This Is Where You Can See The Real Annabelle From The Conjuring Films
The likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, and the MonsterVerse — which is currently promoting the fight of the century between King Kong and Godzilla — are among Hollywood's most successful shared continuities. However, we'd be remiss to not mention the massively popular Conjuring Universe, courtesy of New Line Cinema. Beginning with 2013's The Conjuring, the film series now spans seven features, with a handful more in production as of this writing. The real-life paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren helped kickstart the franchise, but the famous couple isn't the selling point of these films. That honor belongs to a small yet powerful doll named Annabelle.
This terrifying trinket made her big-screen debut in her self-titled 2014 movie, thrusting her into the spotlight as the poster child for the Conjuring Universe. In her cinematic turns, Annabelle appears as a worn porcelain doll with dead eyes and a spine-shivering smile that strikes fear into the hearts of her victims in whichever way she pleases. Although, when it comes to her real-life inspiration, the two appear quite different. The real Annabelle is actually a Raggedy Ann doll, but her paranormal disturbances are well-documented, leading the Warrens to keep her locked-up under their watch for safekeeping.
As a result, should any brave souls care to look into Annabelle's lifeless eyes, they're welcome to do so. Here's where you can visit her ... if you dare.
The real Annabelle remains at the Warrens' Occult Museum for now
Back in 1952, Ed and Lorraine Warren established the Warrens' Occult Museum in the town of Monroe, Connecticut. The gallery was put together in the basement of their home, allowing visitors to take a look at some true one-of-a-kind items while also allowing the Warrens to lock away evil entities from terrorizing anyone any further. Over the years, the shelves became filled of various artifacts, but Annabelle — safely enclosed in her wooden box, complete with a copy of the Lord's prayer and a label stating "Warning, positively do not open" — is still the cornerstone of the entire collection.
As of this writing (January 2021), however, stopping by to say hello to the demonic doll isn't an option. Following Ed's death in 2006 and Lorraine's in 2019, the collection has been under the supervision of their son-in-law, Tony Spera, who recently had to close the historic site to the public.
"It is not a museum. It is a residential house. The street is a very narrow public roadway, inadequate for parking for any commercial enterprise," Monroe's Police Chief John Salvatore explained to The Monroe Sun, adding that "the traffic generated by the home inconveniences neighbors."
This not only angers residents, but also Spera, who told The Monroe Sun, "I have done everything to the best of my ability to stop the intrusion of unwanted guests. [...] I am not happy with people crawling around the house at all hours either, and the burden placed on neighbors and the local police department, who do a fantastic job of checking on and clearing the property." He also explained that he'd tried to cooperate with the town's requests to lower traffic concentration, adding signs to dissuade further congestion.
All that considered, hope isn't lost. It isn't that the Warrens' Occult Museum needs to be shut down, but rather, it needs to be moved. As Spera announced, "We are seeking a new location for the museum."
Hopefully, meet-and-greets with pop culture's favorite possessed doll, Annabelle, will be back on soon.