[theme song plays]
♪ Demons come from every side ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Out of the shadows of my life ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Surrender will win the fight ♪
♪ This girl's walked on fire and ice ♪
♪ But I come out ♪
♪ On the other side of paradise ♪
♪ Paradise ♪
[Fi] If you've ever been to Chicago
you've probably heard of the Great Chicago Fire
but I'll bet you haven't heard of the Eastland disaster.
The year was 1915. The Eastland was this big cruise ship
that was all set to take its passengers out on Lake Michigan.
But before the Eastland could even leave the dock
it capsized in the murky water of the Chicago River.
Eight-hundred and forty-four people lost their lives.
Men, women, children, whole families.
They had to put the casualties in nearby buildings
until they could be identified, but some of them never were.
[keyboard clicking]
[electric guitar playing rock music]
Turn it down, you guys.
[music continues]
Jack, knock it off!
Hey, check it out.
Cyber girl's looking for little green Martians again.
Laugh, metal head.
But someone who contacted my website got an actual UFO siting on home video.
Hmm.
[computer beeps]
[sighs]
Take me to your leader.
-[Jack laughs] -Jack, you jerk.
I told you she'd be mad, man.
I told him you'd be mad.
Clu, you helped him?
[alien voice] You will be absorbed. Resistance is futile.
[engine roars]
That was good for the hard drive.
[Jack] I think you look good with antennas.
[Fi] Touch my computer again you're history.
Uh, guys, why are you still up?
Houston, we have a problem. Little sister has malfunctioned,
-and is now orbiting fantasy land. -Whoa, time out.
Jack, leave your sister's computer alone.
Fi, you may not kill your brother.
Clu, if you see your folks up front,
ask them what time the bands getting into Chicago.
Where's the band playing, Mrs. P.?
Oh, this great old club down by the river.
Now come on, you guys. By the time we hit 55 miles an hour, it's lights out.
OK, that's the place. What do you think?
[Ned] Well, it ain't Dodger Stadium.
[chuckles] Ned, you've said that about every club I've played since 1979.
'Cause none of them was Dodger Stadium.
Man, I tell ya, I would love to manage a show in a big place like that.
See, Molly, you've just got to sell more records.
Well, thank you, Irene, I'll put that on my to-do list.
Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.
Whoa, whoa, where are you guys going?
And, Clu, what are you doing wearing my sunglasses?
They look better on me. Ask Dad.
-It's the shape of his face? -Traitor.
-Come on, Clu, our mini fridge awaits. -Not so fast, Jack.
-Bug duty calls. -No way. I'm on garbage detail.
-I had bug duty in Minneapolis. -It rained in Minneapolis.
-There were no bugs. -Not my fault.
[groans] Well, isn't this attractive?
-Good luck. -Freak.
I'm sorry, Fi. I mean, I'd totally help you,
but, I mean, this is just way too much carnage.
Whoa!
You can do this later. Come on, let's check out our room.
Nah, you can have the room. I'm going to stay on the bus.
I am so not letting you do that. See you upstairs.
[shudders] Yeah, great.
♪ I said no ♪
[Ned] And while we're in the Windy City
I want each of you to write an eight-to-ten-page paper
-on local history. -Eight to ten?
Now, who would get to page eight and keep on writing?
History's so pointless. I mean, it already happened.
-What am I supposed to do about it? -Humor me.
You want to talk about history? Take this building.
Built after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
This entire neighborhood was--
-Dad, do you feel OK? -Yeah.
Nah. I mean, you look tired. Doesn't he look tired, guys?
Well, he works so hard: making lesson plans, grading our papers...
Plus, the pressures of being head roadie.
I mean, Dad, you're not Superman, you can't do it all.
Take a week off. Take some "you" time.
Take a bubble bath for crying out loud.
I could, you know. I mean, what's one week?
I could go to the aquarium, catch a Bulls game.
You know how I love the theater.
-Oh, you know what would be really great? -What?
I could cap it all off by grading your history papers.
Have a nice day, kids.
Don't worry, Mr. Bell.
Look, I promise you we'll be researching local history.
In fact, I believe our first stop is a local historical mall.
Hey, Jack, Jack. Hold up a minute, OK?
Yeah.
Let me ask you something.
How do you think we're doing?
I mean, we've been on the road for almost a year--
The band's playing great and the reviews are terrific.
Well, except for the guy who called your comeback tour "Geezerpalooza."
Yeah. What I mean is how do you think our family is doing?
Are you kidding? I love it.
But what about your sister? She's at a funny age, you know.
It's like, kind of half stuffed animals, half makeup.
I worry about her. All this traveling.
Mom, Fi would be a geek queen whether we traveled or not.
And don't even think about going back to writing advertising jingles.
Seeing you in a business suit was totally depressing.
[both laughing]
Oh, I just want you guys to have a normal life.
You were so little when your dad died and I've tried--
It's fine, OK?
Fi and I are good.
Just... you got to stop worrying about everything.
Hey, you, want to help a little old lady with sound check?
-Sure. -OK.
I think my guitar runs through channel 12.
Let's give it a try.
[unamplified guitar chord]
-It's not working. -Well, is there power to the board?
-[electricity flickers] -[eerie wail]
What's that?
It's a kid... crying.
Where's it coming from?
Cell phone, two-way radio.
We get interference like that all the time.
[wailing continues]
Even when nothing's plugged in?
OK, that's creepy.
-Fi, be careful with that. -I didn't do anything.
Found one of our ghosts, huh?
Yeah, we got weird noises.
We got candles blowing out, flickering lights, you name it.
Personally, I think it's just a drafty old building
with bad wiring and bad plumbing, but hey,
being haunted is good for business, so, what the heck...
Has anyone ever reported hearing a child's voice?
What about seeing apparitions?
Have you ever had the building scanned for anomalies and electromagnetic fields?
You got to be 21 to be in here.
This is my daughter, Fiona.
Fi, say hi to Mr. Belavoe. This is his club.
Hi. I'd like to speak with your employees.
And I need access to the rest of your building.
You know anything about previous owners?
Why don't we talk in your office.
[groans]
[Fi] Uh, Ned said this whole part of town was destroyed in the fire.
OK.
Chicago... Fire... haunting story?
Let's hear it.
[computer beeps]
OK, somebody give me an answer.
[knocking at door]
[Fi] Hello?
Is anybody here?
Good.
Hello?
Is anyone here?
Hello?
[echoing voice] Fiona.
Who's that?
[echoing voice] Fiona.
I'm here. Keep talking. I'm here.
[Jack] Fiona, you'd better show yourself or Mom is going to kill you.
Mom says come to dinner and no computer time for a week.
[screams]
[water dripping]
Wait!
Please! Wait!
Whoa! That is so weird.
[Fi] Mom, I have to talk to you.
-What's wrong? -OK, promise you won't laugh
because this really freaked me out.
And I did see it. It's not my imagination.
I promise. Wait, what's all over your shoes?
I just dropped my soda. Just listen.
I saw who was crying. A ghost.
-What? -He's a boy. I mean, he was a boy.
It was like I had to follow him.
Like he wanted something from me.
-[sighs] -[Jack] Check it out.
Little Miss Ghostbuster's afraid of her own shadow.
Shut up! It wasn't a shadow.
[Molly] You guys, don't start again.
He was wearing old-fashioned clothes. And the weird part was they were all wet.
The club was built on a spot of the place that burned down in the Chicago Fire.
But if the boy died in the fire why is he wet?
Maybe he didn't die in a fire.
Maybe he drowned after you dumped 36 ounces of soda on him.
-Jack, don't. -Hey, I know where the ghost came from.
You know how the Chicago Fire started
when that lady's cow kicked over a lantern?
Fi has obviously found the ghost of Mrs. O'Leary's cow.
Moo!
I don't care if you believe me! I don't care if any of you believe me!
[door shuts]
[knocking at door]
Hey.
I'm going to go across to the club.
We go on in an hour.
Working on your website, huh?
You know...
I didn't laugh before...
And I won't now, either.
I posted a question about the Chicago Fire hauntings.
I got a few replies but nothing like what I saw.
Maybe Jack was right. Maybe it was a tragic soda drowning.
Don't let him get to you, OK?
Mom, do you believe me?
I believe that it's important to you.
-So, that's a "no" then. -I didn't say that.
But you don't believe me.
I'm not as sure about things as you are, Fi.
But sometimes... especially when I'm playing...
it's like your dad's right there with me on his 12-string, you know?
It's just a feeling.
Maybe it's not the same as believing in ghosts... but it's something.
Back in the room by 10:00, OK, kid?
[door shuts]
Drowning.
[computer beeping]
It's the same building.
It's him.
[gasps]
[no audio]
[gasps]
[gasping]
What are you doing?
I'm having a burrito.
-We don't have a microwave. -I like 'em frozen.
It's like a burrito-sicle.
[door opens]
You're a total jerk, but for once you knew what you were talking about.
He didn't die in the Chicago Fire.
There was this boat, the Eastland,
it capsized right here in the river in 1915.
That's why the boy's clothes are wet. You were right.
-He drowned. -Fi, you are so lame.
He was in my computer. I saw him.
-The same boy? -Yeah, come on. He's in that club.
I'm not following you around so we can look for your imaginary boyfriend.
I'll get flashlights.
Thanks, Clu. Later, chicken boy. [clucks]
[Fi] You know, after the shipwreck they stored dead bodies in this place.
[Jack] Thanks for sharing.
[Fi] We'll split when we get upstairs.
I hope we see a ghost. That would be so cool.
I don't know. He basically hates my guts.
-Maybe he thinks you're cute. -I don't think so.
No, I'm telling you, it's a guy thing.
OK, back in fifth grade I liked this girl, Jennifer Morgan.
I threw snowballs at her and she called me a total dweeb.
It was very romantic.
Just come if I call, OK?
All right.
[gasps]
Sorry, man.
[ghostly groan]
Jack, knock it off!
Jack? You guys? Oh, man!
Ah! Let go of me! Jack!
Fi!
[gasping]
[clicking]
[both] What happened?
-Are you OK? -He was here!
He pulled me... Oh, my gosh! Look at the magnetometer.
-It's going nuts! -What does that mean?
Disturbances in magnetic fields often accompany hauntings.
The speakers have big magnets in them, and there's a rock band downstairs.
-That could cause those readings. -Something pulled me over this wall.
And something passed through it. I could see a room on the other side.
He wants me to go in there.
Well, come on. Maybe we can get in from underneath.
[sighs] This is stupid.
There's nothing up here but broken glass and rusty pipes and...
-[squeaking] -[gasps]
-What was that? -Rats, I bet.
The city's full of them, but don't worry.
They're more afraid of us than we are of them.
-Probably. -Check, please.
We're not leaving until we find out why this 85-year-old kid is picking on me.
There is no kid.
And even if there were, what makes you so special
that he'd want to talk to you?
Well, did you ever think that
maybe she's the first one who's willing to listen?
You're both brain-dead. There's no Casper in your computer.
There's just a story about a boat that sank
and a bunch of people who drowned.
The end.
He's still here and I know it.
I hate this!
I hate that you keep doing this.
People die and that's it.
When you die, you're history.
You never come back. You're gone forever.
I'll never believe that.
It doesn't matter what you believe. It doesn't change anything.
[gasps]
Jack, watch out!
[yells]
[Jack] Guys, are you OK?
I can't move it.
-Fi, help me out. -He's here.
Fi, help me!
He wants something. What do you want?
What do you want me to find?!
Whoa!
[Jack] What's going on up there?
[Clu whimpering]
What do you want me to find?! Please! What do you want from me?
-[Jack] Hey, what's going on?! -We're capsizing like the boat!
Jack!
Help me!
[yelling]
[no audio]
[coughing] Oh, man!
Come on, man.
[grunts]
You guys OK? What happened?
Now I know why they walled this place off.
Fi, what'd you find?
A name.
[board creaks]
-Rat! -Ghosts!
Floorboards!
[all yelling]
Uh, Hi, Mom.
Have a good show, OK?
[woman laughs]
[Fi] And when I compared the name in the jacket
against the list of the people who drowned
I found this couple and he was their son.
But no one knew.
The river probably pulled his jacket off,
and there must have been no other relatives to identify him.
[Irene] So, then, what about the boy's grave?
The historical society will have it moved here,
so he can be with his mom and dad.
[Ned] Cool story, Fiona. I can't wait to read your paper.
Which is more than I can say
for you guys' joint effort on Chicago pizza.
Come on, Dad. We did a ton of research.
Dad!
Hey.
So, Mom was asking me the other day how I thought you were doing.
-She was? -Don't worry.
I didn't say much, but if she asks me again...
I'd tell her you were doing OK.
I mean, for someone who's looney tunes.
And you would know.
I think about him, too, you know?
[Molly] We'll be there in a minute, honey.
-Hey, kid, you about ready to go? -Yeah.
So, do you think I still made it all up?
Fi, I can't explain what you saw,
but I never doubted that you saw it.
And whatever happened... you did a really nice thing here.
Thanks.
Listen, about my laptop...
Please, don't ruin the moment.