One of the most notorious homes in the realm of the paranormal has been acquired by one of the most ubiquitous comics in the realm of viral videos.
Funnyman Matt Rife announced that he has teamed with ghost hunting YouTuber Elton Castee to purchase the Monroe, Connecticut home of Ed and Lorraine Warren, which inspired “The Conjuring” franchise of horror films. The acquisition includes the Warren Occult Museum and the allegedly possessed doll that inspired the horror film “Annabelle.”
The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952 and became prominent as collectors of paranormal artifacts. Their most infamous collection was a Raggedy Ann doll referred to as Annabelle, which allegedly became the target of demonic possession.
“If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted,” said Rife on his Instagram page. “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, [etc].”
The financial terms of the purchase were not announced. Rife added that planned to “open the house for overnight stays and museum tours so you yourself can experience and learn all the haunted history surrounding this amazing place.” The property has been closed to the public since 2019 after Lorraine Warren’s death; Ed Warren died in 2005.
The latest “Conjuring” film, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” is scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 5. Rife, who gained popularity through a series of online videos showing his comic interactions with comedy club audiences, has no connection to the new film.
Photo: Elton Castee and Matt Rife posing with the infamous Annabelle doll at the Warren Occult Museum. Photo courtesy of Matt Rife’s Instagram page.
