We were able to easily move all of the furniture out of this room. Moving blankets attached to the walls give it a padded room look. An old antique light reproduction hung as a bare bulb from the ceiling. It was on a dimmer to get just the right level of spooky lighting. The entire floor was covered in pads.
Now that Kris uses this more as an office rather than a guest room, this year’s theme will be Annabelle’s Room. The theme is inspired by the film of the same name and the just released sequel. At Son of Monsterpalooza convention we attended a few weeks ago (see our Monsterous Sex article) there was the actual Annabelle doll from the movie. We got a picture, used Photoshop to turn it into an oil painting, and framed it for the wall. Also on the wall are some childish drawings that upon closer inspection are quite disturbed.
The main display in this room is the haunter doll collection.
Haunted dolls have become a big thing. These were all home made using dolls purchased at garage and estate sales. Her clothing was originally bright and colorful and it was dyed to make it look old and dingy. Her face was painted white.
You don’t want to be alone with Cutup Kathy.
The two headed doll above is said to have belonged to the Hilton Sisters, conjoined twins who became international stars. Violet and Daisy toured the world in their youth in sideshows and vaudeville in the 1920s and 30s, and even formed an act with Bob Hope called The Dancemedians with the Hilton Sisters. They also appeared in the classic 1932 horror film Freaks. Unfortunately, they were brutalized throughout their childhoods by their mother and a guardian who sought only to profit from them. Late at night, some have claimed to hear two simultaneous and identical moans coming from the doll. All of that is true, except, of course, the part about the doll. She was made by buying two identical dolls, cutting off the head of one, and putting it on the shoulder of the other.
Freak babies, usually in jars of formaldehyde, were a staple of sideshows. Devil babies were often displayed in small coffins to make them look mummified. They were fakes. Two headed babies were also popular, and also usually fakes. They were called “bouncers” by the carnies because they were made of latex. Outraged townspeople would often alert authorities, and these babies, also called “pickled punks” by the carnies, would be seized and given Christian burials. There are rubber and latex babies buried all over the country.