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Harold the Haunted Doll: The Terrifying, True Story of the World's Most Sinister Doll
How did such an innocent looking doll become the source of terror around the world?“It’s not a real doll, mummy. It wants you to think it’s a girl’s doll, but it’s not. It has a black heart.”“Vincent” A victim of Harold’s attacks 2014-2015What is the truth behind this seemingly harmless doll? Is it haunted?Is it cursed? Possessed? Or are the stories about it nothing more than a hoax?After winning the doll on eBay in 2004, Anthony Quinata decided to search for the answer to these questions. Starting from scratch, he described it as a “1,000 piece puzzle with 1,000 pieces missing and no picture to go on.” In 2005, convinced that something diabolical was going on with the doll, he took it out of the public eye, hiding it in a storage unit. In 2013, realizing that interest in the doll was still high, he decided to resume his investigation, and his quest to find the truth; no matter where it led him. Determined to separate fact from fiction, his search ultimately led him to a confrontation with Evil itself and the discovery of who really owns the doll. "Extremely creepy and unsettling. If you believe in the paranormal, this frightening account is well documented and presented. If you don't believe or are skeptical, it's still an enjoyable book that is likely to unnerve you.”Fiona DodwellAuthor of Obsessed and Nails."Contains more than 20 pictures, rarely, or never been seen, in public!
- GenresParanormal
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2015
56 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 5, 2021
I found this book absolutely amazing and I think Antony is extremely brave keeping a doll like that around.
My heart broke for poor Vincent. Bless him. I personally believe that the spirit attached itself to this little boy for 2 reasons: 1, he’s a child and they’re far more accepting of the paranormal than most adults are, 2, he’s Autistic and therefore in my opinion functions on a much higher level. I think the spirit met its match though between the author and Vincent.
I wish the author all the luck in the world in trying to separate the trapped souls from this doll. I do hope he writes another book about his journey with it.
My heart broke for poor Vincent. Bless him. I personally believe that the spirit attached itself to this little boy for 2 reasons: 1, he’s a child and they’re far more accepting of the paranormal than most adults are, 2, he’s Autistic and therefore in my opinion functions on a much higher level. I think the spirit met its match though between the author and Vincent.
I wish the author all the luck in the world in trying to separate the trapped souls from this doll. I do hope he writes another book about his journey with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2019
Good book but don’t read at night!
I collect spooky dolls but not haunted dolls; mine are mass market and then just hand-designed. After reading this, just to be safe, I sprinkled holy water and sea salt on them. It was sad that a young autistic child was brought into the picture; I still don’t quite understand why the doll was shown to the boy. But no spoilers! It’s a good read, nonetheless.
I collect spooky dolls but not haunted dolls; mine are mass market and then just hand-designed. After reading this, just to be safe, I sprinkled holy water and sea salt on them. It was sad that a young autistic child was brought into the picture; I still don’t quite understand why the doll was shown to the boy. But no spoilers! It’s a good read, nonetheless.
July 22, 2017
Much better book than I expected!
Since I knew the Ghost Adventure people featured this doll on an episode, I was certain this was only a device to talk about that investigation....and a way to sell books due to that show's popularity. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is hard to put down, frightening, and in it's own way, religious. Simply fascinating!
Since I knew the Ghost Adventure people featured this doll on an episode, I was certain this was only a device to talk about that investigation....and a way to sell books due to that show's popularity. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is hard to put down, frightening, and in it's own way, religious. Simply fascinating!
December 8, 2025
If you want someone who clearly has no respect for other people to tell a story with grammatical errors, hints of Catholicism, and a weird spacing issue in the text - this book is for you! I am intrigued by Harold the doll, but this book is just awful. He berates “Jane” the entire time and makes her feel bad for protecting her kid.
April 15, 2023
Enjoyed the story but hated the layout
The storyline was great but I hated the conversation layout. It made it confusing to read going back and forth between italics and normal font
The storyline was great but I hated the conversation layout. It made it confusing to read going back and forth between italics and normal font
July 2, 2019
Excellent read
What an interesting book to read... Was a brilliant read.. So have given the book 5 stars excellent read.... Indeed...
What an interesting book to read... Was a brilliant read.. So have given the book 5 stars excellent read.... Indeed...
September 30, 2019
Great read, couldn't put it down, needed to see what the out come was going to be.
May 3, 2016
Much better than expected.
I came across this book while browsing ghost hunting blogs online. It took me some time to "pull the trigger" as it were and actually check it out, but I am glad I did.
First off, I will say that I'm not going to take a stance on whether I believe the book to be factual or not. It seems plausible, assuming you're the sort who believes in this sort of thing, but much of the second half seems to borrow heavily from the presentation tactics of The Amityville Horror, which has me wary. The jury's out in my head, but if you're looking for something that is 100% one way or the other, you won't find it here.
The writing is clear enough and technically sound for the most part; there may be an overabundance of quotation marks in places italics or dashes would have been better choices, but not too jarring. The layout is nice, the pictures are crisp. Overall, a very nice looking book, which is always a bonus in my opinion.
So far as content, it's an interesting story and reasonably well presented. My one gripe in this department - which can't really be counted as one, if you believe the story to be true - is that at the halfway mark, most of the "investigative" bits disappear and it becomes an ongoing docudrama told mostly in Facebook messages. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that it differs significantly from the first half, and there are multiple references to "things" happening at home that are never really addressed or discussed, behind in the background in favor of the ongoing Messenger-related saga of "Vincent" and his mum. Were there more references or explanation of what was happening to the author and how those events might tie to the overall situation, I suspect this rating could easily have gone up to 4 stars.
One thing I appreciated was the cries of "B.S." regarding the original poster's description of Harold the Haunted Doll; in particular, pointing out the stupidity of the FBI having X-Rays (taken from photographs...) that prove there's a dead baby inside the doll amused me. Whether a tactic to increase believability later or merely another page in a well-contemplated narrative, the early debunking works and sets your brain up to think "Well, he said THIS was most assuredly NOT true, so maybe that means this part COULD be..." It works well.
Lastly, I have to say: I'm well steeped in horror of all kinds. Most of it doesn't bother me. Not even a twitch or a shudder. During the initial chapters of this book, however, I was severely freaked out. I couldn't point to any single thing and say "This is why!" The whole tale just bothered me, leading to a coffee overdose and cartoon therapy. That dread and worry fades entering into the second half, but the ghost - pardon the pun - of the feeling lingered over the rest of the book.
All in all, I'd say it's worth checking out. The only things missing for a higher rating would have been fewer "I knew something about this but I'm not going to tell you" moments and perhaps something to break up the Facebook monotony in the second half. A well done effort overall, though.
I came across this book while browsing ghost hunting blogs online. It took me some time to "pull the trigger" as it were and actually check it out, but I am glad I did.
First off, I will say that I'm not going to take a stance on whether I believe the book to be factual or not. It seems plausible, assuming you're the sort who believes in this sort of thing, but much of the second half seems to borrow heavily from the presentation tactics of The Amityville Horror, which has me wary. The jury's out in my head, but if you're looking for something that is 100% one way or the other, you won't find it here.
The writing is clear enough and technically sound for the most part; there may be an overabundance of quotation marks in places italics or dashes would have been better choices, but not too jarring. The layout is nice, the pictures are crisp. Overall, a very nice looking book, which is always a bonus in my opinion.
So far as content, it's an interesting story and reasonably well presented. My one gripe in this department - which can't really be counted as one, if you believe the story to be true - is that at the halfway mark, most of the "investigative" bits disappear and it becomes an ongoing docudrama told mostly in Facebook messages. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that it differs significantly from the first half, and there are multiple references to "things" happening at home that are never really addressed or discussed, behind in the background in favor of the ongoing Messenger-related saga of "Vincent" and his mum. Were there more references or explanation of what was happening to the author and how those events might tie to the overall situation, I suspect this rating could easily have gone up to 4 stars.
One thing I appreciated was the cries of "B.S." regarding the original poster's description of Harold the Haunted Doll; in particular, pointing out the stupidity of the FBI having X-Rays (taken from photographs...) that prove there's a dead baby inside the doll amused me. Whether a tactic to increase believability later or merely another page in a well-contemplated narrative, the early debunking works and sets your brain up to think "Well, he said THIS was most assuredly NOT true, so maybe that means this part COULD be..." It works well.
Lastly, I have to say: I'm well steeped in horror of all kinds. Most of it doesn't bother me. Not even a twitch or a shudder. During the initial chapters of this book, however, I was severely freaked out. I couldn't point to any single thing and say "This is why!" The whole tale just bothered me, leading to a coffee overdose and cartoon therapy. That dread and worry fades entering into the second half, but the ghost - pardon the pun - of the feeling lingered over the rest of the book.
All in all, I'd say it's worth checking out. The only things missing for a higher rating would have been fewer "I knew something about this but I'm not going to tell you" moments and perhaps something to break up the Facebook monotony in the second half. A well done effort overall, though.
January 12, 2017
READ THROUGH IN ONE DAY
SPOILER ALERT.........READ AFTER BUYING, WHICH I RECOMMEND........
This book is riveting! I believe everything Anthony says is true with no confabulation as well. If you scare easily, I don't recommend it, but if you enjoy a good scare, BUY IT!
Now, I'm not Catholic and do not believe in a lot of their practices and dogma. I do not believe human souls can be trapped anywhere. As a born again Christian, I know that when you die you go directly to Heaven or Hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00.. I don't believe in idolatry, which is praying to Mary, a mortal, nor Saints. John 14:6 "I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No one gets to The Father except through Me." ..Jesus Christ. Priests cannot absolve you of your sins, only God, but I imagine it's good therapeutically.
The trapped "souls" Anthony, whom I believe to be a VERY GOOD MAN, is erring in trying to release only more, demons of lesser higharcy. (Sp?) Therefore, that damned doll should be shrouded in black, wrapped up tightly in said shroud, and live in a landfill. It's what I did with a haunted doll my husband found. I cast out any and all demons, through Jesus Christ of course, and threw away. My problem went away in only a few hours. It crossed my mind to place on EBay...for a nanosecond, because I wasn't going to push a demonic problem onto someone else. God bless you all? And I hope you enjoy(d) this well written book!
SPOILER ALERT.........READ AFTER BUYING, WHICH I RECOMMEND........
This book is riveting! I believe everything Anthony says is true with no confabulation as well. If you scare easily, I don't recommend it, but if you enjoy a good scare, BUY IT!
Now, I'm not Catholic and do not believe in a lot of their practices and dogma. I do not believe human souls can be trapped anywhere. As a born again Christian, I know that when you die you go directly to Heaven or Hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00.. I don't believe in idolatry, which is praying to Mary, a mortal, nor Saints. John 14:6 "I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No one gets to The Father except through Me." ..Jesus Christ. Priests cannot absolve you of your sins, only God, but I imagine it's good therapeutically.
The trapped "souls" Anthony, whom I believe to be a VERY GOOD MAN, is erring in trying to release only more, demons of lesser higharcy. (Sp?) Therefore, that damned doll should be shrouded in black, wrapped up tightly in said shroud, and live in a landfill. It's what I did with a haunted doll my husband found. I cast out any and all demons, through Jesus Christ of course, and threw away. My problem went away in only a few hours. It crossed my mind to place on EBay...for a nanosecond, because I wasn't going to push a demonic problem onto someone else. God bless you all? And I hope you enjoy(d) this well written book!
November 23, 2015
Entertaining, Engaging, Thought-provoking
Harold the Doll as told by it's current owner. A manipulative spirit has captured innocent spirits and captured them inside with the doll. The doll pretends to be one thing, like a misunderstood spirit or child, then suddenly pretends to be another. This manipulation confuses both psychics and paranormal investigators alike. Only through the help of a sensitive, autistic child does the truth get revealed; a child who cannot lie and doesn't understand deception. This causes a case of demonic oppression that is scary and thought-provoking. This is a really good book, whether you believe in this sort of thing or not, and very much resonates with other haunted doll stories such as Anabelle and Robert the Doll.
Harold the Doll as told by it's current owner. A manipulative spirit has captured innocent spirits and captured them inside with the doll. The doll pretends to be one thing, like a misunderstood spirit or child, then suddenly pretends to be another. This manipulation confuses both psychics and paranormal investigators alike. Only through the help of a sensitive, autistic child does the truth get revealed; a child who cannot lie and doesn't understand deception. This causes a case of demonic oppression that is scary and thought-provoking. This is a really good book, whether you believe in this sort of thing or not, and very much resonates with other haunted doll stories such as Anabelle and Robert the Doll.
July 23, 2016
as I collect all kinds of dolls, I wanted to read this... I have to say.. the whole thing left me feeling unsettled.. okay... freaked out!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews