Ramsley is the main antagonist of Disney's 2003 live-action comedy, The Haunted Mansion.
Appearances
The Haunted Mansion
Ramsley is something of a servant figure to Edward Gracey, the master of the Mansion. However, he uses the relationship to manipulate Edward.
It is later revealed that Ramsley murdered Edward's bride-to-be, Elizabeth Henshaw, and made it appear as suicide via poison, to prevent him from abandoning his home and lineage. However, Ramsley did not expect that the loss of his beloved would devastate Edward into following suit and hanging himself. Upon Edward's death, a curse was cast over the mansion: Until Elizabeth and Edward's spirits were reunited, none of the inhabitants' ghosts could pass over to the High Heavens.
Years later, Jim Evers, a real-estate agent, and his family were lured to Gracey Manor, as Jim's wife Sara was the spitting image of Elizabeth, and Ramsley believed that she could satisfy his master's loneliness, and they could at last move on.
Jim and his kids, Megan and Michael, manage to discover the truth behind Elizabeth's "suicide," but Ramsley locks the kids in a chest, and throws Jim Evers out of the mansion so they can't tell Edward the truth. Meanwhile, Sara is confronted by Edward. He believes that she is Elizabeth's reincarnation, but she denies him and runs away in terror. Edward begins to doubt that this is his lover reborn, but Ramsley assures him that Sara is Elizabeth, and tells his master to prepare for his long-awaited wedding. The butler then blackmails Sara into agreeing to the marriage by threatening Megan and Michael.
At the wedding, Ramsley plays the part of the priest, and puts poison into the ceremonial wine, in order to kill Sara. At the last second, after freeing the kids from the chest, Jim shows a letter to Edward from Elizabeth with the promise of marriage.
Edward demands the truth from Ramsley, and the butler finally admits his role in ending the "unacceptable" union. Enraged, he reveals his true nature as a demonic spirit and attempts to murder Jim Evers by summoning wraiths, but a fiery dragon comes out of a fireplace, frightens away the wraiths, and grabs Ramsley for murdering Elizabeth, betraying Edward, and blackmailing the other residents and drags him to damnation. As revenge for his plans being foiled, Ramsley grabs onto Jim Evers, attempting to bring him to damnation with him, but Edward saves Jim, leaving Ramsley to damnation.
Trivia
- He is one of the few Disney Villains to say "hell".
- Terrence Stamp was rather disappointed with the film, stating that a lot of work he did didn't make it into the final cut.
Gallery
Add a photo to this gallery
