Why Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris Is the Creepiest

1 The House Itself Looks Scarier

Compared to the original Haunted Mansion, Paris's Phantom Manor has a noticeably eerier look and vibe. One of the main reasons for this difference could be because of its location. While Haunted Mansion is found in New Orleans Square, Phantom Manor is situated in Frontierland. A pristine mansion would seem out of place, making the more rundown look more suitable.

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2 The Ride's Concept Is Centered Around the Bride

The bride is featured in the other versions of the ride, but isn't the main focus like she is in Phantom Manor. In fact, the entire premise of the ride in Paris revolves around her unfortunate wedding day. The whole backstory supposedly includes two brothers who owned Big Thunder Mine and built a mansion overlooking town. One of the brothers, Henry Ravenswood, had a lovely daughter named Melanie who he was extremely overprotective of. He forbade her to go into town or leave the house.

Bad luck ruined the estate in the following years: a earthquake crushed Henry, Melanie's mother passed from a weak heart, and close family friends continued to die off on the grounds, leaving Melanie alone. Finally, one day, when her love, Jake, convinced her to leave with him, Henry's angered spirit ruined the young couple's wedding day at the Manor. Jake was lured to the attic by a phantom and hung himself, making Melanie a widow bride and forever captive in her childhood home.

Pictured here is the section of the ride where Melanie is mourning in the attic on her wedding day. Though you don't see a hanging Jake, there's a light shining from the ceiling that suggests his death.

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3 The Rest of the Characters Look Straight Out of a Traditional Haunted House

Though riders will notice similar rooms from the Haunted Mansion like the stretching elevator at the beginning, the portrait gallery, and the seance room, the graveyard scenes from the original Disneyland attraction are replaced by "phantom canyon." As you'll see in the next couple slides, more traditional spooky characters such as skeletons are found.

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To also go along with the Frontierland theme, creepy Western characters are scattered throughout the canyon portion of the ride.

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4 An Employee Was Found Dead Inside

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tara Block

In April 2016, a 45-year-old male technician was found dead inside Phantom Manor the morning before the park was to open. It's believed that he was accidentally electrocuted as he was working on the lights.

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