Haunted Mansion: Spooky Vibes & Spirited Fun!
“Welcome, foolish mortals! I am your host – your ghost host! Heh, heh, heh. . .”
Ghost Host, Haunted Mansion Ride
We all enjoy a good scare now and again. Although, Casper about does it for me, LOL! Luckily, Walt Disney World is ready to fulfill all your spooky needs – without totally scaring your pants off – in the legendary Haunted Mansion!
Enter the depths of this Gothic manor to experience Halloween any time of the year. . .but in a fun, fairly kiddo-friendly way!
Candycorn, anyone?
Haunted Mansion, A History
The history of haunted mansions in the United States stretches all the way back to the antebellum era.
During this time, Victorian architecture was in. Mansard roofs, asymmetrical layouts, and decorative trim were considered to be ornate and beautiful. But by the early twentieth century – between the World Wars, to be exact – these homes went from being regarded as unique to being ridiculed as “ugly.”
Victorian mansions were seen as un-American and became viscerally associated with the horrors of the Civil War and the Great War; they seemed to house the spirits of the men who were no longer alive to walk their halls.
“The Victorian House was haunted because. . .it harbored the shadows of past lives, memories that refused to die.”1
One such Victorian home, called Sauer Castle, still resides in Kansas City, Missouri.2 It’s believed Walt Disney must’ve seen this foreboding estate during his early days when he was pursuing his artistic career there.3 If Walt really did walk by, then his idea for the Haunted Mansion first took root, if only subliminally, when he was about 19 years old. Sauer Castle certainly is the kind of place to leave a lasting impression!
Decades later, Walt and his design team were working on blueprints for the Haunted Mansion – a spooky attraction for Disneyland, California. The Imagineers initially sketched a run-down looking building, but Walt insisted he wanted all premises in his park to look (and be) well-maintained.
Clean and spooky? To achieve such a combo, the answer was, of course, to construct an antebellum estate. The main inspiration became the Shipley-Lydecker House in Baltimore, Maryland.4
Practically copying the Shipley-Lydecker House to a T, the Haunted Mansion finally debuted in 1969. Sadly, Walt had already passed away, making it one of the first attractions to open without his direct supervision.5
With its friendly ghosts and ghouls, the ride’s popularity soared. Soon the Imagineers were busy planning an iteration of the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. However, rather than just copying and pasting the one from California, the designers reimagined an entirely new mansion. This time, they based their building on the Harry Packer Mansion in Pennsylvania.6 One look at this eminent, red-brick home and you can tell Orlando’s Haunted Mansion is definitely its creative offspring!
Enter. . .If You Dare
The Haunted Mansion we know and love was part of Walt Disney World’s opening day on October 1, 1971. The iconic architecture and spooky special effects made it an automatic classic. But perhaps the biggest part of its everlasting popularity has to do with the resident spooks. They’re fairly friendly fiends, so, please, don’t call the Ghostbusters!
The first ghost to greet you is, of course, the legendary Ghost Host! As you prepare to board your Doom Buggy – the gloomy, 3-seater mode of transportation through the mansion – Ghost Host will greet you in a deep, disembodied voice. He certainly has the makings of a quintessential Scooby-Doo villain!
Don’t be frightened though. Stretching rooms and moving portraits can’t hurt you.
R-R-Right?!
Jump into your Doom Buggy and press onward through the mansion – at your own risk! Pass by portraits that change (for the creepier!) with each flash of lightning and every peal of ominous thunder.
Enter the dust-covered library, looking every inch like it’s from The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. I wonder if there’s a secret passageway behind a bookcase? I could investigate. . .but on second thought, I think I’ll stay in my Doom Buggy! Not because I’m scared or anything! It’s a ride rule!
In the dimly lit music room, you can see the shadow of an invisible man playing the piano. Compliment him on his devilish dirge – or sing a few bars from Phantom of the Opera – and he might just let you pass!
Wander on, not through the great beyond, but through one of Madame Leota’s spirited séances! Listen closely for the ringing of a bell or rhythmic rapping on a chamber door as she summons specters from another realm.
Find yourself in the Haunted Mansion’s dining hall and witness a ghostly ball! See-through spirits dance and twirl, gleefully oblivious to your presence at their festivities. (Fun fact: this visual illusion is achieved through a centuries-old technique known as Pepper’s Ghost!7)
In the graveyard, a ghostly band jams together as feral cats yowl along – though whether in harmony or protest is hard to say. While most ghouls in the graveyard seem to be having a good time, there are a few that are trying to hitchhike out of there, so be careful you don’t get stuck with one!
(There’s actually a super fun mirror at the end that shows you with your new ghostly companion!)
Spooky Factor?
Haunted Mansion is definitely a blast, but how is it for kiddos or horror-hesitant adults like me? Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding if this ride is right for you!
There isn’t any gore in Haunted Mansion, but there are some frightening elements: namely ghosts, skeletons, and sinister laughs. There are also prolonged moments of darkness, as well as simulated lightning and thunder. Perhaps the biggest potential trigger is right as the beginning when the Ghost Host reveals himself to be a hanging corpse above the entryway.
However, there are no jump scares during Haunted Mansion, and the ride itself is smooth and slow-moving. And the ghosts are generally well-behaved! If you can handle watching The Wolfman (1941) starring Lon Chaney Jr., then you can probably manage the 10-minute duration of the Haunted Mansion.
All in all, we think it’s a great deal of fun!!
Do you have a favorite spirit from the Haunted Mansion? Perhaps it’s Ghost Host or one of the hitchhikers? Let us know in the comments below!
Stay spooky, my friends!
Want to meet more ghosts? Say “hello” to Nearly Headless Nick at Hogwarts!
Cover Image
Photo: Chad Sparkes via Flickr
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Additional Resources in Print
Burns, Sarah. “‘Better for Haunts’: Victorian Houses and the Modern Imagination.” American Art, vol. 26, no. 3, 2012, pp. 2–25. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/669220. Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
