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Movie Zombie

The Zombies are a group of minor-antagonists which appear in the 2003 film adaptation of the Haunted Mansion.

Appearances[]

2003 Film[]

When Jim Evers enters the mausoleum of Gracey Manor's adjacent cemetery, he must take a key from the sarcophagus of a corpse at the bottom of the tomb. When he does so, the corpse becomes animated and is joined by all of the other corpses in the tomb. The mortals manage to fight off the zombies and lock them in the mausoleum.

Biographies[]

It is unknown what the origins of the zombies are in how they came to be undead and how they came into possession of the key taken by the Evers family. Protecting the key seeming to be their primary function as zombies.

The key was used to unlock a chest in the attic which had a letter from Elizabeth addressed to her lover Edward that revealed she did not commit suicide as originally believed. The letter and chest were both hidden away by Elizabeth's killer, Ramsley the head-butler of the estate. It is more than likely that Ramsley placed the key within the clutches of the main corpse but it is unknown how he placed the zombie curse on the corpses or if the corpses bore any significance.

Given Madame Leota's knowledge of the location of the chest, the identification of the letter, the mausoleum and more, it is possible that she cursed the zombies for Ramsley. This dose provide certain contrivances to the story as presented in the film but is technically possible. It is also possible that Ramsley used his own powers to animate the dead but it is unknown if he had this level of power, especially if he was presumably keeping it a secret from his master.

Trivia[]

  • It is possible that the zombies are the corpses of the Gracey Family. If true, this would likely mean that the main zombie is the corpse of Edward Gracey, George Gracey or Ambrose Gracey.
  • They are based on the Coffin Occupant from the Conservatory scene of the original ride.
    • The corpse found in the central sarcophagus including the first zombie that opens its coffin on its own to attack are allusions to the character.
  • The bricklayer seen before the end of the graveyard is referenced by the crypt's residents who burst through a walled up chamber.
  • The zombie that came out of the floor is an allusion to the one which came out from under a manhole in Michael Jackson's iconic 1983 Thriller music video.
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