Ghost Host

The Ghost Host as he appeared in his corruptible, mortal state

**The Ghost Host** also known as **the Hatchet Man** is a character from the Haunted Mansion.

## History

The Ghost Host's mortal origins are a mystery although it is presumed that he was alive during the 19th century. He was a hideously deformed man and likely psychotic who lived in the estate which would become the Haunted Mansion, a manor located in the French Quarters of New Orleans. It is also presumed that in life he was a murderer as portraits frequently show him wielding a hatchet dripping with blood or held in a way to attack others. Eventually for unknown reasons he would commit suicide within the manor by hanging himself from the rafters of the mansion's cupola and in the afterlife became the Haunted Mansion's, "Ghost Host".

As the Ghost Host, he oversaw the affairs of the Haunted Mansion's 998 other undead residents and had apparent connections to its *Ghost Relations Department* which brought in spirits and mortals from across the world to reside in the manor. He also appeared to have some affiliation with Little Leota AKA, "The Ghostess", another bureaucratic head of the mansion who the Ghost Host considered to be, "Charming".

### Alternate versions

The Ghost Host is frequently misidentified as having been the same character as Master Gracey. Noticeable differences between the two including how Master Gracey and the Ghost Host have portraits showing them as being clearly different people (Master Gracey is brunette while Ghost Host is blonde, Master Gracey had blue eyes while the Ghost Host had heterochromia, etc.) and how the Ghost Host's corpse remains in the Haunted Mansion's cupola while Master Gracey's corpse is in the manor's family-plot. Many spin-off materials erroneously treat Master Gracey and the Ghost Host as being the same character.

#### Ghost Gallery

In this story, the Ghost Host was a New York resident named **George Gracey, Jr**. Here he was the son of George Sr. and Mary Gracey and inherited the Gracey estate after his mother fled the country. He was obsessed with the occult and ultimately died of suicide to avoid the curse of his lover Madame Leota.

#### SLG Comics

n these comics, Master Gracey was again made a composite character with the Ghost Host but also Captain Gore. In these comics he was a sailor named **William Gracey** who mutinied against his cruel merchant captain Randall Pace who he decapitated. He subsequently became a pirate-captain under the moniker of **Captain Blood** who acquired a fortune in blood-money that he used to retire in New Orleans where he built the manor. He would fall in-love with a woman named Emily DeClaire who he became engaged to only for her to die on her wedding-night when Madame Leota summoned the spirit of Randall Pace. Following this doomed wedding, Master Gracey commit suicide in the manor's cupola by hanging himself. He subsequently had his soul trapped in the Haunted Mansion with it only being able to be freed when 1000 spirits would inhabit the manor.

#### 2003 film

In the critically and commercially panned film cannon, **Edward Gracey** was the only surviving son of George and Abigail and story's analogue to Master Gracey (with elements of the Ghost Host). He fell in love with a woman named Elizabeth Henshaw who he intended to marry only for her to supposedly die of suicide by drinking poisoned wine. In reality she was victim of a racially motivated murder by Edward's butler and guardian Ramsley. This lead to Edward committing suicide in the manor by hanging himself in the cupola.

For unclear reasons this resulted in Gracey (and 998 other souls) becoming trapped in the mansion until Gracey married Elizabeth. Elizabeth's ghost resided in the mansion's attic although apparently after a century of being stuck in the mansion and desperately needing to find one another, the spirits never reunited for unclear reasons. Eventually Edward became aware of Elizabeth's reincarnation(?) Sara Evers who inexplicably looked identical to Sara while apparently not being related to her nor being a vessel for her soul. Ramsley and Edward subsequently kidnapped Sara to marry until she was rescued by her husband Jim who exposed Ramsley's crimes before Ramsley was (once again inexplicably) dragged to hell by a fire-dragon.

After this Sara and Edward reunited and made off for heaven along with the other ghosts; except for Madame Leota and the Singing Busts who stayed on Earth (again, without reason or explanation).

## Appearances and allusions

### Haunted Mansion

The Ghost Host is the host of this attraction who is depicted are a disembodied voice who brings guests through the manor. He disappears around the beginning of the ballroom scene but reappears towards the end of the graveyard where he has the Hitchhiking Ghosts follow guests home until they return to the manor. Portraits of the Ghost Host are visible in the corridor of doors as-well-as in Walt Disney World's load area and Tokyo Disneyland's "Sinister 11" hallway.

### Jungle Cruise

One variant of the Skipper spiel in the beginning of the Jungle Cruise has Jungle Navigation Company skippers satirizing the Ghost Host's stretching-room narration.

### In other media

#### Disney Kingdoms

The Ghost Host's skeletal corpse appears in the attic sequence of the Haunted Mansion comics when the protagonist Danny Crowe is being chased by Constance Hatchaway. The host does not appear as an actual spirit within the story and it is also stated that only four ghosts of the manor had actually died within the estate: Madame Leota, Captain Gore, Constance Hatchaway and the Hatbox Ghost respectively. Given this information and that the host clearly died within the mansion while not being any of the four affirmation ghosts it is possible that his spirit is either non-existent or absentee within this continuity. Based off of story implications, it is possible that he is this Constance's long-lost 6th husband (similar to Jake from Phantom Manor) or the original, piratical owner of the mansion who designed it as a labyrinth to hide his treasure. The Ghost Host is frequently quoted throughout the comics by a multitude of characters, however.

## Connections

### Adventure Isle

A photograph of the mansion along with the story of the Johnson family can be found on a newspaper by First International News in the League of Adventurers' Camp Discovery on Adventure Isle.

## Trivia

* The Ghost Host was one of the inspirations behind Henry Ravenswood in Phantom Manor, the founder of the Big Thunder Mining Company.
* The Ghost Host's dialogue is used in Phantom Manor for the Mayor of Phantom Canyon.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.themedattraction.com/the-disney-jungle-cruise-spiel/
2. ↑ http://doombuggies.com/history7.html