19-05-2025
Where is Annabelle now? Real haunted doll visits this Texas city, sparks online debate
Well, folks, it seems our neighbors to the south in San Antonio have decided to spice things up a bit – and by "spice," we mean potentially unleash a malevolent supernatural entity.
Yes, you read that right. The infamous Annabelle doll, the very same one that inspired nightmares and a lucrative horror franchise, has officially set up shop in the Alamo City.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump down I-35, this three-foot-tall harbinger of heebie-jeebies arrived at the supposedly haunted Black Swan Inn on Friday morning. Apparently, San Antonio's Fourth Annual Psychic & Spirit Fest felt it needed a little extra oomph, a touch of genuine, documented creepiness to liven things up.
For those unfamiliar with this particular plaything, Annabelle is no ordinary Raggedy Ann. Back in the 1970s, she allegedly terrorized a Connecticut nurse and her roommates with self-locomotion and even a reported attack. Enter paranormal power couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, who declared the doll a conduit for a spirit and locked her away in their Occult Museum with a stern "positively do not open" sign – a warning that, much like that jar of pickles in your fridge, was too tempting to resist.
Now, the doll is on a "Devil's on the Run Tour," orchestrated by paranormal investigator Ryan Daniel Buell. His TikTok updates on Annabelle's journey have sent the internet into a predictable spiral of fear and outrage.
Many online echo the Warrens' explicit instructions: DO. NOT. MOVE. ANNABELLE. Comments range from simple, panicked repetitions of this warning to accusations of grave desecration (figuratively speaking, of course, unless the Warrens had a very specific burial request for their haunted artifacts).
Buell, however, assures the worried masses that the Warrens themselves used to tour with the doll (a claim disputed by some online sleuths). He told MySA there is a "huge interest in the paranormal" in San Antonio, deeming it the "perfect spot" to showcase Annabelle and, you know, maybe accidentally unleash some ancient evil.
Buell, ever the reassuring tour guide of the damned, promised on TikTok that a retired Catholic priest and the power of God would keep Annabelle contained. One hopes the good Father brought extra holy water.
So, Austin, while we pride ourselves on our unique brand of weirdness, perhaps we can all agree that San Antonio can have this particular brand of spooky all to themselves.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas, you're haunted! The real Annabelle doll arrives in San Antonio
