THE WARREN'S PARACON, 2021
DATE(S) VISITED: OCT 31, 2021
LOCATION: WATERBURY, CT
The Warren's Seekers of the Paranormal Paracon event was held over Halloween weekend, Saturday October 30 and Sunday 31, 2021 at the Courtyard by Marriot Hotel in Waterbury, CT.
Team H had tickets for the Sunday event being as the Saturday had sold out. Initially the convention was only due to be set over one day, but due to an overwhelming response they decided to extend it. We were quite pleased about this as that meant we got to go on Halloween, it only seemed appropriate after all.
On arrival at the hotel we were happy to see that free parking was available for Paracon ticket holders and that a steady queue was already formed to get inside. What we found a little odd whilst waiting in line was the lack of people in costumes... it was Halloween after all! Our Mulder and Skully cosplay seemed to be a hit, with many fellow con goers asking for photographs taken with us both.
Whilst we were waiting in line to enter we happened to have a chance encounter with Arne Johnson, whose murder trial was known as the Devil Made Me Do It case. His court case was the first known in the United States in which the defense sought to prove innocence based upon the defendant's claim of demonic possession and denial of personal responsibility for the crime. It was a rather awesome experience and totally unexpected. He was a pretty chill guy and was happy to stop for a photo op.
The vibe from con goers outside was very upbeat and everyone was in high spirits (pun intended) despite the long line, but it wasn't long before we reached the front and began our very first Paracon journey.
THE WARREN'S OCCULT MUSEUM ARTIFACTS DISPLAY
On checking in our tickets when entering the hotel we hit the haunted artifacts from the Warren's private museum collection first, which included the infamous REAL Annabelle doll. Alongside the doll was the film prop Annabelle which was used in The Conjuring Universe films. To view these items a separate ticket had to be purchased, but it was well worth it to experience some paranormal history and see these iconic artifacts. They included:
THE REAL ANNABELLE
This Raggedy Ann doll was believed to be possessed by a young girl named Annabelle. After the owner experienced more sinister and dangerous activity, Ed Warren determined that the doll was possessed by demonic forces. The doll was soon turned over to the Warren's for safe keeping and placed in the Warren's Occult Museum. Annabelle is responsible for scratching one of it's victims with seven psychic scratches, and several motor vehicles accidents including the death of a motorcyclist who taunted Annabelle shortly before the crash.
MOVIE ANNABELLE
This movie prop was gifted to the Warren's Occult Museum in the fall of 2019 by Warner Brothers Pictures. The producers did not use the likeness of Raggedy Ann, partially due to potential trademark issues and partially to make the doll's appearance more unsettling for a horror film; its appearance has been described as a "terrifying porcelain doll that is disfigured and immediately menacing". The character makes its first appearance in James Wan'sThe Conjuring (2013).
TOY DINOSAUR
This simple child's toy was assembled by David Glatzel who was possessed by demons as a young boy. Witnesses saw the toy moving across the family's Brookfield, CT home's floor where a voice was heard saying "You are all going to die!". The demon moved from David to Arne Johnson after he challenged the demon. The Warren's believed that Arne was under demonic possession when he stabbed and killed his landlord. This famous case was later made into the movie, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
SHADOW DOLL
This Doll was crafted from a number of items including animal bones, feathers, and a human tooth. It would be used to curse a person by taking a photo of the doll which then would have the victims name written on the back of it. A spell would be cast over the photo which would then be sealed in an envelope and sent to the victim. When the victim opened the envelope and looked at the photo the curse was placed an put into effect. The Shadow Doll would then visit the victim in their dreams and stop their heart.
PEARLS OF DEATH
This item has yet to appear in The Conjuring franchise, but they’re notoriously one of the most dangerous items in the Warren's museum. It is said that this set of pearls were given to a woman and when she placed them around her neck she claimed to feel as though she was being strangled to death. People around her had to yank the pearls off the woman to save her.
SATANIC RITUAL SKULL
This authentic human skull was apparently used by satanic cults to practice black magic.
1880's CHILDS COFFIN
This tiny coffin was used to display the bodies of young children at funerals in the mid to late 1800's. Nicer looking coffins like this were used multiple times for viewings. After the funeral the body would be removed and moved to a less expensive plain pine box for burial.
Other items on display included;
Conjuring Mirror
New England Witch Doll
Satanic Idol
Various sculptures and artwork by Ed Warren.
VENDOR AREA
Moving on from the high of seeing some of the Warren's museum pieces we then made our way to the vendor area. It was set out in a largish room and had a one way system which made navigating things pretty easier. Due to the convention originally only being a one day affair, but then extending to two, some of the vendors were not here on the Sunday due to either selling out of stock or had other plans to be elsewhere.
The vendors ranged from ghost hunting equipment, decor and clothing, paranormal event organizers, authors promoting their books, and paranormal groups promoting themselves and their podcasts. Whilst we were here we bought some REM Pods from The Attic Junky, and we very much look forward to trying them out on our next investigation.
TONY SPERA & DAN RIVERA TALK
At 1.00 P.M. the talk with Tony Spera and Dan Rivera was scheduled so we made our way to the conference room in advance. It was pretty manic as the line was snaking down the, already tight, hallway and into the next empty conference room. The room itself where the talk was taking place was pretty small and could have easily been made bigger by opening up the partition wall/doors, thus accommodating more people.
Originally the talk was scheduled to be an hour long, but was cut short to thirty minutes due to time constraints of having to split the session due to the sheer amount of people that wanted to attend it. Despite it being rushed, the experience was informative and worth it's while though.
It comprised of Spera and Rivera talking about their experiences over the years with some amazing, and quite controversial stories regarding a popular paranormal T.V. show. Also discussed were the handling of the cursed artifacts within the museum, and the future plans that are in the pipeline with moving the Warren's Museum to another location, where the many collected artifacts will be put on display for the general public to experience. The session then ended with a Q&A.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The overall experience of The Warrens Seekers of the Paranormal Paracon was fun and enjoyable and would recommend anyone thinking of attending to do so. We came away feeling that the organizers will certainly learn from this years event to iron out the creases for future ones.
For more pictures of our wonderful, informative day out, please visit our Facebook album page.