
I hope you can forgive me, Katie.
For what?
My final magic trick.
[whispering incantation]
[Katie gasps, shudders]
[incantation continues] [gasping]
[groans] [incantation continues]
[chokes, gags]
[gasping] [incantation continues]
[exhales]
[wheezing]
Katie?
[gasping]
[coughs, wheezes]
Katie?
Katie?
Katie?
Katie?
[motor humming]
Katie?
Hey, have you seen a little girl?
[speaks Arabic]
[siren wailing]
Hey!
Hey!
[overlapping chatter]
Katie?
[siren wailing] [chatter continues]
Katie? [woman screams]
[grunts] Katie!
[panting]
[grunts]
Katie!
[frantic gasping]
[horns honking]
[magician gasping]
[wind howling]
[muffled] Katie!
[wind howling]
[structures rattling]
[panting]
[wind howling]
[wind screeching]
[distant] Katie!
[deep rumbling]
Katie!
[rumbling intensifies]
[echoing] Katie!
[in Arabic]
[door opens, creaks]
This is her. This is just from a week ago.
[in Arabic]
[in English] Are you on vacation?
No, no. We live here.
We’ve been living here for five months.
He’s a TV news correspondent.
[in Arabic]
[in English] When was the last time you saw Katie?
11 a.m. Um…
And then I went to work, and– and you were at home with the kids.
And that’s it.
Mr. Cannon.
About 3:00 p.m.
[in Arabic]
Wait, I have these.
Somebody, whoever took her, was giving these to her.
[wrappers rustling]
[in Arabic]
[Larissa] What is he saying?
What is he saying?
[Ismail in Arabic]
Hey.
You think I don’t know what you’re talking about?
You think we did this?
You think we did something to our own daughter?
What the fuck is your problem?
Are you gonna fucking help us?
Send someone out there to find her!
Somebody took our child!
[theme plays]
Breaking story at the top of the hour here at ABQ News 82.
Traffic delays on the 25 just south of Albuquerque after a large desert tortoise
was spotted trying to cross the highway.
[exhales]
[girl] Mom?
Hey.
Can I use your computer?
What for?
Printing stuff.
What stuff?
Stuff I want to print.
Okay. Come on, let’s go.
[in Spanish]
[floorboards creaking]
[in English] I hear you, Charlie.
Dad!
Hey.
My last baby tooth is finally loose.
Oh, let me see.
You want me to pull it out with the pliers?
No. You sure?
[clears throat]
[in Spanish]
Amen. Amen.
Sorry, guys.
Traffic was backed up on the 25 because of a tortoise.
What kind of tortoise?
A truck-sized tortoise. [refrigerator closes]
Truck-sized tortoise?
How was your day?
It was good.
I changed 13 catheters in an hour.
Nice work, babe.
Are they the poo or pee ones?
I got a call to say I’ve been nominated as vice chair of my bridge club.
No phone at the dinner table.
I wanna show you something.
What is it?
It’s the information about the school trip to Europe in the spring.
Why are you showing it to me?
It’s only six months away, and I wanted you to know about it.
You think my tooth will come out tonight?
[giggles] [Larissa] You know, you don’t need to go on this.
I know I don’t need to, but I want to.
Well, that’s not possible.
Why not?
Because it’s not.
When’s the last time we went on a family vacation?
Okay, we’ll talk about this another time. Okay?
No, we won’t. We never do.
Don’t talk back to your mom, okay?
You’re just scared something’s going to happen to me, but I’m not Katie, Mom.
[silverware clinks]
Watch it, Seb.
[scoffs]
[footsteps retreating]
[door opens, slams]
Have I ever been on vacation?
[in Spanish]
[silverware clinking]
[wind blowing]
[bicycle clatters]
[brakes squeal]
[distant whooshing]
[deep boom]
[rumbling]
[creatures chittering]
[metallic groaning]
[creaks, thuds]
[crackling]
[gasps]
[exhales sharply]
[wood creaking]
[grunts]
[panting]
[in Arabic]
[exhales]
Hmm.
Uh-uh.
[thuds, chains clanking]
[eerie whispers]
[man gasps]
[camera clicking, whirring]
[man gasps]
[gasps]
[camera whirring]
[guttural roar]
[gasps]
[frantic shrieking]
[“Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band]
♪ Blinded by the light ♪
♪ Revved up like a deuce Another runner in the night ♪
Frog. Definitely a frog.
That kid’s a freaking toad. [snickers]
How about my teacher?
Rat. Eh, rat.
I think she looks kind of froggy.
Nah, we’ve been calling her rat-face behind her back in class.
Nice. Okay, okay, I have a good one.
Taylor Swift. -No bueno, Seb! She’s an angel.
Can’t argue with that, Sebastian.
Isn’t the game called, “Rat or Frog?”
“Rat, Frog, or Angel”
if it’s Tay. Okay.
[sighs]
I think I’m a total frog, man. Yeah.
Right? Yeah.
What about you, sweetheart? [chitters]
Oh, yeah?
[snarls goofily]
[chuckles]
Can I get two slices today?
No. Of course, honey.
No. You never ever finish two. Never.
It’s two slices of pizza, babe. No.
You know? [cell phone ringing]
Hello?
[man over speakers] Hello. Is this Mr. Charlie Cannon?
Sorry, buddy. I’m not buying what you’re selling.
No, no, no.
Mr. Cannon, my name is Bryce Vogel.
I’m Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Cairo.
Uh, just a sec.
Kids, stay in the car. [car dinging]
[Larissa panting]
[Bryce] Hello, Mr. Cannon? Are you there?
Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m here.
Is your wife with you, sir?
Do you have new information?
Yes, I do, ma’am.
Your daughter Katie has been found. She’s alive. [gasps]
What?
[sobs]
[Larissa weeping]
[horns honking, sirens]
[overlapping honking]
It’s very important you fully prepare yourselves for what you are about to see.
Katie has suffered extensive dermal trauma.
Likely from a lack of light, and extreme malnutrition.
She’s locked in a deep catatonic state, which is causing her to make erratic and extreme movements.
Repeating abrupt noises.
Strange physical tics.
We have her under heavy sedation.
It helps.
But her levels of distress continue to manifest.
So, you need to be gentle and calm with her.
No sudden moves. No loud noises.
[Bryce] The Egyptian authorities will keep her discovery out of the press to give you and your family ample time to adjust to your new situation.
Okay to go?
[monitor beeping]
[monitors beeping]
[Katie rasping]
[beeping continues]
[whispers] Hey.
Hey, Butterfly.
It’s Mom and Dad.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, we are here.
We’re here.
[soft wheezing]
The scratches?
Self-inflicted.
When we admitted her, she was clawing at her skin.
[Katie winces]
[heartbeat thumping]
[gasps, sobs]
Her heart sounds so strong. So, so strong.
Her vitals are all perfect.
Even under testing, we haven’t observed her pulse rate rise above 85.
Physically she’s strong.
The comfort of home will be the best medicine to help return her from this locked-in state.
[creaking dryly]
Katie.
[Katie grunts]
[Katie gasps]
[breathing shakily]
[Katie groans]
[wheezing]
Katie. It’s okay. [groans]
[Katie wheezing]
[gasps, wails]
[wail echoes, fades]
[Charlie] What is this?
[Zaki] It’s a basalt sarcophagus.
Between two and three thousand years old.
Katie was being transported inside it when the plane crashed.
What the fuck was our daughter doing in a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus?
If you want to smuggle something or even someone in this country and avoid detection, the best place is inside our history.
Blind eyes are turned to the illegal trade of artifacts.
It’s the perfect human trafficking cover.
I think we should get back upstairs to her.
I remember you.
You were there the day she got kidnapped.
You had a working theory then too, didn’t you?
You thought I did something to her.
That was my senior officer’s opinion.
Charlie, let’s go back upstairs.
And where’s his expert opinion tonight?
Buried in Bab al-Wazir Cemetery.
Are you gonna do a better job of finding who took our daughter than he did?
Yes.
[radio host] Classic rock.
All the time, across New Mexico.
Can I have some now, Güelita?
Not until your sister arrives.
But it’s a lot of cake.
Well, she missed a lot of birthdays.
[Maud] Fine.
[classic rock playing over radio]
Are these prettier than me?
Nothing is prettier than you.
Good answer. You’re gonna stay in my will.
[music continues]
Dad! Dad! [Charlie grunts]
Wow.
Mama.
All right. You ready
to meet your sister? Yeah.
She’s still very weak, okay? Hey.
Mom.
[Charlie] Be gentle. Sure, Dad.
You good? Come on.
Show me my granddaughter. Yeah, okay.
[wheezing]
[Charlie and Larissa straining]
Go ahead. [panting]
Wait.
[both grunting]
[Katie rasps]
[groans softly]
[Katie groans]
[muffled] Hey, come.
Come say a proper hello.
[Katie groans]
There’s nothing to be afraid of, okay?
Hey, Katie.
I’m Maud.
[clearly] Your little sis.
[muffled] So, I’m almost the same age as you now when you…
[clearly] …you know.
[praying softly] And Mom told me that you like Taylor Swift, and well, I love Taylor.
And you probably missed so much of her new music.
[prayer continues]
[voices echoing]
Seb?
I don’t know what to say to her.
Just anything.
[voices, whispers overlapping]
Hey, I get it. It’s a lot, I know.
But it is your big sister.
Okay? And we all need to rally around her, and help her remember we are her family.
She just needs our care and support and time.
Amen.
[snarls, grunts]
[all gasping] [Katie moans]
[wailing]
[guttural moan]
[grunting, moaning continues] You’re okay. You’re okay.
[pained growls]
[grunts]
[wheezes]
[grunts]
[wheezes, grunts]
[pained snarling]
[shrieking]
[wheezes]
[guttural sigh]
[rasping breath]
[distant howl]
[faint snoring]
[“Sick Bro” by Carr playing]
♪ I’m fuckin’ sick bro ♪
♪ Don’t be a dick bro ♪
♪ I might be ♪
♪ Underrated on the internet ♪
♪ This song’s A fuckin’ hit though ♪
Seb.
Seb.
Seb!
What the hell, Maudie?
I’m a little freaked out.
[distant howling]
It’s just coyotes.
No, by Katie.
It’s like Mom said.
She needs care and support, and time.
And… Injections.
[floorboard creaks] [door closes]
Do you remember the day we moved in here to live with Abuelita?
You were only three. And you were so excited.
Do you want to know why you were so excited?
Because you were getting this room from when I was little, too.
Do you remember that? [grunts softly]
[wheezing softly]
[sighs]
[wheezing faintly]
[thud]
Seb?
[muffled footsteps]
[thumping]
[floorboard creaking]
[thumping] [flashlight clicks]
Seb!
There’s weird noises.
I told you, it’s just the coyotes.
No. They’re inside the house.
They can’t get inside the house.
[loud thumping, clattering]
[thudding]
[rapid thudding]
Lari.
Where’s Katie?
[metallic ding]
[heavy thudding]
[creaking, thudding]
[gasps]
[panting]
[exhales sharply]
[thud] [both gasp]
There’s something in the walls.
[gasps, yelps]
[clattering]
[Larissa breathing heavily]
[faint crunching]
[crunching]
[faint snarl]
Katie.
Sweetheart.
[thumping, clattering]
[Katie grunting]
Katie.
[panting] [Katie grunting]
Katie!
[frantic grunting]
Katie!
[Charlie panting]
[Larissa panting]
Do you see her? No.
[light chittering] [gasps]
[crunching]
[groaning softly]
Katie.
[snarls softly]
[muffled thudding, shouts]
[distant thud, clattering]
[Charlie] Stop!
[clang] [gasp]
[distant shout]
[Katie snarls]
[Charlie grunting]
[Katie snarls]
Hold her. Keep her still. [Katie snarls]
[snarling, straining]
[retching]
What the fuck?
[snarling]
[honking]
[snarling]
You said “fuck.”
[sustained honk]
[children screaming]
[engine stops]
Guys, I know it feels weird going back to school right now, but we just have to keep things as normal as we can.
It’s not very normal to not tell anybody
I have a new older sister.
I know. But it’s just for now.
See you later.
[car door opens]
Go ahead, Seb. Don’t be late.
What happened to her, Dad?
The doctor in Egypt said she’s locked in, and it could be weeks, could be months.
No.
What really happened to her?
I don’t know, Seb.
[wheezes]
[hairdryer roars]
You know, she’ll take a lovely color.
Like chili pepper, maybe?
No.
Okay.
They did a nasty pedicure in that hospital.
[drill whirring]
[drill whirring]
[Larissa grunts] [nail pings]
[Larissa grunts]
[Larissa grunts] [toenail snaps]
[Katie moans softly]
You could make a necklace out of those nails. [chuckles]
[sniffs]
When I had the salon, I was always busy, busy, busy, you know.
And one day, a crew came to town to do a movie, with none other than Sophia Loren.
[grunting]
Ah, Sophia. You know, she was the greatest.
People say I look like her.
You know, one night, her stylist got drunk and then he messed up her hair, and guess who they called to fix it?
[grunting]
[squelches]
[both gasping]
Oh, fuck.
[wheezes]
[muffled shouting]
[Carmen] Charlie!
What happened? You okay? Are you all right?
[labored breaths]
Go find her.
Mama. Mama.
[Charlie] Katie?
Katie?
[thumping]
[Katie grunting, snarling]
[rasping] [squelching]
[snarling]
[gasps]
[Katie grunting] [thuds, clattering]
[metallic clinking]
[metallic clinking]
[groaning, creaking]
[squelching] [grunting]
[Katie growls] [scratching]
[snarling]
[squelching]
[teeth chattering]
[Larissa] It’s okay, sweetheart. Mama’s got you.
[teeth continue chattering]
I think we have to consider finding a place for her.
Even just for the short term.
Do you think I can’t handle taking care of my own daughter at home?
That’s not what I said.
What are you saying then?
I’m saying that what she’s done to herself, and the way she’s behaving, is–
Is too much for you to stomach.
But she’s not going anywhere.
She’s been gone long enough. And she’s safe here. With us.
Lari.
Lari, where are you going?
To get some scissors.
Lari.
[Charlie] We can’t ignore this.
[Larissa] Drop it, Charlie.
The doctor said she needs to be with her family.
[Charlie] Don’t you want to know what happened to her?
[Larissa exhales]
I want to know why you cannot take care of your own daughter here and now.
Why you’re fucking stuck in the past all of the time.
I’m not stuck in the past.
You are. I’m trying to find answers.
She’s right there. I’m aware.
You think I’m not relieved that I have my daughter home?
Are you? Of course.
But we can’t fix her if we don’t know what happened to her.
I can fix her.
I can fix her.
No, you can’t. I can do it.
Not if you’re burying your head in the sand.
No. No.
At least I’m not the one trying to bury my own guilt by looking for some sort of fucking news story.
[footsteps retreating]
[door opens]
You know what, Lari?
I know you blame me for what happened to her.
You don’t even have to say it.
It’s written all over you.
Every fucking day.
And yeah, I was the one who was there the day she went missing.
But what about all the days when you were there?
How come you never realized she had a secret friend at the end of the garden?
You’re her mother.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry, Lari. Can we just–
Leave us the fuck alone.
[door slams]
[sniffles]
[breathes heavily]
Katie?
Katie, my love?
Say something.
Katie, say something.
Say something. Please.
Say something. Say something!
[Katie murmurs softly]
[gasps]
[water draining]
[echoing whispers]
[echoing shriek]
[slides clicking]
So… who can tell me what’s so special about all these bodies?
They’re all dead. [students laugh]
I think you must be looking for the med school, which is in the other block, my friend.
[scattered chuckles]
This is Archaeology 101.
And here, being dead is nothing special.
Excuse me, Mr. Bixler, can I have a moment of your time?
It’s “Professor Bixler,” and the tutorial sign-up sheet hangs on the same wall as it always does.
No, no, no. I’m not a student. I’m a producer from ABQ News.
Look, the tax return situation from last year was a simple–
Professor, I’m not interested in your taxes.
I’m here to talk about Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Well, these aren’t hieroglyphics.
This looks like hieratic, the first cursive script of ancient Egypt. Way back.
Three thousand years before Jesus showed up.
Do you know what it says?
Where did you get these?
Can you translate it?
What sort of story are you working on, Mr. Cannon?
A private one.
[coyotes howling]
[clicking, chattering]
[clicking]
[teeth chattering]
I’m so sorry.
[exhales shakily]
[sobbing]
I’m so sorry.
[faint, rhythmic thudding]
[thudding grows louder]
[teeth chattering rhythmically]
[grunting, clicking]
[gasps]
[rasping groan]
[grunting, clicking rhythmically]
[echoing whispers]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone rings] Zaki.
Hey, yeah. It’s, um… It’s Charlie Cannon.
How is she?
She gave me a name.
Okay?
Can you look into it for me?
What’s the name?
It’s, uh… It’s Layla.
Layla who?
I don’t know. Layla’s– Layla’s all I’ve got.
There’s a lot of Laylas in Egypt.
[Charlie] I know.
[distant chatter, dog barking]
Charlie?
How many people have you found?
Fifty-seven.
How many of them were still alive?
Not enough.
I can’t live with not knowing what happened to her.
Did you have any friends or colleagues called Layla when you lived in Cairo?
Uh…
No. None.
[Zaki] Anybody of that name in your life?
Past or present. [sighs]
Not that I can remember, no.
Anybody called Layla approach your family or tried to communicate with you since Katie went missing?
[echoing whispers]
[faint trickling]
[faint whispering]
[toilet flushes]
[faint whispering]
[muffled humming “You Are My Sunshine”]
Mom?
[Katie] ♪ The other night, dear As I lay sleeping ♪
♪ I dreamed I held you In my arms ♪
♪ When I awoke, dear ♪
♪ I was mistaken ♪
♪ So, I bowed my head ♪
Katie? Is that you singing? -♪ And I cried ♪
[Katie] Yes. I can talk now too.
Holy shit! I’ll get Mom.
[thuds] [Katie] No, Maudie.
L-Let’s make it a surprise.
I wanted to practice talking to you first.
You’re my favorite in the family.
But you don’t even know me.
Exactly.
That’s why I want to know all the different things about you.
Like what?
[voice distorts] Like how your little piggies taste.
[gasps]
[Maud whimpering]
[deep snarl] [gasps]
[chanting]
[gasping]
[indistinct whispering]
[frantic chanting] [creaking, rumbling]
[chanting]
[chanting continues]
[electrical crackling, humming]
[children’s laughter echoing]
[woman’s voice] I’m so sad.
I didn’t want it to happen to Katie.
She was my best friend.
Layla.
[man, in Arabic]
[indistinct chatter, telephones ringing]
[panting]
[Bixler] The script set, as I assumed, was indeed hieratic.
Inked on what appear to be some sort of ceremonial bindings.
These seven different pieces are fragments of a much larger, more cohesive narrative, which I couldn’t get my head around at first.
Not until I saw this one word… repeated over and over again.
“Nasmaranian.”
What’s a Nasmaranian?
It’s not an “a”, it’s a “the.”
This recording is from an international lecture on ancient Egyptian demonology from the Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
[tape whirring]
[man on tape] The ancient inscriptions tell of a dark force that people feared before they even had words for such terror.
The Nasmaranian moved as a shadow amongst the living, delighting in turning father against son, and in leaving mothers to bury their children.
It was known as the destroyer of family.
Like a sickness of the soul, it travelled from one person to the next.
A whisper in the ear, a seed of suspicion, creating cruelty where love once lived.
Entire communities unraveled as this beast spread a cancerous rot amongst them.
It was the devil of its time.
But then, by 2,000 BC, its influence faded.
No more writings.
No more stories, save for one rumor that the Nasmaranian had been trapped through an ancient ritual.
Either that, or it just disappeared.
These bindings, wherever you got them, contain words of protection.
Words to ward off this long lost demon.
[wheezing]
[wind chime clinking]
[chair creaking]
[clicking]
[footsteps approaching]
Maud, it’s not craft time yet.
Miss Mills?
Yes, Maud?
You’re not a frog.
That’s correct. I’m not a frog.
You’re a rat-faced cunt.
[scoffs]
[wheezing chuckle]
[wind blowing]
[insects chittering]
[metallic whine]
[chittering]
[engine stops]
[chittering]
[flies buzzing]
[knocking]
[in Arabic]
[metallic groaning]
[flies buzzing]
[metallic whining]
[lock clicks]
[gasps]
[hatch clattering]
[brakes whine]
[parking brake creaks]
[metallic clinking]
[radio beeping]
[indistinct radio chatter]
[in Arabic]
[gun clicks]
[screaming]
[gunshot]
[moaning, sputtering]
[pained gasp]
[breathing rapidly]
[Zaki shouts]
[grunting, panting]
[panting]
[gunshot]
[in Spanish]
[sighs]
[faucet sputtering]
[clattering]
[buzzing]
[clattering stops, distant rumbling]
[Katie wheezing]
[Maud] Rat-faced cunt. Rat-faced cunt.
Rat-faced cunt. Rat-faced cunt. Rat-faced cunt.
Rat-faced cunt. Rat-faced cunt.
[mouthing] Fuck you.
[“The Weight” by The Band plays]
♪ I just need someplace Where I can… ♪
We’re not gonna tell your mom about what happened at school today.
♪ Hey, mister Can you tell me… ♪
She’s got a lot on her mind.
♪ Where a man Might find a bed? ♪
[in Spanish]
[screaming] [growling]
[Katie roars]
[growls] [whimpers]
[distorted] I can make your heart stop.
[pained cry] [grunts]
[Carmen whimpering]
[growls]
Larissa!
Larissa!
[Katie] I’m behind you.
[wheelchair squeaking]
[sniffles, whimpers]
[snarls] [grunts]
♪ I said, “Hey, Carmen ♪
♪ Come on Let’s go downtown” ♪
Coyotes are gone.
[breathing rapidly]
[Carmen speaking Spanish]
[laughing]
[laughter distorts]
[Katie snarls]
[Carmen whimpers]
[gasping]
[snarling softly] [strained breaths]
[muffled whimpering, clattering]
[distorted] Don’t worry, Grandma. It’s fun to be dead.
[shouts]
Oh, shit! Oh, my God!
[distant music playing]
[laughing]
♪ Crazy Chester followed me And he caught me in the fog ♪
♪ He said, “I will fix Your rack if you…” ♪
[coyotes growling]
[gasps]
[Carmen screaming]
[Larissa] Mama!
[growling, screaming continue]
[screaming]
♪ Take a load off, Fanny ♪
♪ Take a load for free ♪
♪ Take a load off, Fanny ♪
♪ And… ♪
[song stops]
[tape whirring]
[inaudible]
[slowed distorted voice]
[sighing]
[inaudible]
[in Arabic]
[clanking, rattling on tape]
[door closes]
[echoing whispers]
[phone line trilling]
Hey, you’re through to Charlie Cannon.
I can’t get to the phone right now.
Please leave a message.
Charlie, it’s Zaki.
I, uh… I have to come see you.
There’s something I need to show you.
[in Spanish]
[indistinct chatter]
[opera music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[opera music continues, muffled]
[flies buzzing]
[sighs]
[Seb, muffled] Dad, Mom’s looking for you.
[clearly] Dad!
She needs you.
[opera music continues, muffled]
Hey.
She’s calm right now.
Seb’s outside the door.
I’ll go back up in a few minutes and check on her.
I don’t want her here anymore.
I know. I know.
It doesn’t feel real.
But we just gotta get through this, okay?
This is what your mom would have wanted.
I’m not talking about my mom.
[knocking on door]
[rhythmic knocking]
[knocking continues]
[Katie] Don’t go, baby brother.
Please let me out so I can join the big, happy party downstairs.
Why are they hiding me away?
I really miss being a part of the family, Seb.
[panting]
[Katie, in headphones] Do you remember the day that
you threw Veronica off the roof
to see if she could fly?
You’re the one that gave me the idea
to see if Granny could fly.
It’s all your fault she’s rotting
in that coffin down there.
[Katie laughing]
Stop! Stop!
[wood creaking]
[grunting, snarling]
[snarls softly]
[whispering indistinctly]
[snarls softly]
[Larissa sighs]
Sweetheart?
What’s wrong?
[echoing whispers]
[Larissa] Maud?
[gasps]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[Maud snarls] [man grunts]
[screaming]
Maud!
[screaming] [Maud snarling]
Hold her! [all grunting, straining]
[thuds]
[snarling and growling]
[gasps]
[snarling]
[squelching]
[Larissa screams, grunts]
[panting]
[Larissa pants, whimpers]
[slurping]
[Katie snarling softly]
[floorboards creaking]
[metallic squealing]
[snarls softly]
[thuds]
[thuds]
[thuds]
[thuds]
[continues snarling]
[thuds]
[thuds]
[snarls] [thuds]
[thuds]
[giggles softly]
Where are we going?
We’re going somewhere safe.
Is Katie coming?
No. Not right now.
Why are you so bad at this?
Because we are in a rush, Maud. Okay?
No. At being my mom. [gasps]
[door buzzer]
[door buzzer]
[snarls softly]
I wish I didn’t have to show you what’s on this tape.
But it’s very important you see what happened to Katie.
[static hissing]
This is the woman who kidnapped your daughter.
[speaking Arabic]
“The dark signs have begun to show once more.
Warning us that the time has come to recommit to the containment of our ancient family secret.
This will be the…
…82nd mummification ritual.
And as the first-born child, I am honored to carry this great responsibility of ensuring that our family will remain protected from the evil reach of the Nasmaranian.
I commit this testament so that in decades to come, your children will know what they must do when it is their time to transfer this demon… from a spent vessel… to a freshly prepared host.”
[speaking Arabic]
[Zaki] “An innocent child is best.
The body lasts longest.
But any live human will do.”
[static hisses]
[speaking Arabic]
“Let us begin.”
[exhales sharply] [sobs]
Please. I wanna go home.
[the magician shushing]
[Katie whimpering]
This will all be over soon, Katie.
I promise.
I want my mommy and my daddy.
[Larissa whimpers]
[wheezing heavily]
[Katie whimpering]
No! No!
No, please!
[Larissa sobbing]
Hey. I don’t– I don’t wanna know.
I don’t wanna know.
We have to know. We have to know.
Please! No! Let me go! Stop!
[Katie screaming]
No! Stop!
[distorted] Baby brother?
Yes?
Wanna come help me get undressed?
[exhales]
Yes.
[Katie] Please let me go!
No!
[the magician chanting incantation]
[chanting continues]
[thudding]
[lock clattering]
[chanting continues]
No!
[Katie screams]
[chanting continues]
[Katie] No!
Let me go!
[Katie snarls]
[squelching]
[rasps]
[grunting, snarls]
[chanting continues]
[chanting intensifies]
[chanting continues] [Katie screaming]
[chanting, screaming continue]
[gasping, crying]
[Katie snorting, snarling]
[wheezing, growling]
[sobs]
[both snarling]
[echoing thud]
[TV static hisses]
That thing they put inside her was meant to stay buried and bound.
Charlie.
[snarling breaths]
[snarling, growls]
[muffled shrieking]
Katie. Katie, Mommy’s coming. Mommy’s coming.
[Larissa panting]
Wait. Wait, Katie. Wait, baby.
Charlie!
[loud thud]
[floorboards creaking]
[Larissa panting]
Katie.
[distant clattering, grunting]
[Larissa grunting]
[thudding, grunting]
Katie!
[wind roaring]
[snarling]
[TV static drones, stops]
[snarling]
[distorted] Hey, Charlie.
Do you wanna feast on me?
Come on.
Taste it. [cackles]
[wind roaring]
[both grunting, yelling]
Katie!
Charlie!
[gasps]
Katie!
[yelps]
[wind roaring] [rasping heavily]
[Katie roars]
[Katie growls]
[Charlie grunts]
[Katie growls] [Zaki grunts]
[screaming]
[snarls, grunts]
[Katie roaring, cackling]
[Katie roaring]
[both grunt]
[groans]
[yells]
[panting]
[moaning softly]
[soft snarling]
[Zaki groans]
[Katie sobbing]
[Katie laughing menacingly]
I’m not very comfortable inside your daughter.
[Katie giggling]
[distorted laughter]
[growling]
You used to play chase with me.
[distorted] Now you just wriggle away from me like you’re a worm.
[rasping, snarls]
You’re never getting her back!
I’m her daddy now.
[snarling, crunching]
[gasping]
[chittering]
[coughs]
[groaning]
[panting]
[coughing, wheezing]
[Carmen cackling]
[wheezes]
[laughing, cackling]
[screams]
[panting]
[retching, gasping]
[exhales]
[gagging, retching]
[retches] [chittering]
[gagging, coughing]
[Larissa grunts]
[Larissa panting]
[deep snarling]
[continues snarling]
Zaki! The words! Remember the words!
[both grunt]
[panting]
[growls]
[Katie growling, screaming]
[grunts]
[growling]
[roars]
[growling] [grunting]
[chanting weakly]
[growling, grunting continue]
[gasps, wheezes]
[strained chanting]
[screaming, growling]
[continues chanting]
[strained chanting]
[chanting intensifies]
[pained snarling]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[forceful chanting]
[chanting continues, muffled]
I’m sorry.
[chanting continues, clearly]
Mom?
[gasps]
Katie?
Dad?
[knocking rhythmically]
Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go back upstairs.
[faint tapping]
[tapping continues]
What is he saying?
He says he loves us.
[knocking rhythmically]
We love you, Dad.
No, let her go. It’s her turn.
[telephone rings]
Hello?
[Larissa] It’s me.
It’s late for you.
[Larissa] I don’t really sleep.
Me neither.
[Larissa] I need to talk to you about Charlie.
[weakly] I’m listening.
[“Khamsa Santy” by Sharmoofers plays over speaker]
[“Khamsa Santy” continues]
[“Khamsa Santy” continues]
[door opens, closes]
[in Arabic]
[“Khamsa Santy” continues]
[the magician gasps]
[groaning]
You know my face.
[gasps, grunts]
You remember my Katie, don’t you?
[gasping]
She wants to know if you’d like to see a trick.
[distant metallic screeching]
[metallic squeaking]
[in Arabic]
[echoing whispers]
[growls softly]
[Zaki chanting incantation]
[chanting continues]
[chanting intensifies]
