Haunted Mansion Holiday is the only good version of this “spooky” attraction, and I’m tired of pretending it’s not.

Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion is a staple, an attraction so popular that it’s amassed a huge fanbase. But personally? I don’t like the ride. In fact, I think the best version of Haunted Mansion is the annual Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay.

Since it first appeared back in 2001, the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay has been an eagerly-anticipated tradition at Disneyland. Frankly, when Haunted Mansion shutters for the year and undergoes its transformation into Haunted Mansion Holiday, I look forward to the only time of the year I’ll ride the attraction.

And I can’t be the only Disneyland guest who adores Haunted Mansion Holiday and strongly prefers it over the original Haunted Mansion. After all, with Haunted Mansion closed for all of 2024 and its queue and surrounding grounds in the middle of serious construction for this year’s holiday season, Disney managed to find a workaround and open Haunted Mansion Holiday with a never-before-used virtual queue. That says something about just how popular the overlay is.

There’s Nothing Fun About the Original Haunted Mansion I am by no means a spooky season kind of girl. I abhor all things scary and even slightly frightening, and I can’t get through any kind of horror film without hiding under a blanket for pretty much the entire runtime. So, it should make perfect sense when I say that I’ve never found the Haunted Mansion to be an enjoyable attraction.

I know it’s part of Disneyland’s deep history, and I know all of the cool facts and lore about its creation. I do find its Imagineering impressive (and yes, just like you, I’m thrilled the Hatbox Ghost is now in action!).

But overall, I just can’t find the ride enjoyable. I’ve never liked all things dark and ghoulish, and as a kid the jump scares, stretching room, moving headstones, and haunting spirits throughout the Haunted Mansion spooked me just a bit too much.

The cobwebs, dimly-lit interior, and genuinely frightening faces of the supposedly “happy haunts” who reside inside the mansion are just a bit too well-done, in my opinion. And that’s why Haunted Mansion is typically a skip for me on any park day.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is Charming and Just the Right Amount of Spooky

When Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas first arrived in movie theaters and then home video, it wasn’t a hit – but its charm and quirky characters captivated audiences over time.

In my own home, however, the film was huge. My younger brother couldn’t get enough of Jack Skellington and the movie’s VHS played on repeat until the tape pretty much wore out. And even though Oogie Boogie scared the daylights out of me with his creepy-crawly stuffing and I couldn’t see the appeal of the characters, I ultimately warmed up to the movie over many, many, many watches.

By the time Haunted Mansion Holiday premiered at Disneyland, I’d been converted: I believed The Nightmare Before Christmas was a pretty great movie.

With catchy music, a loveable main character who just wants to celebrate the spirit of Christmas so badly, and uniquely “adorable” characters who balanced Halloween’s spookiness with plenty of heart. Well-meaning Halloween Pumpkin King Jack and the friends who help him pull off his version of Christmas are a little scary, sure. But they and their dedication to the holidays really grow on you.

I mean, sure, Oogie Boogie is still not someone I enjoy seeing at the end of Haunted Mansion Holiday but his jolly earworm of a song really balances out all of those bugs.

Haunted Mansion Holiday Flawlessly Blends Disney IP and Disneyland History

Disneyland fans have long been divided on whether or not the addition of Disney IPs into existing attractions is a positive. In my opinion, the temporary addition of The Nightmare Before Christmas to a Disneyland original like the Haunted Mansion shows just how awesome those additions have the potential to be.

The merging of The Nightmare Before Christmas with the characters and setting of the Haunted Mansion are flawless, and here’s why: Anyone who actually likes the original attraction will still find it featured prominently, just with touches of Jack, Sally, Zero, the vampire teddy, and more.

When you ride Haunted Mansion Holiday, all of the touches of the overlay sit against the familiar ghosts and storyline of the original. You’re entering the same stretching room but the portraits have a fun twist. You’ll still see ghastly artwork on the mansion walls, just with nods to the Pumpkin King or Sandy Claws’ version of Christmas. And at the heart of the ghost residents’ celebration is a grand gingerbread house inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas, lending a more festive flair.

But perhaps most importantly of all, the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay is temporary. It arrives but once a year, infuses the classic attraction with a zest of festivity and fresh faces, and then disappears once the holidays at Disneyland wrap up in January.

That means guests have the option to experience Haunted Mansion however they like it best. Fans of the original can ride it as it was meant to be experienced back in the 1960s most of the year and then come fall and winter, guests who like the addition of Disney’s IP can enjoy a different version.

It really does offer the best of both worlds and even though I personally prefer the holiday version, I do like that it’s a limited-time touch you can catch only when you’re in the most festive seasons of the year.

Disneyland Does Halloween (and Christmas) Perfectly

Lastly, if you’ve ever visited Disneyland Resort during the holiday season I’m talking from the start of Halloween Time through New Year’s you know just how magical the theme parks become at this time of the year. Sure, Disneyland is an incredible place year-round, but there’s really just something extra-special about it come fall and winter.

Haunted Mansion Holiday is part of that seasonal magic. The ride’s storyline becomes more festive and fun during the holidays, keeping its frights but making them jolly (and, for scaredy-cat adults like me, more enjoyable!)

I mean, how can you not smile as your Doom Buggy glides underneath the man-eating monster wreath and its super-long arms? Or when Zero floats down the hall towards you, a big bundle of bones tied up with a bone waiting for him? Or even when the grand snow angels topped with pumpkin heads welcome you into Sandy Claws’ world at the graveyard?

For me, the graveyard scene captures the seasonal festivities flawlessly. The same ol’ jump scares you know and love and those happy singing haunts are hanging out for the holidays. But they’re turned into jolly characters from Tim Burton’s film, with bright colors, festive accents, and a whole lot of fun.

It’s nothing like a “traditional” Christmas, but a ride through the mansion festooned with hungry wreaths, mischievous gifts (which just might inflict a little harm), and Sandy Claws is really the perfect way to welcome Halloween… and the winter holidays.

Ultimately, if you’re someone who loves classic frights (or even simply classic Disneyland, with attractions relatively untouched by time), the original version of Haunted Mansion is likely your favorite. But if, like me, you’re not very into all things spooky or paranormal, then Haunted Mansion Holiday is truly the best iteration of this attraction.