As the spooky season is upon us, it is time for fun horror and spiced pumpkin lattes! Since time immemorial, fear has been an emotion that has, quite realistically, helped us survive the arduous process of evolution and still keeps our fight/flight instincts in check. That is where the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride comes into play with its plethora of thrill-inspiring attractions and a haunting experience to remember!
Paranormal and creepy stuff has always fascinated our curiosity. The need to unravel mysteries of why certain things go bump in the night has driven us to consume media and literature that satiates that hunger.
That is why one of the favorite pass-time in a group setting or during a vacation or amongst friends and family is the tradition of sharing ghost or creepy stories. The Haunted Mansion Disney World is a classic attraction that relies on the age-old fun activity of venturing into a spooky mansion to find ghosts and troubles.
The backstory of haunted houses
Through the 1950s and 1960s, commercials and advertisements slowly increased. Newer and more lucrative strategies were developed to draw and hold the attention of consumers got strategized.
These methods needed to be entertaining, quick, and memorable. Holidays became a lucrative target. This was a secure way of advertising products and services to buyers/customers.
This tradition was amplified and commercialized through the invention of ‘haunted houses.’ That was how haunted houses became a thing. It was a part of the Halloween tradition that had little to do with the day itself. But more to do with the hype many brands and big sponsors have built up in the recent past to sell Halloween products.
In the 19th century, Haunted Mansions started because of recent breakthroughs and experiments favored by industrialization, enabling people to use these devices to create illusions that would attract people.
The modern-day equivalent to haunted houses began testing out macabre themes, such as in Paris at Grand Guignol theater. In 1915 Liphook debuted ‘ghost houses,’ reportedly one of the first of its kind.
History of Haunted Mansion Disney World Ride
Though Disney World Haunted Mansion isn’t the first to ever commercialize haunted houses, it certainly set the trend.
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The Haunted Mansion Disney World ride is a train attraction in Disneyland Resort at Disneyland Park, Walt Disney World Resort at Magic Kingdom, at Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Park Paris, and lastly, at Tokyo Disneyland.
The visitors ride through a Haunted Mansion in a train where they are promised ‘999 happy haunts’. The designs of each of the Haunted Mansions differ according to the place.
The vehicle used is an Omnimover and is affectionately called ‘Doom Buggies.’ The attraction makes use of a range of technology dating from classical theatrical and illusionary tricks and hand-crafted special effects as well as modern-day special effects which feature spectral Audio-Animatronics as well as a holograph.
Two similar attractions called Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, are located at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. The attraction has a haunting theme where ghostly residents have taken complete control over Disney World Haunted Mansion premises.
The infamous attraction
Walt Disney conceptualized the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride in the mid-1950s. Artist Harper Goff designed the mansion as a walk-through ghost house.
The mansion underwent many changes in its concepts. It was completed in 1963. Initially, the Disney Haunted Mansion ride was primarily supposed to be a rural American setup. But it was designed according to the New Orleans Square, and therefore its outside looks like an antebellum house.
The Haunted Mansion Disney World ride in Magic Kingdom has a Liberty Square design. It has a Dutch Gothic appearance trying to evoke the aesthetic of Edgar Allen Poe and Upstate New York and New England.
The Tokyo version of the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride is more decrepit and borrows heavily from the Florida version but has more Japanese ghosts and spirits in the attraction.
The spookiness begins
When guests arrive at the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride queue, they can read the message: ‘Here rests Wathel R. Bender. He rode to glory on a fender.’
The Disney Haunted Mansion ride has the opening spiel of: ‘We have nine hundred and ninety-nine happy haunts here, but there’s room for a thousand. Any volunteers?‘
The well-tended gardens and sprawling courtyards greet you. Entering the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride walking ahead, you will encounter a pet cemetery and a mausoleum with punny names.
There are tombstones with the names of the Imagineers who built them written over there. There is also a white carriage that an invisible neighing horse leads. You will then enter the mansion through a doorway and into the Foyer. Cobwebs-covered candelabra lit the area.
Guests are then greeted by a phantom monologue narrated by Paul Frees, accompanied by a funeral dirge of ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts in the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride.
‘When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight.’
Ghoulish Delight
The guests then see distorted rooms and hanging corpses. A seemingly windowless and doorless chamber, blood-curdling screams accompany flashing lights and other optical illusions.
The statues move and seem to follow you and sudden appearances of ghostly figures occur. Guests then enter the Load Area. They can board the Doom Boogie, and from there, they go to Endless Hallway.
Eleanor Audley voices Madame Leota, a disembodied head in the Seance Room. Many ghosts celebrate the death day cake. The bride haunts the irregularly shaped Attic.
There are many more awesome and cool ghosts and places like the Hatbox Ghost, Graveyard, ghouls, Halls of Mirrors, Little Leota, and many more. Eddie Murphy stars in a famous movie from 2003. It was based on the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride.
A fun experience
The Haunted Mansion Disney World ride has rich and fascinating lore. One such case is at the Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror.
Here, reportedly, people have seen an unexplained apparition of a former Disney sea employee. He had passed away while on work at the drop-down attraction.
So, have fun with your family and friends at the Haunted Mansion Disney World ride. It is an enjoyable experience and sets your heart and gut ablaze! So, book tickets online on their website.
