A large portion of the film's story draws on Phantom Manor, the version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Resort Paris. Unlike the Haunted Mansions in other parks, Phantom Manor offers a clear, focused narrative about a bride, her lost lover and her haunting of the mansion. It later went on to provide the basis for the short film Phantom Manor - The Bride's song (2025).
Eddie Murphy had devised a stand-up routine that poked fun at the implausible premise of horror films, specifically haunted-house tales. In Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983) he quipped that black people would never appear in such a film, since they’d leave the moment they saw anything supernatural.
The Dapper Dans, a barbershop quartet who perform on Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A., appear in a cameo, providing the voices for the singing busts.
The dining-room chairs were later incorporated into both the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions. In the Haunted Mansion the chair is shown in a portrait of the updated attic, representing one of the bride's murdered husbands. In the refurbished versions of the Pirates attractions at Disneyland and at Magic Kingdom it appears in the final treasure-room scene as the chair in which Captain Jack Sparrow is sitting.
Two people whose house had just been sold start singing "Happy Anniversary!", and Jim responds with obvious irritation. It's a nod to a radio advertisement for Disneyland's anniversary, performed in precisely the same way by a child. Listeners reacted negatively, and the advert was eventually withdrawn from the airwaves.
Several nods to the Disney theme-park ride appear throughout the film: - the singing busts - the breathing door (even the doorknob is the same) - Madame Leota (and the spectral instruments) - the busts that follow Jim - the ghostly carriage (a prop outside the ride) - the old man and the dog in the cemetery - Master Gracy's hanging - the ghostly ballroom dancers - the Raven seen throughout the film - the hitchhiking ghosts - the hangman - eyes in some of the walls - morphing pictures in the hallway - several lines shared by the film and the ride narration, such as: "Welcome, foolish mortals", "Final arrangements have been made", "There's always my way" - the floating candelabra in the credits - the bride's dress in the attic - the screeching cat sound effect in the graveyard scene - the skeleton hands that begin to open a coffin in the mausoleum - the knights in the hallway attacking Jim - the door-knockers heard rapping in the bedroom hallway - the pipe-organ in the ballroom - the clock strikes 13 during the prologue.
In the wake of the enormous success of Ghostbusters (1984), Disney gave the project the go-ahead in the mid-1980s. Initially, the studio stipulated that the picture could only proceed if Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis or Rick Moranis were to be cast in the starring role.
When Eddie Murphy's character first makes his way to the front door, he comments on the enormous door knockers. This is most likely a reference to the same gag in the film Young Frankenstein (1974).
Originally, Don Knotts had been cast as the groundskeeper seen at the cemetery entrance in the attraction. As in the attraction, the character was intended to be a living resident of the mansion who subtly warns the Evers about the dangers of the place, but the part was dropped as the script evolved. Nevertheless, both the groundskeeper and his loyal, timid dog were retained and appear in the film as ghosts inhabiting the cemetery.
Madame Leota, the medium whose head is encased in a crystal ball, was named after Imagineer Leota Toombs, who worked on a number of Disneyland projects during the 1960s.
The red sofa from Gracey's study was utilised in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
The Gracey family that populates the Haunted Mansion takes its name from Yale Gracey, one of the original Imagineers (Disney designers) behind the Disneyland attraction, which opened in 1969. Although a spectral Gracey is never formally named in the attraction's narration or in press materials, fans have long linked the name to the disembodied "Ghost Host" through speculative backstories — and, contrary to popular belief, the attraction does not have a definitive storyline.
Gracey Mansion sits in a Louisiana bayou. The Haunted Mansion attraction is situated in New Orleans Square at Disneyland in California.
According to 'The Haunted Mansion: From Magic Kingdom to the Movies', penned by imagineer Jason Surrell, one of the Singing Busts represents Thurl Ravenscroft. He is frequently mistaken for Walt Disney. Ravenscroft's bust honours his role as the voice of that figure in the theme-park attraction. Another bust portrays Paul Frees, who provides the narration for the Disney ride.
Anthony Hopkins was approached to portray the role of Ramsley.
HIDDEN MICKEYS: - when Jim and Sara are at the mansion gate, Sara lifts the lock on the gate, which is shaped like Mickey's head. - When Ramsley pours powdered poison into Sara's drink, a Mickey appears as the powder and drink combine. - The sofa in the library is loosely shaped like Mickey's head. - As Jim fights the knight, the axe that nearly strikes him bears an upside-down Mickey.
Corey Burton: Provided the "Welcome foolish mortals" voiceover heard during the opening titles. Burton also supplied the voice of the Ghost Host for Haunted Mansion Holiday (2008), a seasonal overlay of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion attraction themed around The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
In early drafts of the screenplay, the Hitchhiking Ghosts played a larger role, but their parts were pared back because having three supporting characters constantly chipping in proved too much.
The three tarot cards shown in the film's opening titles come from the Rider–Waite–Smith deck. In sequence they are: The Lovers; Death — a card that more commonly symbolises change than literal death; and the Three of Swords, the card of betrayal.
The bust in the study, which opens a concealed door, depicts Dante Alighieri, the renowned poet.
The depiction of Edward Gracey being hanged in the film's prologue alludes to the Stretching Room sequence of the Haunted Mansion attraction.
HIDDEN MICKEYS: After speaking with Madame Leota, Eddie Murphy flees from the airborne musical instruments, and every window set into the doors is shaped like Mickey.
Marc John Jefferies (Michael) was in fact 1 year older than Aree Davis (Megan), even though she portrayed a 13-year-old whilst Marc portrayed a 10-year-old.
The make-up crafted by Rick Baker for Ramsley was intended to evoke the appearance of Boris Karloff.
Numerous architectural elements were reused from both Walt Disney attractions. The exterior was modelled on the original Walt Disney World structure, whilst the interior incorporated a blend of features from both.
The ride—and the franchise's—theme tune, "Grim Grinning Ghosts", appears in the film; an a cappella rendition is heard briefly during the graveyard scene. Although Thurl Ravenscroft is one of the performers and served as the soloist for this tune on the Disney attraction, he was unable to record vocals for the film version. Much of the instrumental background score is a reworking of the theme, drawing on the organ tone heard in the foyer and Corridor of Doors and played at the pace of a funeral dirge. Composer Mark Mancina chose to make the theme darker and more foreboding by using a cathedral-style organ sound instead of the Robert Morton organ type (which is heard on the ride) and by adding orchestral elements, with the string section underpinning the main melody.
As a promotional tie-in, Disney Channel arranged for Aree Davis and Marc John Jefferies to front a Halloween special, a short programme in which they offered tips on carving pumpkins, costume ideas and putting together a haunted house.
Michael alludes to The Sixth Sense (1999) when he utters 'I see dead people' as he, Megan and Jim walk through the cemetery en route to the mausoleum.
Deep Roy: Right at the start, when Jim goes into the Hawaiian bar to have the papers signed, you can spot Deep Roy sitting at the bar. He later reappears as one of the Hitchhiking Ghosts.
This film is the only instance in Disney's lexicon where, in reference to The Haunted Mansion, the reanimated dead are labelled as 'zombies'.
Much like the original record issued in 1969 to publicise the attraction, which recounted the tale of the Haunted Mansion, one of the reasons they enter the mansion is that it begins to rain.
The car belonging to Jim and Sara carries the number plate EVRSELL.
A poster of Destiny's Child adorns Megan's door.
To mark his most recent sale, Eddie Murphy dropped into a thinly disguised Trader Sam's tiki bar. Murphy even makes reference to Sam.
Eddie Murphy has said he isn't a fan of the film «The Haunted Mansion» (2003) and remarked, 'it wasn't good'.
Due to a dispute over his fee, Eddie Murphy declined to make a cameo in the reboot Haunted Mansion (2023). That later film featured a number of stars who had previously appeared alongside Murphy in other projects, including Owen Wilson from I Spy (2002) and Rosario Dawson from The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002).
The raven featured on the attraction appears in the film. However, the bird used for the role was not a true raven but a harmless species native to Africa. As the film was shot at Sable Ranch in California, state legislation concerning domesticated birds of prey was strictly enforced, so the producers employed that harmless bird because its characteristics closely resembled those of a raven.
Terence Stamp co‑starred with Eddie Murphy in the 1999 film Bowfinger. In that picture Murphy portrays a character called Kit Ramsey; in this one Stamp is credited as the character "Ramsley".
Prior to the DVD's virtual tour of the film's mansion set featuring Ezra and Emma, the Ghost Host from the ride provides instructions on how to proceed. The role was performed by the late Tony Jay.
The entire crypt and mausoleum sequences (including the corpse that rises from the sarcophagus and the other undead residents who break out of their resting places to attack Jim and Megan) were largely modelled on the 'Coffin Occupant' found in the Conservatory section of the attractions.
An early script draft placed the mansion's location in upstate New York, but this was later changed to Louisiana and made it into the finished version. Had the New York setting been retained, the mansion's design would have been modelled on the Walt Disney World incarnation.
There is a deleted scene "Emma & Ezra" in which Emma transforms into a blue, floating, translucent apparition.
Zach Minkoff: The paperboy who appears at the start of the film is the nephew of director Rob Minkoff.
Ramsley's final words — "Damn you all to Hell!" — are identical to the closing line in Planet of the Apes (1968).
Parapsychologist/anomalist Christopher Chacon was enlisted by Walt Disney Studios to assist with the film's publicity campaign, discussing reports of hauntings worldwide and the history behind the development of the Disneyland attraction.
The mansion's exterior blends elements from both the Disneyland and the Walt Disney World versions; it is chiefly based on the former, while the conservatory's iron-and-glass window is taken from the latter.
This marks the second Disney film to feature Eddie Murphy; his first appearance for the studio was the animated Mulan (1998).
Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason were both involved with projects titled 'Life' — Eddie starred in the film Life (1999), while Marsha appeared in the episode The Business of Miracles (2008) of the TV series 'Life'.
This film was the 191st live-action feature produced by Disney.
