A fire hit the interactive exhibition Casa Warner in the early hours of Tuesday (9), in the parking lot of Shopping Nova América, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The incident destroyed some items in the exhibition, including the Annabelle doll, used in the filming of the horror films of the ‘Conjuring’ franchise.
The exhibition has about 1,500 m², bringing together themed spaces , movie items and life-size characters from Warner Bros. productions. The exhibition had wings of films from the Harry Potter franchise, DC heroes, cartoons and classic series of the studio. The police are investigating the cause of the incident.
The Annabelle doll was locked sitting in a wooden and glass display case. A notice was in the exhibition, written: “Do not open under any circumstances”. In horror, the doll attracts people and then causes tragedies to happen around them.
Annabelle’s “death” and the fire ended up becoming a happy coincidence for X, formerly Twitter. Several users joked: “The culprit for the fire at Casa Warner, in Nova América”, with videos of the doll.
People joked about the fact, and claimed that the doll would be on the loose in Brazil: “Not even Annabelle tankou [slang for endured] Rio de Janeiro”
Vala 😓 was the work of annabelle https://t.co/67MDqfR2CD
— Paula Lee Kim (@PaulaLeeSJ) July 9, 2024
Guys, Annabelle’s original doll caught fire in BRAZIL. Are you aware of this? pic.twitter.com/egSpBk4PCb
— USBR Team (@EquipeUSBR) July 9, 2024
In April 2023, Annebelle was embroiled in another controversy when rumors surfaced that the original doll, which inspired the film, had escaped from the Warren Museum of the Occult in Monroe, USA. This museum, known for bringing together objects related to the occult collected by the Warren couple over the years, was the center of speculation.
However, it was all just a rumor. Warner Bros released a video showing the doll bored during the pandemic, trapped in studios in Los Angeles. At the end of the video, Annabelle is seen fleeing the studios in a golf cart and wearing a mask. This video, released in 2021, was a creative way to encourage people to comply with quarantine to contain the pandemic.