Comedian Is Now Legal Guardian of 'Haunted' Doll

A comedian and a YouTuber say they are now the legal guardians of the allegedly possessed doll that inspired the Conjuring and Annabelle horror movies. The Raggedy Ann doll dubbed Annabelle is part of a collection of 750 allegedly haunted artifacts amassed by the late paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and kept at their Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. The Warrens' daughter and son-in-law will still maintain ownership of the home and items, NBC News reports. But they've leased the collection and museum to comedian Matt Rife and YouTube ghost hunter Elton Castee.

Rife says they'll be legal guardians and caretakers "for at least the next five years." Under their direction, the museum—closed to the public since 2019, per the Hollywood Reporter— will be reopened to tours, and even host overnight and weekend stays, Rife adds. The change comes at a time of renewed interest in the Annabelle doll. It was on tour last month when its handler, paranormal investigator Dan Rivera, was found dead. However, a preliminary police report concluded Rivera's death was "natural," rather than caused by a possessed doll. The Warrens claimed a nursing student brought the doll home in 1968 before noticing "strange occurrences."