Matt Rife and Elton Castee to open Annabelle Doll’s Warren Occult Museum to the public

In a shocking announcement made on August 1, 2025, comedian Matt Rife revealed that he and his friend Elton Castee had officially purchased the home and museum of legendary paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. This acquisition includes the famous haunted collection that has long fascinated fans of the supernatural, including the infamous Annabelle doll. 

The news broke through a TikTok video, where Rife shared his excitement about becoming the “legal guardian” of the Annabelle doll and other spooky artifacts.

In his TikTok video, Rife explained his “super random” decision to purchase the Warrens' Occult Museum, located in Monroe, Connecticut, and its vast collection of paranormal items. These artifacts, including the Annabelle doll, have been featured in popular horror films like Annabelle and The Conjuring. Rife continued,

“This might be the most important and prominent piece of paranormal history in the world. Ed and Lorraine Warren are who took demonology and ghost hunting and paranormal investing and made it mainstream.”

Rife further clarified that he and Castee are now the “legal guardians and caretakers” of the museum and its 750 artifacts, but they do not have permanent ownership.

“I must go on record and say we do not legally own the items, but we are the legal guardians and caretakers of the items for at least the next five years,” Rife explained in the video.

The Warrens' Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, has been a popular place for people who are interested in the paranormal for many years. It was against the law to have the museum open in 2019 because it had too many haunted objects. Rife and Castee's announcement that the museum will reopen for tours has the paranormal world buzzing with excitement.

A representative for Rife confirmed the legitimacy of the purchase in a statement to PEOPLE on August 2, 2025, although representatives for the museum have not yet responded to requests for further comment.

The new owners want to open the Warren house for overnight stays in addition to the museum. This will give fans a chance to see the history of the Warrens up close. This new project will definitely get a lot of attention because it mixes Rife's love of horror with his comedy.

Annabelle doll’s Warren Occult museum

Paranormal fans have long thought of the Warren Occult Museum as a famous place to visit. The museum is run by Ed and Lorraine Warren, two of the most famous paranormal investigators. It has a huge collection of things that people think are haunted.

The famous Annabelle doll, a real Raggedy Ann doll thought to be haunted by a ghost, is one of the most well-known things in the museum.

A lot of scary movies, like the Conjuring series, have been about the doll and other things like cursed paintings, haunted relics, and ritual tools.

The Warren family opened the museum to show off the things they had found during decades of investigating the supernatural. People from all over the world came to visit this place as it quickly became a must-see for supernatural fans.

The museum has a collection of over 750 items, including the Annabelle doll with scary stories behind it.

The museum has been closed to the public since 2019, and the artifacts are still locked up in the Warrens' home. However, now things are going to change.

Who is Matt Rife?

Matt Rife, born September 10, 1995, is a rising comedy star. Rife's unique humor has garnered a large following from Wild ‘N Out and his Netflix specials. Ohio native Rife began his comedy career at 14 by performing at his high school's talent show. He began professional comedy at 15 due to his ability to make people laugh.

Rife worked his way up to the sketch comedy show Wild ‘N Out, which increased his exposure. He later appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Netflix specials Natural Selection and Walking Red Flag. Rife enjoys paranormal research, especially haunted artifacts, in addition to stand-up. This passion led him to buy the Warren Occult Museum, where he legally guards the Annabelle doll.