The Black-Widow Bride reigns
Previously, we discussed the history of the attic in the Haunted Mansion, since it has a storied history and many ties to Ken Anderson's original tales that informed the development of the attraction. But let's recap, and take a slightly different look at the attic as we continue our tour of the old house. (The artwork at right appears in the Lakeside "Haunted Mansion" board game - a gorgeous collector's item in its own right.)
First, a trip back to the beginning (1969): The Doom Buggies enter the dark, dusty attic. Various shrieks and moans punctuate the dank air, but a steady, eerie heartbeat also fills the room, growing louder as the carriages move further into the cobwebbed collection of discarded furniture, gilded antiques, crates and curios. In fact, guests feel the sticky cobwebs brushing their skin as the move through the room.
Though it's a simple effect, the hanging cobwebs are actually the thing that most impressed Disney animator Floyd Norman when he was walking through the Haunted Mansion test sets installed at the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank during the early 1960s. "You'd walk through the room totally in the dark, and you'd feel this stuff on your face," Floyd told DoomBuggies.com. "It would sort of freak people out." The cobwebs were also impressive enough to a reporter from the Pasadena Star News that he wrote about the effect in his opening weekend report on the Haunted Mansion on August 13, 1969. "Other highlights of the carriage tour include... cobweb-type strings that hang down and rub against your forehead," wrote reporter Keith Murray. Though the effect was noted on the attraction's blueprints and was obviously experienced by riders in the earliest days of the attraction, it was a short-lived experience, likely due to the ease of vandalizing the webs. But as you can see in Ken Anderson's conceptual art pictured at left, the idea of moving guests through tactile cobwebs to emphasize the abandoned, long-forgotten aspect of the attic was one of the earliest ideas set in place for the scene.
Listen to an exclusive soundscape composed of sound effects from Disneyland's first Haunted Mansion Attic. Watch out for pop-up ghosts!
Suddenly, from behind a pile of boxes, a grinning ghost pops upward with a shriek, disappearing nearly as quickly as it came. Then, without warning, another from the other side of the track! A fluttery motion in the dark corner of the attic catches your attention - bats flit about, flying 'round and 'round (in a simple Yale Gracey-conceived "bat-mobile.")
Be still her heart
Finally turning a last bend, the Haunted Mansion's guests come face-to-veil with the owner of the heartbeat - a forlorn bride, carrying a decaying bouquet in one hand and a lone flickering candle in the other. Her skeletal face, mostly hidden in the dark, is punctuated by eyes that glow as embers - and with each heartbeat, her heart glows red through her dusty bridal gown. Guests are left to wonder who she is, why she's here, and where she has come from. And as you likely already know, there was another character in the original Haunted Mansion attic scene which was deleted almost immediately. Early in the Haunted Mansion's history, the ghost bride had a suitor, of sorts - the Hat Box Ghost (who is pictured below in an early, pre-installation form, posing in a press photo with his creator, Yale Gracey (built after a design by Marc Davis, of course).
Trivia time: Fashioning a make-shift break room
Haunted Mansion cast member Shawn Potts shares a bit of insider information: "The Attic Bride blocks the entrance to the "blue room." The blue room is a small room located directly behind the bride. You had to walk around her to get to it. The original purpose of this room was to allow maintenance to access the pipe organ ghosts effect. However, a cast member somehow snuck a small pallet mattress up there. And for a short while it was used as a makeshift break area for the cast members doing Utility positions. It overlooks the graveyard, so you'd have a nice view while you napped."
Nuptial gloom
The ghostly Attic Bride with the beating heart has gone through many visage alterations through the years. Pictured at left is the Disneyland bride circa 2002, and below are a variety of looks taken through the 1990s. The far left photograph below is not likely to have been taken while the character was installed, as no similar photographs have ever surfaced. It's most likely a staged photo for publicity or publishing purposes. The center left photograph is how the Bride looked through much of the 70s and 80s. The sketch is an example of Marc Davis's concept art of a menacing bride, and the two photos on the right are from the 1990s, when the Bride was given a little more light to display her facial features, rather than just two glowing spots for eyes. During this period the Bride was typically lit from below, as if telling a campground ghost story while holding a lantern to her chin, and she appeared sometimes more and sometimes less ominous depending on how the lighting was set at any given time.
Updating the attic, part 1: A woeful wedding party
In the '90s, the Imagineers revisited the Disneyland attic scene and decided to amplify the story of the lonely bride (possibly to harmonize with the work that had been done for the development of Phantom Manor, in which the Bride becomes a major figure.) Prior to the renovation, the Attic Bride had proven to be an illusive character, often causing confusion, since her close proximity to the Doom Buggy path and identifiable gown would cause many guests to wonder what the character's story was. After all, weddings are typically joyous occassions. An amplification or explanation of her role could bring real chills to the scene.
So a "wedding" aspect of the attic scene was developed and implemented during this time. Since there were already a number of "pop-up" ghosts in the attic (traditional spook-house ghoulish busts that were designed to burst upward in an effort to shock unsuspecting visitors), those characters were easily turned into "groomsmen" at Walt Disney World by dressing them in tuxedos (see photo, right). And over at Disneyland, the shrieks and moans of the pop-up ghosts were changed to ominous, taunting "I dos."
Listen to the revised attic soundtrack from Disneyland, with taunting "groomsmen" and the phantom pianist.
A ghostly phantom pianist was also added to the Disneyland attic (similar to the effect at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion), with a wispy projected shadow seemingly playing the Bridal Chorus in a minor key. This marks the only piece of any Haunted Mansion soundtrack that plays music based on a melody other than Buddy Baker's and X. Atencio's "Grim Grinning Ghosts." DoomBuggies forum moderator Jester has transcribed this gloomy version of Wagner's classic tune, which you can download here.
Little Bride blue
During this time, both Walt Disney World's and Disneyland's Brides received make-overs, to mixed reviews. Both received blue-tinted faces, and in the case of the Magic Kingdom's Attic Bride pictured here, a fantastic new 'do: electric hair, don't scare - so to speak. Fans positioned behind and below the animatronics made the Brides' gowns and hair billow in the darkness. A hydraulic support was also added underneath the audio-animatronic, making the bride appear to be floating. Whirling bats above add even more motion to the scene.
Despite the variety of forms the attic has taken over the years, the fact remains that the "Beating Heart" Bride was destined to become the mysterious soul of the Haunted Mansion attraction, partly due to her confounding presence, and partly due to myths and tales that have existed since the attraction was on the drawing board back in the '60s.
In Storyboard Magazine, X. Atencio makes the point: "The storyline was supposed to be about a bride who died, and they have an illusion of a bride in a bridal costume, her heart thumping away. The Bride beckons with a flickering candle as her heart pounds loudly, glowing the color of blood." Pictured here is a clip of a live-action (or should that be dead-action?) bridesmaid, who was inserted into the attic scene at Disneyland in 1999 for one night as a part of a special midnight ride celebrating the Haunted Mansion's 30th anniversary.
Updating the attic, part 2: The rise of Constance
In the early 2000s, rumors abounded that WDI was going to make some major upgrades to Disneyland in honor of the park's 50th anniversary in 2005, but due to changes in park management and conflicting priorities, plans were made, plans were changed, and many plans were dropped. However, thanks to the last-minute hiring of Disney executive Matt Ouimet as president of Disneyland Resort in 2003 - a man viewed as friendly towards the Imagineering arm of the company - some fast planning and vision resulted in a number of enhancements and improvements at the park just in time for the year-long 50th anniversary celebration. These included some significant upgrades to the Haunted Mansion in special-effects technology, as well as improvements to the ride's infrastructure. In 2004, the Seance Circle was upgraded, adding levitation to Madame Leota's bag of tricks. And in early 2006, the attic bride was given a name, a sharp-witted new persona - and a sharp-edged weapon, as well. Now named "Constance, the Black Widow Bride," the bride seems to have taken up residence in the attic (as opposed to seeming trapped there), displaying souvenirs from her numerous trips down the altar - all of which seem to have ended in tragedy. Pictured below: a shadow pianist plays a demented version of the "Bridal March," and detail from one of Constance's many collected mementos from her days among the living.
Veiled in mystery
The bride was removed from her perch near the attic window (which itself was the perch originally assigned to the short-lived Hatbox Ghost), and she now appears in the opposite corner of the attic - a glowing spectral form with her veil and draping gown billowing in a ghostly breeze. Rather than being a '60s-era audio-animatronic form, the new bride takes after Madame Leota and the singing busts from the graveyard by showing her lively side via projected footage. This new bride - by turns comical and menacing - offers pithy comments to guests as they pass through the attic, such as "in sickness, and in wealth," or "'til death do us part," as she raises and lowers a gleaming hatchet that appears out of thin air, then disappears again.
Listen to the voice of Kat Cressida in the Haunted Mansion attic scene as "Constance," the Black Widow Bride.
While much of Constance's story is left to the imagination, there are some hints in the newly-packed attic that give guests insight into the character. A series of wedding portraits are displayed among the various wedding gifts and ceremonial trappings scattered throughout the attic - and as guests pass each photo, the heads of Constance's former grooms disappear from, and then reappear in each portrait. In one portrait, Constance holds a rose while posing next to her groom named "George," echoing one of the stretching portraits at the beginning of the ride that picures a widow holding a rose as she stands over the grave of her dearly departed husband George, whose headstone has been hacked at with a hatchet.
"Constance-ly" evolving
In 2007, the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion underwent a major rehab, and Constance was added to the attic scene there as well. In this case, the effect might be considered "Constance 2.0," as the projection and static form seem to have been enhanced slightly from the Disneyland version of the effect. In the animation above, you can see a view of the static form under room lighting (photo courtesy of Jeff at WDW), superimposed with a photo of the second-generation Constance as she appears in the operating attraction (photo courtesy of Imagineering My Way), wearing more obvious jewelry than the Disneyland version of the effect (including her gleaming wedding ring). By more strongly emphasizing the jewelry, the story of Constance's murderous climb up the strata of society is made more plain, and more menacing.
A "Black Widow" Bride
Throughout the attic, the wedding portraits with the disappearing heads seem to tell a story that gives some insight into Constance's motives. Each portrait accompanies a small collection of mementos from that particular marriage, and judging by the increasingly opulent wedding ephemera (and the jewelry Constance is wearing in each portrait), it would appear that Constance had an appetite for wealth and stature. It seems that Constance, in her afterlife, has been busy scouring the dank attic for past trinkets, baubles and memories from each marriage and assembling them into ghoulish shrines, of a sort.
The voice of Constance, the Black Widow Bride was performed by Disney voice over artist Kat Cressida (pictured below, right). Cressida's performance was also utilized for the creation of the projected image, though there is some considerable CG work involved with the final product, which may have utilized other performance material as well. A high-definition video projection onto a static form with practical blowing veils completes the effect, which is traditionally "ghost-like" due to the windless fluttering veils - and her presence adds a new type of menace to the otherwise mostly restless yet nonchalant residents of the Haunted Mansion.
Listen to Kat Cressida talk about the experience of working with Imagineering to develop the character of Constance, the Black Widow Bride.
The actress who portrays Constance in her earlier days as a young bride in the various wedding portraits scattered throughout the attic is Julia Lee (pictured, far left). In addition to her contributions to the Haunted Mansion's attic, Lee cut her teeth in cult horror television shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Charmed," and in feature films such as "A Man Apart" and "Grind."
Heads off... er, hats off to you
Finally appearing on a small porch just outside of the attic is the Hat Box Ghost, a character we've discussed at length earlier. Suffice to say, his reappearance in the attic for the first time since 1969 in May of 2015 sent shockwaves through Disneyland fandom. The Hax Box Ghost (or "Hatbox Ghost" as he tends to be referred to with this later iteration) has returned to haunt the attic after having been ignominiously ejected mere days after the attraction opened. Pictured here is WED illustrator Collin Campbell's painting of the corner of the attic with the proposed Hat Box Ghost in place, most likely based on the maquette and model shop versions of the scene.
Based on a Marc Davis design, the Hat Box Ghost was always an enigma. Based on the few first-hand reports to have seen him - and also based on the early, skeletal visage of the bride and her plastic gown - the two characters seemed to be more connected to each other originally than they are now. Dressed similarly in formal-ish shaped draping costumes of translucent vinyl, the two early characters had more of a death's-head glare and a seeming partnership in their afterlife goals. With the return of the character in his robust, colorful state, surrounded by hat boxes galore (as opposed to just the one, which he used to dangle from his elderly, bony hand), he appears to be a ghoul with a mission. While Constance is preoccupied with telling her own history of bleeded bliss, the adjacent Hatbox Ghost seems more interested in showing us his collection of disembodied heads, starting with his own.
While a common theme of separating craniums from their corruptible mortal hosts seems to link the two characters, in reality, the themes feel disparate. It's likely that Constance's new role as head mistress of the attic was given her murderously decapitative tendencies as a wink and a nod to the original Hat Box Ghost character - and, likewise, the collection of hat boxes around the new Hatbox Ghost seem to hint at the new character's menacing personality, which the earlier elderly, frail Hat Box Ghost wouldn't have been able to pull off in his original state.
Making an escape
The spot where the old bride once stood at the attic window where the Doom Buggies make their escape had been covered over with attic junk for the better part of five decades, though fans never lost hope that someday, that long-lost resident of the attic might find his way back to his former home in that very spot. Returning to our tour - our Doom Buggies turn past the leering Hatbox Ghost and his deep, dissolute chortle, and leave the Haunted Mansion by moving off of the attic porch, at which point they spin around and "fall" toward the ground off of the roof through a grove of menacing trees, with their riders leaning backward.
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