Destination: Doll Island
Maybe it’s the way their glassy, dead eyes stare out, or the way their realistic features send a shiver down people’s spine. Or maybe it's when they suffer damage, particularly to the face that creates a demonic quality.
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The one type of doll that always sticks in people’s minds that stirs up the creep factor are Victorian dolls. These Cherubim-faced creations, often possessing realistic hair–sometimes actual human hair–and dressed in clothes similar to what a young girl would have worn. Thus, appealing to their target market at the time. Most of these dolls are now classed as antiques in their own right and it is these so often associated with horror. This takes us onto the next part.
The Island of the Dolls
If you wanted to really ramp up the nightmare fuel, how about a trip to La Isla de las Munecas? Have your tickets ready! Located on a small island within the channels of Lake Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, is a place where, for many people, nightmares are born. Accessible only by boat, it has become a popular tourist destination. A small man-made island known as a chinampa–designed to grow vegetables and fruit–has become home to legions of dolls. Some hang from trees, others are propped up wherever there’s space. Some are even nailed to trees. All are offerings to the drowned girl who many believe haunts the island.
Image credit: Mark Atkins on Atlas Obscura
The Legend
Once occupied by a man called Don Julian Santana Barrera, he was the caretaker of the island. One day, he came across the dead body of a young girl who had drowned in the water under mysterious circumstances. Unable to save her life, he later found a doll, which he assumed was hers, floating in the water. As a sign of respect, he hung the doll from a tree.
However, this alone did not satisfy the girl’s lost spirit and so, to placate her relentless haunting, he hung more dolls. Previously successful crops he had grown had now failed. Believing this was down to the girl’s spirit, he used the dolls as a way to protect himself and his wife. Over the next fifty years or so, the island gradually filled with more dolls, all collected by him. It is said that Barrera was never the same after finding the dead girl, always wishing he could have saved her life.
Eerie Endings
In 2001, Barrera died. He was found drowned in the same place as the dead girl’s body. Some believe he made the entire story up of the girl. Others believe him without question. Either way, the island is now a hotspot for ghost hunters and creep-seekers.
Many believe the eyes of the dolls move and follow visitors as they meander their way around hordes of small plastic sentries. Some claim to have heard the dolls whispering to each other and even move their heads.
All are decaying and some have limbs and heads missing. Their rotting appearance only adds to the macabre sight where moss lays claim to their clothing and spiders make nests in their hollowed heads. The Island’s reputation has resulted in many programmes being made. The Discovery Channel has been there, along with Ghost Adventures. The interest in La Isla de las Munecas shows no signs of waning.
Other Famous Dolls
This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning two well-known possessed dolls: Robert the Doll and Annabelle.
Both of these rather benign sounding dolls bear no resemblance to the Victorian style of long ago. Robert the doll for example, possesses features that only are vaguely human. Small, round, black eyes and a barely visible nose are the only features that stand out. The ears are cloth and hold no detail while the mouth is in indentation bearing a subtle smirk. It wears a white sailor’s suit and nestled in one arm is a toy dog with disturbingly large eyes and disproportionate head.
This doll is considered to be the most cursed object in Key West, Florida and now resides in a glass case at the Fort East Martello Museum also in Key West. It has been blamed for many unfortunate events such as car crashes, accidents and even divorces.
Robert was once a gift given to a boy of the same name, but preferred to be called Gene. This boy loved the doll to a point, he developed a rather unhealthy relationship with it; taking it everywhere and referring to it in the first person as if it were a living human.
As Gene grew into adulthood, his relationship with the doll didn’t end. However, various incidents occurred that led Otto, the now adult Gene, to believe this doll wasn’t so harmless after all. Now living in a large stately home, he placed the doll into the attic. This didn’t stop the increasingly odd events. Children in the neighbourhood would often complain they could see the doll watching them from the attic window and claim it would move. Footsteps and giggling could also be heard from the attic at night. After Otto’s death, it was eventually donated to the museum and each year visitors flock to pay him a visit in the hope of capturing something weird.
Annabelle
Bearing no resemblance to the doll featured in the film, this is actually a Raggedy Ann doll. Unlike the porcelain doll which bears a closer resemblance to the Victorian dolls mentioned earlier, the Raggedy Ann doll has even less human-like features. The face is completely flat with eyes, nose and mouth sewn on. The nose is represented as a red triangle while the eyes are oversized and flat.
Image credit: Spinpasta Wiki-Fandom
Taken from an apartment by the Warrens, the doll was said to have caused misery for the two nurses who lived there and owned the doll. On route to their home, Ed and Lorraine Warren suffered endless car troubles. With the doll in their car, they decided to take quieter roads, fearing the doll would cause a serious accident if they travelled via the highways. Only when Ed sprinkled holy water on the doll did they manage to get home.
A priest had informed them the doll was possessed by a demon that wanted to take possession of one of the nurses’ souls. The Warrens witnessed the doll levitate, change positions and rooms. They called a priest again who said he didn’t take the situation seriously even addressing the doll by stating it couldn’t hurt him as it was only a doll.
When he travelled home that night, his car was involved in an accident. It was written off, but the priest, though hurt, did survive. Lessons learned in mocking demons!
As with Robert, Annabelle still exists and can be found in a locked glass case in The Warrens’ Occult Museum, Connecticut. There is a warning on it that reads: ‘Positively, Do Not Open.’ A cross also accompanies the warning. It is claimed by some visitors that the doll moves around in the case.
Needless to say, dolls are not everyone’s cup of tea. So, if you’re ever gifted a doll and get a creepy vibe, perhaps perform a little bit of research on it. You never know what you’ll uncover.
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Sources:
https://isladelasmunecas.com/ (2021) accessed Nov 2021
Froelich, P, Real story behind ‘haunted’ island of the dolls in Mexico, New York Post, (Oct 2021), https://nypost.com/2021/10/30/real-story-behind-haunted-island-of-the-dolls-in-mexico/ (accessed Nov 2021)
Wright, A, The story behind the world’s most terrifying haunted doll, AtlasObscura, (Oct 2021) https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/story-behind-robert-the-doll (accessed Nov 2021)
https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/the-real-annabelle-doll-story-conjuring (accessed Nov 2021)