10 Things You Didn't Know About Disney's The Haunted Mansion

Home to 999 ghosts... but there's always room for one more!

By James Hunt /

Welcome, foolish mortals, to (an article about) The Haunted Mansion. I am your host...your writer host. There's no turning back now (let's just pretend there isn't a back button). This article itself may not scare you, but the ride it's about is certainly supposed to (in a fun way, at least). The Haunted Mansion opened its doors at Disneyland back in 1969, and although that was a few years after Walt Disney's death, its initial development had been overseen by him many years before. It has since become one of the most popular attractions at the theme park, standing alongside the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain as iconic Disneyland rides, and even inspired a film back in 2003 (the same year the first Pirates film came out; there were, erm, notable differences in the quality of the two). Another film adaptation, this time directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Ryan Gosling, is reported to be in development, and sounds a lot more promising. While it may not quite have transcended to the big screen yet, there's no denying it's one of the best (and spookiest) rides to be found in any Disney park, and here's 10 things you're no doubt dying to know about it...