The Haunted Mansion

As I am writing about creepy things I better go on with it. With many thanks to Phantom Manor I found out about Nathaniel Parker, who played Mr Gracey in the film The Haunted Mansion. But I wrote about that in an earlier blog. I wanted to see the film because I love the ride in the Disneyland Paris parc. I never went to the American parcs, a thing I hope to do one day. So the story was a bit new to me, made me excited. The fact that Eddie Murphy had the leading role I took with it. But what an annoying man it was in this film. The start of the film was about a man and a woman who were in love but got seperated by death. Then the film moves on to the area we live in now. It was a nice story to be honest, but after I saw this I had an empty feeling. Why didn't they show more of Master Gracey was my first thought. I would have love to see more about him and his beloved Elizabeth. They should have told us how they fell in love and what went wrong, before moving on the the "now a days". As I said, I found Eddie Murphy pretty annoying and I felt sorry for the other cast members who did a great job in this film. Next to Mister Gracey, I fell for the house. The Gracey Manor really is something that fits me like a glove. I love the house and the furniture in it. I do love old houses and castles and their furniture and it would have been wonderful to have looked on the set of the film. Or see the old costumes they used for the ghosts of the house. With many thanks to a dear friend, I was able to get a copy of the Art of The Haunted Mansion, which is a wonderful book with the most beautiful pictures of the house and the costumes. There is also a book called "Froom the Magic Kingdom to the Movie". But the artbook really stole my heart and so did the Gracey house. sometimes I dream that I live in a house like that. I guess it is one of the reasons I love costume dramas so much. The houses at the time were elegant and wonderful. In my opinion that is. For people who are interested in the Gracey family history, you can click on the link below this blog. You can visit the rest of that site as it will tell you all about the attraction and the film. I did write my own version of the history between Elizabeth and Edward Gracey, but that is a thing I keep for myself at the moment.

http://www.doombuggies.com/film_gracey.php

Phantom Manor

In Disneyland Paris you can find an old house on top of a hill. The house looks like it had better times. It was buildt during the Gold Rush time and it had happier times. Welcome to Phantom Manor. This is one of my favorite Disneyrides. Phantom Manor is not like the rides in other Disney parcs. Phantom Manor is a wonderful building with a great story. I heard all about it when I went to Disney University. Yes, it excisist and is for people who are starting their job in Disneyland Paris. Or at least, it was when I went to work there in 1996. I never knew there was a story behind Phantom Manor, but when I went with my fellow students and teacher and waited in the cue we got to hear the story behind it. The house was buildt by a man who went out to California during the Gold Rush. He got very rich and founded Thunder Mesa. The house was buildt on top of a hill and looked out over the small city and the river. The man married and he and his wife got a daughter. The daughter fell in love with a young man, who lived in the village. They wanted to get married. But there was one little problem. In the house lived a ghost who was very much in love with the daughter. He couldn't stand loosing her, so he had to take action. When the wedding day came the groom was nowhere to be found. The family looked all over the house and area, but no groom. The girl was very sad and didn't believe he was gone. Now a days strange things happen around and in the house. Lights are visible behind the windows and strange smoke comes out of the chimney. The place is deserted for years and years, but sometimes the doors open. Visitors can enter the house and look around. They might catch a glimpse of the bride, who is still searching her true love. They might hear her weeping and eerie music can be heard. On entering the ballroom it is possible that visitors get to see ballroom dancers. Glimpses of times past. Visitors also can hear a terrible laugh which makes them scared. A man can be seen, his face is strange and so are his clothes. Who is he and what is going on in the house. Not many people live to tell the tail. If you are lucky, you can end up in a shooting in the nearby Western city. I hope you are brave enough to visit the house and come out of it alive.