The Dybbuk Box
A wine cabinet purchased at an estate sale in 2001 carried something malevolent. Every owner experienced nightmares, illness, and misfortune. The box's journey from a Holocaust survivor's estate to a museum became the inspiration for 'The Possession' and one of modern haunting's strangest cases.
The Dybbuk Box is a wine cabinet that allegedly carries a malevolent spirit from Jewish folklore. Its documented history of owner misfortune, its connection to the Holocaust, and its viral spread through eBay and the internet made it one of the most famous haunted objects of the 21st century.
What Is a Dybbuk?
In Jewish mythology, a dybbuk is a malicious spirit - typically the dislocated soul of a dead person that takes possession of living people. Unlike demons, dybbuks were once human and usually have unfinished business or were unable to move on due to their sins.
Dybbuks can be exorcised through specific rituals, but they’re considered dangerous to confront.
The Box’s Origin
In 2001, Kevin Mannis, a furniture dealer in Portland, Oregon, purchased the wine cabinet at an estate sale in Portland. The estate belonged to a 103-year-old Holocaust survivor named Havela, who had emigrated to the United States after World War II.
Havela’s granddaughter told Mannis that the box had always been kept closed. Her grandmother had told her it contained a “dybbuk” and should never be opened. Despite this warning, the granddaughter didn’t want it.
Mannis took the box to his furniture shop. Almost immediately, strange things began:
- His employee reported seeing a shadow figure and fled the shop, never returning
- His mother suffered a stroke the same day he gave her the box as a gift
- He experienced terrifying, recurring nightmares of a demonic hag
He sold the box, but every buyer returned it or resold it, reporting similar experiences.
The Chain of Ownership
Each owner reported remarkably similar phenomena:
Kevin Mannis: Nightmares, hair loss, health problems, his mother’s stroke.
A buyer who returned it within days: Reported the lights in his house flickering, doors opening on their own, and a feeling of being watched.
Another couple: Both experienced the same nightmare - a demonic old woman - on the same night.
Jason Haxton: Director of a medical museum in Missouri who purchased the box in 2004 after reading about it online. He too experienced health problems and nightmares before having the box sealed by rabbis and stored in a secret location.
The Contents
When the box was examined, it contained:
- Two wheat pennies from the 1920s
- A lock of blonde hair bound with cord
- A lock of black hair bound with cord
- A small granite slab engraved with Hebrew letters
- A dried rosebud
- A golden wine goblet
- A candlestick
These items are consistent with folk magic and protective rituals. Someone had deliberately assembled them, possibly to bind or trap something.
Viral Fame
Mannis posted the box’s story on eBay in 2004, detailing its history and the misfortunes of its owners. The listing went viral, becoming one of the earliest “internet haunted objects” to capture widespread attention.
The box sold for $280 and changed hands several more times before Jason Haxton purchased it for his collection. Each transaction brought new reports of phenomena.
The Movie
The story inspired “The Possession” (2012), a horror film produced by Sam Raimi. The film dramatized the box’s origin story and effects, bringing the legend to mainstream audiences.
Haxton wrote a book, “The Dibbuk Box” (2011), documenting his research into the object’s history and the experiences of its owners.
Skepticism
Skeptics have raised questions:
- Kevin Mannis later admitted he invented the backstory to help sell the box on eBay
- The similar nightmares reported by different owners could be power of suggestion
- Medical issues experienced by owners could be coincidental
- No scientific testing has confirmed anything unusual about the box
However, Mannis also maintains that while he embellished the origin story, the phenomena he experienced were real.
Where Is It Now?
The box is kept in a secret location, sealed within multiple containers, with the location known only to Jason Haxton and select others. Haxton has stated he takes precautions to prevent it from being stolen or opened.
Zak Bagans of “Ghost Adventures” reportedly purchased the box for his haunted museum in Las Vegas, though whether it’s the original or a replica is disputed.
What Is Real?
The Dybbuk Box exists in a gray area between documented hoax and genuine phenomenon. Its creator admitted to fabrication, yet multiple independent owners reported similar experiences before the story was widely known.
Perhaps the box demonstrates that haunted objects don’t need to be genuinely supernatural to produce real fear - that the power of suggestion and the weight of a good story can create effects as tangible as any ghost.