Haunted Mansion Suicide

[crxbrett]

With your chain of reasoning they should remove all pork because some cultures shun it moreover people with food issues should as well mandate the removal of every dining and food vendor as it might make them uncomfortable. How about rides that require legs, arms, eyes and or ears in order to experience them? Take them out as well?

If Disney removed pork from the parks and resort there would be riots. And I'd be one of those rioting! LoL

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

To clarify, if they did change anything, I would want it to be 10x better than "we wants the rum"

That's not a clarification, it's a wish. I wish WDW's POTC would return to it's 1973 roots. Regarding HM; Subject matter is typical of haunted house attractions only presented here in a well-crafted, delicate and understated way. What more can you ask for? Removal would be detrimental. Replacement, foolish. IMO.

 

[iHeartDisneylandCats]

I re-read my post and it may have come off as sounding rude or as though I was disregarding mental health diseases. I am sorry and apologize to the OP if I came off as being cold-hearted in my response. I do understand how incredibly real mental health issues are and how devastating they can be. My father took his own life when I was only 14-years-old.

Sorry if my response seemed to brush you off, scud.

You're fine! You weren't cold hearted at all. And I'm sorry about your dad.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Is the ghost host scene a depiction of suicide due to mental illness?

 

[DisneyDoctor]

I'm gonna get slammed for this, but I was reading the Katiebug thread and we got discussing an old thread about how the OP thought the Haunted Mansion is too scary for children. Well, there is one scene in particular that kind of bothers me, and that is when we see that The Ghost Host has hung himself. Look, I completely understand that that scene sets the story for the Ghost Host, but isn't there any other way that we could address how he became the Ghost Host? I'm not trying to stir up another redhead auction debate, but there are 44,965 suicides each year according to afsp.org. As someone who has struggled with mental health issues, I don't particularly like this scene, although it doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the ride. In fact, Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite dark rides. My question is this- what do you think should happen to this scene, if anything at all? I know that personally, I would want him to still somehow become the Ghost Host in a way that makes sense and pays homage to the history of the attraction. Discuss.

I've struggled with depression and anxiety too. But, not so bad that a fictional WDW ride triggers me. I'm sorry that it triggers you, that must really suck.

 

[iHeartDisneylandCats]

Is the ghost host scene a depiction of suicide due to mental illness?

I don't know, but many suicides are due to mental illness.

 

[crxbrett]

You're fine! You weren't cold hearted at all. And I'm sorry about your dad.

Okay, good And thanks.

 

[LUVofDIS]

I agree with many others that have already responded. I don't think that it should be changed. I also don't feel the scene from PoTC should have been changed.

I don't think the answer to the terrible things that happen in the world is to just hide them and ignore them. To me, this would harm society even more when lets say a child sees it first hand and it has never been brought up to them before. they will be unprepared.

I had a neighbor girl and classmate who lived behind me hang herself when she was 12. I remember playing outside and hearing the scream from her mother. Me and another neighbor who was working in his backyard just flew over the fence and ran to where the scream came from. I will stop here and lets just say it was a gruesome sight that I will never forget. But since I was little, I was introduced to death, my grandfather, and aunt and many pets had died. My mother explained it to me each time and did her best to make me understand.

This is the same idea that is stated above, all kids that play a sport get a trophy, what happens when that kid grows up and is twenty something and loses for the first time. I think we all saw a glimpse of that when Trump won in 2016. I knew a bunch of younger people that were devastated that their candidate lost. I have never seen anything like this from an election.

Maybe a theme park isn't the proper place to explain death to a child but then you would have to remove the whole ride. A child wouldn't necessarily know that the figure committed suicide, just that he was hanging. The parent would have to explain that he committed suicide for the child to know that. I am not even sure that it is in the backstory that the host committed suicide, I think that it has just been assumed.

This is just my opinion, but I feel all of this just weakens a society and does nothing to strengthen it.

 

[Kram Sacul]

You would think the Haunted Mansion would be therapeutic for those that fear death. All that pain, suffering and rot but the spirits still come out for a party at the end.

 

[crxbrett]

You would think the Haunted Mansion would be therapeutic for those that fear death. All that pain, suffering and rot but the spirits still come out for a party at the end.

Yeah, I think that's a big reason why the attraction does work so effectively and is so popular to this day. It sets a very somber and quite morbid tone at the beginning, yet there is very intelligent humor constantly at work and in play throughout that keeps it feeling fun. And by the end it has slowly but surely become a big party.

Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I'm gonna get slammed for this, but I was reading the Katiebug thread and we got discussing an old thread about how the OP thought the Haunted Mansion is too scary for children. Well, there is one scene in particular that kind of bothers me, and that is when we see that The Ghost Host has hung himself. Look, I completely understand that that scene sets the story for the Ghost Host, but isn't there any other way that we could address how he became the Ghost Host? I'm not trying to stir up another redhead auction debate, but there are 44,965 suicides each year according to afsp.org. As someone who has struggled with mental health issues, I don't particularly like this scene, although it doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the ride. In fact, Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite dark rides. My question is this- what do you think should happen to this scene, if anything at all? I know that personally, I would want him to still somehow become the Ghost Host in a way that makes sense and pays homage to the history of the attraction. Discuss.

I actually understand your point and think it a good one, whether the hanging ought to be replaced or not.

The Mansion can be upsetting to people familiar with suicide or suicidal thoughts. The way I did always found the rape jokes in Pirates part 'cartoon violence in a Tom&Jerry kinda way', and part genuinely obsolete humour.

I find the AA of a bound, captive and trembling Wendy in Peter Pan also upsetting. (No sarcasm)

Are these scenes are relics of a less sensitive age? Maybe. Surely, we wouldn't visit an amusement park where people are quartered for sports (pundits paid top shilling for that entertainment 400 years ago! Then they raised prices as quality deteriorated, ultimately it was charging twopence for parking your coach that did them in). WDW now nearing 50 years, obviously society has changed. Fifty years is a long time. When WDW was built I don't think Catholics could even vote yet (another good idea gone down the drain).

 

[eliza61nyc]

Absolutely stay.

Yes the HM can be scary for little kids, my kids were petrified of it but again the great thing about Disney is there are plenty of stuff for every bodies sensibilities. after the first time I simply did not take the minions on HM until they were darn near 14 yo.

And I agree with others we've got to stop looking at the world through the lens of "who's going to be offended". Unfortunately I think now almost everyone can play 7 degrees of separation from mental illness, I think it's safe to say we all have been touched but I don't want to whitewash every thing and tip toe around the issue. I want us to discuss it out loud and find help for those who suffer.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

a) Leave it.
b) Don’t look up.

 

[thomas998]

I own a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. The 2017 edition and they included a review of Pirates of the Caribbean in which a woman states she felt uncomfortable explaining the redhead scene to her child. I can't help but feel like that SINGLE publication caused the removal of the scene.

I can't help but feel too many people lack the brains to raise but are still able to have them. How is it difficult to explain to a kid that in the past people sold other people as slaves. That is historically correct, so how is simply telling a kid the way it was difficult? I can't help but believe that part of the problem of society today is from too many parents trying to be overly protective of their delicate little snowflakes resulting in those snowflakes growing up ignorant of history. If we whitewash every dark part of the past eventually we will have no history because most of it has some dark side to it.

 

[thomas998]

Is it even clear the ghost host committed suicide? Sure you could view it that way, but you could also view it as he was murdered by hanging.

 

[erasure fan1]

I am not even sure that it is in the backstory that the host committed suicide, I think that it has just been assumed.

Exactly. The mansion never really had one true story. I always took the stretching room scene as he was murdered. Thats kind of the beauty of the HM and one reason its so loved. You get to imagine your own backstory and constantly find new things that make you think and reassess your theory.

 

[Goofyernmost]

a) Leave it.
b) Don’t look up.

I'll bet that I went to HM 4 or 5 times before I even knew to look up. I doubt that kids would instinctively look at the ceiling, if scared they will look up but for the protection from a parent, not to see something they weren't expecting to be there. And if they do, one doesn't have to be a psychologist to be able to know that a simple... it's just a scary show, it isn't real goes a long way to calm anyone. I don't even call it politically correct, it is a play, it isn't real, it is to create a mood. We have become a nation of people that are scared of everything. One would think that with all the violence in the world today, like every other bad thing that has been happening lately, it would just be life (or death) as usual.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Exactly. The mansion never really had one true story. I always took the stretching room scene as he was murdered. Thats kind of the beauty of the HM and one reason its so loved. You get to imagine your own backstory and constantly find new things that make you think and reassess your theory.

However, the only story that's different to any of the versions is DLP's Phantom Manor..Instead of going "My Way" The phantom hung the groom instead as an act of revenge..

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think it had more to do with the #MeToo Movement than anything else. Objectifying women was no longer funny or acceptable to many people (even though a lot of us knew that before the movement). And yes the auction scene was somewhat historical, but it doesn't make it right or entertaining.

Only for people too dense to actually understand the auction scene. The redhead was not a victim in that scene. It's very clear. The Redhead was a prostitute and/or lady of loose morals and she was teasing the pirates because she was into that kind of thing. Same with Tiny, the fat wench. She liked the attention.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Exactly. The mansion never really had one true story. I always took the stretching room scene as he was murdered. Thats kind of the beauty of the HM and one reason its so loved. You get to imagine your own backstory and constantly find new things that make you think and reassess your theory.

Eh, I think you're wrong about this one. The narration clearly indicates that the ghost host is inviting you, the visitor, to join the 999 happy haunts by killing yourself. It's not about how he died, it's him inviting you to die in the same way. I don't think there's much room for interpretation there, it's pretty clear.

Not that I have any problem with it.

Is it even clear the ghost host committed suicide? Sure you could view it that way, but you could also view it as he was murdered by hanging.

See my comment above. The hanging is about you, not the ghost host.