The Conjuring movies have popularized the work of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, which extends far further than the few instances seen in the films. Over the years, the pair have amassed a large collection of objects purportedly infused with supernatural evil, and one such artifact, a unique creation called the Doll of Shadows, has recently been shown off in a video from the Warren Occult Museum.
Filmed by Tony Spera, the museum’s director, the doll is shown under a red light and revealed in all its grotesque glory. Named for the black clothing in which it’s swathed, ragged bird feathers are used for its hair, and human bone and nails have been utilized in its construction. Most notably, a single human tooth protrudes prominently from its mouth.
The doll was discovered by a young couple in the mid ‘90s in an antique shop, and exactly where it came from and what happened between its purchase and it ending up in the Warrens’ possession is not elaborated upon, but given its stated powers it was unlikely to have been anything pleasant.
According to Spera, the doll is used to enact curses by way of combining sorcery and technology. A photograph of the doll is taken, and on the back of the image the misfortune the caster wishes to inflict is written, then the photo is mailed to the intended victim and upon receipt the curse will be enacted.
There are currently no plans to use the Doll of Shadows in The Conjuring movies, as the next installment, The Devil Made Me Do It, concerns the story of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who in 1981 was the first person in U.S. history to claim demonic possession as a defense against being convicted of murder. However, the doll’s mesmerizing hideousness and powerful capabilities make it a prime candidate for the cinematic treatment, so we may well yet see it on the big screen.
