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Disneyland's Haunted Mansion as slasher flick

By Robert Niles
Published: March 1, 2006 at 10:21 AM
I loved visiting Disney theme parks when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I'd worked attractions at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom for a year that I learned there was supposed to be a story behind the Haunted Mansion.

No wonder most guests never figure it out. The narrative's as thin as the scrims upon which the dancing ghosts are projected. But Al Lutz at MiceAge details [scroll down] a Walt Disney Imagineering plan to amplify the storyline in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. And this one's straight out of a late night slasher flick.

"The biggest changes will be coming to the attic scene, as that's where the new plotline will be most evident. As it is now, the attic scene is simply a cluttered and dusty place with a ghost inexplicably dressed like a bride with that spooky beating heart. But when the additions are all installed, the bride will become a much more sinister character who has apparently been killing off all of her previous husbands. As the doombuggies pass through the attic, riders will see portraits of several dashing young gentlemen, with each portrait piled next to "the loot" that the man brought in to the marriage."

I made a few calls, and there's absolutely no truth to another rumor that the model for the new "Bride" animatronic figure will be Anna Nicole Smith.... ;-)

Readers' Opinions

From Madeline Kimmich on March 1, 2006 at 11:04 AM
It is great that Disney parks keep updating the rides to keep them fresh. I look forward to the new addition.
From rick stevens on March 1, 2006 at 1:19 PM
I am also looking forward to the "new" look. I just wish they would do what they did to Space Mountain and darken it up again. I remember going on the ride after it first opened. It was much darker inside. The hallway after the elevator was difficult to traverse and the pictures only changed on the lightning flashes, they looked normal otherwise. There seemed to be much more unexpected movement from the spooks. I had heard that someone suffered a heart attack and the ride was toned down. Don't know if that is a truth or just gossip. I do know that it lightened up and did seem to tone down over the years.
From Scott Seal on March 1, 2006 at 4:28 PM
Will these changes apply only to the Disneyland version of the ride, or will they update the WDW ride as well? Read the whole article over at Mice Age, and it sounds great. Any more details would be great!

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