Annabelle has a new babysitter!
Comedian Matt Rife just announced that he and YouTuber Elton Castee purchased the home of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
According to his video, Matt said he is now “the legal guardian for at least the next five years” of the Warrens’ “haunted collection,” which includes the seemingly haunted Annabelle doll.
Ed and Lorraine were paranormal investigators depicted in the Conjuring franchise by actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The pair founded the Warren Occult Museum where they housed the allegedly haunted artifacts from their investigations.
“We do not legally own the items, but we are the legal guardians and caretakers of the items,” Matt said, adding that fans will have a chance to “book a night or weekend” in the Warrens’ former home, as an Airbnb. Why on earth anybody in their right mind would want to do that is beyond me.
“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,” Matt wrote in a caption alongside several Instagram photos of Ed and Lorraine.
“Ed and Lorain[sic] 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…”
Annabelle, which was actually a Raggedy Ann doll, was allegedly moving on its own, according to a student nurse in the ’70s. The dramatization with Patrick and Vera led to sequels and other movies about the Warrens and their haunted artifacts.
In addition to the overnight stays, Matt and Elton plan to open the house for museum tours to learn of the “haunted history” surrounding the area. According to Today.com, Tony Spera, the son-in-law of the Warrens said that he and his wife still own the doll and the Warrens’ other alleged haunted artifacts but are leasing them to Matt and Elton.
While the quirky comedian is obviously stoked to take on this project, his fans are rightfully creeped out given the history of the horrors within that house.
One person wrote, “DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!!”
“RIP buddy. It’s been nice knowing ya,” another person wrote.
“If you disappear randomly we know why,” someone else said.
Of course, people couldn’t help but find the humor in all this. Somebody said, “Would be very funny if he was very clearly actually possessed during his next special. Doing crowd work like ‘Does anyone else here love being an evil doll?'”
Republican personality Kimberly Klacik randomly said, “He’s too hot to risk his life like this. These are ugly people activities.”
If you’ve seen Longlegs, then you’ll get this joke:
Other folks expressed concern that this might not be good for the Warrens’ legacy and criticized Matt and Elton’s involvement. “This makes me so sad for the doll like no way does she want this,” one person wrote.
Another person said, “Please honor them and don’t turn everything they’ve built into a joke.”
“I hope that people who book stays are respectful to the space.”
And finally, on a good note, someone said, “Congrats on the purchase. I know you guys are gonna respect all the items that are in there.”
What are your thoughts about Matt Rife becoming the caretaker of Annabelle and the house of creepy artifacts? Sound off in the comments.
