Annabelle doll update: Comedian Matt Rife purchases haunted home and museum
Split image: L- Matt Rife speaks to the crowd during Gulf Coast Jam on May 31, 2025 in Panama City Beach, Florida. R- The Annabelle Raggedy Ann doll sits in a case in the Warren’s Occult Museum. Getty Images
Comedian Matt Rife announced he’s entering another realm: the paranormal realm.
He said in a TikTok video on Friday that he’s purchased the home and museum of famed paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren – which makes him the legal guardian of the infamous Annabelle doll.
Matt Rife buys ‘Annabelle’ doll
What they’re saying:
“Ed and Lorraine Warren are who took demonology, ghost hunting, and paranormal investigation and made it mainstream,” he said. “Now, I know a lot of you don’t know what any of this means whatsoever, but if you follow ghost stuff – this is about as big as it gets.”
In his caption, Rife said he’s “obsessed” with the paranormal and all things haunted.
“This is the most random hobby ever, but it’s so (expletive) cool,” he smiled.
@matt_rifeINSANE 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 @Elton Castee !! If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted. 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… 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. #TheConjuring #Annabelle #AnnabelleDoll #haunted
Dig deeper
Rife said he and YouTuber Elton Castee are now the official owners of the Warrens’ home and museum, making them the legal guardian of the entire haunted collection – including the Annabelle doll.
He also shared a photo on Instagram of him and Castee standing in front of the infamous case for the Annabelle doll, which remains permanently sealed.
Warren Occult Museum
The backstory:
The New England Society for Psychic Research was founded in 1952 by married paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. They visited sites and investigated dozens of cases, many known in pop culture, such as the house in Amityville, and the site which inspired the 2013 film, The Conjuring.
They eventually started a museum with various artifacts and relics from their investigations, the Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut. Their collection was being overseen by their son-in-law, Tony Spera, who also leads the NESPR alongside Judy, the Warrens’ daughter.
Present day:
The society continues to work with individuals and families affected by hauntings and other phenomena.
Of note:
The society made news in July when one of its members and Annabelle doll tour guide Dan Rivera died unexpectedly on one of the tour stops.
READ MORE: Dan Rivera, Annabelle doll’s haunted tour host, dies at 54
Annabelle doll
Big picture view:
The Annabelle doll resides in a glass box at the Warrens’ Connecticut museum, and occasionally goes on tour, as was the case recently.
The doll was pronounced demonically possessed by the Warrens in the ‘60s when two roommates were noticing strange occurrences with the doll, such as movements and messages.
The story of Annabelle also went on to inspire The Conjuring.
Tour information::
The NESPR was taking the doll – still fully sealed – on a tour this summer and fall.
Tickets for two dates in Maine in early September still remain, and the NESPR said it would figure out how to move forward with the scheduled events this year without Rivera.
The tour also made stops in New Orleans, San Antonio, and most recently Gettysburg, where Rivera reportedly died at a local hotel.
What’s next:
Rife said they plan to open the house for overnight stays and tour at the museum, which has been closed.
