The fact that The Conjuring is based on a true story may have shaken you up a bit. After all, the events are terrifying and unbelievable. The Annabelle doll used for the motion picture may have been enough to give you nightmares for weeks.
While depicted as a horrifying creepy porcelain doll with a devious smile, the real Annabelle is not so obvious. The reality version is a harmless looking, innocently smiling traditional Raggedy Ann doll. Even though by looking, you can’t see the evil written on her face, the facts assure that she is not as she seems.
When you enter Ed and Lorraine Warren’s basement, you can find the stitched doll sitting neatly in a cozy glass case. She may look like a sweet old-fashioned decoration until you read the small but chilling sign that reads, “Warning: Positively do not open.”
According to the couple, the doll was single-handedly responsible for two near-death experiences, a fatality, and a series of other bizarre, unexplainable events. Her reign of terror lasted over 30 years, or so they claim.
As the original story goes, Annabelle was a brand new, untainted, out-of-the-box gift all the way back to 1968. Two nurses lived as roommates, and one received the doll from her parents as a birthday gift. Once she brought the doll home, she started noticing less than toy-like behavior.
They claimed the doll would move on its own, being in an entirely different area than where she was left. They also allegedly would receive notes written on a type of parchment paper they did not own. Notes would read messages such as, “Help me.”
There was also a story regarding one of their boyfriends. He supposedly came into the apartment alone. He heard what sounded to be someone in the girl’s bedroom. When he entered, he found no person, but the doll was lying on the ground. He then received painful lashings across his chest that quickly disappeared only a few days after.
Because of the magnitude of the event, they contacted a medium who explained that the spirit of a little girl dwelled in the apartment. She assured the girls that her spirit was innocent and simply wanting to be loved. Upon hearing this, their empathy gave way, and they invited the spirit into the doll.
Ed and Lorraine later explained that this was a completely wrong decision. If a spirit wants to inhabit an object, it is only doing so to attach itself to a human host. The couple took possession of the doll after an exorcism in the apartment. They claimed on the ride home, they encountered several near-accidents and had to douse the doll in holy water.
The couple claimed that the Annabelle doll sought revenge on anyone who mocked her as well. One priest who visited the Warren’s residence scoffed at the toy and later was in a crash that totaled his vehicle.
Another visitor was supposedly making fun of the people who believed in the nonsense. On the way home on the motorcycle, his girlfriend claims they were making fun of Annabelle when they were in a crash, which killed him on impact.
Since Ed and Lorraine have both passed away, their legacy is left to their daughter Judy and her husband. Ed entrusted them to carry on their life’s work.
But just how true is all of this? Decide for yourself.
