Welcome, foolish mortals, to the most terrifying city of them all: New Orleans. Here you will find jambalaya, Mardi Gras, and one not-suspicious-at-all Haunted Mansion. This supernatural horror comedy movie is based on the famous Walt Disney theme park attraction. This movie marks the second time we’re seeing a cinematic adaptation of this ride and the first time we’re getting one without Eddie Murphy. Fortunately, Disney has brought on quite the ensemble cast to appear in this decently funny, wickedly spooky horror movie.
This movie feels like Disney’s spiritual successor to the 2021 film Jungle Cruise. When Disney isn’t remaking their animated classics into live-action movies, they’re adapting their classic theme park rides into movies. This has paid off well with movies like the Pirates of the Caribbean series and not so well with The Country Bears and Tomorrowland. But this movie assembles an all-star ensemble for a surprisingly solid, entertaining experience with its child-friendly creepy atmosphere that pays homage to the theme park ride it’s based on.
Haunted Mansion follows a single mother named Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase W. Dillon) as they move into a mansion that they discover is haunted. They enlist the help of a colorful group of characters to combat the spirits. We have a priest named Father Kent (Owen Wilson), Professor Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito), a psychic named Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), and our main character: a paranormal tour guide named Ben (LaKeith Stanfield). This film is star-studded, and this oddball ensemble cast elevates the screenplay with their hilarious performances. DeVito and Wilson, in particular, lean into their famous personas with dialogue seemingly built for them.
But Stanfield is the main player here. He’s giving a performance we haven’t seen from him before. He’s charming, he’s cynical, and like many male protagonists, he’s afflicted with Dead Wife Syndrome, or as I called it in my Dungeons & Dragons review, DWS. All jokes aside, he is magnificent in this movie as the charming lead in a family-friendly movie. He’s fun to watch and he gets one monologue in this movie that shakes you to the core as you realize what kind of talent is on display here. Another surprising standout is Dillon, the child actor. This script demands a lot out of him, and he makes up a lot of the heart and soul of the film. He has a bright future ahead of him, as his work is astounding.
We haven’t even covered Academy Award winners Jamie Lee Curtis having the time of her life as Madame Leota and Jared Leto as the villainous Hatbox Ghost. They are fantastic in their roles. This movie has a surprising amount of characterization, and even though their backstories are conventional, they get pushed to emotional places. However, the humor in this movie can definitely be hit-or-miss, and there’s a large reliance on CGI in this movie, when practical effects could have made this more enjoyable. The story can also meander a bit more than it should, offering almost too much fun and games. Katie Dippold (The Heat, Ghostbusters) whipped up a serviceable script brought to life by fun direction from Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair). Simien does a great job, despite two documentary-esque shots that feel out of place during one scene.
It’s a surprise that this movie’s release is a week after Barbenheimer. However, this has been the summer of throwbacks, hasn’t it? The R-rated studio comedy (Joy Ride), the horror parody (The Blackening), and now, the family horror movie. Although this is a PG-13 horror movie, it’s the type of horror that would be rated PG a few decades ago. It’s scary enough for older kids and offers devilishly entertaining horror setpieces with jump scares and characters you love watching because of how charming the performances are. Haunted Mansion offers campy fun and is bursting at the seams with spooky ghosts, knights, and paintings alike.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Haunted Mansion review.
