All language subtitles for Shock.Docs.The.Curse.Of.Robert.The.Doll.2022.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

[man 1]
His name is Robert the Doll,

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

and he's considered
the most haunted doll
in the world.

[man 2] For over 100 years,

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

a single doll
has tormented thousands.

[woman 1] Something was there
to hurt me.

Something dark.

It was the scariest moment
that I have ever had
in my life.

[Cindy] This doll's
a portal to attract
in a lot of spirits.

I just heard.

I curse people
who don't believe.

[panting]

Open up!

[woman 2] Dear Robert,

I thought
I followed the rules.

Movies are not real
things that you see on TV

about other dolls,

they're not real.

Robert is real.

Don't worry,

I'll take care of you.

[girl screaming]

Bye, Robert.

I'm sorry,
I can't stop shaking.

[Bonnie panting]

This is hard.

Oh, Robert,
here we are again.

[Bonnie breathing heavily]

My name is Bonnie,

and I have been a victim

of Robert the Doll.

Robert, I'm here today
to apologize to you
for what happened,

for the disrespect
that was shown to you
in my presence.

And I hope to get
your forgiveness for that.

I feel I've paid my dues.

I feel...

I feel like we should be okay
with each other by now.

I'm sorry.

I am sorry.

Thank you.
[Bonnie sobbing]

[David] Robert the Doll
has haunted Key West
for more than 100 years.

He's believed to be possessed
by some
kind of malevolent spirit.

With Robert the Doll,
people experience things.

One lady talked about
her husband losing his toe
in a lawnmower accident.

We've had some people
who have blamed deaths
on Robert the Doll,

but his real story started
right here in the house
that I'm sitting in,

over a century ago.

The story of Robert the Doll
begins in 1905

at Robert Eugene Otto's
fifth birthday party

with Gene's sister Mizpah
and his nanny
and her daughter.

Happy birthday, Robert.

Thank you.

Yes. Happy birthday, Robert.

Open the big one next.

Oh, Caroline has good eyes.

Here you go, son.

Did I make it in time?

He's just about
to open his big gift.

Perfect.

Caroline, what have
I told you about lounging
around the house?

It's okay, Emeline.

Caroline's welcome to stay.

She's practically family.

That's very sweet of you,
Thomas.

Oh!

Do you like him?

Yes.

Thank you, Mother.

Oh! You're most welcome,
my darling.

-Thank you, Father.
-You're welcome, son.

Oh, he's quite strapping.

Oh! Very, very strapping.
He's big.
Mm-hmm.

Robert.

Don't you want to open
the rest of your presents?

Robert.

Robert.

[Jeff] His parents had no idea

what they were getting
themselves into,

like this interesting
looking doll,

it was a gift.

We never know

what gift we're going to
give our children

that's going to change
the course of their lives.

There are forces at work
that are beyond us as parents.

Time for lunch, children.

I'm not hungry either.

We can stay and play.

I'm glad you like
your sailor suit.

You make a better
sailor anyway.

Robert.

Didn't you hear Emeline?

Lunch is ready.

I heard.

But we're not hungry.

We?

Robert and I,
we're not hungry.

Robert and...

Oh, sweetheart.

You're Robert?

No, not anymore.

He's Robert now.

Not me.

You named the doll
after yourself?

No. It was a present.

I gave him my name.

He is Robert.

I'm Gene now.

I see
he's dressed like
you too, Robert.

I told you.

He's Robert.

I'm Gene.

Okay, Gene.

Emeline is waiting for you.

Don't worry.

They'll come around.

It's your name now.

I promise.

[Mark] Folklorists and legends
will tell you.

"Hey, if you give someone
your name,

you give someone
your clothes,

you're giving someone
your identity,

particularly an effigy,

how is that not going
to become possessed

or contain some
sort of spiritual essence?"

[David] It's hard to say
what the parents
would have thought

when their child named
the doll after himself.

But what we do know
is that they hear

different voices
coming from the room

and they'd go in to look
and see,

"Oh, who does Gene have over?
Who is he playing with?"

And they'd look in and find
it was only Gene
and Robert the Doll.

[Gene] Isn't this tea
delicious, Robert?

I don't think
I've ever made it any better.

I could drink it all day.

There's just a little left.

Would you like some more?

No more.

Oh, Gene.

Who are you talking to?

I was talking to Robert.

Gene, don't lie to me.

I heard another voice
in here.

I'm not lying.

Mizpah...

are you in here?

I'm not lying.

Robert and I were having
a tea party.

Gene, I heard another voice.

Who were you talking to?

Mommy, I promise.

It was Robert.

But he doesn't want
any more tea.

Gene...

it's time for bed.

Enough with that doll.

It's well past your bedtime.

Nanny Emeline
will be in to help
you shortly.

[Jeff] Today, Robert lives
under protective case of glass

inside the Fort East
Martello Museum.

[Mark] Robert has four
very simple rules to follow

when you meet him.

Number one, have to say
hello and introduce yourself.

Number two,
you have to be courteous.

You have to be polite.

Be kind
when you talk to Robert.

Three, when you leave,

you have to say goodbye
to Robert.

You want to close that
connection there.

Number four,
probably the most important

is if you take his picture,
make sure you ask permission.

[Hayley]
If you disrespect him,

you are asking for his
wrath to come to you...

and destroy you.

And he has every ability
to do that.

I've seen him destroy
people's livelihoods,

their careers,
their marriages,
deaths in the family.

[Mark] The curse is there.

There are thousands of people
who have been affected
by this doll,

and they write letters begging
for this curse to be lifted

because they didn't
follow the rules.

[David] People talk about
being struck

by lightning, fires,
floods, illness.

It doesn't end.

You go down the list,
anything bad that's happened
has been blamed on Robert.

[Bonnie] My ordeal
with Robert started

when I was involved
in a project to take

a photograph of his aura.

But things did not end well.

The aura
is your energy field.

Every plant, every person,

every living thing
has an energy field.

And there's the SLS camera,

it's a structured
light sensing camera.

It senses the light structure
of the room.

And when there's an anomaly
in the room, it will map that.

So, it will map a person.

It should not map a doll.

It did map the doll.

When I was taking
the aura photo of Robert,

the gentleman standing behind
me was looking at the aura

as it was coming up
on the computer screen.

And I was saying that Robert's
looking very handsome.

And he just popped up
and said,
"Yeah, for an ugly..."

I knew something bad
has just happened.

I was in trouble.

I personally took blame.

If I had not broached the idea
of taking the photograph,

we wouldn't have been there.

And that's why I suffered
the consequences.

And things got really bad
after that.

This eight-year journey has
gone from car accidents,

financial issues,
broken back, broken shoulder,

loss of my business,
and the sinking of my houseboat.

Having been through everything
that I have with Robert,

I can't imagine
what the Otto family
went through.

I don't understand
if Robert had been

mistreated years and years ago
and this has carried forward.

It's a mystery.

[David] There are some
crazy stories about

how the doll
came to the house.

But we found
that the true origins

are in Germany
and that Robert was made
by the Steiff Company.

They had invented
the teddy bear in 1902.

So, that really brought them
a lot of acclaim.

They would have made Robert
probably right around 1904.

They made him
in several sizes,

but his size
is extremely rare.

He was probably made
in the image
of an actual human

and used in a department store

as a display to help
sell the Steiff dolls.

And we believe that his mother

and his father
were visiting family

and they picked up the doll

and brought him back
to Key West

and things were never again
the same.

[Mark] Right after
the doll is in the house,

little Robert loses
all interest

in every other toy he has,

in everything else practically
and just focuses on this doll.

It becomes his life.

Emeline?

Emeline?

Yes, Miss Otto.

What happened here?

I do not know, Miss Otto,
but I'll be more than happy
to clean it up for you.

I can clean it.

I would just like to know
why my vase is broken
in pieces on the floor.

This is the second one
this week.

I did not break it.

But let me help you.

Be careful.

Yes, ma'am.

Robert.

Gene, honey, you scared us.

I just wanted
to bring you this.

What is that?

Did you break this?

What were you doing
in the study?

It wasn't me.

I didn't break anything,
and I didn't go
into the study.

Then who was it?

Your sister?

No.

Gene, who was it?

I'm telling the truth,
I didn't do it.

You have to believe me.

I will not tolerate lies,
Gene.

Go to your room.

Robert did it.

[Mark] Son says
those fateful words

that we hear to this day,

"Robert did it."

What do you do?

This unnerved Minnie
immensely.

She was never quite
the same around Robert.

And Robert noticed.

Robert always notices.

[laughter]

[floor creaks]

You were right, Robert.

She did come.

It is hours
past your bedtime.

What are you
still doing awake?

It wasn't my fault, Mother.

Robert couldn't sleep.

I am so tired of hearing
about Robert.

He's just a doll.

He doesn't get tired.

He doesn't need sleep.

He isn't real.

Mother, no!

He's my best friend!

[thunder rumbling]

Robert!

Now, until you can understand
that Robert is just a doll,

he is going to remain
locked in there.

You can't blame him
for any more of your misdeeds.

To bed. Now!

[Mark] As disturbed as Minnie
was by Robert the Doll,

one of their servants
was about

to get the scare of his life.

[door creaks]

You all right, George?

[George sighs]

Thanks.

Mm-hmm.

[indistinct chattering]

Emeline?

[door creaks]

[plate crashes]

[Jeff] This doll
is getting attention,

it's getting energy,

it's getting focus
from thousands

and then tens of thousands
of people

from all over the world
who are going there

because not only do they
want to see it,
they want to experience it.

Pretty soon, the museum
starts to receive letters,

thousands of letters
from people

who are writing
to apologize to Robert

because something went wrong
in their lives

and they traced it back
to disrespecting him
in some way.

[Cori] Robert receives
a lot of letters

from all over the place.

He gets letters,
he gets emails,

he gets social media messages.

I mean, it's fascinating

what experiences people
have with Robert.

My name is Becky Vickers.

You know, I never
really believed in curses,
but I do now.

100% I do now.

[producer] Would you like
to read Robert, the letter?

I can.

It's scary just to think about
where I was...

where my headspace
was when I was writing
this letter.

"So, many things have happened
since I visited you, Robert,

and it can't just be a case
of bad luck.

I know it's you.

Ever since I returned home,

nothing but one bad thing
after another
has happened to me.

And I'm afraid
of what you will do next.

I must apologize
for not believing

that you could curse someone

if they touched you
or took pictures of you
without your permission first.

I am so, so sorry.

I will never doubt
the kind of power

and infliction of fear
you can curse someone with.

I am a believer."

[laughs]

I am.

I knew all the rules.

I knew that you weren't
supposed to take

Robert's photograph
without asking permission.

And I knew you weren't
supposed to touch the glass.

But I think
the curiosity side of me
got the better of me.

I did touch the glass,

and I did take some photos
without asking.

I don't know.

You just don't think things
are really going to happen.

But they do.

We started having truly
unexplained things

happening in our home.

I could feel a presence.

I could feel the energy
of someone else
in the house with me.

I've never had any feelings
in my home,

spirits or shadow people.

But something was with me.

Something dark.

It was something there
to hurt me.

The very first thing that went
through my mind was,

"Am I seeing Gene Otto?

Am I seeing Gene
that used to own the doll?"

[Mark] In 1904, it would
not be so strange for a boy

to be playing with a doll.

On an island like Key West,

most of the entertainment
involved games.

Kids would play outside.

They'd run
all over the island.

They'd pick fruit
from trees, you know?

They'd just get up
to their good mischief.

A doll like this would
have been very special.

People would
have come to see it

and said, "Wow,
that's something incredible
that you have."

But they never would have
judged a child and said,

"Oh, look at you
playing with a doll."

But Robert
is not just a doll.

My name is Cindy Kaza,
and I'm a psychic medium.

I'm here in Key West
to hopefully

solve the mystery behind
Robert the Doll.

When I go
into an investigation

as a psychic medium,

my intention is to communicate

with the spirits
at the location.

But I also pick up
on psychic imprints
left behind.

Every location
has its own memory,

and I can sense
what other people also
experience at a location.

Hey.

-Welcome to the Artist's
House.
-Hey.

-I'm David Sloan.
-Nice to meet you, David.

Yeah, nice to have you here.

The house is known
for the Ottos who built it.

It was built around the turn
of the century, right in 1900.

Right.

But it was also the home
of Robert the Doll.

-Right.
-As we know.

-And...
-The energy
is palpable in this house.

I mean, you could feel
the shift the second

I walked through
the threshold.

Let's start right here.

This was Eugene Otto's
art studio.

Immediately, I'm smelling
cigarette smoke
like so strong.

So I know that
that is something

that people would
experience here.

I've seen pictures
of Gene's studio,

where there's ashtrays there.

I can smell it.

There are a lot
of spirits here.

I feel like guests
are woken up
by a woman, a female.

She doesn't feel dark
or negative,

but she has a story.

She has unfinished business.

There's also a little girl
that runs through here.

I can see her running down
the halls and running up
and down the stairs.

I hear her laughing,

but she cries too
because I sense that
part of it.

There's a lot of pain
in this house.

There's a lot of guilt,
remorse, shame.

[David]
This makes complete sense.

One of the stories
that plays predominantly

in the story
of Robert the Doll,
involves a nanny.

And it's a big one.

That's a big piece
of the story.

I can feel her
because she has unfinished
business,

like a lot of unfinished
business.

So, I want to take you
to the parlor room.

Well, the second
that I walk in here,

I'm hearing like babies crying

like I'm hearing this baby
crying, crying, crying,
crying so loud.

I feel this woman's
anger about like

this should not have
happened this way.

It wasn't meant
to be this way.

It shouldn't have gone
down this way.

And it feels like
there's a cover up

or something was hidden
or they told a different story

than what actually happened.

[David] Emeline had been
the nanny here.

She lost a child.

I believe the child died
in this room

and that Robert the Doll
was in this room.

[Cindy] Okay.

I think that this doll
was already in the house

when the child died.

Maybe there was some sort
of spell put on this doll.

[David] I want to take you
to the room

where most of Robert's story
took place.

It's called the turret suite.

-Okay.
-Come this way.

I can smell perfume
in this room.

Like it's... Wow.

It's.

It's so strong
that it's everywhere.

I keep seeing depression.

I see I'm in the throes
of deep, deep, deep grief.

This woman.

"They took my Bobby
from me."

And I don't understand
what that means.

I don't understand that.
"They took my Bobby from me.

They took my Bobby from me."

[David] Let me ask you this.

Could it be a Bahamian accent
saying, baby?

-They took my baby from me?
-[Cindy] Oh, interesting.

Is that how it would have
come out?

-They took my Bobby.
-They took my Bobby from me.

That's exactly
how I'm hearing it.

And I'm thinking
it's like Bobby...

Like Bobby, like Robert.

-But that...
-[Cindy] But it's not.

That doesn't fit as well
as the pronunciation of Bobby.

Baby.

[Cindy] Oh, my God!

[Mark]
There's a darker legend,

where a servant
was so angry at the family

after her child
had tragically died

that she put a voodoo curse
on this doll.

[Hayley] There is a rumor
that she had an affair
with Thomas Otto.

It is rumored that
they had a child

and she gave birth
to a little girl

who happened
to have passed away.

She practiced
Santeria and voodoo,

and she left a curse
inside the doll.

And I believe this child
that passed away

attached itself
to Robert the Doll.

Farfetched as it sounds,
it's one of the rumors here.

[Cindy] Losing a child
is devastating,

and there's really no grief
that can match
a mother losing a child.

I don't feel like
there's a spirit
inside Robert the Doll.

I feel like there's a spirit
attached to the doll.

And the sense is this is,
if you...

if I can't have my family,
you can't have yours.

Or if you're gonna
take my family,

I'm going to take yours.

So, I can really understand
why this legend persists.

And I actually don't think
it's a legend.

It's real.

I really think that the house
is more like a portal.

I think
that it's an entry point.

I think there are tons
of spirits there

and it's no wonder

why so many people have had
so many experiences
at this location.

This place is haunted
for sure.

Would everybody
like some tea?

Robert?

Okay.

Here you are, Robert.

Enjoy.

How about you, Teddy?

We can't have
a tea party without you.

Now, how did you get
all the way over there?

Let's stay in our seats
this time
so we can have our tea.

[Gene screams]

[producer] Joe,
if you don't mind,
let's put a microphone on her.

My name is Rachel.

After visiting Robert,
it has completely
shaken my life.

[producer speaking]

Honestly, nervous.

Knowing the things
that have happened to me

and the things
that have happened here,

Robert is a force
to be reckoned with.

Four years ago,
we were in Key West
on our honeymoon.

We had just gotten married
a few days prior.

We decided to try
one of the ghost tours

that they had at the fort.

After that night,

it completely changed
the direction of my life.

They told everyone
that was on the tour

that we had to show respect
for Robert,

to ask for his permission.

Everything that you do
has to be out of respect.

And everyone took it seriously
except for my husband.

And the moment my husband
disrespected Robert

was the moment everything
went downhill.

Weeks after,
we started noticing

little things happening
in our house.

[glass shatters]

The taps started
as little tiny knocks

just on the wall
or on the floors.

And as the weeks passed
and days passed,

we could hear the taps
getting closer.

It went from one end
to the entryway,

to the hallway, and then once
it reached the hallway,

the taps turned
into more of a footstep.

The final breaking point was,
one night,

when I got off of work,
when I walked into the house,

every cabinet in our kitchen
was open

and everything out
of the cabinet
was stacked on the floor.

Talking about it now,
it honestly makes me
want to cry,

because it was
the scariest moment

that I have ever had
in my life.

It makes me wonder
what happened to make Robert
what he is today.

[Jeff] Children grow up.

It's what they do.

And when you grow up,
you pack away your dolls.

[David] Gene and Robert
were so close growing up.

But then the time came
when he was a young man

and he had to go off
and see the world.

And he left Robert behind.

He put Robert into a chest
and stored him away
in the attic.

And Gene went off
to see the world.

He went to school first
as an architect,

but he always wanted
to be an artist.

So then he went to art school
for a little while.

And then he went to Paris.

And Paris in the 1920s,
this was an incredible time.

Hemingway was there.

You had all of the artists,
all the writers.

It was quite the scene.

And he studied under some
of the best artists.

[Jeff] When he's in Paris,

Gene Otto meets
his future wife Ann Parker,

who's a brilliant pianist
and an accomplished musician,

comes from a wealthy family,

and she's head over heels
in love with Gene.

And eventually
the two get married.

[Mark] Gene and Anne
are married on May 3rd, 1930,
in Paris.

Gene sets out
to become the artist

he's always dreamt
himself to be.

But Gene and his lovely wife
moved to New York in the 1930s

and the Otto family money
has dried up thanks
to the Great Depression.

But by the 1940s,

Anne, is the one
who was the breadwinner
of the family,

her music career
has taken off.

She's even performed
at the legendary
Rainbow Room,

which is every artist's dream
at this time.

[Jeff] So by 1945,
Gene's struggling
as an artist.

His wife is doing well
as a musician,

but then they
get a phone call.

Gene's mother Minnie
is not doing well
down in Key West.

[David] Anne and Gene
were here in the Otto home,

when Minnie died
on September 14, 1945,

and the house was left
to the Otto children

and then given
to Gene and Anne.

And the decision was made
that they would start

the new life here and move
in to Gene's childhood home.

[Mark] Anne knew about
her husband's eccentricities.

He was an artist,
but she was not prepared

for what was about to happen

when they moved back
to Key West.

Gene, I found this
in the storage closet.

My old friend.

Gene?

Gene?

I take it
you want to keep this thing?

Yes.

And he's not a thing,
Anne, I want to introduce you
to my oldest friend.

This...
this is Robert.

[Hayley] Almost instantly,
Gene started talking

to the doll almost as if
the doll was alive.

I'm sure Anne thought that,

"What did I get myself into?"

I think, it made her sick
to her stomach

and creeped her out.

But then things
took another turn.

I told you I'm sorry,
but we're back together now.

We can make up for lost time.

See, it's just like
old times.

You sit here in the morning,

you get to see
a beautiful sunrise.

See, I do remember.

You don't have
to worry about my wife.

We can handle her.

You will always
be my best friend.

Anne.

[Mark] To this day,

thousands of people
come to visit Robert

and they write letters
begging for this curse

to be lifted
because they didn't
follow the rules.

"Dear Robert, I was a recent
visitor to the museum,

and our guide led us
to the room
where you're located.

He told us about
the rules to follow.

I told you my name,

asked permission
to take a photo
and thanked you.

I thought
I followed the rules.

But last night
as I slept, Robert,

you came to me
in a nightmare."

[woman screams]

What the hell?

[panting]

Oh, my goodness.

I decided you might
have done this to me,

Robert, so I looked
at the rules on the Internet.

Everything I read made me
believe I followed your rules.

And then
I noticed another tab.

A tab I never opened.

And when I clicked on it,
I saw a rule,

I didn't see before.

I didn't know
I was supposed to say goodbye.

I didn't know
that was a rule, Robert.

Nobody told me.

Forgive me.

[Mark] Anne had given up
the limelight up in New York.

She had, you know,
given up the Rainbow Room.

She was a headliner.

And now here in Key West,
Gene was the story.

Gene was the artist.

He was the architect
extraordinaire.

[Jeff] He's starting
to get some acclaim,
and he's loving it.

He's eating up
every minute of it.

And so, imagine
that your musical career

is more or less finished,

and now you're stuck
in this house

with your husband
and this doll.

Gene would place Robert
in the window of the turret,

and you could see him
from the street
when you walk by.

Right below the window
is the street out front

and you have school children
that are passing by that

will cross the street
to avoid the Otto house.

It did feel like
he was glaring at you.

I was one of those
schoolchildren.

You always felt
you were being watched.

No matter where you were,
what direction of the house
you were,

he was always watching you,
glaring down at you,

making you real uncomfortable
being there.

[David] It wasn't like Gene
was ducking down below him
and moving him around.

They would see Gene
sitting there

painting in the other window
while Robert moved on his own

between the other windows.

[Jeff] At some point,
they start avoiding
this street,

because they're afraid
of something

that's going on inside
that house...

something sinister,
something that's cursed.

And this is my favorite piece
that I've completed so far.

Where do you get your ideas?

It's about observation.

I try to bring life
into that which intrigues me.

I must admit,
I'm a little envious.

You must be so proud.

I said, you must be so proud.

What?

I apologize.

Yes, I am.

[footsteps]

Who might that be?

It's just our cat.

We don't have any cats.

[objects clattering]

Maybe it's time to go.

We'll come by another time.

It's nothing.

-It's nothing really.
-Come on, sweetie.

Thank you.

Have a good night.

You as well.

Really, Anne?

Anne, don't.

Anne, don't you dare.

[Anne breathing heavily]

[Jeff]
And that was the last straw.

She had to get Robert the Doll
out of her life for good.

But despite their agreement
to keep Robert
locked in the attic,

the newfound peace
in their house
did not last long.

[objects rattling]

I won't be afraid.

I'm not afraid.

Gene, Gene!

Open up, please!

Open the door!

Gene!

Gene!

Let me out!

[Mark] Next morning,
Gene wakes up,

his wife's not in bed
with him.

What happened?

So he starts looking
around the house.

-Anne.
-Get away from me.

What are you doing
down there?

What the hell
is wrong with you?

I was up all night screaming.

Anne, I'm sorry.

No, don't touch me.

Why did you do it?

Why did you lock me in there?

Why did you do it?

It wasn't me.

Robert did it.

[David] As much as the people
in Key West

might have seen Anne and Gene
as a happy couple
out in public

behind closed doors,
it was a very different story.

Anne and Gene's relationship
was so stressed

and so fractured during
that time

because of Robert's
relationship with Gene.

And Anne moved
into her own room,

which happens to be this room
that we're in today.

Around 1965, Gene became sick
with Parkinson's disease,

and I spoke
to some of his family.

They said he spent his last
ten years in the turret
with Robert the Doll,

slowly losing his mind.

It pains me to think about
the way she had to suffer,

and the ending is even worse.

[David] Gene died
on June 24th, 1974,
and when he died,

Anne was devastated.

[man 1] Anne now lives
in the house alone.

But it never felt right,
just her and Robert
in that house.

And so, when money gets tight,

she decides to sell the house
to her neighbor,
William Gaiser.

But she makes one thing clear
when she sells the home,
that Robert comes with it.

[David] I don't think Anne
was honoring her husband
by having Robert stay here.

I think
she wanted to make sure

that it didn't end up
being sent to her.

And she died
from pancreatic cancer
five years later.

It was a tragic ending
for everybody involved,

except for Robert the Doll.

Myrtle Reuter and Bill Reuter
bought the Otto family home
from Bill Gaiser.

It was right around 1976.

Oh, my God.
I remember this.

The unpacking is fun.

Let's see
what we've got here.

-Hi, honey.
-Hi, Mom.

-Hey, Sarah.
-Having fun?

Yes.

Have you picked out
your room?

[Sarah] Dad, sincerely.

-I love this house.
-Nice.

-It is cool, isn't it?
-Big.

Look at you.

Aw!

Unbelievable.

How did you get in here?

Are you all alone in here?

That isn't nice.

Don't worry.

I'll take care of you.

Of course we can be friends.

[Mark] Some legends say
it seems Robert was waiting
for a new friend.

There is again this wonderful
connection at start,

but again, the honeymoon
does not last long
with Robert.

So this is your
favorite seat?

Mine too.

I bet my other friends
will like it.

What do you think?

I think they like it too.

How did you get back here?

I think
it's time to go to bed.

[screams]

[Cindy] By coming to Key West,
I'm hoping to understand

why Robert the Doll
has had such a massive impact

and a negative impact
on so many people.

Hi, Robert.

My name is Cindy,

and I'm here
to talk to you about

why you're here and to learn
about the story of Robert.

The energy is palpable.

I mean, you could
feel the shift

the second I walk through
the threshold.

I'm already hearing there
really aren't many entities

attached to Robert the Doll.

So fascinating because it's...

it really...
he's not just one spirit.

He's many spirits.

It's almost as if the doll
itself is a portal.

Whatever spell,
for lack of a better word,
was done.

It was to create
an opening inside the doll
to attract in spirits.

[Cindy]
In this particular case,

I think it's really hard
to close the portal

that surrounds Robert the Doll

because we don't truly
understand

how this portal was created.

[David] Do you feel like
all of these spirits

were always with Robert
or do you think

they've been collected
along the way?

They've definitely
been collected along the way.

So it's like wherever
Robert goes,

more spirits attach to Robert

and they just accumulate
and accumulate.

And I know that people
have seen Robert move.

But again,
it's also the spirits

that are around Robert that
are able to manipulate
the doll itself.

Wherever this doll is,
there are lots of spirits
coming in,

lots of them,
and especially children.

I keep seeing handprints
on the glass,

little children's handprints.

The little girl, I feel,
really is a strong presence

around this doll
and her story
hasn't been told yet.

[David] Why do you think
the spirits around Robert

are angry or sad or...

They have unfinished business.

Their story hasn't been told.

I mean, this is...

this doll is a portal
to attract
in a lot of spirits,

and in particular,
spirits of unfinished business
that are sad,

that are angry
because that creates
a darker presence.

Not all of them are bad.

Some of them are mischievous,
but there is, in particular,
one who is negative.

I definitely feel like
there is an aggressive

male spirit
that's very attached

to this doll
that I feel is dark

who is the one
that shoves people,
who scares people.

Open up! Please!

There's definitely
a very angry, aggressive,

and violent spirit
attached to Robert the Doll.

And I do believe
that he is the cause

of a lot
of the negative activity

that people have experienced.

I don't know what to do.

She was fine before
we moved here.

Why would
she be acting like this now?

[screams]

-Sarah.
-No.

-Sarah.
-Hurry.

Mom. Help me.

Help me. Mom!

Help me!

[Sarah screams]

Give me that.

Are you okay?

Are you okay?

The doll's fighting with me.

A fake fight with your doll?

What the hell is going
on around here?

This nonsense...

this nonsense, Sarah,
it ends now.

It ends now!

Are you okay?

I don't know.

Part of the legend
says that the father
locked the doll away

after it had tried
to attack his daughter.

And shortly after he did that,
he was found dead.

William, are you out there?

What on earth
are you doing out there?

William.

William!

William, open the door!

William, open the door!

William!

No, no.

William, no.

Wake up, honey.
Wake up.

Wake up, honey.
Wake up.

Wake up.
Wake up.

-[sobbing]
-Wake up!

[Hayley]
The legend surrounding

William and Robert says
that he had passed away

from carbon monoxide
poisoning.

Was it a tragic accident

or was this
the curse of Robert
claiming another victim?

[Hayley]
If you ask a local like me,

I'm gonna tell you,
that's Robert.

And he will get his revenge.

And he got it.

[Mark] So now Myrtle
is a widow.

Two years later,
decides to sell the house.

She can't afford to keep it,
but as she moves away,

she decides, strangely,
to keep the doll.

Robert.

So this is where he put you.

Oh, you poor darling.

You must've been
in so lonely.

Oh, Robert.

Oh.

It's okay.

I'm here now.

You're gonna
come with me now.

We're gonna have so much fun.

The legend around
Robert and Myrtle
continued for years.

[Jeff] One such legend
included Myrtle

getting ready for bed
in her Key West apartment.

How's my darling doing?

No. Where have you gone?

I know I put you
in your chair.

Let me out!

[David] Myrtle Reuter,
she had Robert
up until August 19th, 1994,

and that's the morning
after she was attacked.

Whoever is out there,
stop this now.

[Jeff]
That was the last straw.

She had to get Robert the Doll
out of her life for good.

And after that,
she donates Robert

to the Fort East
Martello Museum.

[David] I think
she brought him there

because this was the main
museum in Key West.

It was rich
with Key West history,

and it was also the museum

that Gene Otto
had helped create.

When this was turned over
from the military

to the Key West
Art & Historical Society,

Gene was very active
in making the galleries.

And I talked with Joe,
who checked Robert in.

He said Myrtle came through
that front door,

and she was frantic.

She was clutching the doll.

She set him down
on the desk and she said,

"This is Robert the Doll.

He belonged to Gene Otto,
and he's haunted.

I need you to take him."

They filled out the paperwork.

Myrtle left the fort,
and she died 101 days later.

[Mark] The museum director
gets this doll

and doesn't know
what to do with it.

He's so unnerved
by her story.

So he puts it away.

He locks it away
from public view.

It's just
part of the collection.

When we first took
possession of Robert
in 1994, we...

you know, it was like a lot
of things in our collection.

People have dropped things
off at the door.

People have...

you know,
some of it's quality,
some of it's not.

And so Robert
kind of fell into that,

and he went
into a storage room

with a lot of other things.

They're not quite sure
what to do with him yet,

so they just kind of
lock him up
and keep him in a closet.

But this is the perfect place
for him because, number one,

they used to display
Gene Otto's art
in this museum.

I mean,
so there's that connection.

And now you've brought
in arguably

the world's most haunted doll
with a place

that's also connected
to the doll's first owner.

[Mark] There were plumbing
troubles at the fort

after Robert had arrived.

So they called in a specialist
who comes in.

The plumber comes in
and starts working
on the pipes.

Frickin' rats.

He flips out. Done.

I'm out. You know, I'm not...

Get me the hell out of here.

He says had anyone told him
that there was a ghost doll
in this building,

he never would have come.

Unfortunately, these attacks
were just the beginning.

[Jeff] As the story
of Robert the Doll

starts to circulate
around the museum

and as people are becoming
more interested in it,

employees are starting
to notice strange things
are happening

and the reputation
starts to spread quickly.

Well, you know,
there's a ghost story
that's going well.

-What?
-Sorry.

But I just,
I don't really believe
in that stuff.

It's all just a bunch
of made-up island tales.

What was that?

I didn't see anything.

Something just went down
the hallway.

It's probably just a mouse.

It looked hell of a lot bigger
than a mouse.

All right.
I'm gonna go check it out.

I'll be right back.

Okay.

You picked the wrong day
to sneak in here, rat.

[screams]

You see that
little case there?

That's Robert.

The world's most
haunted doll.

He's received thousands
and thousands of letters

from people asking
for his curse to be removed.

Who here believes in curses?

Robert is just like
visiting the lion at the zoo.

You don't go in the cage.

And one of my goals tonight
is we take precautions

so you can get out of here
without suffering
the wrath of Robert the Doll.

[Cori] Once, Myrtle
brings Robert to us in 1994

and he got put out on display,

he goes from being recognized
and known probably

by handfuls of people
that are here on Key West to,

within a few years, having
an incredible reputation

and acknowledgment
from all over the country.

I can't imagine that Myrtle
would have thought

that that would have been
possible.

[David] Shortly after Robert
went on display,

visitors started
experiencing problems
with their cameras.

Batteries of all types
were draining around
Robert the Doll.

This led to the legend
that you better
ask his permission.

[Jeff] Weird things continue
to happen to Robert the Doll,

in and around that display.

Objects moved,
the doll moves.

People swear they see
the doll move on its own.

[David]
There was a chair kept beside
Robert the Doll's case.

They'd come in in the morning
and find the chair

facing Robert,
as if somebody was sitting

and having
a conversation with him.

They'd hear Robert
whisper their name

as they walked by him
in the morning.

[David] One staff member
noticed that Robert's feet
were dirty.

And then she looked down.

And in front of his case,

she saw little
Robert's-sized footprints

in the dust of the fort.

[Jeff] The reputation
of Robert the Doll

is that it's haunted,
it's possessed,

that there's something
inside of it.

What happens if you go there

and you take a picture
and you didn't ask permission

and you go home
and some horrible thing
happens to you?

Suddenly, the legends
have a lot more truth to them.

It's not just a ghost
story anymore.

It's your reality.

[producer speaking]

Feels a lot different
this time.

Got to be honest with you,
than it did 13 years ago.

[Dan] Key West is
one of my favorite places
to go.

I live about four hours away.

I used to drive here
all the time,

and I have not been back here
for 13 years.

You come to this place, and,
you know, we did a ghost tour,

and that was fun,
and everything was fun,

and just, you know,
we had a few drinks,
that was fun.

And then the next day,
we come here,
and this was fun.

But as soon
as you turn the corner

and you see basically
this little kid's toy

that's all beat up
and looks like hell.

I mean, honestly,
and, you know,
the Robert the Doll legend.

But I'm also pretty sarcastic.

And when somebody says,
"Don't do this,"

I just thought,
"Well, I'm gonna do this

and I'm going
to turn it up a notch

and just going
to just be a jackass

and mess around
with the little
stupid kid's toy."

I saw this plexiglass,
you know, little cage.

And I thought, "Oh, boy,
this is pretty ridiculous."

And everyone's freaked out.

And I remember
looking at the wall

and there are all these
letters pasted.

And I just remember, like,
you know, looking at my wife,

just going,
"Wow, people are weird.

Like, they really
buy into this."

And so I just started
being a jerk.

The first rule
is don't mock him.

Did it?

If you're gonna
take a picture,
ask his permission.

Didn't do that.

So without a doubt,

everything that I did
while I was here

was 100% wrong in my opinion.

After we left the museum,
within 20 minutes,

bad luck started happening.

At first, it was just
minor car stuff,

and then it turned
into families
being in accidents,

my dog dying,
my mom getting sick,

my mom dying,
me losing a job,

me losing a huge contract,
me getting sick.

I mean, it just went
on and on and on.

More pets dying,
me getting sicker to the point

where me almost dying one day.

So I thought, "Well,
what do I have to lose?"

I'm gonna write him a letter.

And that's what I did.

And after that,
like really, within days,

it seemed everything changed.

I guarantee people are going
to look at me and think,

"Look at this idiot."

But this idiot was basically
like you idiots
that don't believe.

Like I truly, truly believe
this right now.

I was a jerk.
I did everything wrong.

I did everything
that the legend says
I shouldn't do.

I did.

And I ended up paying
the price for it.

[Jeff] There are thousands
of people begging

for forgiveness
from Robert the Doll

to this day
because they believe
they're cursed.

It really doesn't matter
if you believe

this is for real
or not for real.

It's a reality for thousands
of people

who have fallen under
the spell of Robert.

And while you can say
there's no such thing

as curses,
this is superstition,

there's no such thing
as a haunted doll,
that's fine.

But tell that to them.

Tell that to the people,
the thousands of people

who have written letters
about all the bad luck
that's befallen them

after they went there
and didn't take it seriously.

[Hayley] As your parents
probably told you,

if you don't have
anything nice to say,
don't say anything at all.

It's very important
when it comes to Robert.

If you don't have
anything nice to say,
don't say it to him.

Don't even say it out loud
and don't even think it

in the same room
'cause he's going to know.

[David] I went through
some really rough times

when I was writing the book
about Robert the Doll.

I used to think
I was Mr. Ghost Guy

and that I knew
more about them than anybody,

but I was put firmly
in my place.

It started with losing
four hard drives,

and after the first one,
of course,

I have everything backed up
every way you could imagine.

The entire versions
of the book were disappearing,

and it was as if somebody
didn't like something

I was putting in the book
and I couldn't figure out why.

I was shedding light
on Robert.

I thought
he would be appreciative.

What became terrifying,
you know, losing hard drives,

it's not scary,
it's frustrating, it's weird.

What became terrifying
was a few days after this,

I was yanked from my bed.

And when I realized nothing
was below me,
I became terrified.

And that's when I said,
"Oh, God, help me."

And when I said that,
boom, I dropped.

I wasn't even over my bed.

I was about six feet
to the left of it.

And I don't know
how high up I dropped from,
but I hit hard.

And after the encounter
with Robert,

that woke me up,

and it put a seriousness
on the spirit world.

I don't expect anybody
to understand

that until they've been
through it themselves.

And the best I can do is try
to warn them until then.

[Cindy] Overall, honestly,
Robert the Doll is not evil.

-[David] Right.
-[Cindy] I don't feel
Robert the Doll is evil.

I feel there's a portal,
there's an entry point,

and it's the person's
intentions

coming towards the doll
that create the outcome.

How you approach
Robert the Doll

will determine your experience
with the doll.

[David] Do you know why Robert
is haunting the people

who break the rules
to this day?

Because they deserve it.

That's just literally
what I heard,

because they deserve it.

And I just heard
I curse people

who don't believe
that I'm true, that I'm real.

That's the thing.

People that come in
and say this is just a joke,

this is all fake,
they're the ones
who get hit the hardest.

I don't feel like
Robert the Doll
is out to hurt people.

But if you don't respect,

then you have something
coming for you?

Yeah.

[Cindy]
In this particular case,

I think it's really hard
to close the portal

that surrounds
Robert the Doll.

What we need to do,
and what people need to do,

is acknowledge
all of the spirits
connected to Robert.

It's not just one.

They all need to be
acknowledged.

[David] It's powerful.

Yeah, some really powerful
spell work was done,

and I do not see
it being reversed.

I think people just
need to be respectful
and live with it.

It's not going away.

I mean, I certainly would not
want to disrespect the spirits

connected to this doll.

I think that people
that are being haunted

by the curse
of Robert the Doll

need to apologize
to the spirits

for something that
they probably did
to disrespect them.

Being here today,
I truly believe that

if you disrespect the spirit

attached to Robert the Doll,
you will feel its wrath.

[Jeff] A legend is a living,
breathing thing.

It's a thing that becomes
bigger than the object itself.

And as you approach this,
this case where Robert sits,

you can't help but think
of all the stories
you've heard.

Each one of those stories
gives Robert more power

and it makes his legend grow,
makes it bigger and bigger.

When a company makes
a one-off display doll,

it's not like someone's
gonna think to save

all the records of that,
right?

It's a throwaway.

It's something you put up
on display somewhere

and then you forget about it.

How could you know
that 100 years from now,

this thing that you made
would become something

so prominent that people
come from all over the world

to see it and test the legend?

[Mark] To this day,
thousands of people
come to visit him every day.

[Cori] Robert
is enormously popular.

Over the past ten years
that I've been
with this institution

and working with Robert,

we've seen his popularity
grow exponentially.

When people say the most
haunted doll in the world,

that's a pretty big claim.

With Robert the Doll,

people experience things
every single day of the year.

That's what makes
the world's most haunted doll.

[Mark] Is Robert possessed
by the spirit of a child

born of this illicit affair
between Thomas and Emeline?

And could this child's
tragic death

be the source
of the curse of the energy

that possesses
Robert the Doll?

That's the legend.

[Jeff] We have all put
our fears and our energy
into this thing.

Anyone who believes it,
and even who disbelieves it,

we have created
Robert the Doll.

We make monsters,
and then we can't control them

when they get out
into the world.

Who knows what's next?

He looks creepy.

I don't know.

You don't think
he's creepy looking?

Look at the face?

I think
he's just misunderstood.

Maybe.

Come on.

[indistinct voices]

[evil laughter]

[indistinct voices]

Jill.

Jill, come on.

Hey, I was talking to you.

Let's go.

Okay.

Bye, Robert.