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Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion didn’t open in Disneyland until 1969, but five years earlier, Disneyland Records invited listeners to visit an equally mysterious property with the release of Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House.  Now, the original 1964 LP is back in print on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years – just in time for Halloween.

Though exterior construction of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion was completed in 1963, and the attraction was previewed on a 1965 episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, the familiar coterie of grim, grinning ghosts didn’t entertain guests until August 1969 – almost three years after Walt’s untimely death on December 15, 1966.  The Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House record was produced expressly for Disneyland Records, mostly unrelated but altogether complementary to the eventual Haunted Mansion.  In addition, the cover features early concept artwork of the famous theme park attraction.

The LP’s original sleeve – replicated on the new reissue branded as part of Walt Disney Records’ Vinyl Vault Collection – informed buyers that “This particular Disneyland Record…is not intended for young, impressionable children from three to eight.  It is intended for older children, teenagers and adults.”  Its first side features ten short audio stories in which narrator Laura Olsher sets up the story before an array of sound effects take over.  This side begins with “The Haunted House” and continues with such other spooky tales as “Shipwreck,” “The Unsafe Bridge,” “Chinese Water Torture” and “The Martian Monsters.”  The second side’s ten tracks are devoted exclusively to eerie sound effects which “may be used to create your own stories in sound,” per the original sleeve notes.  These tracks include groups of “Screams and Groans,” “Thunder, Lightning and Rain,” “A Collection of Creaks” and “A Collection of Crashes.”

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House was certified Gold in 1972.  The album was so successful that a subsequent 1979 “sequel” was itself certified Gold in 1988.  Most intriguingly, tracks from the original LP have been sampled over the years by hip-hop artists including NWA and Ice Cube and rock artists such as Linkin Park precursor Xero, while jam band Phish paid tribute to the LP with a 2014 Halloween night performance drawing on the stories from the LP’s first side.

Walt Disney Records’ new reissue features the album’s original artwork (revised for later editions) and original Disneyland Records yellow replica labels.  Looking for the perfect soundtrack to your upcoming Halloween party?  You can order this delightfully macabre curio from the Disneyland catalogue at the links below!

Thrilling, Chilling Sounds of the Haunted House (Disneyland 1257, 1964 – reissued Walt Disney Records D002237401, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Side One

1. The Haunted House
2. The Very Long Fuse
3. The Dogs
4. Timber
5. Your Pet Cat
6. Shipwreck
7. The Unsafe Bridge
8. Chinese Water Torture
9. The Birds
10. The Martian Monsters

Side Two

1. Screams and Groans
2. Thunder, Lightning and Rain
3. Cat Fight
4. Dogs
5. A Collection of Creaks
6. Fuses and Explosions
7. A Collection of Crashes
8. Birds
9. Drips and Splashes
10. Things in Space