The glass case rattles when no one is near it.
A doll’s head tilts, though you swear you didn’t touch it.
You’ve heard of Annabelle — the infamous haunted doll locked in the Warren Occult Museum — but she’s far from the only cursed object to terrify the living. From bloodstained furniture to paintings that make people ill, history is littered with artifacts better left untouched.
Some sit behind museum glass. Others are tucked away in private collections. A few still linger in homes, where their owners swear they hear whispers, feel cold fingers on their necks, or watch objects move on their own.
If you think Annabelle is nightmare fuel, these seven real-life haunted objects prove she’s got competition. Just remember — some legends say you don’t have to touch a cursed object to be marked by it. Sometimes, seeing it is enough.
1. The Dybbuk Box
At first glance, the small wooden wine cabinet looks harmless — just another dusty antique. But according to legend, it once belonged to a Holocaust survivor who claimed to have trapped a dybbuk, a malicious spirit from Jewish folklore, inside it.
When the box was auctioned on eBay in 2003, the seller described a litany of terrifying experiences: horrific nightmares, hair falling out in clumps, sudden illnesses, and the smell of cat urine that appeared from nowhere. New owners reported electronics failing, unexplained shadows flitting across the walls, and glass shattering without warning.
The Dybbuk Box’s notoriety grew when paranormal investigator Zak Bagans acquired it for his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas. Guests have fainted in front of it. Others refuse to go near it at all. Even those who’ve only seen it in photos claim to have experienced sudden migraines or a crushing sense of dread. Whether the spirit is still contained — or whether opening the box might unleash it — remains a question best left unanswered.
2. The Busby Stoop Chair
In 1702, Thomas Busby was hanged for murdering his father-in-law in North Yorkshire, England. Before his execution, he sat in his favorite pub chair and cursed it, declaring that anyone who dared sit in it would soon meet death.
Over the next three centuries, the “Dead Man’s Chair” earned its reputation. Soldiers who sat in it during World War II never returned from the front lines. Builders who took a lunch break in the chair fell to their deaths hours later. A chimney sweep sat in it, tripped on his way out the door, and broke his neck.
The pattern became so alarming that the Thirsk Museum — where the chair is now kept — mounted it high on a wall, out of reach. Visitors say they still feel uneasy standing beneath it, as if some unseen presence is watching… and waiting for them to take a seat. Some claim that when photographed, the chair appears surrounded by a faint shadow, even in full light.
3. The Hands Resist Him Painting
Paintings are supposed to be still. This one isn’t. Created by artist Bill Stoneham in 1972, The Hands Resist Him depicts a boy and a life-sized doll standing before a glass door. Behind the glass, dozens of pale hands press toward them, as if trying to break through.
When the painting was sold on eBay in 2000, the listing claimed the figures moved at night, the doll threatened the boy, and an unseen force pushed objects in the room. The sellers reported that people who merely viewed the image online felt ill, faint, or filled with dread.
Stoneham insists the painting was inspired by childhood memories, not a haunting — but that hasn’t stopped its cursed reputation. Today it resides in a private collection, but rumors persist that anyone who owns it risks becoming part of its nightmarish tableau. One former owner even claimed they saw the boy vanish entirely from the frame for several seconds before reappearing.
4. The Myrtles Plantation Mirror
Louisiana’s Myrtles Plantation has no shortage of ghost stories, but one of its most infamous artifacts is an ornate 19th-century mirror. According to legend, the glass holds the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her children, poisoned by a servant named Chloe.
Guests claim they’ve seen smudged handprints that cannot be wiped away, as well as faces appearing in the reflective depths — faces that don’t belong to anyone in the room. Some even say the mirror exudes a cold, unnatural air, making the hairs on their arms stand up.
The plantation’s staff insist the mirror has been cleaned and re-silvered over the years, yet the marks always return. Whether it’s a trick of the light or proof of trapped souls, the Myrtles mirror is a chilling reminder that some reflections might be looking back at you.
5. The Crying Boy Painting
In the 1950s, Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin created a series of portraits featuring a tearful young boy. The paintings were mass-produced and hung in homes across England — until the 1980s, when firefighters began noticing a strange pattern.
House after house would burn to the ground, yet The Crying Boy paintings inside survived unscathed. The press ran with the story, calling the artwork cursed and claiming it brought misfortune to its owners. Some reported sudden illnesses, financial ruin, or marital breakdowns after hanging it on their walls.
Even after skeptics suggested the fireproof varnish was to blame for the painting’s survival, the legend stuck. Many still refuse to keep a copy, fearing the boy’s sorrow hides something far more sinister. One firefighter even admitted that he refused to allow a copy in his own home — “just in case.”
6. Robert the Doll
Behind glass in Key West’s Fort East Martello Museum sits Robert — a century-old doll in a sailor suit with a mischievous grin. Given to Robert Eugene Otto in the early 1900s, the doll quickly became the center of strange events: objects moved, laughter echoed through empty rooms, and the boy blamed Robert for everything from broken toys to household accidents.
Today, museum staff and visitors swear Robert still moves, changes expression, and causes bad luck for those who disrespect him. There’s even a wall of apology letters from people who believe they’ve been cursed after mocking him.
We’ve covered Robert’s full story before — you can read it here [link to your Robert article]. Some visitors say their misfortunes began within hours of leaving the museum — car accidents, lost jobs, even sudden illnesses.
7. The Tallman Bunk Beds
In 1987, the Tallman family of Horicon, Wisconsin, bought a set of second-hand bunk beds. From the moment they arrived, the house seemed plagued: radios turned on and off, strange voices called out, and a tall, shadowy figure appeared at the children’s bedside.
The activity escalated to the point that family members slept elsewhere for weeks at a time. When they finally abandoned the home, they left the beds behind — which were later destroyed.
Skeptics point to mass hysteria, but those who lived through it insist the beds were cursed. Even decades later, locals still lower their voices when the story comes up. A former neighbor once claimed they saw a figure in the upstairs window long after the family had moved out — and long after the beds were gone.
SIMILAR HAUNTED OBJECTS AROUND THE WORLD
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Okiku Doll (Japan) — A doll in Hokkaido said to have hair that grows on its own, believed to contain the spirit of a young girl. The temple caring for her trims the hair regularly, claiming it continues to regrow.
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Peggy the Doll (UK) — Said to cause headaches, nightmares, and even heart attacks to those who see her photo online. Paranormal investigator Jayne Harris has documented dozens of cases of people becoming ill after viewing Peggy.
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The Cursed Amethyst (India/UK) — Known as the “Delhi Purple Sapphire,” blamed for a string of tragedies before being sealed in London’s Natural History Museum with a note warning against touching it.
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Chair of Death (Italy) — A Renaissance-era chair in Naples supposedly cursed to kill anyone who sits in it within a year. Local legend says a mobster once ignored the warning and was shot dead weeks later.
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Pupa the Doll (USA) — A family heirloom that reportedly moves on its own and changes facial expressions. Owners claim she has been heard tapping on the glass of her display case as if trying to get out.
WHY THESE STORIES STICK
Haunted objects are more than just creepy trinkets — they’re physical anchors for fear. Unlike ghost stories that vanish into the air, cursed items can be photographed, touched, even owned. That tangibility makes their legends harder to dismiss. Whether they’re tied to tragic deaths, occult rituals, or unexplainable accidents, these objects carry the weight of their history in every scratch and stain.
We cling to these tales because they give form to the formless — proof that some things should be left alone.
FINAL THOUGHTS
You don’t have to believe in curses to feel uneasy staring at an object with a history of death and misfortune. Whether they’re locked in a museum case or sitting in a dusty attic, these haunted relics remind us that the past doesn’t always stay in the past.
So next time you wander through an antique shop and feel that sudden chill… maybe keep walking.
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Urban Legends, Mystery, and Myth explores the creepiest corners of folklore — from haunted objects and bloodthirsty creatures to chilling historical mysteries.
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