Est. 1952 · Paranormal Investigation History · Conjuring Film Inspiration · Annabelle Doll Provenance
Ed and Lorraine Warren founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952, the same year they began collecting artifacts from paranormal cases. Ed, a self-described demonologist, and Lorraine, who described herself as a clairvoyant and light trance medium, built a career spanning six decades and thousands of investigations.
Their case files include some of the most culturally persistent paranormal claims in American history. The Amityville Horror case of 1975 resulted in a bestselling book and a film franchise. The Perron family haunting in Harrisville, Rhode Island, formed the basis for The Conjuring (2013). The Annabelle case — a Raggedy Ann doll reported by two roommates to be possessed, which the Warrens took into custody in 1970 — became the basis for a separate Conjuring Universe film series.
The Annabelle doll has been housed in a glass case in the museum's basement since the Warrens' acquisition. Ed locked it in a glass case blessed by a Catholic priest after reports of the doll moving position on its own.
The museum operated from the Warren home's basement until 2019, when zoning issues led to its closure to the public. Ed Warren died on August 23, 2006; Lorraine Warren died on April 18, 2019. The house was purchased in August 2025 by comedian Matt Rife and YouTuber Elton Castee, who took on a five-year guardianship of the approximately 750-artifact collection. The house began accepting overnight guests in 2025; a separate public museum on Main Street in Monroe opened in 2026 to display the iconic Conjuring-Universe artifacts (Annabelle, Shadow Doll, Satanic Idol, Conjuring Mirror), which were relocated from the home in August 2026 to comply with local zoning. The home retains 600+ original Warren artifacts plus 100 new pieces and continues operation as a private overnight rental.
Sources
- https://hauntedwarrenhouse.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_and_Lorraine_Warren
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-warrens-occult-museum-monroe-connecticut
ApparitionsCold spotsObject movementEquipment malfunctionBattery drainPhantom sounds
The Warren Occult Museum's approximately 750 artifacts were not acquired in a single collection — they accumulated over sixty years of case work, each item associated with a specific investigation. The Annabelle doll, housed in a glass case since 1970, is the most famous. The Warrens claimed it had levitated, changed position, and that a priest who had handled it without proper precaution died in a motorcycle accident shortly afterward. These claims are part of the case file; they are not independently verified.
Overnight guests at the house report activity across the property rather than concentrated in a single room. The museum basement generates the most documented reports — a feeling of being watched, localized temperature variations, the sense of movement in peripheral vision near the artifact cases. The nature of a collection assembled from cases involving claimed violent and possessive phenomena creates an unusual environment: the objects are associated with specific, named histories of disturbance.
YouTube and podcast investigators including Sam and Colby, the Paranormal Files team, and others managed by Elton Castee have documented stays at the house since the new ownership began accepting guests. The resulting video documentation has introduced the property to a substantial new audience.
The Warrens themselves described the house as active — Lorraine, in interviews toward the end of her life, declined to name everything she believed was present in the museum. Whether that reticence reflected genuine concern or effective showmanship is a distinction the Conjuring films have largely dissolved in public perception.
Notable Entities
AnnabelleEd WarrenLorraine Warren
Media Appearances
- Sam and Colby (YouTube)
- Paranormal Files
- GroovyGavin
- Overnight (Matt Rife)
