On August 14, 2020, a rumor spread faster than any ghost: Annabelle had escaped.
The cursed Raggedy Ann doll, infamous from the Conjuring universe and real-life paranormal investigations by Ed and Lorraine Warren, was said to have broken out of the Warren’s Occult Museum in Connecticut. Social media exploded. Panic mixed with dark humor. The doll was trending.
The truth? Annabelle never left. The museum had been closed since 2019 due to zoning issues. The doll sat in a glass case, behind a warning sign, locked in a building that was not currently open to visitors. Someone had simply misread the situation — or decided to have fun with it.
But the legend didn’t need facts. For a few hours, the internet collectively believed that a demonic doll was on the loose. It says something about our appetite for horror that the idea felt plausible.
Annabelle stayed put. The museum, however, remains a place most people would rather not visit alone.