(This article contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and it takes you to Amazon and you buy something, we will get a small amount of that purchase to support our future writings. It won’t cost you anything extra.) Perhaps the greatest injustice of Haunted Mansion Holiday and “the Nightmare before Christmas” takeover of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is that guests don’t get to experience the original attraction in all its glory. People, who can only afford one trip to the Magic Kingdom every year, may find themselves never experiencing the OG Haunted Mansion.
Don’t get me wrong. “The Nightmare before Christmas” is iconic, fun, and an impressive use of intellectual property (IP) in an overlay. However, it’s almost as if Disney forgot the Haunted Mansion itself is full of original IP for Disneyland and the Disney Company.
Of course, that last statement is utter bunk. Disney knows the Haunted Mansion is filled with stories that, properly executed, it can exploit. The company has released two theatrical movies – the unintentional horror starring Eddie Murphy and the relatively better and newer movie with an ensemble cast. It has combined the Muppets with the Haunted Mansion in a Disney+ release that is fabulous. It has also released several books with background stories of the ghosts that inhabit the Haunted Mansion, and at least one book that has the Haunted Mansion star as its own character.
Still, in honor of the classic version that you can’t visit from late August to mid-January, we’re doing a countdown of the Top 31 ghosts residing at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Join our Patreon for free and tell us if you agree… with our rankings. Stay Tuned for the Ghost #31 tomorrow! If you want more Haunted Mansion and creativity, get my book “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity.” If you want a different kind of Haunting fun, check out “When Hauntings Collide,” the story where you are the star.