The Haunted Mansion/Characters

This page covers a few of the characters from the ride.

The Ghost Host
The Host and The Narrator of the rides, the Ghost Host is the unseen voice that accompanies guests around the mansion. He was Driven to Suicide by hanging from the rafters in the mansion's cupola. The Ghost Host uses Black Comedy to entertain and possibly intimidate the guests, scaring them several times, and often invites them to join the mansion's residents as resident number one-thousand. Contrary to Word of Dante and some adaptations, he is not called Master Gracey.

"The Ghost Host: Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely. The real chills come later.!"
 * Black Humor: The Ghost Host enjoys taunting and scaring the ride's guests.


 * Driven to Suicide: Via hanging.
 * Ghost Butler
 * Hey It's That Guy: The Ghost Host is voiced by Paul Frees. Corey Burton took over his role after he passed away.
 * In Phantom Manor, a similar character, known as the Phantom, was originally voiced by Vincent Price but the audio was changed to French. Only his laugh as the Phantom remains.
 * The Host
 * The Narrator
 * Pungeon Master
 * The Voice

The Phantom
The Host of Phantom Manor. Unlike his original precedessor, he's the main villain of the ride. He's a very mysterious character and as a matter of fact there are two hypothesis who could he be: an evil spirit who fell in love with Melanie and then killed her groom hanging him by the neck from the rafters and then he condemned the poor bride to haunt the house forever. In the second one, he was  But his restless spirit would not be denied. What he did is the same of the first hypotesis.


 * Ax Crazy: There are some clues in the attraction who suggest he mustn't be well composed...
 * Badass in A Nice Suit: He's always seen in a fine suit and a Cool Hat.
 * Big Bad: Not just of the ride, but of Frontierland as a whole if you think about it. He started the mine in Big Thunder Mountain, which caused the earthquakes that destroyed the original Thunder Mesa. And that's just his backstory.
 * Complete Monster: Who else can ruin a young woman's life, brutally killing the man she loves, keeping her prisoner in her own house and laughing maniacally while he does all this!?
 * Dem Bones: He's an undead skeleton in the Graveyard
 * Evil Laugh: Vincent Price does it (just the laugh).
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Evilly Affable
 * For the Evulz
 * Ghostly Goals: Apparently, of the 2nd type.
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant
 * Obviously Evil
 * The Spook: He's literally one. His origins are vague in the attraction itself, but the backstory spells out his identity pretty well.
 * Vile Villain Saccharine Show: Attraction actually, which is not really saccarine anyway.
 * Vile Villain Saccharine Show: Attraction actually, which is not really saccarine anyway.

Madame Leota
The spirit of a psychic medium, whose head appears inside a crystal ball. From her chamber, she performs a Spooky Seance to contact the spirits from beyond. She has a tombstone outside the ride which has moving eyes.
 * Crystal Ball: She appears in one.
 * Exposition Fairy: In the video game.
 * Fortune Teller
 * Hey It's That Voice: Eleanor Audley, the voice of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine.
 * Oracular Head
 * Psychic Powers
 * Rhymes On a Dime
 * Spooky Seance: Floating musical instruments, a floating, spinning table, and Madame Leota floats in the air herself during the seance.
 * Tarot Motifs: Madame Leota has tarot cards laid out on her table.
 * Tuckerization: Madame Leota is named after Leota Toombes, whose face was used for the character and for the Ghost Hostess. Her daughter, Kim Irvine, would then portray Madame Leota in Haunted Mansion Holiday.

The Bride
The Bride is an iconic character in the rides with the most different character interpretations. She didn't have an official name or backstory until 2006, when she became Constance Hatchaway, The Bride With a Past and a Black Widow, having married at least five men and murdering them to gain their fortunes.

In Phantom Manor, the Bride is Melanie Ravenswood who wanted to marry the man she loved against her Overprotective Dad's wishes. On her wedding day, the Phantom killed her groom via hanging but she has remained unaware of this, and decided to wait for her groom to return so they can get married. She wanders the halls of her home singing for her lover, and scenes showed she aged and then died at some point, but lived on as a ghost, still waiting for her groom to come.

The film's incarnation of the Bride is Elizabeth Henshaw, a woman of mixed race who was to marry Master Gracey. However, not wanting a scandal,  She lived on as a ghost ball, and was reunited with Master Gracey after the curse was lifted and the truth was revealed to him. She is mistaken for a woman named Sara Evers, who Master Gracey believes to be a reincarnation.
 * Ax Crazy: Constance.
 * Black Widow: Constance earns the nickname "The Black Widow Bride".
 * The Bride With a Past: Constance is really an Ax Crazy Black Widow.
 * I Will Wait for You: Melanie does this for her dead groom, into death and beyond.
 * Madwoman in The Attic
 * Perfect Poison: Both Elizabeth and Sara fall to this trope.
 * Wedding Day: For all the brides. Constance was the only one to get married, Melanie's groom never made it to the alter, and Elizabeth was poisoned even before she accepted Master Gracey's proposal.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts
There's a little thing that should be mentioned: Beware of Hitch Hiking Ghosts. These three ghosts appear at the end of the ride, hitching a ride in the guests' Doom Buggies. The Ghost Host comments that the ghosts will follow guests home after guests pass by a row of mirrors to see them sitting in their Doom Buggies. The three ghosts are now commonly known as Phineas (the obese ghost in a top hat), Ezra (the tall skeletal guy) and Gus (the hairy dwarf prisoner). These names originally came from fan fiction written by cast members but became so well-known that they are now often included in official Disney-sanctioned material. They are quite the Ensemble Darkhorses and the iconic characters of the ride. They only make a brief appearance in the film.
 * Beware of Hitch Hiking Ghosts: Trope Namer.
 * Comic Trio
 * Demoted to Extra: The Hitchhiking Ghosts only appear in a cameo in the film.
 * Epic Flail: Gus' ball and chain.
 * Hey It's That Guy: In the film, Gus is played by renowned dwarf actor Deep Roy.
 * Implacable Ghosts: They hitchhike home with everyone.
 * Mascot: They appear on much of the attraction merchandise and sometimes on merchandise for the theme park in general.
 * What Could Have Been: The Hitchhiking Ghosts would have been Comic Relief sidekicks for Eddie Murphy in the film, but were reduced to their cameo.

The Hatbox Ghost
Perhaps the biggest Ensemble Darkhorse for the fans after the Hitchhiking Ghosts. The Hatbox Ghost was a skeletal spectre seen in the attic with the bride, his head vanishing into the hatbox he carried and back to his body. Unfortunately, the character's trick often didn't work so he was quickly removed from the ride. However, he is so memorable that fans have been requesting his return for years. It seems they may get their wish with Guillermo Del Toro's announcement of remaking the film, and the Hatbox Ghost is to be involved as a focus point.
 * Big Bad: Considered by some to be the villain of the ride, even though he isn't in it.
 * Dem Bones
 * Put On a Bus: And absent for over forty years.

The Singing Busts
A quintet of singing busts found in the graveyard scenes. They sing the ride's Theme Song "Grim Grinning Ghosts". Four members of them appear in Phantom Manor, and four other versions appear in the film singing different songs to answer Eddie Murphy's questions.


 * Badass Baritone: Thurl Ravenscroft.
 * Hey It's That Guy: The lead singer of the busts is voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft.
 * The film's busts were voiced by Disneyland's barber quartet the Dapper Dans. Two of the busts are visually based on Paul Frees and Thurl Ravenscroft.
 * Living Statue
 * Theme Tune: Grim Grinning Ghosts