The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion

Expanded second edition, with all-new photos and Haunted Mansion coverage.

 

Welcome, Foolish Readers!

Join your new Ghost Host, Jeff Baham, as he recounts the colorful, chilling history of the Haunted Mansion and pulls back the shroud on its darkest secrets in this definitive book about Disney's most ghoulish attraction. Packed with photos, never-before-told stories, and comprehensive coverage of the mansion's haunted past and its chilling presence at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other Disney theme parks.

Beginning with the Haunted Mansion's original (but never realized) incarnation as "Bloodmere Manor", Baham pulls back the shroud on the clever effects that haunt the Mansion, including Ken Anderson's plan for a cyclorama-enhanced Headless Horseman, Yale Gracey and Rolly Crump's creative wizardry and "happy accidents", Bob Gurr's Doom Buggies, the technology behind Madame Leota's crystal ball, and the controlled chaos of the Ballroom Scene.

You'll learn why X. Atencio's idea for a raven narrator was ditched in favor of the now infamous Ghost Host, whether a screaming man caught in a spider web once dwelt in the mansion, and how technology exorcised the Hatbox Ghost.

There's more to the mansion than mere mechanics. More than perhaps any other Disney attraction, the Haunted Mansion is powered by story: the scenes and spirits you witness from your Doom Buggy all play roles in the overall narrative of the mansion, and if you don't know the story, you'll miss out on a lot of the fun, and a few of the scares, too.

Baham clues you in about such things as why the mansion is there, who built it, how it became haunted, and the dastardly deeds done by some of its residents in their corruptible, mortal states.

From the comfort of your Doom Buggy you'll enjoy:

• Exclusive photos and commentary by Disney Imagineers, including Haunted Mansion "architect" Rolly Crump
• Insider accounts of the creative clashes over whether the mansion's haunts should be humorous or horrific, and the internal workflow behind each mansion rehab or addition
• An analysis of the ride, scene by scene, with insight into how the effects work, delightfully eerie trivia, and anecdotes from Imagineers and cast members
• The stories behind some of the mansion's many denizens, including the Hatbox Ghost, the Knight, the Sea Captain, the Raven, the unhappy couple Constance and George, and the Ghost Host himself
• A discussion of the most notable mansion collectibles released by Disney over the years

There's always room for one more, and this time you're it: come experience the Haunted Mansion with the "lights on" and learn its ghostly history, its sinister secrets, and why this Disney attraction continues to happily haunt fans young and old.