Don’t Look in the Mirror

Cursed objects with a history of causing misfortunes and calamities have existed throughout time. These objects are often blamed for many unfortunate events, which often become myths and legends. With that in mind, here are 20 objects you should avoid at all costs, as they have quite harrowing tales following them.

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1. The Annabelle Doll

The Annabelle Doll is a purportedly cursed Raggedy Ann doll that is said to be haunted by a malicious spirit. It reportedly moved by itself, left hidden notes, and even attacked its owners. The owners consulted paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, and today, Annabelle remains in a locked glass case at the Warrens' museum in Connecticut.

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2. The Dark Mirror

The Dark Mirror is a sinister scrying glass. Its sinister nature is that it is reputed to show ghastly images to anyone who gazes into it. The original owner of the mirror had purchased it at a psychic fair and was soon confronted with horrific images when he used the mirror. Later, visitors to the museum which displays it have also reported seeing macabre images.

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3. The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is a 45-carat, deep violet diamond that has a reputation as a cursed gem. A number of the owners and caretakers over the years have suffered from an untimely passing or some form of tragedy. These incidents have contributed to its sinister reputation over the years. Today it is at the Smithsonian, where the curse has finally been contained.

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4. The Dybbuk Box

The Dybbuk Box is a wine cabinet purported to be haunted by a dybbuk, a spirit from Jewish mythology. Owners of the box have experienced nightmares and paranormal activity that cannot be explained by any other means. The Dybbuk Box has been the subject of two horror films and has sold on eBay in multiple auctions.

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5. Crying Boy Painting

“The Crying Boy” Painting refers to a mass-produced piece by artist Giovanni Bragolin that portrays a crying young boy. It has been claimed many times that houses or apartments with this painting hung on the wall would inexplicably catch fire, but the painting would always remain unscathed. The supposed curse on the painting has since given it a reputation as one of the most notorious cursed objects in recent times.

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6. Woman from the Lemb

The Woman From Lemb statue is an ancient, possibly cursed limestone figurehead. Sculpted as far back as 3500 B.C. and discovered in Cyprus in 1878, every family that possessed the statue would pass in just a few years. Currently, the statue is on display at the Royal Scottish Museum.

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7. Destiny Ring

The Destiny Ring is a cursed piece of jewelry. Former silent movie star Rudolph Valentino bought the ring. After he purchased the ring, many of his films failed, and he passed at only 31. Later owners have had odd illnesses as well.

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8. King Tut

The Tomb of Tutankhamun is the resting place of the well-known Egyptian pharaoh. Opening it, legend says, is to invite the Pharaoh’s curse upon yourself. Lord Carnarvon and even Howard Carter, who worked on the tomb and were there when it was first opened in 1922, passed soon after under mysterious and untimely circumstances, along with several others who were involved.

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9. Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a block of limestone built into the wall of Blarney Castle in Ireland. It is reputed to bestow on those who kiss it the "gift of the gab." Legend also says that anyone who takes a chip from the stone will be visited by a curse and will not find good fortune until it is returned.

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10. eBay Haunted Painting

"The Hands Resist Him" Painting is a 1972 painting by Bill Stoneham. The painting became known as the "eBay haunted painting." The painting was first placed on eBay in 2000. The sellers claimed that the two figures in the painting have been seen to move and change positions. They further claimed that viewing, printing, or possession of the painting will result in a very disturbing experience.

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11. Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army is a group of clay soldiers, chariots, and horses that were buried with China's first emperor to celebrate his empire. Farmers stumbled upon the site in 1974, and it's now a big UNESCO tourist attraction. The villagers never received compensation, and their land was taken over and replaced with gift shops, so there is a modern curse story attached to the historic discovery.

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12. Anguished Man Painting

The Anguished Man Painting is an infamous artwork said to have been given to Sean Robinson by his grandmother. Robinson has stated that whoever is in the presence of this painting has nightmares and has experienced unexplained paranormal activity. Its lore has established it as one of the most infamous cursed objects of recent times.

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13. Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi the Iceman is the name given to the naturally mummified remains of a man from the 4th millennium BC, found in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps. He is believed to have passed around 3,300 BC, and since then, a number of fatalities have occurred in strange circumstances to people involved in his discovery.

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14. Surrey Ghost Car

The Surrey Ghost Car is a phantom vehicle that is said to appear in England after a fatal accident. The car has acquired a reputation for ghostly appearances after these events. Local people say that a driver who stumbles across the phantom car at night would find themselves terrified, feeling as if it was following them.

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15. Burton Agnes Hall Skull

The Screaming Skull of Burton Agnes Hall is the mummified skull of Anne Griffith, which is entombed in the walls of the Tudor house in which she lived. Legend has it that the skull will scream if anyone attempts to take it down, and it has to be returned to the walls.

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16. Anna Baker’s Wedding Dress

The Haunted Wedding Dress is the tattered wedding gown of Anna Baker, a bride who passed before she could get married in it. The wedding dress is kept in a museum in Blair County, Pennsylvania, and is purported to shake and move on nights when there is a full moon, scaring visitors.

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17. Tallman Bunk Beds

The Tallman Bunk Beds are two used beds that were bought in 1987 and are said to be possessed by a spirit. Following their return home, the Tallman children claimed to see a tall, old black-haired woman with red eyes that glowed in the dark, and other apparitions. The phenomena also had an adverse effect on their father. The incident became nationally known when it was featured on Unsolved Mysteries and is said to have ended when the beds were destroyed.

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18. Busby Stoop Chair

The Busby Stoop Chair is an alleged cursed chair associated with Thomas Busby, who was given a final and fatal sentence in 1702. Folklore surrounding the chair suggests that anyone who sits in it will pass soon after. The chair is now hung on a wall at the Busby Stoop, with visitors being expressly forbidden from sitting on it.

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19. The Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is a 1964 Dodge believed to be responsible for a fatal curse. Untimely passings have plagued its history, including past owners, former police officers, church vandals, and a teenager said to have started a fatal fire upon touching the car. Myth or truth, this series of unfortunate events certainly paints the car as ominous.

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20. Robert the Doll

Robert the Doll is an early 20th-century life-sized doll, purportedly inhabited by a malicious spirit, that was originally a plaything of Robert Eugene Otto. The doll has over the years been said to cause broken marriages, car wrecks, and other misfortune to those who cross or offend it. The doll, which is now on display at a Florida museum, still terrifies visitors.

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