Latest news with #OccultMuseum
Mint
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
What is the Annabelle doll and why does it terrify people? The story behind the ‘haunted' icon of horror
This week, the internet went into meltdown after rumours began circulating that the infamous 'Annabelle' doll — said to be haunted — had vanished. The panic kicked off after people linked the doll's supposed disappearance to a fire at the historic Nottoway Resort in Louisiana. The doll was believed to have been part of a travelling paranormal exhibit at the time. Social media was quickly flooded with memes, conspiracy theories, and horror-filled speculation. But it didn't take long for those rumours to be shut down. Officials connected to the now-closed Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut — where the real Annabelle doll has been kept since the 1970s — confirmed that the doll is safe and hasn't gone anywhere. Annabelle isn't your average childhood toy. The original is a Raggedy Ann doll that was given to a student nurse in 1970. According to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the doll started acting strangely, which led them to believe it was possessed. A psychic told the owners it was the spirit of a girl named Annabelle — but the Warrens later said it was something far more sinister. Eventually, the Warrens took the doll and locked it in a glass case inside their Occult Museum. It stayed there until the museum was shut down due to zoning issues. Annabelle became world-famous after being featured in The Conjuring film universe. In the movies, she's shown as a creepy porcelain doll, much scarier-looking than the real thing — a change made by filmmakers to increase the fear factor. Still, the real Raggedy Ann version has kept its creepy reputation, especially among fans of the paranormal. Whether people believe the story or not, the doll has become a mix of folklore, horror movie icon, and internet obsession. The scare this week seems to have started when news of the resort fire hit social media at the same time the Annabelle doll was said to be on tour. It didn't take long for people to connect the dots — or jump to conclusions. Theories about the doll escaping or causing chaos took over TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), with reactions ranging from jokes to actual prayers and even mock exorcisms. Despite all the drama, the doll is right where it's supposed to be. Dan Rivera from the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) posted a video from inside the Warren Occult Museum, showing Annabelle safe inside her glass case. 'Some wild and crazy internet rumours this morning claiming that we lost Annabelle,' one user wrote alongside the video. 'She/it is NOT lost — and here's Dan Rivera from NESPR proving she's still at home in Connecticut… for now. And no, she's not in Chicago.' Even though the story was debunked, it's clear that the legend of Annabelle is still very much alive — and it doesn't look like that fear is going anywhere anytime soon.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Cursed connections: Annabelle doll fuels fear in New Orleans following prison escape and fire
The original Annabelle doll in the Occult Museum. Image: X/@sweetcoloosh The haunted Annabelle doll has made a chilling return, and this time, she's drawing fear in New Orleans. The infamous doll, which inspired the "Conjuring" horror franchise and 'Annabelle,' appeared as part of the travelling 'Devil's On The Run Tour', a dark tourism exhibition that features cursed and paranormal objects. But since her arrival, residents and social media users have raised concerns about a series of disturbing events. In the 1970s, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated a Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle, which they believed to be possessed. According to the Warrens, the doll exhibited unusual activity, including moving independently, leaving written notes, and physically harming individuals. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Warrens placed her in a locked glass case in their Occult Museum in Connecticut, where she remained sealed with prayers and warnings. Despite her reputation, she continues to be displayed rather than destroyed, which remains a mystery. Now, her latest public appearance in New Orleans has raised new questions. TikTok user @keepingupwithmoniii posted a widely shared video suggesting the doll's presence is connected to unsettling events that took place recently. In the same week Annabelle was displayed, ten convicted murderers escaped from a nearby prison. Before fleeing, they reportedly left behind a handwritten note saying 'Too Easy'. Days later, a Louisiana plantation house, one that had stood since the 1950s, was destroyed in a fire under unclear circumstances. "Out of anybody that could have escaped anywhere in the world, ten murderers escaped from prison in the same place that they brought this doll," she said. "In that same week, if not a few days later, a house that has been standing for over a thousand years burns to the ground," she added. Three days ago they moved Annabelle, one of the most haunted dolls from Monroe, Connecticut to New Orleans, Louisiana and now the largest sugarcane plantation in Louisiana burned down AND 11 inmates in a New Orleans Prison escape. Didn't the Warren's say she should never be moved — 𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐚 🕸️ O⅃O (𝟐𝟐-𝟐) (@Tosen_Kaname_) May 19, 2025 Suspicious much? Some may not believe in the dark world or the unseen, but the proof is in the pudding, the poisoned pudding. Dolls have long been believed to carry spirits or entities, particularly when used as vessels in rituals or manipulated through intense emotional or spiritual energy. Annabelle's original owners believed she moved on her own and left notes. The paranormal investigators confirmed she was possessed, not by a child's ghost as once thought, but by a demonic entity. Lorraine herself reportedly refused to look directly at the doll because of the evil she believed it carried. The 'Devil's On The Run Tour' was intended to give thrill-seekers a glimpse into the paranormal world, but locals are increasingly concerned that Annabelle's presence may be more than symbolic.
