TAIPEI • A rail company in Taiwan has complained to Warner Bros about photographs of its "haunted" Annabelle doll sitting in its trains.

The demon doll from the horror film Annabelle: Creation - a prequel to 2014's Annabelle - hit the cinemas early last month.

Taiwan's High Speed Rail (HSR) complained to the American entertainment company after seeing pictures of the doll on its trains appear on the Warner Bros Facebook page, local media reported.

HSR spokesman Chung Jui-fang said the doll photos had violated its regulations. Anyone who wants to take videos or photos on HSR trains for commercial use is required to apply to the company for permission.

Warner Bros has since removed the photos, explaining that they were from a third party.

According to the BBC, there were mixed reactions from netizens, with some supporting HSR standing up to Warner Bros, while others said it was just a doll and the company should not have kicked up such a fuss.

Last month, Malaysia's rail operator RapidKL used the doll for a campaign that aimed to spook commuters into behaving themselves at stations and trains.

Response was largely positive, with many praising the company's novel way of educating the public on social etiquette while using public transport.