In June 2012, 18-year-old high school graduate Jesse Arista lives with his father Cesar, sister Evette, and grandmother Irma in Oxnard, California. He enjoys the summer with his best friend, Hector Estrella. In the apartment below lives a mysterious woman named Ana Sanchez, who everyone believes to be a witch. When Ana is found murdered, Jesse and Hector spot classmate Oscar Lopez running from the scene, suggesting he was responsible. The two investigate the apartment where they find black magic items, VHS tapes, and a journal of spells that can “open doorways to unholy places”. The Marked Ones 2014
After Jesse, Hector and their friend Marisol Vargas try out a ritual, paranormal occurrences gradually take place in Jesse’s apartment. One night, the trio communicate with an unknown entity through a game. Jesse finds a mysterious bite mark on his arm and also discovers he has superhuman abilities such as enhanced strength and levitation, which is proven when he knocks out two thugs that assault him. He and Hector, at first, view his abilities as a “gift”. At a party, Jesse takes a girl to Ana’s apartment to have sex and encounters Oscar, who scares Jesse’s girl away, and has black eyes and the same bite mark on his arm. Oscar tells Jesse that it’s only a matter of time before “something inside them” will take over, and they will harm those they love before disappearing. When Jesse and Hector search for him outside, Oscar commits suicide by jumping off a building, landing on a car.
The group discovers a secret trapdoor in Ana’s apartment, where they find a witch altar and photos of Jesse, his pregnant mother, Ana, Oscar, and Lois. A strange woman in black enters but leaves after finding nothing. Jesse is lured to the trapdoor one night after hearing his dog Chavo crying and whining for help, but the door slams shut and Jesse encounters the younger versions of Katie and Kristi, both with black eyes, before being attacked by an unknown force.