Is the haunted doll Annabelle to blame for a plantation fire? The internet says yes
Ghost City Tours hosted and sold tickets to the public to see Annabelle, the haunted Raggedy Ann doll that inspired the movie "Annabelle," which is a part of the "Conjuring" universe.
"It was nice to have our own weird event," said Tim Nealon, the founder, president and former CEO of Ghost City Tours.
However, despite the success of the sold-out event, the internet began to blame the escape of 10 inmates from a New Orleans jail and a fire that destroyed the Nottoway Plantation on Annabelle's visit.
Ghost City Tours teamed up with "Annabelle's Caretakers," an extension of the now-closed Warren Occult Museum, while they were touring the U.S. with the allegedly haunted doll. The doll was originally on display at the Warrens' Occult Museum, which permanently closed to the public in 2019 after Lorraine Warren, one of the original owners, died, according to Atlas Obscura.
Annabelle's tour stopped in several states and cities, including the Ghost City Tours office in New Orleans from May 13 to May 14, where fans of the paranormal were able to visit Annabelle and learn more about her origin story.
The event sold out immediately.
"It was literally sold out within seconds," said Nealon. "I mean, I felt like it was some big-name concert."
While some people took to social media to joke about the coincidence of Annabelle's visit, others didn't think it was a joke at all.
"I did not think people were taking it seriously, (because) I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok," said Nealon. "But, I didn't realize people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit."
Some people online are "absolutely convinced that Ghost City Tour is responsible" for the plantation fire and the inmates' escape, according to Nealon.
People are even sending them death threats.
"I could never imagine sending anybody a death threat at all, let alone over a (expletive) haunted doll," said Nelon.
Annabelle visited San Antonio, Texas, where the doll was displayed at the annual San Antonio Psychic & Spirit Fest from May 17-18.
In 1970, a mom gave her daughter, Donna, a 28-year-old nursing student, the now-infamous doll, according to the New England Society for Psychic Research, NESPR. She'd purchased Annabelle from a hobby store.
Donna and her roommate, Angie, noticed weird paranormal activity happening around the apartment, which began to escalate.
Legend has it that the paranormal activity only became worse. The doll was thought to be inhabited by the spirit of a young girl, but Donna soon believed it was actually possessed by something "demonic and inhuman."
The doll was later handed over to Ed and Lorraine Warren, a couple famous for collecting paranormal objects and artifacts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Inside Zac Brown and Kendra Scott's plan for $6.7M Austin home after engagement announcement
Zac Brown and jewelry designer Kendra Scott are engaged after the country singer popped the question with a sparkling pink diamond. So, will he move to Austin, TX, and make his fiancée's $6.7 million home their love nest? The 46-year-old 'Old Love Song' hitmaker, 46, got down on one knee and asked Scott, 51, to marry him—two months after making their romance red-carpet official. The lovebirds confirmed their engagement to People, telling the outlet that they are so 'happy and grateful' that they found each other. In May, the couple made their red carpet debut while attending the American Music Awards in Las Vegas. At the time, an insider close to Brown and Scott told the outlet that they were madly in love. 6 Zac Brown and jewelry designer Kendra Scott are engaged after the country singer proposed with a pink diamond ring. Getty Images 'They were set up by a mutual friend and are totally in love. They are head over heels and have become inseparable,' the source revealed. Just days after they hard-launched their relationship to the world, Scott—who shares sons Cade, 23, and Beck, 21, with ex-husband John Scott as well as son Grey, 11, with ex-husband Matt Davis—took to social media to gush about her new partner. 'What an unforgettable night at the @amas,' she wrote on Instagram that same day. 'We danced, we laughed, and seeing Zac honored with the inaugural Veteran's Voice Award was the highlight of it all.' 6 'They were set up by a mutual friend and are totally in love. They are head over heels and have become inseparable,' an insider told People. Getty Images for Spotify 6 In May, the couple made their red carpet debut while attending the American Music Awards in Las Vegas. Aurora / Brian Prahl / '@zacbrown, I'm so incredibly proud of you—of your heart, your service, and the man you are. You couldn't deserve this more,' she penned. They were then spotted at fellow country star Jamey Johnson's wedding together, leaving fans gushing over their adorable romance. Their engagement comes two years after Brown—who shares kids Justice, 18, Lucy, 17, Georgia, 16, Joni, 14, and Alexander, 11, with ex-wife Shelly Brown—separated from Kelly Yazdi. 6 The engagement comes two years after Brown separated from Kelly Yazdi. Getty Images Yazdi and Brown announced their divorce in 2023, after just four months of marriage. 'We are in the process of divorce. Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time,' they announced with a joint statement to Billboard at the time. Brown then filed an emergency temporary restraining order demanding that Yazdi remove an Instagram post that he claimed damaged his public image. Yazdi rebuked the lawsuit and shared a fierce social media post in response. 6 Brown listed his lakeside home in Georgia for $3.25 million amid his divorce. REUTERS 'No one—not even Zac Brown with all of his money, power, celebrity, and lawyers, may silence my right to freely express myself through art or, although I have to date declined to do so publicly, to speak about the circumstances of our pending divorce,' she said in a video shared to TikTok on May 19. Amid his divorce battle, Brown listed his sprawling lakeside home in Georgia for $3.25 million, after splashing out $1.8 million for it in 2020. The home is located in a gated community and boasts 9,448 square feet of living space, including seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. 6 Scott's 16,149 square feet home, built in 2016, has eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms with a resort-style pool and greenery. The home comes with a resort-style pool and lots of lush greenery—offering the newly engaged couple peak privacy. Google Maps 'The kitchen overlooks an open-concept vaulted living room and a fireside breakfast room flowing to a screened porch with lake views,' the listing read. After he offloaded the home, Brown, who grew up in Cumming, GA, which is near his former property, remained in Georgia. However, things might change now that the country singer is engaged to Scott. Brown might even opt to move into Scott's $6.7 million Austin dwelling. The jewelry designer's abode, which was built in 2016, boasts eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 16,149 square feet of living space. The home comes with a resort-style pool and lots of lush greenery—offering the newly engaged couple peak privacy.
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Cooked: Celebrated Chef exits new venture after allegedly balking at free food for influencer because she wasn't famous enough
A prominent San Francisco chef threw in the apron at his newly opened cafe after allegedly belittling a TikTok influencer during a tense exchange over her follower count aired out in a viral video. The incident unfolded Wednesday at Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, when 'micro-influencer' @itskarlabb described how she had pre-arranged a collab with the restaurant's team and showed up early to film content, according to a video she posted to her platform. 3 Influencer @itskarlabb was allegedly belittled by top chef Luke Sung over her supposedly low follower count, leaving her running from his new California restaurant in tears. itskarlabb/tiktok The influencer, known as Karla, claimed that a man — later identified as celebrated James Beard Award-nominated chef and co-owner Luke Sung — questioned her 15,000-follower count and told staff it was a 'mistake' to invite an influencer so small. 'I know they're talking about me, because I can hear them saying 'TikTok, views, followers' ,' she said in a later video, which has racked up more than 20 million views. The influencer said that when she introduced herself, Sung grilled her over whether she had researched the restaurant, a wine bar serving small bites. She insisted she knew the menu and the vibe, but Sung disagreed and began scrolling through her TikTok feed at full volume within earshot, the influencer said. 'After scrolling like, two times, he says to me that he doesn't think my videos are at the level which he wants his restaurant represented,' she recalled. 'It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant.' 3 Sung couldn't take the heat after the pair's alleged exchange went viral and left his new venture. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Sung then reportedly asked, 'Do you know who I am?' and told Karla he was a two-time James Beard Award finalist and that his daughter is Big Apple vlogger, Isa Sung, who has 600,000 TikTok followers. He also dismissed the influencer's cooking videos she posted to her platform, dissing them as 'homey,' Karla said. The belittling exchange left her in tears, she said. 'I told him I felt disrespected and didn't want to collaborate anymore,' the influencer said. Karla's follower count has since skyrocketed to more than 350,000 since she shared the story on TikTok. The influencer said she wants to 'be an advocate for micro influencers' who don't receive as many handouts. 'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference,' she said. 3 Kis Cafe, which opened in May, announced that Sung had left as chef and co-owner. FOX By Friday, Kis Cafe's was getting cooked on Yelp, where its rating plunged from four to five stars to just over two stars, and reviews for 'Isa '– a 'pioneering' Cal-French restaurant that Sung previously opened and named after his influencer daughter — grew with haters lambasting the chef for his behavior. Kis Cafe, which opened in May, soon announced that Sung had left as a chef and co-owner, later clarifying he had done so of his 'own accord' and was not technically fired. 'Our chef's behavior was unacceptable, and he is no longer a part of the team,' Kis Cafe wrote in an Instagram post Thursday. The restaurant said it has now temporarily closed to 'restructure.' 'We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful to everyone. In this instance, we failed to do so,' Kis Cafe said in a statement.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Surprise! Johnny Depp joins Alice Cooper for Ozzy Osbourne tribute
Alice Cooper and his surprise guest Johnny Depp have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Depp made an appearance with Cooper during the rocker's concert at London's O2 Arena on Friday, July 25. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor, 62, joined Cooper, 77, in honoring Osbourne by playing guitar during a performance of the classic Black Sabbath song "Paranoid," according to video from the show shared on social media and YouTube. Depp formed the rock group Hollywood Vampires with Cooper in 2012. Cooper wore an Osbourne shirt for the tribute performance, which came days after the Black Sabbath musician died on July 22 at age 76. According to a statement from Osbourne's family, he "was with his family and surrounded by love." Cooper previously paid tribute to the rock icon in an Instagram post, noting he heard the news minutes before going on stage and subsequently dedicated his July 22 performance in Wales to the musician. "Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it's really hard to accept," Cooper shared. "Even though everybody saw it coming with Ozzy, it just took our breath away when it happened. So Ozzy and family − your records and your music and your legend and all that you brought − the humor to the rock business − will live on forever and we're gonna miss you, man." Cooper also said that Osbourne "earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon." "He was and will continue to be a rock n roll legend. Rock n Roll is a family and a fraternity," he added. "When we lose one of our own it bleeds. I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better." Cooper spoke further about Osbourne on "The Scott Mills Breakfast Show," noting the two of them "really got along" and shared a desire to continue performing as long as they could. Osbourne died just weeks after he performed during a farewell show with Black Sabbath. "Ozzy was one of those guys that was a lifer," Cooper reflected. "There are certain guys that are lifers − the (Rolling) Stones, The Beatles − that are still doing it and doing it amazingly well. I'm going to do this until I can't do it, and I think Ozzy was the same thing."
