The Haunting of Bill Vaile

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How far would you go when someone threatens everyone you love? Who can you trust? From Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, Animals stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Young. When a Los Angeles mayoral candidate's son is kidnapped, he and his wife are pulled into a web of deception, forced to make choices that could tear their world apart. Watch Animals in select theaters and on Netflix, October 9th, Rated R. Tap the banner to learn more.

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For as long as human beings have told stories of the supernatural, there have been accounts of malevolent entities that appear to take pleasure in tormenting the living. Forces said to manipulate and intimidate their victims, gradually wearing them down until their lives become consumed by fear. Most such tales belong to folklore, their origins lost to the passage of time. But occasionally, similar claims emerge in the modern world. In this episode, we explore a fairly recent account of this alleged phenomenon, in which an unsuspecting man claimed he was deliberately chosen to become the host of a demonic entity. Join us as we recount the haunting of Bill Vaile.

Before his story had brought him a degree of notoriety, Bill Vaile had lived a relatively ordinary and unassuming life. Having completed his education, he embarked upon a successful career as a robotics engineer, eventually securing a position with NASA, where he would remain for the next 15 years. By all appearances, Bill had established the kind of stable and rewarding existence that might have continued indefinitely. But in 2002, following the painful breakdown of his marriage, he decided that a significant change was needed. Walking away from both his career and the life he had built around it, he returned to his hometown of Arlington, Texas, hoping to make a fresh start. One benefit of returning home was the opportunity to reconnect with his family, including his brother Bob. Sympathetic to Bill's circumstances, Bob offered him a position with the water purification business he had spent years building from the ground up. With his savings steadily dwindling, and no other obvious means of supporting himself, Bill was hardly in a position to refuse. And so, after 15 years spent working in the highly specialized fields of avionics and robotics, the former NASA engineer suddenly found himself demonstrating water filtration systems to prospective customers. The work itself was relatively straightforward. Whenever somebody contacted the company expressing an interest in one of its systems, Bill or one of his colleagues would arrange to visit their home. There, they would assess whether the property was suitable for the equipment, explain the potential environmental and health benefits of filtered water, and if the customer wished to proceed, draw up a contract for the installation. It was certainly a significant departure from Bill's previous career, but he threw himself into the new role. Conscious that he had been employed by his own brother, he was particularly keen to prove himself to his colleagues and dispel any suggestion that he might be receiving preferential treatment. It was partly for this reason that when a prospective customer requested an appointment on a Saturday evening, Bill volunteered to take it, allowing the other salesmen to enjoy their weekend. Yet once he received the full details, he began to feel somewhat less enthusiastic about his decision. The customer was a woman living at a fairly remote property, and she had been unusually specific about the timing of his visit. Bill was required to arrive at precisely 5 o'clock that evening. He was not to appear even slightly earlier or later. If he failed to keep that exact time she warned, she would immediately terminate her dealings with the company.

Bill found the demand excessive and was irritated by what he regarded as the woman's selfish attitude. Nevertheless, having already agreed to take the appointment, he decided to remain professional. He made his way across town that Saturday afternoon, carefully timing the journey so that he reached the isolated property at exactly 5 o'clock. At the time, Bill could have had no reason to suspect there was any significance to the woman's insistence on such extraordinary punctuality. According to his later account, however, arriving at precisely the time she had requested would prove to be one of the worst decisions he ever made.

Upon arriving at the address he had been given, Bill found himself confronted by a large secluded property set back some distance from the road. The entrance gates at the end of its long driveway had been left wide open, seemingly in anticipation of his arrival. After following the drive up towards the house, he parked outside, gathered his promotional materials, and approached the front entrance. Here, he encountered another curiosity. Just like the gates, the front door had apparently been left deliberately unsecured.