Comedian Matt Rife says he's now the legal guardian of Annabelle, the 'haunted' doll
"We are the legal guardians and caretakers of all 750 haunted artifacts and items in the Warren Museum, including the Annabelle doll. I must go on record and say we do not legally own items, but we are the legal guardians and caretakers of the items for at least the next five years,' Rife said in an Instagram video on Saturday.
Rife, 29, announced in an Instagram post on Friday that he and Castee, 35, had purchased the Warrens' home and museum in Monroe, Connecticut, which includes their entire haunted collection of dolls and artifacts.
Tony Spera, the Warrens' son-in-law and co-director of the late couple's organization, New England Society for Psychic Research, clarified to TODAY.com that he and his wife still own the Warrens' collection, including the Annabelle doll, and are only leasing them to Rife and Castee.
"We have no plans to ever 'sell' the artifacts," he said in a statement.
Ed and Lorraine Warren's paranormal investigations were turned into the horror movies "The Conjuring," "Annabelle," and "The Nun." Actors Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play Lorraine and Ed in the franchise.
"The Conjuring: Last Rites" is the latest film in the series and will be released in September.
"If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted," Rife captioned a photo of himself and Castee posing with the doll. "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…"
Rife said they plan to open the house for "overnight stays and museum tours."
His announcement came less than a month after paranormal investigator and Annabelle doll handler Dan Rivera died on the "Devils on the Run Tour" with the Annabelle doll. Rivera, 54, was found dead in a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, hotel room on July 13.
According to E! News, a July 16 police report labeled his death as "natural," but a final cause of death won't be determined until an autopsy is completed.
There have been three standalone films about Annabelle, a Raggedy Ann doll given as a gift to a nursing student who noticed strange occurrences with the doll. The nurse and her roommate called the Warrens, who "pronounced the doll demonically possessed," removed it from the home and "encased it in a glass box to contain the evil spirited entity," according to New England Society for Psychic Research. Ed Warren died in 2006 at 79, and Lorraine Warren died in 2019 at 92.
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