Comedian Matt Rife’s new purchase is ha-ha-haunted.
Rife revealed Friday that he purchased the Connecticut home and occult museum of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, becoming the “legal guardian” of the famed Annabelle doll.
The stand-up comic, who bought the house alongside his pal and YouTube star Elton Castee, called the centuries-old farmhouse the “most important and prominent pieces of paranormal history in the world.”
“Ed and Lorraine Warren are who took demonology, ghost hunting and paranormal investigation and made it mainstream,” Rife told his TikTok followers.
The Monroe, Conn. home was once owned by the real-life couple who conducted over 3,000 paranormal investigations that inspired movies like “The Conjuring” and “The Amityville Horror.”
“The Conjuring films are my favorite scary movies of all time,” Rife shared. “So I’m incredibly honored to have taken over one of the most prominent properties in paranormal history.”
Rife did not reveal how much he spent on his purchase.
Haunted relics from the Warrens’ adventures remained on the property after their death including fragments of crashed Eastern Airlines Flight 401 and an organ that can play on its own.
The museum also houses Annabelle, the giant Raggedy Ann doll, which was kept locked in a case labeled “Warning: Positively Do Not Open.”
The doll is believed to have a “demonic” presence attached to it after it allegedly terrorized two roommates in the 1970s by mysteriously moving by itself, leaving creepy notes and it was accused of trying to strangle a friend sleeping in the apartment.
Most recently, it was part of the “Devils on the Run Tour,” hosted by paranormal investigator Dan Rivera, who died suddenly in his hotel room on July 13.
Rivera was traveling around the US with other members of the New England Society for Psychic Research to show off Annabelle as part of his tour.
The doll was not in the room when he died and state police claim “nothing unusual or suspicious” was found at the scene.
Rivera’s cause of death has not yet been released.
The recent incident has not stopped Rife from leaning into his new “hobby.”
“We are the legal guardians and caretakers of all 750 haunted artifacts and items in the Warren museum including the Annabelle doll,” Rife said. “We don’t legally own the items, but we are legal guardians and caretakers of the items for at least the next five years.”
The “Wild ‘N Out” improviser plans to reopen the haunted doors for museum tours and overnight stays to “learn all the haunted history surrounding this amazing place.”
“This is the most random hobby ever, but it’s so f—ing cool, man. I should probably collect stamps or something,” Rife quipped. “Might be a little safer.”
The new owners will likely have to fix up the property’s fire-safety issues before they can share it, according to The Providence Journal.
“Still can’t believe we’re the new owners… Sitting on their porch now looking at all the photos of them at this house. We’re gonna make this the best paranormal investigation location on the planet,” co-owner Elton Castee commented under Rife’s announcement.
The home and museum were not open to the public in recent years after it was shut down in 2019 due to zoning issues.
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