Annabelle: The Doll of Horror
Annabelle is arguably one of the most notorious and frightening objects in the realm of paranormal lore. Far from the menacing visage depicted in the films bearing her name, the real Annabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll, now safely (or perhaps not so safely) locked away in a glass case in Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. Her story, however, is far more chilling than her appearance suggests.
The story begins in 1970 when a young nursing student named Donna received the Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday gift from her mother. Donna and her roommate, Angie, were initially delighted with the doll. However, strange occurrences soon began. The doll seemed to move on its own. Initially, these movements were subtle, perhaps shifting positions on the bed or the couch. But as time went on, the movements became more pronounced.
Donna and Angie would often find the doll in completely different rooms than where they had left it. Sometimes it would be found with its arms crossed, other times standing upright. The truly disturbing part came when they began finding handwritten notes made from parchment paper they didn’t own, scrawled with messages like “Help Us” and “Help Lou.” Lou was a friend of theirs who frequently visited their apartment.
Lou harbored a deep unease about the doll. He felt a sense of dread whenever he was around it, a feeling that something evil was lurking within. He repeatedly warned Donna and Angie to get rid of the doll, convinced it was malevolent. They initially dismissed his fears, attributing the events to mere coincidence or perhaps even sleepwalking. However, a particularly terrifying incident changed their minds.
One night, Lou was awakened by a feeling of being watched. He looked around the room and saw Annabelle at the foot of his bed. As he watched, the doll slowly crawled up his legs, finally stopping on his chest. Suddenly, Lou felt a crushing pressure, and the doll began to strangle him. He passed out from the ordeal, waking up the next morning convinced the doll was trying to kill him.
After this incident, Donna and Angie finally realized they were dealing with something beyond explanation. They contacted a medium, who claimed the doll was possessed by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle Higgins who had died in the apartment building years before. The medium suggested that the spirit was harmless and simply wanted to stay with them.
However, the Warrens, renowned paranormal investigators, were eventually called in to investigate. After careful analysis, they concluded that the doll was not possessed by a human spirit, but rather by an inhuman demonic entity that was manipulating the girls by masquerading as a child. This entity, they believed, was attempting to attach itself to a human host.
The Warrens took the doll into their possession, believing it to be too dangerous to remain in the apartment. During the journey home, the Warrens experienced numerous near-fatal accidents. They attributed these events to the malevolent influence of the doll. Upon arriving home, they placed the doll in a specially constructed glass case in their Occult Museum, believing it would contain the entity.
Despite being behind glass, reports of strange occurrences surrounding Annabelle continued over the years. Visitors to the museum reported feeling uneasy, experiencing nausea, and even witnessing the doll move within its case. The Warrens maintained that Annabelle was a conduit for evil, a chilling reminder of the unseen forces that can prey upon the unsuspecting. While the films have embellished the story, the true account of the Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle remains a terrifying testament to the potential dangers of the paranormal.