It is hard to say what Walt would have wanted. As DaddyB points out, he wasn't here while the decisions regarding HM were being made, so we really don't know. And he clearly found it hard to choose a concept for the ride since it took him so long to get the project launched that it didn't really get underway until he was gone.
It would be neat to do a bibliography to the HM. Take each element and label it with the imagineer who created it. We know Rolly Crump did the wallpaper. I assume Claude Coates did the endless hallway, but I'm not sure. Marc Davis did the ballroom and the portraits. I tend to think if we found out which imagineer contributed which element to the HM, it might indicate a direction Walt would have preferred the ride to take.
DoomBuggies talks about a scary vs silly disagreement the Imagineers had in Walt's absence. Walt could make things scary, of course. And I doubt he would have wanted the HM to truly be gory. Regarding a disagreement of making the HM creepy or funny, I would assume Walt would have preferred funny. The Eddie Murphy movie had a lighthearted take to the HM that I think Walt would have appreciated.
I understand the anxiety over modifications being made to a beloved ride like the Haunted Mansion. But if the changes are made without disrespecting the original spirit (sorry) of the ride, then I wouldn't have a problem with them either.
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