"We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot-and-cold running chills. Shh... Listen..."
The Endless Hallway is a scene appearing in every version of the Haunted Mansion.
Appearances[]
Disneyland[]
After traveling up the stairs from the load area, the Doom Buggies pass a second floor passageway that seems to go on forever, lined with doors. A lone candelabra floats in midair halfway down it. Flanking the hallway entrance are a subtly-moving Suit of Armour and an armchair designed to have a "face" situated next to a door with blowing curtains. Though not seen by guests, another curtained doorways is situated behind the doom buggies. Guests travel past this and on to the Conservatory. For a brief period in 2023, a caged Vampire Bat was added to the scene, but removed shortly afterwards for unknown reasons.
Walt Disney World/Tokyo Disneyland[]
The Corridor is virtually identical to its original counterpart but here appears after the Endless Staircase scene. In 2023, the doorway with blowing curtains adjacent to it was reworked to be a windowed door where WDW's Hatbox Ghost stands.
Phantom Manor[]
In Phantom Manor the Endless Hallway still appears as the first scene on the second floor, but with a twist - a ghostly vision of Melanie Ravenswood is holding the candelabra, fading in and out of view while the candle remains.
In the 2019 update, the Phantom is also seen in the Hallway, peering over Melanie's shoulder, indicating that Melanie is warning guests from heading down the hallway and into the clutches of the Phantom.
Haunted Mansion Holiday[]
A pile of bones topped with a bow and tag reading "For Zero" is piled at the entrance of the hall, while midway down the hall Zero floats and barks.
Development[]
The candelabra was not originally a part of the scene, but a last minute addition when the original concept of an invisible ghost moving towards the Doombuggies proved ineffective. This concept utilized a series of speakers placed above the doors along the hallway to produce the sounds of something walking down the hallway, while blasts of cold air would serve as the invisible specter's cold spot. The movement of the suit of armor was synced to these footsteps, as if the ghost had jostled it after coming down the hallway. Even with the slow speed of the ride vehicles, this proved to be not enough time for the soundscape to really leave an impact on traveling guests, so something visibly floating in the hallway was added instead to give guests something to focus on. This early version of the scene made it into The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion.
Effect[]
The effect for the Endless Hallway is relatively simple, the candelabra is actually very small and uses forced perspective to appear as if it is down the hallway and it rotates back and forth on wires to simulate the floating effect. The Hallway itself achieves its infinite appearance through the use of a full-length mirror which endlessly reflects the actual hallway. To obscure the guest's vision there is a transparent black scrim placed in front of the candelabra which darkens the corridor's reflection. To complete the effect the backside of the candelabra is black in order to minimize its reflection.
Trivia[]
- The appearance of the armchair is heavily inspired by concept art made by Rolly Crump for his Museum of the Weird attraction. The face design has also been suggested to resemble the Disney character of Donald Duck and while the resemblance is there, the intentionality behind it is unknown as it could likely be a coincidence.
- The Endless Hallway does not appear in the 2003 film but it inspired the scene where the butler Ramsley guides the main protagonists to their rooms by walking down a hallway with a candelabra. A deleted scene based on an abstract "Doors floating through Limbo" concept art piece was repurposed for the DVD's virtual set tour.