Comedian Matt Rife is now the legal guardian of ‘haunted' Annabelle doll
Rife announced over the weekend that he and YouTuber Elton Castee have purchased the home and museum belonging to famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and are now tasked with taking care of the home's contents, including Annabelle, the spooky attraction's crown jewel.
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The Annabelle Raggedy Ann doll sits in a case in the Warrens Occult Museum in this undated photo. Jessica Moore/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
'We are the legal guardians and caretakers of all 750 haunted artifacts and items in the Warren Museum, including the Annabelle doll. I must go on record and say we do not legally own items, but we are the legal guardians and caretakers of the items for at least the next five years,' Rife, 29, said in an Instagram video on Saturday, clarifying that while he now owns the Warren Occult Museum, he's not the owner of the 750 curios inside.
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Tony Spera, the Warrens' son-in-law and co-director of the late couple's organization, New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), told Today.com that he and his wife still own the collection, including the Annabelle doll, and are only leasing them to Rife and Castee.
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'We have no plans to ever 'sell' the artifacts,' he said in a statement.
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FILE – A doll is seen at the Warner Bros. premiere of 'Annabelle Comes Home' at Regency Village Theatre on June 20, 2019, in Westwood, Calif. Rich Fury/FilmMagic
'If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted,' Rife captioned in a photo of himself and Castee posing with the doll.
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'You also may know The Conjuring films are my favorite scary movies of all time. So I'm incredibly honored to have taken over one of the most prominent properties in paranormal history. Ed and Lorain Warren arguably put demonology and paranormal into the mainstream and are the very heart of some of the most famous haunted stories of all time, The Conjuring House, Amityville Horror, etc…'
Annabelle inspired a series of films in recent years; the opening scene of 2013's The Conjuring features the doll, as well as spin-off flicks Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), the latter which takes place exclusively in the Warrens' residence.
According to Realtor.com, the Warren Occult Museum shut down in 2019 amid a number of zoning issues. Now, Rife says he and Castee have plans to restore the house and welcome visitors.
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'We plan to open the house for overnight stays and museum tours, so you yourself can experience and learn all the haunted history surrounding this amazing place,' he wrote.
The NESPR has long claimed Annabelle is attached to 'an inhuman demonic spirit.' Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans told US Weekly that the doll is known to move on its own, leave messages on paper for its owners and change positions.
Rife's guardianship of the doll comes just weeks after NESPR investigator Dan Rivera died suddenly in his hotel room while showcasing the doll on the national Devils on the Run Tour.
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Paranormal investigator carrying 'possessed' Annabelle doll dies suddenly
According to E! News, a July 16 police report labelled his death as 'natural,' but a final cause of death won't be determined until an autopsy is completed.
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Authorities said that the doll was not present when Rivera passed away.
In his video, Rife acknowledged the potential risks he's taking in living under the same roof as Annabelle.
'This is the most random hobby ever, but it's so f—ing cool, man,' he said. 'I should probably collect stamps or something — might be a little safer.'
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