Just in time for Halloween, I thought I’d write this month’s article on the beloved Disney spooks, in the Disney Haunted Mansion. My personal favorites are the ballroom ghosts. Day after day they bring devilish delight to thousands of guests of all ages as they whirl gracefully around and around in an eternal waltz.

ePhoto Wikimedia Commons: Mttbme

How do they do it? The secret behind their ghostly appearance doesn’t lie in any kind of advanced holographic technology, but, surprisingly, a 19th century special effect known as the Pepper’s Ghost.

It uses lights, glass, and mirrors. Beneath the floor, audio-animatronic figures dance, play the organ, feast, and perform all of the other ghoulish activities the haunted hosts partake in, within the ballroom. Hidden mirrors reflect the forms onto a pane of glass, and the lighting is such that what guests see are faint, chilling reflections partying in true ghostly fashion. 

Boo!

Kathryn Blanco is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program.

Photo courtesy of flickr creative commons: disneyworldsecets