Seven Years And Counting!

In celebration of seven years of daily blogging (hard to believe), I'm going to do a trip through my favorite attraction at Disneyland: The Haunted Mansion. Thanks to a recent acquisition of slides, I can do a much more comprehensive series than previously possible. The exterior shot is courtesy of Daveland reader Bill H., dating from September 1973.

Moving back in time to October 1972, we have a shot of the entry foyer, which is when the cobwebs and dust begin to appear, in stark contrast to the well-manicured exterior of the Mansion.



Once in the elevator, you can see some of the original Marc Davis art for the stretch portraits, circa 1969:









In the Changing Portrait Hallway, this guest decided to check out what was outside the window, circa October 1972:



One of the busts that seems to follow you as you pass by:



Once in the Doombuggy, you would see these creepy hands pushing up the coffin lid:





Moving onto the infamous Madame Leota, who is one of the biggest reasons of why you should NOT use a flash in this attraction!





For the ballroom, I need to use vintage publicity shots to cover this tableau:





One half of the dueling portraits:



The organist who plays on the instrument rescued from the set of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea":



Up in the attic, the original bride scares the crap out of guests with her beating heart, October 1972:



The caretaker's shaking is a warning to the frights that await us in the cemetery:



The Grim Grinning Ghosts, who look VERY grim when the flash obscures the projection effect. December 1969:



In color from October 1972:



More hijinks from the cemetery, circa December 1969:







The Hitchhiking Ghosts:



And finally, two consecutive October 1972 shots of Little Leota at the exit. Probably my favorite (and most effective) scene in the Mansion:





Thanks to the many who have followed my blog for the last seven years, taking the time to comment, leave memories, and add to my knowledge of Walt's original theme park.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Haunted Mansion attraction photos on my Haunted Mansion web page.