“The Warren Artifact Room holds the world’s largest private collection of haunted and cursed objects. Due to the extreme evil contained within, the Warrens have the room blessed weekly.
While every object has its own unique and terrifying history, there is one artifact the Warrens deem more malevolent than any other…”
I’ve talked a lot about Annabelle already in this dive into The Conjuring movies. However, the 2019 installment, Annabelle Comes Home gives viewers a new perspective on the lives of Ed and Lorraine Warren as one of the main protagonists of the movie is the Warren’s daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace).
Ed and Lorraine are headed out of town and leave Judy with a trusted babysitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Unbeknownst to them, the babysitter has a slightly less trustworthy, and much more curious friend, Daniela (Katie Sarife), who is eager to tag along.
At first, there was a part of me that wanted to hate Daniela, because how on earth could someone be so invasive of a total stranger’s belongings? Especially when those belongings are potentially dangerous. She appears to have little care regarding the responsibility her friend has for the Warrens’ daughter and more or less does whatever she feels.
This hate quickly turns to empathy and understanding as the story goes on and reveals Daniela’s true motivation. She’s pushed by a recent wound opened by grief and either a desire for closure or simply a child’s desperate need to speak to their father one last time. The Warrens artifact room of course would be the first place anyone local would think of for tasks involving making contact with the dead.
A bit of snooping and one judgemental picture of Jesus later, Daniela has the keys to Pandora’s Box and heads into the artifact room with desperate naivety to connect with her father. Daniela not only finds a way to touch everything in the room, but makes sure to open the very secure, blessed, and locked case that holds the Annabelle doll.
It isn’t until Daniela is out in the yard tending to the chickens with Judy that she sees what she believes is her dad inside the house. As she makes her way to the house, it’s clear to the viewer that what she saw isn’t her dad, but something else. Something bad. Grief can make people do and believe strange things though, and by pretending to be her dad, Annabelle had Daniela right where she wanted her.
Is it common practice for entities to prey on humans this way? Is it always malevolent?
There are reports from all around the world of people receiving visits from loved ones who have passed on. Often, these encounters bring feelings of comfort and closure to those who experience them. However, some cases have taken a notably darker turn and many believe that our loved ones cannot pay any visits after death and that these encounters are merely demons working to deceive us at our most vulnerable.
Many refer to 2 Corinthians 11:14 when discussing the existence of ghosts, especially those that appear as friends and family.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
While condemning spiritualism appears to be a common practice among those who follow the bible, there is a unique piece of Scripture that alludes to the opposite.
Saul and the Medium at Endor
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
“There is one in Endor,” they said.
8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
10 Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”
11 Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
“Bring up Samuel,” he said.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure[a] coming up out of the earth.”
14 “What does he look like?” he asked.
“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
A loved one visiting from beyond the grave, it seems, could be exactly that. Or it could be a malevolent force seeking to prey on the living. Either way, it’s best not to dabble in things you know little about. Daniela ventured into a room filled with dark energy expecting to find light, which is not the way to go about speaking with the dead, but a way to make yourself a target for evil.
Can ghosts give you cooties?
This question arose during Tony's bullying of Judy at the movie's outset, yet it's a valid inquiry for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of spirits. The answer is yes. Ghosts can give you cooties - in a way. The cooties that can be picked up from the spirit world aren't as imaginary as the ones that used to be every child’s biggest woe.
Spiritual attachments can occur across the spectrum but tend to target individuals immersed in negativity, such as depression, anxiety, addiction, or grief. All of these make us vulnerable to spirits who can then feed on our energy.
The Artifact Room
Annabelle Comes Home wreaks havoc as the haunted artifacts within the Warren household spring to life. These entities transcend mere haunting; they are malevolent forces intent on inflicting harm and even death. The origins of these artifacts draw from actual items housed in the Warrens' Occult Museum, inspired by the real-life cases that Ed and Lorraine Warren tackled during their prime.
The Wedding Dress
The tale woven around the wedding dress in “Annabelle Comes Home” is purely fictional, though the dress itself is a real artifact from the Warren's Occult Museum. It draws inspiration from the storied White Lady of Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut—a figure shrouded in legend, her story twisted through time into several haunting variations. In one account, she is a woman who died in childbirth, forever doomed to roam in search of her lost child. Other chilling tales suggest darker fates, including betrayal and murder at the hands of her husband.
Most sightings of the White Lady occur along Route 59, adjacent to the cemetery. She is known for startling drivers by appearing suddenly before their vehicles, causing them to swerve or brake abruptly. Yet, when they exit to confront or identify this mysterious figure, she has already disappeared without a trace.
Ed Warren himself experienced the enigma of the White Lady one eerie night just before 3:00 am. Drawn by the sound of weeping, he glimpsed the silhouette of a woman in the cemetery. As he moved closer she dissolved into the misty air, leaving no trace but the echo of her sorrow.
Werewolf
Annabelle Comes Home delivers a series of thrilling jump scares as a creature known as The Black Shuck - a werewolf-like entity - springs to life and pursues the unfortunate Bob (Michael Cimino) across the Warrens' property. But this begs the question: Did the Warrens ever actually confront a werewolf? Sort of.
One of the more striking investigations Ed and Lorraine Warren undertook involved William Ramsey, also known as Bill, who they believed was possessed by a spirit responsible for lycanthropy. While Bill never underwent a physical transformation into a werewolf, he exhibited ferocious, wolf-like behaviors and was known to attack people in public. Ultimately, Bill traveled from London to the United States with the Warrens to undergo an exorcism. The case is chronicled in the book, “Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession.”
The Samurai Suit
The Samurai Suit in Annabelle Comes Home is possibly one of the coolest artifacts locked away. There was a set of Samurai armor that visitors loved in Ed and Lorraine’s Occult Museum. Though the backstory of the version in Annabelle Comes Home may be cooler than the original.
The story goes that during the Kamakura period of 1185 through 1333 when Samauri were becoming prominent. It tells of a man who, filled with rage, cruelty, and malice, rejected the Samurai path. Still in his armor, he headed to a nearby village and brutally slaughtered all the women and children there. It is believed that the armor retains not only the malevolence of the man but also the tormented spirits of his victims. According to the tale, when the surroundings fall silent, the harrowing screams of the slain can still be heard echoing from within the armor.
Annabelle Comes Home is perhaps one of the most fun glimpses into the lives of Ed and Lorraine Warren for those unfamiliar with their work. While the stories are always done up for Hollywood scares, the glimmer of truth behind each artifact is a stark reminder that the unknown will always surprise us. Even if it’s not always in the most enjoyable ways.
