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| Photos courtesy the Travel Channel |
First up, he meets with documentarian Francis Freedland. A group of explorers found an abandoned camera inside the catacombs with chilling footage of what could possibly be a man's last moments on earth. In the clips shown, a man is heard breathing heavily as he runs through the tunnels, alone, when suddenly he drops the camera and it keeps filming until it runs out of film. Freedland went into the tunnels with a crew to try and discover what had happened to this unidentified man, but says that nothing was ever found. Bagans asks him if he would be able to take him to the spot where the camera was found, but Freedland says that he will "never, ever" return to the tunnels and warns Zak to be very careful if he enters.
Next, Paris born Thomas B. shares his experience with the investigator, stating that he had been exploring the tunnels with friends, when one of them got lost. Thomas says that he ran and tripped, when he saw a man pointing to the numbers 1777 and the letter G upon the wall. In 1744, there was a massive cave in, which lead Parisian officials to invest in the reconstruction of the tunnels. Charles Guillaumot, responsible for attempting to shore up the unsafe mining tunnels, was known to leave the letter G as a signature in the areas where he worked. To learn more about the dark history of the catacombs, Bagans travels to a library which exclusively houses the history of Paris. He is interested in the story of Philliberet Asbuer in particular. It is said that in 1793, the doorman entered the tunnels to steal a bottle of liquor made by local monks, as they were known for hiding their spirits there. Asbuer's body was later found some 30 meters from the exit of the catacombs.
After being recognized on the street by a police officer and exchanging some stories, the officer manages to secure access to the catacombs for the weary traveler. The officers, with Zak in tow, arrive at one of the few entrances, only to find a flier left there by some cataphiles. The tunnels are off limits to the public, however a faction of the population know the catacombs better than anyone. The cataphiles make it well known that they consider themselves above the law by entering illegally and continually leaving reminders for those that follow after them. The tunnels, being extremely old, have never been 100% structurally sound and there are still cave ins from time to time. During their exploration of the catacombs, the group comes across a trap-like net. When Bagans questions them about it, the police say nothing and continue on their journey. He begins to wonder what they actually know, but refuse to share with him. At this point, the lead officer stops and mutters, "Oh, we are lost. We are lost." After a brief moment of panic, they find their way and come across a red painted room. One of the officer tells Zak that a man with AIDS has designated this area to become his tomb once he dies. It is at this point that he admits investigating while with the police is not an option, as they don't seem open to that kind of thing, and decides that he will have to find another way back in later on.
Once inside, they hear one of their guides arguing with other cataphiles. Apparently, there is a party going on at the tomb of Philliberet Asbuer. So long as they don't film the faces of the other cataphiles, they are allowed to attend the party. Following the orders, they head into the tomb and come across one cataphile that doesn't mind showing his face on camera. He says that he has been coming to the tunnels since 1999 with no issues, but in recent months he had seen blood on the floor. Once they begin to head deeper into the catacombs, Zak places three cameras high up in the direction they're to capture spirits or other people, but mainly sets them up just in case they don't make it out. Their guide asks if they would like to go to an area where no one goes, miles into the catacombs, that is completely littered with human bones. After walking for hours, they come to a sort of intersection and a woman is heard laughing. However, Sandy is the only woman with the group and as you can see on film, she doesn't laugh and no one heard it.
Once they reach the end of the journey, it's discovered that two out of the three cameras have disappeared. While reviewing the footage from the sole remaining camera, no people are seen walking the tunnels, but a glowing white figure seems to briefly appear from nowhere. Zak notes that it looks as if the figure is wearing a cloak, as was normal in 18th century garb, much like Philliberet Asbuer or Charles Guillaumot would have worn.
With a soundtrack provided by Zak Bagans and Praga Khan, the mood of the show is dark and almost surreally spooky. The documentary provided a thought provoking look into quite possibly one of the most mysterious places on earth; why won't the police share information? Are the catacombs off limits to the public for fear of people getting hurt or lost in there, or are they hiding something much more sinister? While we may never find out the answers for certain, viewers can thank the birthday boy for opening their minds to the darkness of the "NetherWorld."