Anxiously Awaiting #Annabelle - #paranormal postings

As a fan of all things paranormal, I've been anxiously awaiting October, and all the spooky stuff that comes with it.  First and foremost on my list is Annabelle, the new horror film releasing this Friday.  Annabelle is a prequel to The Conjuring, which I watched with my sister, who is equally obsessed with scary movies...so much so that she named her daughter Reagan!  Anyone familiar with The Exorcist will recognize that name--we've watched that movie too many times to count.  I even did a blog post on the supposed curse surrounding the making of that movie, which you can read here.

I had to know more about The Conjuring once I'd seen it--after all, I write ghost stories, so I'm always looking for inspiration--and this movie was apparently based on actual events.  The Warrens are real paranormal investigators who deal with prominent hauntings...The Amityville Horror, one of my favorite books, was inspired by their reports.

While Ed Warren passed away in 2006, Lorraine Warren still resides in Connecticut and helps run a private Occult Museum located in the back of her house.  It is in this museum that visitors can view the actual Annabelle doll.  According to the Warren's website, the doll was often found in different positions or even entirely different locations.  Is there anything more creepy than a moving doll?  You can read the story of the real Annabelle doll here.

This isn't Annabelle...this is one of 8 plastic-covered
dolls one of my sister's patients gave her.
This text made me laugh hysterically...but I
wouldn't want them hanging around either.

If I recall correctly, the doll made an appearance in the opening of The Conjuring.  While Vera Farmiga stars as Lorraine Warren in the film, Ms. Warren herself actually has a cameo.  Vera Farmiga currently appears in another scary show--Bates Motel, the television series prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.  And I recognize her sister, Taissa Farmiga, as Violet from the first season of American Horror Story, which involved a haunted house--so it was a show I obviously couldn't resist.

While I admit I find hauntings fascinating, the idea of actually experiencing such a thing is terrifying.  But I have to admit, I would really like to get a look at that museum!  Hmm...I am going to be taking a trip to Connecticut this month, for my husband's reunion at the Coast Guard Academy.  Do I dare????

I plan to enjoy being screaming my head off in the movie theater this weekend...that's probably as close as I'll get the actual Annabelle.  For a peek at some of my other favorite ghost movies, look here.  And I've made a list of my favorite books involving ghosts as well, here.  And if you need some steamy romance reads to counteract a bit of spooky suspense, try SILVER LAKE or GULL HARBOR.  Happy hauntings!