Comic-Con was plagued by a strange set of voodoo dolls, which popped up around the main convention center by ‘A.’ The string dolls were found in random hotel bedrooms and lobbies filled with Comic-Con attendees. They were also spotted near The Walking Dead booth on the convention floor and hanging from the popular pedestrian bridge, and sidewalks down Fifth Street, leading to Comic-Con.

Mystery Voodoo Dolls Found At Comic-Con

The dolls came with a small thumb drive and had “Malum Est” written on their bodies. When connected, the drive directs the lucky recipient to a choppy video, where the same “Malum Est” phrase is clearly seen. It is unclear where, exactly, these dolls were found. Journalist Emma Loggins posted a photo of a voodoo doll she found at the convention, writing, “Found a creepy #voodoo doll today at #sdcc.”

The video does not, however, say what exactly it is promoting. Google voodoo dolls and Comic-Con, and the answer remains just as much of a mystery. However, a search on Twitter of ‘Malum Est’ revealed a photo of American Horror Story: Coven star Emma Roberts with one of the voodoo dolls in question, and American Horror Story: Coven featured a prominent Voodoo Queen character, played by Angela Bassett.

Another photo, this one shared by Fox Home Entertainment, shows AHS: Coven co-star Sarah Paulson signing an “exclusive #CovenSDCC voodoo [doll].” Unfortunately, the photo is taken from a distance, so it is unclear whether or not the voodoo doll in the photo also has “Malum Est” written on it.

“Malum Est”

Adding to the possibility of the dolls being a marketing campaign for American Horror Story, the official AHS panel encouraged the Twitter hashtags “#CovenSDCC” and “#DarknessIsNear.” Roughly translated, “Malum Est” is Latin for “Evil Is Near,” and though the two phrases are not identical, they are quite similar.

Furthermore, AHS fans attending Comic-Con had the opportunity to preorder the American Horror Story: Coven DVD set at the Twentieth Century Fox booth. While supplies lasted, those who preordered the DVD set also received a gift of a miniature Voodoo doll. In the photo, the doll is message-free, but that could be so that fans finding the dolls at Comic-Con would not immediately know it was from AHS.

That said, the voodoo dolls remain a mystery. An Instagram account has popped up with the name ‘malumest.’ The account has only been active for three days – dating back to Saturday when AHS: Coven hosted a panel at Comic-Con – and has uploaded four photos of the dolls. However, the account, which only has two followers, does not appear to be associated with any other media, such as American Horror Story.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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