Sure, it’s just a doll. It’s just going to sit there, staring blankly, while Destination America’s webcam records its utter lack of movement. But since this is a supposedly haunted doll, maybe some crazy shit might happen?
It’s doubtful, but this publicity stunt — co-signed by horror and true-crime blog The Lineup, which is hosting the dollcam in its office — is actually sort of clever. It’s to promote a show on Destination America called Haunted Collector, about a guy who seeks out objects that may or may not be possessed by supernatural evils.
Objects like this doll, which — according to Destination America — has quite a spooky history:
The original Ann was a 13-year-old girl treated for tuberculosis at Waverly Hills Sanatorium in the early 1900s. One of Ann’s caretakers a very devoted and attached woman named Lois. When the children succumbed to their illnesses, it was believed that the spirits followed Lois home, hoping she would continue to care for them. Lois began her doll collection to help house the unfortunate souls, and while she has since passed, she kept a detailed journal about all of her dolls. Lois claims that Ann was terrified of the dark and that her spirit, who lives on in the doll, still cries out in the middle of the night. Paranormal investigators called in to examine Ann have reported a severe drop in temperature and strange odours in her presence, and there have been reports of a tear running down Ann’s cheek, as well as waving motions in her right arm.
The Ann livestream started today and will run for two weeks, at the end of which she’ll be sent to haunt live with whoever wins the Lineup’s giveaway contest. It’s only open to US residents, so Australians are out of luck if for some inexplicable reason you felt the need to bring a reportedly haunted doll into your home. In lieu of owning this horrifying child’s toy, you can just tune into the stream, which features the very, very still Ann and her wee yet deeply sinister shepherd’s crook, perched next to a clock to prove time is actually passing. Like your life before your very eyes.
Image: Discovery America