Haunted Castle (Efteling)

[2] Following the style of Anton Pieck, Van de Ven designed the castle to appear old and decayed, yet somewhat romantic and haunting.

The waiting hall was a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an eastern ghost with a crystal bowl was the most notable.

Another famous effect, added in 1979, were dogs lying behind a door, who started to rattle their chains when someone pulled the doorknob.

The castle once belonged to the fourth viscount of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel, who collected many of the stories found within Efteling.

A wicked witch named Visculamia sought to steal the viscount's stories for herself, but was caught by a gardener and sentenced to death by three judges.

When the clock struck twelve, a violin (a uv lighted animatronic) started playing Danse Macabre and the witch's curse brought the graveyard to life.

Several skeletons and ghosts appeared along with the gardener hanging from a noose and the three judges being reduced to howling undead creatures.

There was also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made.

Leading up to the Dance Macabre was a prelude that contained - as part of the soundscape - two pieces of music: (1) "Claws" composed by Marc Rosen in the 1980s for the Stock-music-library Omnimusic; and (2) "Terza Età", from the album "Città Notte" (1972), by Egisto Macchi.