Why the Warren Occult Museum Closed Down

The Warren Occult Museum, where the Annabelle doll is located, has been closed to the public since 2019. The museum was started by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, with Ed working as a religious demonologist and Lorraine functioning as a medium. The museum is listed as permanently closed by Altas Obscura.

The Warren Occult Museum is located behind the Warrens’ home in Monroe, Connecticut, The Cinemaholic wrote. The Warrens’ work inspired horror films like 2014s Annabelle, 2017’s Annabelle: Creation and 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home. The movies are based on the real-life Raggedy Ann doll, who Lorraine said was “evil.”

Some people became worried on Friday, with the doll’s name becoming a top-trending topic, after rumors swirled that Annabelle had escaped the museum. The hoax has since been debunked.

Why Did The Museum Close?

The museum, which has been run by the Warrens’ son-in-law Tony Spera since their deaths, was closed in 2019 over zoning violations, The Monroe Sun reported. Spera is also the leader of the New England Society for Psychic Research, which was originally started by the Warrens.

“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,” the town’s Police Chief John Salvatore told The Monroe Sun. “And the traffic generated by the home inconveniences neighbors.”

Spera said he had tried to cooperate. “I have been in compliance with the town’s order and have added more signage in an attempt to quell curious visitations from fans,” Spera told the publication in an email.

Spera planned to add more security cameras and lights. “I have done everything to the best of my ability to stop the intrusion of unwanted guests,” he told the publication. “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.”

Heavy reached out to Spera for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The Museum Contained Artifacts That Had Been ‘Touched by Evil’

The Occult Museum was first opened in 1952 and the Warrens continued to add items that had been “touched by evil” to their collection, as noted by Atlas Obscura. 

The Warrens locked the trinkets away to keep them safe from the public. While there were plenty of knick-knacks locked away in the Occult Museum-including an alleged Vampire’s coffin and demonic masks–the most popular totem housed in the museum was the Annabelle doll, who sat in her own glass case. Annabelle, who looks nothing like the doll from the Hollywood films, is said to have caused a man’s death.

There’s a reason why Annabell’s appearance was changed. Superstitious Times revealed the doll’s look had to change to avoid copyright infringements.

Spera agreed to do an episode of Ghost Adventures with host Zak Bagans, something he later regretted. Bagans claimed something happened to his car after he meeting with Annabelle.

“It was all an act for the camera … He was saying stuff like, ‘I want to hug her. I feel sorry for her. I feel a connection to her’,” Spera told the Superstitious Times about Bagans. “They cut it out.”

Still, Spera said something about the experience terrified Bagans. “The problem is it doesn’t have to happen right away … The devil doesn’t have to do what you want it to do,” he told the publication. “It may happen a year from now and he won’t attribute it to the doll. They’re sly. They’re cunning. They hate you.”

Annabelle Doll Escaped From Warren Museum Hoax Debunked