The Phantom is the main antagonist of the Disneyland Paris attraction Phantom Manor, which is that park's version of the Haunted Mansion. He is an evil and sadistic spirit bent on tormenting the living.
He was voiced by Gérard Chevalier, though his evil laugh was performed by Vincent Price.
History
Story
In the mid-1800s, a man named Henry Ravenswood struck gold in Big Thunder Mountain, and founded the Big Thunder Mountain Company to mine the gold and found Thunder Mesa (later known as Frontierland). Using his wealth, he built a massive Victorian manor on top of what he called Boot Hill. Despite being unfaithful to his wife Martha, she and Henry gave birth to and raised a beautiful girl named Melanie.
Though he continued his mining company, local native tribes warned him that the land was the sacred home of the Thunderbird, and that his operation could disturb and anger it. Ravenswood disregarded such stories.
Later, when Melanie was grown up, she met and fell in love with a train engineer working for her father's company. The two quickly became engaged and had plans to leave the Mesa. Henry tried to stop the wedding in order to keep his beloved Melanie at home, but in 1860, an earthquake stuck the Mesa, killing Henry and Martha. Some said it was the wrath of the awakened Thunderbird.
Shortly after Henry's death, the mysterious Phantom appeared in the manor. Though just a passing spook at first, things took a turn for the worst when, on Melanie's wedding night, the Phantom lured her groom up to the rafters and hung him from a readied noose.
With the groom never showing up, guests abandoned the wedding, and Melanie fell into deep delusions. She believed that her intended would return to her one day, so she stayed locked inside the manor, never removing her wedding dress, and singing sad love songs.
The Phantom, however, laughs constantly at her devotion, and used both his powers and the powers of Madame Leota to summon ghosts and demons from all over the world into the manor to party forever, constantly tormenting Melanie with the image of a wedding she would never have. Even the trench that had split the house in two during the earthquake was home to an abandoned ghost town, filled with spirits and zombies.
It is unknown if Melanie died in the house. If she was still alive, she would be well over a hundred years old. Tales claim that one can still hear her singing, the Phantom laughing, and the spectral guests partying in the decrepit manor to this day.
Phantom Manor
The Phantom serves a similar role as the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion: he greets guests and tells them that a beauty used to live in the house. He scares guests and is seen showing off the hanging corpse of the groom, tugging at the rope and making it swing, but then vanishes and is not heard speaking again.
He is later seen standing over a ghostly reenactment of Melanie's failed wedding, cackling evilly. He then appears in a small graveyard out back, holding a shovel and standing over an open grave, once again laughing sadistically.
At the end of the ride, the Phantom is seen possessing a corpse (it is unknown if it is his) and gesturing towards a coffin. As guests pass mirrors, he acts similarly to the Hitchhiking Ghosts by crawling over their doom buggies and following them out.
Possible Identities
Henry Ravenswood
The most common speculation as to the Phantom's true identity is that it is the ghost of Henry Ravenswood himself. After his untimely death, Henry still wanted to prevent his daughter's marriage and keep her in the Mesa. Most speculate that Ravenswood returned as a ghost, and killed his daughter's groom. He then used his trickery and psychological manipulation to keep her in the manor for eternity. However, considering how much Ravenswood loved his daughter in life, it is unclear why he would ceaselessly torment her after his death.
Dark Spirit
Some speculation states that the Phantom is some kind of dark spirit, a curse upon the Ravenswood family either from the natives that warned Henry against his mining operation or nature itself for the same reason. Some also speculate that he could be a long-lost evil spirit trapped in the earth, that was released by the earthquake. If this is true, then he is further speculated to be pure evil.
A less common speculation is that the Phantom is the Thunderbird itself in a humanoid form, seeking revenge of the Ravenswood family for disturbing it.
Personality
Whoever the Phantom is, he is a dark sadist that revels in pain and sorrow. He kills without thinking twice, and flaunts his human kills like they are sport. He loves tormenting the innocent and destroying their lives, and is completely unstoppable in his evil. He enjoys being a personification of darkness, misery, and pure evil.
The Phantom was originally voiced completely by Vincent Price. However, due to a deal with French officials, the attraction's audio had to be primarily in French; thus the narration was rerecorded by Gérard Chevalier, who dubbed for Price in several films. However, Price's evil laughter was kept.
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