Disney’s Haunted Mansion remake dropped the ball on an easy cameo that could have been more exciting for fans of the theme park attraction than it actually was. Influenced by the Haunted Mansion ride featured in Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disney — and the 2003 live-action film adaptation of the same name — the new Haunted Mansion movie had heaps of material to draw inspiration from. To its credit, the recent Haunted Mansion film implemented plenty of Easter eggs, lore, and notable character appearances that referenced some of the best elements of The Haunted Mansion’s iterations across popular culture.
Haunted Mansion’s cast of characters includes canon figures like Madame Leota and William Gracey, as well as newly introduced characters like Gabbie and Travis and a gaggle of “supernatural experts” attempting to rid the mansion of ghosts drawn directly from the Haunted Mansion rides. Of the recognizable apparitions the new movie includes, the token trio of hitchhiking ghosts — Gus, Ezra, and Phineas — are featured in a short cameo appearance. The incorporation of the hitchhiking ghosts is as fun to watch as all of Haunted Mansion’s other canon-inspired surprises. However, their role in the movie could have been a lot more impressive had they been considered for a larger cameo.
Haunted Mansion’s Ghosts Who Follow People Home Should Have Been The Hitchhiking Ghosts
The hitchhiking ghosts appear in almost all The Haunted Mansion mediums, but they are most famous for their role in Disney’s haunted house attraction. During the ride-through of the Haunted Mansion, theme park guests can catch sight of Gus, Ezra, and Phineas in the crypts, where they loiter with their thumbs out in a classic hitchhiking gesture. The 2023 Haunted Mansion movie could have used their hitchhiking habits to have them follow people home. Instead, the trio only crops up in a short graveyard scene for a quick cameo appearance.
In the remake, once a guest visits the titular manor, they are irrevocably tied to the mansion and can only be freed if the curse of Haunted Mansion’s Hat-Box Ghost is broken. If they attempt to leave, ghosts are sent to follow them home and haunt them until they return to the mansion. This could have been the perfect avenue to feature the hitchhiking ghosts as “hitching” a ride with those escaping the mansion. This would have been both hilarious and satisfying for fans of the ride, but Haunted Mansion unfortunately failed to make the most of the characters.
Why Disney’s Haunted Mansion’s Hitchhiking Ghosts Cameo Is So Underwhelming
Had the hitchhiking ghosts been tasked with following escaping guests home, they’d have the opportunity for more screen time and a more fulfilling cameo. Gus, Ezra, and Phineas are iconic to The Haunted Mansion franchise, but their seriously underwhelming scene does little to acknowledge that, nor does it give them much value in the overall storyline. Haunted Mansion may be able to make amends for floundering the roles of the hitchhiking ghosts in the potential Haunted Mansion sequel. However, until then, audiences will have to look to the franchise’s other mediums if they want to catch more of Gus, Ezra, and Phineas.
