Annabelle
Dolls, everyone knows how they stare at you with their cold plastic eyes, it seems as if they are trying to get to know your thoughts and steal your soul. You might get the impression that they are watching you and every step you take, just like a real person. What if this object literally had a mind of its own, could walk and actually tried to interact with you? It sounds quite impossible, even stupid, just to imagine that something like this could happen in real life. It sounds like a movie scene.
This is why today I am going to talk about the Raggedy Ann doll, Annabelle, which now rests in a glass box at “The Warrens´ Occult Museum” in Monroe, Connecticut. Some might know it from a few films it starred in, for example: “The Conjuring”. It obviously looks totally different in reality from the way it does in the film, with the doll being far creepier there. The "real deal" is made out of soft fabric and actually looks quite friendly, it would be a perfect gift for the kids.
About the history: In 1970, a student nurse named Donna, was given the Raggedy Ann doll as a gift. The doll started behaving strangely, for example it began moving around the house or writing notes. After contacting a medium, the student and her roommate believed that it was possessed by a dead girl named “Annabelle Higgins”. They decided to just live with it, they felt bad for the spirit's story, especially after finding out that that she had died at the age of 7. Some time passed and Annabelle attacked Lou, a friend, in his sleep. It seemed as if the doll did not like him very much. Therefore he warned the girls of Annabelle's evil behaviour, but Donna did not believe him. Sadly, Ann injured him again and shortly after Donna contacted a priest, who in the end had to ask for the Warrens´ help. They became interested in this case and started an investigation. Finally, they found out that an inhuman demonic spirit was manipulating the doll, creating the impression that the doll was alive.
They later took the malicious doll in their custody and it still remains there, decades since the time Ann first started moving around Donna's apartment and freaking everyone out. People can visit her and even take pictures, but they have to be careful, even if the doll is kept in a safe place, it might still find a way to communicate with you and try to possess and/or to harm you.
photo: Courtesy of Tony Spera