The Long-Forgotten Haunted Mansion Effect Thread 7: Further Realms of Fright

[MasterGracey13]

That part was lifted directly from the Disney press release and does describe the attraction, NOT the film. The author of the article was not paying attention, when he plagiarized the entire paragraph verbatim.

Ooooh.
I was reading an interview with Del Toro that made me both curious and nervous (mostly nervous).

Will we see an origin for the mansion?
Yes, you will see the origin and you will see the function of it...


Could this be a new franchise? Could this be the first film in a series?
I think it could be. I think it perfectly could be, because we are saying that the mansion is one of the many mansions in the world. There's another one in Tokyo, there's another one if France. But to create a cohesive origin story, this is something that's really dear to me.

[CaitlinMcFly]

Ehh. I wouldn't want a HM franchise, but if it goes there, it goes there. As long as they keep the ride intact and don't mess with it too much--because, seriously, the Imagineers put a lot of effort into the Constance story in the last decade or so, and it'd be a jerk move to take that out and redo the whole damned thing just for a movie--then I'm fine with it.

[MasterGracey13]

...as long as they keep the ride intact and don't mess with it too much--because, seriously, the imagineers put a lot of effort into the constance story in the last decade or so, and it'd be a jerk move to take that out and redo the whole damned thing just for a movie--then i'm fine with it.

Amen!

[HBG2]

Constance and Co. are a fact on the ground. They're not going away. And there are plans to expand her story further, probably in connection with the Hatchet Man. My advice is to stop wishing these things aren't true. What I would like to see (besides an improved presentation) is the story line bend more into the established themes of the HM as it develops, either (1) the afterlife as a universal yukfest, or (2) a necessary counterpoint of sterner poetic justice, a crime avenged.

Forgiveness and Justice stand in unresolved tension throughout the cosmos of human imagination; why should the HM be any different?

As for the HBG, Like several others I'm fully convinced that THIS is the reason HBG 2.0 was yanked at the last minute. The line they fed Al Lutz is pretty lame: to save the money and put it into the water show. Come on, they had announced a January debut! The thing was ready to install. What did they save? $79.50? No, I'll give you dollars to donuts del Toro had agreed to do the film, and he had made it clear he favored a story centered on the HBG. They're saving HBG 2.0 for the film. Simple as that.

[Grinning Ghost]

Constance and Co. are a fact on the ground. They're not going away.

Drat. I hope you're wrong. I can't stand Constance. She just doesn't belong, particularly if they ever do get HBG installed.

"With each beat of his bride's heart, his head disappeared from his body, and appeared in the hatbox..."

So how does Connie fit in with that? She doesn't have the red, glowing heart of her predecessors. Why is there still the heartbeat sound effect in the attic? It no longer fits the scene in its present incarnation.

[skoolpsyk]

Yeah, I don't know how you can be so sure about Constance remaining, but I too hope you're wrong.

[Backside of Water]

I'm kindof new to this thread so I'm not completely sure If this is a question that has brought up before, but here we go:

The new mansion movie will revolve around the Hatbox Ghost? That's wonderful because we will see a wonderful new(old) effect and character in the mansion if the movie takes off, but what does that mean for the movie? The hatbox ghost is a hat salesman who comes to fit hats for the wedding that took place with Gracey and Constance (according to most stories) other stories claim that he was a groom of Constance but even still, he is a very minor character in a story that would otherwise revolve around the bride of the attic, which in turn is a minor character in a mansion home to 999 ghostly characters. I don't think that old Hattie could be the main character in a cohesive story that would serve a Haunted Mansion movie justice. The backstory behind the Eddie Murphy movie (as terrible as it was, and even worse how it was pulled off) seems like a better concept for a film than one about a hat salesman.

Also, from the interviews, It sounds like the movie will be about the Haunted Mansion RIDE itself instead of a REAL MANSION THAT IS ACTUALLY HAUNTED. I have high hopes for a Haunted Mansion movie and I hope it will pull a batman (Batman Begins and Dark Knight both eliminated any memory of the hideous Batman and Robin franchise) to the Eddie Murphy movie, but so far, this is not looking like a blockbuster hit that I would go see.

If anyone else has a better idea of the plot then please let me know.

[Grinning Ghost]

The hatbox ghost is a hat salesman who comes to fit hats for the wedding that took place with Gracey and Constance (according to most stories) other stories claim that he was a groom of Constance but even still, he is a very minor character in a story that would otherwise revolve around the bride of the attic, which in turn is a minor character in a mansion home to 999 ghostly characters. I don't think that old Hattie could be the main character in a cohesive story that would serve a Haunted Mansion movie justice.

Um - never heard either of those stories before. They are probably fan fiction. The only officially written bit about the Hatbox Ghost came from The Story and Song From The Haunted Mansion Lp:

"Mike and Karen entered the door and came face to face with a ghost dressed as a bride. She was strangely illuminated and her heart glowed red with each heartbeat. The room they were in was an unfinished attic. And as they turned to run out of the door, another ghostly manifestation appeared and blocked their way. He was a cloaked figure with an evil, grinning face. A hatbox hung from his hand. With each beat of his bride's heart, his head disappeared from his body, and appeared in the hatbox."

There was no "Constance" in 1969 in the attic scene, only the original Constance in the stretching portraits.

Also, from the interviews, It sounds like the movie will be about the Haunted Mansion RIDE itself instead of a REAL MANSION THAT IS ACTUALLY HAUNTED. I have high hopes for a Haunted Mansion movie and I hope it will pull a batman (Batman Begins and Dark Knight both eliminated any memory of the hideous Batman and Robin franchise) to the Eddie Murphy movie, but so far, this is not looking like a blockbuster hit that I would go see.

If anyone else has a better idea of the plot then please let me know.

In most interviews, GdT describes a whole world for the Mansions to exist in - not just one Mansion "plopped down in the middle of the real world." HBG is in the "center of the web that ties them all together." [paraphrasing]

[HBG2]

Drat. I hope you're wrong. I can't stand Constance. She just doesn't belong, particularly if they ever do get HBG installed.

"With each beat of his bride's heart, his head disappeared from his body, and appeared in the hatbox..."

So how does Connie fit in with that? She doesn't have the red, glowing heart of her predecessors. Why is there still the heartbeat sound effect in the attic? It no longer fits the scene in its present incarnation.

They could easily add a heart to the Connie figure if they wanted to.

Yeah, I don't know how you can be so sure about Constance remaining, but I too hope you're wrong.

Of course, twenty or thirty years from now she may be replaced. But don't look for her to vacate the premises until she's tired and worn out.

The reasons I'm so convinced are: (1) she's popular, and (2) they've made a heavy investment in her. With regard to the first, even the hardcore HM fans are divided about her, maybe 70/30 or so. The rest of the public seems to be happy enough with Constance. It's hard to be 100% sure, since we don't have Connie plush dolls to fly or not fly off the shelves, but you never heard a groundswell of grumbling from Disney fans in general like you did with the Small World desecration, Sparrow of the Caribbean, or even the takeover makeover of Tom Sawyer Island. With regard to the second point, remember that all those changing portraits go with her. I'm sure the package taken as a whole did not come cheap. Plus, whatever they do to develop her saga further (with Hatch, I believe), that would have to come out too.

And consider this dismaying observation. So long as a certain TF is in power, she's safe, because she was his personal brainchild (or pet project, whatever). Even after TF is gone, they'd have to have a very strong reason before they would insult him (or his memory†) by pulling her out as if she never were.

We're better positioned if we lobby for an improvement in her technical presentation and perhaps a reprogramming. They could get Julie and Kat and reshoot Connie with different dialogue and a different emphasis, not enough to destroy the original but enough to fit her into a new background (which could well happen, methinks, if the new movie is huge and brings the HBG back with a new twist to the storyline).

You can also hope that Tokyo continues to be the time capsule HM that it presently is, even if they've got a "middle bride" Beating Heart and not the dark-faced original. It's a small comfort to know that somewhere in the world the old still exists.

[Grinning Ghost]

Who is TF? I've heard of TB, but not TF...

[RegionsBeyond]

Who is TF? I've heard of TB, but not TF...

I believe he means Tom Fitzgerald, the other "manager" besides Tony at DLR, though that is simplifying things.

As for Constance, I don't mind her, or her "story". The effects portrait is neat, the heartbeat was kept in as an "homage" to the old attic. Just tweak her technologically and I am fine with it, since the projection right now looks fake (which I am sure the management knows)

[clockworkmonkey]

Del Toro and the filmmakers are sure to do whatever they want to do, without a care at all for what anyone in Imagineering may think or how much they spent on upgrades years ago. It's entirely possible, with Del Toro's reverential talk of the Mansion's original architects and the Hat Box Ghost, he may be a traditionalist when it comes to the bride's appearance as well.

If he wants and old fashioned bride in the movie, I'm sure he'll get one. If he does and if the movie is a Pirate-sized hit, I'd be surprised if the attraction didn't follow.

Granted, those are a pair of big ifs.

On a side note, the last time Del Toro took on a property I already enjoyed it was Hellboy. He talked then about his great love of the source material too, and what a faithful adaptation it would be. The character was note perfect, but (except for a few choice scenes) the setting and tone couldn't have been further from the mark. It was like watching Hellboy accidentally arrive in an X-Men movie. I've heard better things about the sequel, but haven't gotten around to giving it a chance yet.

[Kraken]

I presume if the movie is a success, the ride will be updated like the Pirates was. Most likely candidate is Constance being changed to the actress portraying her in the film (presuming she is in a big role). If HBG effect was pulled due to the movie, it is fairly certain that the new effect will look and talk like HBG does in the movie.

[RegionsBeyond]

On a side note, the last time Del Toro took on a property I already enjoyed it was Hellboy. He talked then about his great love of the source material too, and what a faithful adaptation it would be. The character was note perfect, but (except for a few choice scenes) the setting and tone couldn't have been further from the mark. It was like watching Hellboy accidentally arrive in an X-Men movie. I've heard better things about the sequel, but haven't gotten around to giving it a chance yet.

To venture off-topic briefly: For Hellboy II, it is far more in line with the kind of "intersecting" of worlds and less about a real world menace with supernatural powers (Rasputin). For HBII, you can definitely see the influence of having made Pan's Labyrinth in terms of the "fairy world" designs and creatures, and the overall plot is more about Hellboy trying to figure out who he should sympathize with, the humans or the magical creatures, so it is more like some of the comics in that sense. OK, back on topic...

[HBG2]

I keep finding reasons to like this guy.


HBG2, June 2007

As for the magic of riding the HM with hardly anyone in there...YES. One trick I've used when it's crowded is to position myself to be last out of the stretchroom, and then lag behind, until everyone has gone around the bend. If the CM's aren't paying much attention, you can have a few moments to yourself in the portrait hall. Stormy landscape and lightning in the windows, paintings eerily flickering, busts staring, spooky music playing--my favorite spot in all of Disneyland.


Guillermo del Toro, July 2010

Q: What’s your favorite moment on the ride?
A: Everything. I tell you...my favorite moment is a very freaky moment, actually. When you come out of the elevator, and you wait in the portrait gallery, and you let the group go—the group you were in—there’s about three minutes between elevators, and the moment when you are alone in the portrait gallery, with no one behind you and no one in front of you, it actually is very scary.