Did you know the real Annabelle doll is far more terrifying than her Hollywood counterpart?
Allegedly possessed by a demonic entity, this seemingly innocent Raggedy Ann doll has been linked to spine-chilling incidents, including physical attacks and near-fatal accidents.
From unexplained bloodstains to eerie movements, Annabelle’s malevolent influence has left a trail of dread, making her one of the most infamous haunted objects in paranormal history.
In this article:
The Origins of the Real Annabelle Doll
The real Annabelle doll’s origins are somewhat mysterious. However, we know some details. For instance, the doll is a Raggedy Ann, a popular children’s toy in the 60s and 70s.
How Annabelle Came Into Donna’s Life
According to the story widely publicized by Ed and Lorraine Warren, in 1970, a young woman, Donna, received a Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday gift from her mother.
The doll was allegedly picked up at a second-hand hobby store, and at first, it seemed like a charming, nostalgic toy.
Donna lived with her roommate, Angie, in an apartment in Hartford, Connecticut. Both women were nursing students, and nothing about the doll seemed unusual when it first arrived.
However, it wasn’t long before they started noticing strange occurrences. For example, the toy (which they had affectionately named Annabelle) began moving on its own.
At first, these movements were subtle—just slight shifts in position—but not long after these first actions, Annabelle started appearing in entirely different rooms.
The whole situation quickly grew more unsettling. Especially after Donna and Angie discovered handwritten notes on parchment paper.
The disturbing part? Neither of them owned any parchment paper in the apartment. Where did the paper come from? The two women couldn’t explain.
To make matters worse, the notes contained eerie messages like “Help us” and “Help Lou”—the latter aimed at a friend of Donna’s who had always been uneasy around the doll.
Scared and confused by these events, the two roommates turned to a medium for help.
During one of the séances, the medium claimed to have communicated with the spirit of a seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins.
According to the medium, Annabelle had died tragically on the land where their apartment now stood and had attached herself to the doll, likely seeking companionship.
If that’s true, it means that the Raggedy Ann doll Donna got as a present was, initially, nothing more than a simple toy. The strange entity possessed the toy sometime later.
Now, here’s another interesting aspect of the story. Despite the medium’s warnings, Donna and Angie kept the doll. Perhaps out of sympathy? Or maybe they genuinely believed they were helping a lost, innocent soul.
More Signs of Paranormal Activity
Soon after the séance, the abnormal activity around the real Annabelle doll intensified. And Lou—who had always been particularly uneasy around the toy—became the target of some of the disturbing events that followed.
In one instance, Lou claimed that Annabelle had physically attacked him, leaving deep, claw-like scratches on his chest. Strangely enough, the scratches inexplicably healed within two days.
Now, some might wonder if Lou could have been lying about the attack. But if he was lying, what would be the reason? What could he possibly gain from making such a claim?
Regardless, according to Ed and Lorraine Warren’s notes on the incident (we’ll get into that soon), the real Annabelle doll’s behavior became increasingly malevolent.
So much so that the paranormal activity wasn’t just about the toy changing locations in the apartment anymore. It seemed as though it was actively involved in causing harm.
For example, one day, Donna noticed a blood-like substance on Annabelle’s hands. The blood marks vanished within hours. To this day, no one can explain where the blood came from.
With such intense (and violent) paranormal manifestations, Donna, Angie, and Lou realized that something far more sinister than an innocent child’s spirit might be at play.
They had to seek out professional help.
The First Exorcism
A few weeks after the first paranormal manifestations in Donna and Angie’s apartment, Father Hegan, an Episcopal priest, was called in to help.
The young priest sensed the gravity of the situation the moment he stepped into the apartment. And he didn’t waste any time.
He blessed the apartment, its occupants, and the real Annabelle doll itself in an attempt to get rid of the evil presence and protect everyone involved.
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For some, what Father Hegan did was part of an exorcism ritual (but not a complete one). That could explain why Father Hegan’s efforts were in vain.
A partial exorcism wasn’t enough to remove the spirit. In fact, some would say the activity escalated as if the exorcism had only served to agitate whatever malevolent force was at play.
Recognizing that this was beyond his expertise, Father Hegan reached out to his superior, Father Cooke. In turn, Father Cooke contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren (the renowned paranormal investigators of the 1970s, known for their specialized knowledge in dealing with cases just like this).
Paranormal Experts Ed and Lorraine Warren
The Warrens started their own investigation as soon as they arrived at Donna and Angie’s apartment.
Lorraine Warren (famous for her clairvoyance abilities) quickly picked up on the presence of something dark and inhuman.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the Warrens to figure out that the entity attached to the real Annabelle doll wasn’t just a troubled spirit—it was something far more dangerous.
The two paranormal investigators determined that the entity was a demonic force that had cleverly tricked Donna and Angie during the medium’s earlier séance.
Their conclusion? The demon was using the toy as a conduit—with its sights set on Donna—likely intending to possess her soul.
Father Hegan (still involved in the investigation) had already done everything in his power—conducting the initial exorcism and blessing the apartment—but it wasn’t enough. At this point, the Warrens knew they had to take more decisive action.
The only option? Remove the doll (and the demon attached to it) from the apartment and the two women’s lives entirely.
However, before leaving with the real Annabelle doll, Lorraine warned the young Father Hegan: “Be careful; the malevolent entity might retaliate.”
Sadly, her warning was spot on. Not long after leaving the Warrens’ home, Father Hegan was involved in a bizarre car accident after his car allegedly “refused” to steer. Luckily, he survived.
The Second Exorcism
The first exorcism of the real Annabelle doll was an important step. Still, it wasn’t enough to rid the entity entirely.
After Father Hegan’s blessing, Ed and Lorraine Warren decided to transport the doll to their Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. However, it ended up not being your ordinary road trip.
Their journey quickly became a nightmare.
On the way home, the car stalled repeatedly, and Ed Warren struggled to maintain control. It was as if something was trying to drive them off the road and force a crash.
After just a few miles, Lorraine understood the gravity of their situation. There was no way they could make it home in one piece. The demon wasn’t pleased about being forced out of the apartment and now was trying to retaliate.
Lorraine asked Ed to pull over. They needed to do something to subdue the entity, if only temporarily. For some paranormal experts, what happened next was a second exorcism.
Ed performed another blessing right there on the side of the road, dousing the real Annabelle doll with holy water. Enough to calm the demonic presence for them to continue their journey safely.
But the calm didn’t last. Once they got home, the situation took a terrifying turn.
According to the Warrens, the phenomena they experienced after bringing the doll into their home were even more alarming than before.
The real Annabelle doll reportedly began to levitate, move from room to room on its own, and emit strange, guttural growls that sent chills down their spines.
It was clear that the entity attached to Annabelle was far from being subdued and had no intention of going quietly.
At this point, the Warrens were likely fearing for their own safety. They had to confine the demon somehow. The solution? A specially constructed glass case.
However, simply locking the doll up wasn’t enough in their eyes; they believed the entity attached to the real Annabelle doll was so malevolent that additional spiritual protections were necessary.
So, the specially constructed case wasn’t just an ordinary glass box. The Warrens carved the case with the Lord’s Prayer and Saint Michael’s Prayer—two powerful prayers in the Christian tradition believed to provide spiritual protection.
Ed Warren would periodically recite a binding prayer over the case to reinforce the containment of the sinister spirit within the doll.
Additionally, Tony Spera (the Warrens’ son-in-law and current museum caretaker) has mentioned that a Catholic priest was called to bless the museum daily—including Annabelle’s case—as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the entity remains contained.
According to Spera, the prayers act like a barrier, similar to an electric fence that keeps a dog from straying too far—preventing the evil within from escaping its confines.
And, to make sure no one accidentally unleashed the malevolent force, they marked the case with a clear warning: “Positively do not open.”
Why Don’t They Destroy the Cursed Annabelle Doll?
The idea of destroying the real Annabelle doll to eliminate its malevolent influence might seem like an obvious solution. Still, Ed and Lorraine Warren firmly believed that doing so would lead to catastrophic consequences.
From a paranormal perspective, the Warrens explained that the doll itself was not inherently possessed when it was first given to Donna. It was an ordinary Raggedy Ann doll, devoid of any supernatural attachment.
The demonic force latched onto the doll after it was brought into Donna’s apartment (likely using the doll as a conduit to manipulate and terrify the residents).
The Warrens feared that if the doll were destroyed, the demonic entity wouldn’t simply be eradicated—it would be released.
Without a physical vessel to contain it, the entity could roam freely, potentially attaching itself to another object or even a living person. This could be even more dangerous. Especially if the new host might be more complicated to confine or control.
In the paranormal world, there are examples of entities attaching themselves to objects or people after their original vessel was destroyed or altered.
One such example is Robert the Doll (another infamous haunted doll), where attempts to alter or disrespect the doll reportedly led to increased activity and even misfortune for those involved.
Similarly, objects removed from haunted locations (or disturbed somehow) have often been connected to significant escalations in paranormal phenomena. Why? The entity may seek a new host when its current one is threatened.
One of the most famous examples of an entity attaching itself to a new host after its original object was disturbed or removed comes from the story of The Dybbuk Box.
This box (a wine cabinet) is believed to be haunted by a dybbuk—a malicious spirit from Jewish folklore.
The story goes that after the box was purchased and opened, the owner began experiencing a series of disturbing paranormal phenomena (including nightmares, health issues, and the smell of ammonia).
The activity escalated when the owner tried to pass the box on (or destroy it). The entity within also affected those who came into contact with the box.
The box was eventually sealed and hidden away to prevent further harm.
Another example is The Bell Witch of Tennessee, one of the most famous American haunting stories.
The Bell family began experiencing paranormal activity after they found and disturbed a strange object on their property. The disruptions escalated, leading to physical attacks on family members and visitors.
The activity intensified when the object was moved or tampered with, suggesting that the entity was probably linked to the object and reacted when its connection was threatened.
Where Is the Real Annabelle Doll Now?
Today, the real Annabelle doll is still in Warren’s Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.
Originally founded by Ed and Lorraine Warren, this museum was a repository for numerous haunted and cursed objects they collected throughout their decades-long career as paranormal investigators.
After the Warrens passed away—Ed in 2006 and Lorraine in 2019—the responsibility of maintaining the museum and its creepy collection fell to their son-in-law, Tony Spera.
Besides the real Annabelle doll, the Warren’s Occult Museum also houses a wide range of other items, each with its own disturbing history.
These include the Conjuring Mirror (used in séances) and the Shadow Doll (said to haunt people in their dreams). The museum’s collection even extends to artifacts like a vampire’s coffin and satanic idols.
In 2019, due to zoning issues, Spera closed the museum to the public. Apparently, local authorities were unhappy with the location’s residential nature and the narrow roads that could not handle the traffic generated by curious visitors.
Despite Spera’s efforts to comply with local regulations (including adding more security measures), the museum is still closed.
Alleged Incidents Linked to Annabelle
The real Annabelle doll has long been associated with many unfortunate and mysterious incidents.
Here are some of the most notable ones:
The Priest’s Car Accident
One of the most frequently cited incidents involves a young priest who visited the Warrens shortly after they had taken Annabelle into their custody.
During his visit, the priest reportedly mocked the doll, dismissing its supposed powers by declaring, “You’re just a doll, Annabelle. You can’t hurt anything.”
Ed Warren immediately warned him against speaking that way, but the priest shrugged it off.
However, shortly after leaving the Warrens’ home, the priest’s brakes failed, causing a near-fatal accident that completely destroyed his car. He survived but was deeply shaken. And it was convinced that Annabelle had something to do with his close call.
A SpookySight note:
It’s possible that as the story of Annabelle has been retold so many times over the years, the incident involving the two priests (father Hegan and the unnamed one that mocked the doll) became conflated with or attributed to multiple people. Plus, there is limited verifiable evidence (or documentation) to confirm that two separate car crash incidents actually happened. Especially since the accounts often come from anecdotal sources.
The Motorcyclist’s Fatal Encounter
Another anecdotal story linked to the real Annabelle doll involves a young couple who presumably visited Warren’s Occult Museum.
While there, the young man reportedly mocked the doll by banging on its glass case and daring it to do its worst. On the way home, the couple was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident.
The young man died instantly. His girlfriend survived but spent more than a year in the hospital recovering from her injuries.
According to Lorraine Warren, the surviving girlfriend later recounted that they had been laughing about the doll when they suddenly lost control of the motorcycle at the time of the accident.
Other Mysterious Incidents Involving Museum Visitors
Over the years, many other Warren’s Occult Museum visitors have allegedly reported experiencing strange and unsettling events after their interactions with Annabelle.
Some individuals have described overwhelming dread or fear when near the doll. Others have recounted more tangible consequences—such as accidental injuries, unexplained illnesses, or other misfortunes shortly after their visit.
These incidents have not only added to Annabelle’s ominous reputation but have also been documented by Gerald Brittle in his 1980 book The Demonologist.
Brittle’s work (which chronicles the extraordinary career of Ed and Lorraine Warren) is one of the best texts for understanding the Warrens’ approach to paranormal investigations, especially in cases involving demonic entities.
In The Demonologist, Brittle includes testimonies from those who encountered Annabelle and later experienced negative consequences.
In a way, these accounts helped reinforce Annabelle’s place in paranormal folklore, strengthening the idea that the doll’s malevolent influence extends far beyond the confines of its glass case.
Annabelle in Pop Culture
The Annabelle doll has become an iconic figure in modern horror, thanks to its central role in The Conjuring universe.
The real-life Raggedy Ann doll quickly gained a terrifying reputation after the Warrens claimed it was a conduit for a malevolent spirit.
This story laid the foundation for a series of film adaptations that transformed Annabelle from a local legend into a global horror icon.
Annabelle’s first appearance in film came in 2013 with James Wan’s The Conjuring.
However, the doll’s portrayal was significantly altered from its real-life counterpart—a fabric Raggedy Ann doll—into a menacing porcelain figure with a cracked face and a sinister aura.
This visual transformation was designed to amplify the doll’s horror appeal on the big screen. The character quickly became a standout in the movie, leading to the creation of a spin-off series focused entirely on Annabelle.
The first spin-off, Annabelle, was released in 2014 and was produced by the same James Wan. This first film focuses on the fictional backstory of the doll becoming a conduit for evil.
Unlike what happened with the real Annabelle doll, the movie portrays a couple (John and Mia Form) who are terrorized after bringing the doll into their home, following a violent attack by members of a satanic cult.
Three years after the success of Annabelle, the prequel Annabelle: Creation (2017) focused on exploring the doll’s origins.
This installment, directed by David F. Sandberg, shows how a grieving toymaker and his wife unwittingly create a vessel for a demonic entity, which later becomes the infamous Annabelle doll.
The third film, Annabelle Comes Home (2019), directed by Gary Dauberman, continues the story, concentrating on the Warren family’s attempts to contain the doll’s malevolent influence.
This film cleverly incorporates elements of the Warrens’ real-life Occult Museum, even featuring a cameo by a Raggedy Ann doll in a nod to the original story.
However, Annabelle’s influence extends beyond The Conjuring films.
The doll has appeared in other related movies, such as The Curse of La Llorona (2019) and The Nun (2018).
Moreover, Annabelle has made its way into popular culture through various documentaries and TV shows, including an episode of Mysteries at the Museum on the Travel Channel, where the doll’s dark history and the Warrens’ involvement were discussed in depth.
Is the Real Annabelle Doll Truly Haunted?
It’s no secret that skepticism surrounding the real Annabelle doll and its alleged supernatural abilities has persisted for years. In fact, many have questioned Warren’s claims’ credibility in this case.
The Evidence—or Lack Thereof
It’s now time to look into some facts about the real Annabelle doll. Is there enough evidence of demonic possession?
One of the most notable doubters is Joseph Laycock—an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University.
Laycock has been vocal in his criticism. He suggests that many of the Warrens’ Occult Museum so-called “artifacts” (including the real Annabelle doll) are nothing more than “off-the-shelf Halloween junk.”
He also argues that the Annabelle story is more a product of pop culture and paranormal lore than any genuine demonic presence.
According to Laycock, Annabelle is part of a broader cultural phenomenon. Ordinary, everyday objects are typically imbued with supernatural meaning through stories and media—much like the stories about Robert the Doll or the “Living Doll” episode from The Twilight Zone.
Another noteworthy voice in the skeptic community is Sharon A. Hill—a science writer and investigator known for her critical approach to paranormal claims.
Hill has consistently disputed the stories about Annabelle and other haunted objects in the Warrens’ museum as self-perpetuated myths.
She thinks that many paranormal investigations often lack scientific rigor. Especially from those so-called investigators who claim to use scientific methods but rarely test their hypotheses (or submit their findings for peer review).
SpookySight’s Take
What we find the most sketchy is the complete lack of tangible evidence. There’s nothing to support the claims of Annabelle’s demonic possession.
As Hill and others point out, most stories associated with the real Annabelle doll rely heavily on the Warrens’ personal accounts. There’s little to no independent verification.
For us, the lack of empirical data (coupled with the sensational nature of these rumors) has raised some serious red flags.
Moreover, the whereabouts and current lives of key figures in the Annabelle story (such as Donna, Angie, Lou, Father Hegan, or any other of all those people allegedly involved in bizarre incidents after being in contact with the doll) remain largely unknown.
Where are the interviews or public statements from these individuals? If events so dramatic as the ones described by the Warrens actually happened, that would have been probably mentioned in at least some newspapers…right?
Did the press ever investigate their side of the story? If not, why?
The Warrens were also adamant about refusing their findings to be peer-reviewed—a necessary step in validating any claims (scientific or not)—which further fuels doubts about the authenticity of the Annabelle story.
In light of these factors and without verifiable evidence or corroborating testimonies from those directly involved, the story remains, for us, a work of paranormal fiction rather than fact.
