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Credit: Inside the MagicSince the premiere of the latest movie adaptation, there has been a large influx of interest in Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Guests have loved the attraction for decades, whether it’s the Disneyland original, the Walt Disney World expansion pack, or the gothic-horror-inspired Phantom Manor.
To say that the Haunted Mansion is a fan-favorite is a ghastly and ghostly understatement, and the adoration has gone beyond the Doom Buggies. If guests and regular riders are willing to let the ghosts follow them home, why not go all the way and spend the night at Gracey Manor?
Fans Demand a Haunted Mansion Hotel
Although it’s indeed possible to stay at the house that inspired the Walt Disney World version, some fans are urging Disney to build a resort-sized experience based on the Haunted Mansion. Although their recent Galaxy Cruiser went up like a lead X-Wing, there is definitely an audience for the Haunted Mansion Hotel.
Related: Hatbox Ghost Replaces Madame Leota
r/WaltDisneyWorld is a public Reddit forum where Disney fans share their trip reports, recommendations, and excitement in the fandom, but it’s also a place where they discuss the future of the Parks as well. One recent post approached the subject of the fabled haunted hotel, and a chorus of other foolish mortals agreed.
u/Whenapanda leads the discussion with,
“WDW needs a Haunted Mansion themed hotel. It could have the purple wallpaper pattern and the accent sheet on the bed could be the uniform green and black stripes. There could be specific suites themed around specific characters like the bride (Candace Hathaway) or Madam Leota. There’s just so much you could do with it!!”
The original post is far from wrong, and there would undoubtedly be a tremendous amount of fan support for it. However, is this really the most family friendly option for the place where dreams come true?
u/drRATM replies with,
“Sounds like an imagineer/designer dream come true to work on but a nightmare for parents when their kid freaks out. I’d stay there though. Hell yeah.”
When the original poster suggest an age recommendation from Disney, the same user later punctuates the notion with the following.
“Strongly suggested by Disney and promptly ignored by parents. Lol. I can only imagine the number of people requesting less scary rooms after they get there and the kid is freaked. ‘Sir, it’s called the haunted mansion, what did you expect?'”
That all being said, there are still many vocal fans petitioning for the proposed hotel coming to life. Guests like u/MagicBez counterpoints with,
My daughter has been obsessed with Haunted Mansion (and Phantom Manor) since she was 4, she would insist on staying at this hotel and only this hotel for the rest of our days. I would really like to hear someone’s pitch on how the pool would look.”
To which the previous user adds,
“Probably a bad idea for lifeguards but could we sneak an underlit skeleton beneath glass at the bottom of the deep end?”
A big thing to take away from these responses are that this is undoubtedly a project directed at Disney’s older crowd. At first glance, that notion might send all hope for this realistically coming to life out the window. However, consider the direction the Disney Parks seem to be taking.
With Disneyland incorporating more intense experiences for Oogie Boogie Bash and a Villian Park reportedly in the works for Disney World, is a Haunted Mansion hotel really that far out of reach? As its demographic continues to change, so will Disney’s practices.
Do you see something like this happening to the Haunted Mansion? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!