Haunted Mansion
Disney makes the most out of nostalgia and mild scares in this fun family flick
Jamie Lee Curtis has crystal clear visions of spirits in Justin Simien's Haunted Mansion.
Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) is the worst tour guide in New Orleans. A former scientist who took over his late wife’s ghost tour business, Ben is committed to the idea that ghosts aren’t real. Why? Because if they were, his wife would have contacted him by now.
So he spends his days giving caustic tours to groups, bursting their bubbles whenever they dare mention spirits or hauntings. He also debunks hauntings whenever he can.
When Father Kent (Owen Wilson) shows up on his door asking him to investigate a supposed haunting at Gracey Manor, Ben sees it as easy cash. He treats the job like a joke until a ghost follows him home.
As it turns out, ghosts are real, and hundreds of them are hanging out in Gracey Manor. Can Ben figure out why these ghosts are agitated? Or is he doomed to join them?
Look, “Based on a Disney Ride” is not a phrase that inspires confidence when going into a film. But director Justin Simien manages to stretch a nine-minute ride into a two-hour film with aplomb. Simien keeps the dialogue snappy and the references plentiful. If you’re a Disney Adult or have recently returned from the parks, there’s an Easter Egg tucked in just about every frame for you to point out.
But beyond making the movie one long IP parade, Simien worked to make the film actually funny and at times touching. There are plenty of great reactions to the haunts — including one character saying “nah” and leaving the second a suit of armor moves on its own — and Simien wisely uses the ride’s final promise, that a ghost will follow you home, to explain why simply fleeing Gracey Manor won’t help our characters. Once your toe crosses the threshold, you’ve got yourself a rescue ghost that’s going to mess up your house.
The movie itself almost plays like a cartoon. That’s not a bad thing. Simien is clearly keeping his audience in mind, and that audience will likely be kids under 13. Haunted Mansion is stuffed full of oddball actors like Danny DeVito and Owen Wilson that bring their oddball charm. Jamie Lee Curtis put her Oscar down to make the most bizarre accent choice of the year as medium Madame Leota. And Jared Leto's myriad of weird acting ticks are actually pretty easily covered by CGI, directors should keep that in mind for future projects.
And while most of the film feels like it was made for little kids (it was), there’s a surprising amount of gravitas in its message about grief. All of the characters who enter Gracey Manor have lost something — confidence, a loved one, a sense of purpose — and all need to reckon with that loss. Tiffany Haddish’s medium is both hilariously inept and tortured by her gift. Rosario Dawson is a mom that just wants to start over with her son, but can’t seem to get the new beginning she wanted. And Ben has spent so long turning his grief into acerbic tours through New Orleans and vicious skepticism that he hasn’t bothered to really deal with the fact that he’s sad all the time. So before he gets a ghost following him around Louisiana, it’s his grief that’s really haunting him. It’s an interesting concept, especially for a kids’ movie, and one that might prompt some fruitful discussions.
Still, this isn’t prestige cinema, it’s a cute bit of Disney IP that will function well as either a bit of nostalgia or a child’s first foray into horror. It’s not scary (by design), but it’s amusing enough family entertainment. If you’re a big fan of the ride, or hoping to ease your little one into spooky movies without any risk of nightmares, this is a great choice for the weekend.
Verdict: A charming, but ephemeral comedy that capitalizes off of Disney nostalgia.
Haunted Mansion is rated PG-13 and available in theaters July 28.
