Comedian Matt Rife and YouTuber Elton Castee have purchased the home of the infamous Annabelle doll.
Located in Monroe, Connecticut, the building houses the Raggedy Ann doll, which is a classic fixture in the horror genre, specifically in The Conjuring film franchise.
Rife shared the news Friday via Instagram, calling it an “insane announcement.”
“I have officially purchased Ed and Lorraine Warren’s home and Occult Museum, including being the legal guardian for at least the next 5 years, of the entire haunted collection including THE ANNABELLE DOLL, with my good friend @eltoncastee!! If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted,” Rife wrote.
“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, et.”
Sharing the future of the home, Rife continued: “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.”
While some of Rife’s supporters applauded his news, others raised a grave concern.
“Didnt someone just die for taking that Annabelle doll on tour or something???” one person commented, referring to the recent death of the doll’s handler.
Dan Rivera, 54, died July 13 while on tour with the doll. According to a Facebook post from the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), which is hosting Annabelle’s tour, Rivera suddenly died while at an event with the doll. Rivera was also the lead investigator for NESPR.
Pennsylvania State Police shared a report via X about Rivera’s death saying: “Members from PSP Gettysburg responded to a hotel in Straban Township, Adams County for a report of a deceased [man]. The decedent was discovered in his hotel room by workers. Nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene. His cause of death is pending.”
Meanwhile, Annabelle the doll will continue traveling throughout the next few months, with her next stop in Augusta, Maine, on September 6 and September 7. She’s also expected to be at the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Rock Island, Illinois, on October 4, and ScareFest Weekend 17 in Lexington, Kentucky, which is from October 17 through 19.
The appearances come months after rumors circulated in May that Annabelle had somehow gone missing while in Louisiana when some visitors claimed they didn’t see the doll during a tour. However, Rivera debunked theories that the doll had gone missing in a TikTok video at the time.
“I’m here at the museum right now, and I just wanna show you guys that Annabelle is in the Warrens’ Occult Museum,” he said. “Let’s go inside and let’s check.”
After entering the museum, he walked over to show the doll sitting in a wooden case.
Annabelle first appeared in 2013’s The Conjuring before receiving her own spin-off franchise. Annabelle was released in 2014, followed by Annabelle: Creation in 2017 and the latest entry, Annabelle Comes Home, in 2019.
