Haunted Mansion’s Ghost Post Month #2 (Review)

Last month, Kristen and I delved into the first month of the Haunted Mansion themed Ghost Post subscription box. Limited to 999 subscriptions and requiring an iPhone to unlock it’s secrets, the value of the subscription (cost of $199 for three months) is less about what’s inside the boxes but more of the fun you have unlocking the secrets. As I previously noted last month, we do not see the value of them being so high in the secondary market (upwards of $1000 per box on eBay), unless people just do not realize what they are getting in reality… which isn’t much.

Last month, we found out that the Haunted Mansion has been cursed in a surrounding fog. Through unlocking clues via the Phantom Radio, we find out that the Ghost Relations Department, headed by Sarah “Sally” Slater… aka “The Tightrope Walker”, has sent out special boxes to select Foolish Mortals to help lift the curse. When we last left off, Madame Leota found out what was going on, and was none too happy.

NOTE: After my last review, the app updated, and I found myself unlocking more audio from the first box. I wish I had a chance to record it, but what i got was a challenge from Madame Leota trying to test my connection to the spirit realm. Using the divination cards sent in the first month’s box, an elaborate card trick was performed. If done right (which it did), it proved that I had a connection, and therefore Madame Leota approved of me helping in the next month’s mailing. This is good to note, because prior to this she was angered that mortals were helping. If this wasn’t unlocked, her calm demeanor in the second month’s box would have been confusing.

With the second month, we got some new objects from the Ghost Relations Department, which included:

~ A Music Box

~ Nine more divination cards from Madame Leota’s deck

~ A Phenakistoscope (some assembly required)

~ A picture of the Haunted Mansion Doors

~ Mansion Blueprints

~ Grim Gazette No. IX

 

Of course, there were similar instructions as before, in the form of hidden messages on the accompanying letter, which was activated by water.

NOTE: Unfortunately, this month the audio was layered on top of one another. Though making things easier to understand and the flow better, it did not allow us to record all of the audio, and what we had was marginal at best. So, no audio this time around… sorry folks!

Unlike last month, where there wasn’t a flow to the discovery of clues, this time there was a sequence to follow… and follow it you needed to do in order to properly advance. If you didn’t, for whatever reason, the audio would instruct you on what you needed to do.

In a nutshell (we went out of order a few times, so this is what we believe is the proper sequence), the Music Box was sent for the mortals to send the measurements of specral energy the we discover… by using the Phenakistoscope. Once assembled, spinning it in front of a mirror while looking through the slots in it will showing a couple dancing. That detail is hardly needed, because it’s the dancing steps on the Phenakistoscope that are important. Three sets are depicted… one hidden by the light of day (it’s placed there in glow in the dark ink).

Now, these dance steps, through clues given in last month’s box, match up to markings on last month’s Redusting Ad. After the ad is taken apart (perforations), the strips that correspond to the dance steps are a perfect size for the Music Box…. imaging that.

When played for the Phantom Radio in the proper order (yes, the app can tell if you are playing the wrong tune), it unlocks the next part of the mystery, this time involving Madame Leota.

With Leota, first we took the “Corridor of Doors”, as she called it… tore it apart at its’ perforations and reordered the pieces. What was seven doors became eight, and therefore we found the Forgotten Room.

Now it was time to figure out where the Forgotten Room was located. This involved the Grim Gazette, the Blueprints, and the Divination Cards. What followed was a coin trick and the process of elimination. We tried the trick a few times and each time we came to the same conclusion… the Forgotten Room was in the Great Hall.

Now to find the doorway to the Forgotten Room. The ghosts have gathered in the Great Hall and are looking for the door to the Forgotten Room. They ask for energy to be sent to make the door appear, which works. After Ezra tries to walk through the door, they realize it can only be opened by one of the songs previously played with the Music Box… the one in the glow in the dark paint… which, when played in the right speed, is “Grim Grinning Ghosts”.

The door opens and the ghosts enter the Forgotten Room… and… that’s it. They speculate how the room can be used to save the Haunted Mansion, Madame Leota thanks for the mortal help in being a medium, and asks for preparation for the future…. which means the next month’s box.

Oh, and remember the teacup from last month? When placed on this month’s Grim Gazette on the back page to read the tea leaves, it says “Seek Forgotten Room”. There was no audio to tell us to do this, but we knew from last month that it was something to do.

 

Overall thoughts: Kristen and I are having loads of fun unlocking this story. It’s quite clever with the card and coin tricks. The audio’s voice cast is spot on, and we can totally picture this being animated at some point (okay, maybe our hope is that it is animated). We find the value in the box because of this fun we are having with the mystery… but both agree that the value in the objects are severely lacking.

What will the third and final month have in store? I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks.