List of Haunted Mansion characters

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The Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disney theme parks is said to be home to 999 happy haunts, with room for 1000. This is a listing of ghosts and a few humans that have appeared in the Haunted Mansion attraction, film, video game and comic book anthology.

Contents

[edit] The Bride

Known by some as the Bleeding Bride, this lonely jilted bride is one of the ride's most well known characters. Seen always in the attic with a loud beating heart, the bride is considered one of the spookiest characters in the ride's history. The bride has been altered several times throughout the ride's history, now at Disneyland and Walt Disney World appearing as a digital projection effect. An interesting urban legend is that the bride's "ring" is embedded in the ground outside the Magic Kingdom version of the ride down the exit pathway. In reality, this is from a crowd-control stanchion that was cut down.

[edit] Emily the Bleeding Bride (1969-2006)

Her first form had a shadowed face with only a pair of glowing eyes visible commonly called Priscilla, but she became a blue-skinned woman with white hair and yellow eyes named Emily. The common story was that the bride was Gracey's wife, but was killed by Madame Leota on their wedding. Another common story is that Master Gracey finds his wife in the attic with another man, who he believes she is having an affair with, so he strikes him down and then pushes his bride out of the attic window. However, the man was in fact a wedding planner.

[edit] Constance Hatchaway, the "Black Widow Bride" (2006-)

Unveiled during the 2006 upgrades, the bride character changed from a forlorn figure into a greedy, murderous backstabber named Constance. This new bride has married - and beheaded - five men, grabbing all of their riches for herself. She utters ghostly wedding vows as a gleaming hatchet materializes in her hands. She is voiced by Kat Cressida [1] and played physically by Julia Lee of Buffy the Vampire Slayer [2].

[edit] Elizabeth Henshaw (Movie)

In the film, the bride is named Elizabeth Henshaw and is murdered by the butler Ramsley using poison. Master Gracey hanged himself in despair and during the afterlife he waited for her to return. Thanks to the Evers family, she could be and was reunited with her lover.

[edit] Melanie Ravenswood (Phantom Manor)

The bride is the main character of Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. Melanie was a young bride who was to marry an engineer and planned to leave town with him after the wedding, but her father, Henry, disliked the idea and vowed to stop the wedding at all costs. However, he and his wife died in 1860 thanks to an earthquake. On Melanie's wedding day, her groom was hanged by the Phantom so he didn't show up and she spent her life and the afterlife waiting for him, the spectre of the evil Phantom shadowing her presence.

[edit] The Ghost Host

The Ghost Host is the first character guests to the rides meet, so to speak. The Ghost Host has no physical form and only his deep creepy voice is heard throughout the rides. It is implied he took his own life by hanging in the rafters of the mansion's attic, as seen in the Stretching Gallery scenes. The Ghost Host is voiced by Paul Frees, and in the film, Corey Burton mimics his notable line of "Welcome, foolish mortals..." It is often believed the Ghost Host may be the same character as Master Gracey.

[edit] Master Gracey

Owner of the Haunted Mansion, Master Gracey is possibly the Ghost Host. A portrait of him in the foyer of the ride seems to indicate this, as the portrait transforms into a skeleton. Master Gracey's unofficial backstory involves him being an collector of supernatural items, with the help of Madame Leota. Gracey has two wives, both who die in horrible ways thanks to Madame Leota. Gracey then hung himself and became the Ghost Host. In the comics, William Gracey was a sea captain who killed the former leader of a vessel (Captain Randall Pace) and took over. In the film, Edward Gracey is played by Nathaniel Parker, as a heartbroken man who hung himself after his lover Elizabeth apparently killed herself. He was named after Yale Gracey, an Imagineer who helped build the original ride.

[edit] Madame Leota

Madame Leota is one of the iconic characters of the rides. She is a gypsy woman, fortune teller or psychic whose head is trapped inside a crystal ball from which she speaks enchantments and summons spirits to join the Haunted Mansion. Madame Leota's room is a seancé chamber, where floating objects including musical instruments and Leota's table. Madame Leota has a daughter, Little Leota, who can be seen at the end of the rides. Leota's unofficial backstory involves her being a lover of Master Gracey, killing both of his wives secretly. As Gracey discovered this truth, he fled as Leota tried to kill him, only to end up trapped in her crystal ball using magic. In the film, Madame Leota is portrayed by Jennifer Tilly. Leota's chamber is like a gypsy tent and all the objects in the room are enchanted including the table which spins around in midair, sending Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) on a wild ride. Leota helps the Evers family break the mansion's curse.

[edit] Floating Candelabras

Floating candelabras are seen wandering the halls of the Haunted Mansion rides. It is believed an invisible ghost is holding them and exploring the halls. Cast Members and fans alike believe that a maid named Prudence holds the candelabras aloft. Prudence was a nervous and easily frightened woman who died from sheer fright when Little Leota slammed a door in the dead of night. The most notable floating candelabra is in the endless hallways scene. In the comics, the floating candelabras are held by one of the builders of the mansion.

[edit] The Coffin Ghost

In the conservatory scene of the rides is a large coffin which has a skeletal ghost trying to break free, despite the fact that the lid is partially nailed down. The ghost calls for help but no one comes to assist him. The ghost is believed to be a lover of Little Leota, who believed he was a vampire and locked himself in the coffin, which Little Leota nailed shut. He suffocated inside as a result. In the comics, the coffin ghost is one of the builders of the mansion.

[edit] The Raven

The raven character is another iconic character in the ride and seems to be one of the few living creatures inside the mansion. It is first seen by the conservatory, squawking viciously at guests. It reappears in Madame Leota's chamber and then on a tree branch in the graveyard, before finally appearing above the Hitchiking Ghosts' crypt. The raven is a symbol of death, appropriately placed in the Haunted Mansion's dark setting. In the film, the raven appears in several cameos, nicknamed Fonzie by the filmmakers. It is revealed in film commentary that the raven used in the film is actually a bird originating from Africa.

[edit] The Organist

The gloomy-looking organist appears in the infamous ballroom scene. He is seen at the far end of the room constantly playing a large pipe organ while ghostly wraiths spill out of the pipes. The organist's backstory is varied. The castmembers' story has him being from Ireland, and his fingers are crushed by part of the organ, preventing him from playing his organ. As a result, he committed suicide. The organ he plays is actually a prop used in the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea film adaption production by the Walt Disney Company.