Matt Rife Is The Annabelle Doll's New Guardian. These Are The Terrifying Reasons He Might Regret It

Comedian Matt Rife has achieved a great deal in his relatively short career, releasing numerous stand-up specials that have seen him become one of the biggest young stars on the comedy scene. In July 2025, he became the youngest comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden at the age of just 29. However, as his social media channels show, Rife's interests aren't only reserved for the art of comedy alone. As well as being a huge gym fanatic, Rife has made it clear to his followers that he is obsessed with horror and the paranormal — and that his passion for the subjects has led him to make a very unexpected purchase.

"Hey guys, super random but incredible announcement," Rife said in a video posted to Instagram. "I have just bought the Ed and Lorraine Warren's home and occult museum with my very good friend Elton Castee. If you guys have ever seen any of the "Conjuring" films, the "Annabelle" films, or even "Amityville Horror," this is the home that inspired all of those stories. This might be the most important and prominent piece of paranormal history in the world." The purchase makes Rife and Castee the guardians of around 750 "haunted" artifacts collected by the paranormal investigative couple, among them the notorious Annabelle doll — a terrifying proposition for those who believe in the occult. Psychics have warned that the doll, which has a disturbing history, is not to be taken lightly.

The doll that inspired the "Annabelle" movies doesn't look anything out of the ordinary. Unlike the model in the films that resembles Chuckie with an intentionally scary face, the original was a typical Raggedy Ann doll, with red hair, large eyes, and a broad, cartoonish smile. However, the story behind it as told by Ed and Lorraine Warren made the doll an object of great fear, so much so that it is commonly kept locked in a wooden case at the Warren's occult museum in Monroe, Connecticut, adorned with a crucifix and the sign "warning: positively do not open."

According to the Warrens, the Annabelle doll was given to them in 1971. Its previous owner was a 28-year-old woman who had received the doll from her mom, but she realized that something was amiss when it reportedly began to appear in strange places, leave disturbing notes on parchment paper, and leak blood. The Warrens also claimed that the doll had attacked the woman's fiancé and could inflict "psychic slashes" on its victims (per The Guardian). The Warrens explained that the doll was possessed by an inhuman presence.

The Warren Occult Museum is currently closed, but the Annabelle doll has been seen in public often in recent months. In July 2025, just weeks before Matt Rife purchased the Occult Museum in which Annabelle is usually housed, the doll was on tour again as an attraction on the "Devils on the Run Tour," a showcase of paranormal experts and artefacts. Shockingly, one of the key figures on the tour, Dan Rivera, the senior lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research, died suddenly at the age of 54, a tragedy that some have linked to the presence of the Annabelle doll. But Riviera's death wasn't the first disturbing incident to take place on tour. In May, it was reported that the doll had mysteriously gone missing while stopping in New Orleans. Around the same time, the city saw a major plantation fire, while a day later, 10 prisoners broke free from a nearby prison. The story that the Annabelle doll was in some way responsible caused a wave of concern among believers in Chicago, where the doll was soon due to arrive, though it was soon reported that it had been returned to the museum and was safely in its case.

The last time the notorious Annabelle doll made headlines was back in August 2020. A rumor claimed it had escaped from its wooden box at the Warrens' Occult Museum and was missing — seemingly ready to unleash horror on some unsuspecting members of the public in Connecticut and beyond. However, no such breakout had occurred.

The tragic death of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera isn't the only fatal incident tied to the Annabelle doll. Among the tidbits Ed and Lorraine Warren shared with the public when displaying Annabelle was that it had reportedly taken the life of one of the museum's visitors. When a young couple visited, the man tapped on the glass, claiming that the doll was nothing but the focus of superstition. Shortly after leaving, the pair were riding on the man's motorcycle when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree, killing him instantly. Annabelle is also said to have been responsible a near-fatal accident when a priest allegedly crashed his car after the doll appeared in his rearview mirror while driving. The Warrens themselves have even claimed the doll was responsible for their brakes failing shortly after they came into possession of the doll.

So should Matt Rife be worried? According to the many comments on his own social media posts reacting to his announcement that he is now the custodian of the cursed doll: yes. Even other celebrities are getting involved, with the psychic Matt Fraser eerily warning (via the Daily Mail): "Because of all the hype surrounding the Annabelle doll, from naming her to interacting with her and now putting her on display, people are unintentionally breathing life into something that should never be awakened."