In another one of a series of films from the Disney Empire focused on attractions from the theme parks, the “Haunted Mansion” much like “The Jungle Cruise” is much better than it should be, and superior to the 2003 “Haunted Mansion” film, which was cute and charming, but with Eddie Murphey at its center, a little too silly to be at all memorable and winks at the attraction rather than embracing it within the story. Justin Simien’s film not only brings laughs, but has heart and embraces the attraction for uber fans of the ride (like myself).
Simiem puts together a fantastic cast that is held together emotionally by the always dependable Lakeith Stanfield, who continues to elevate every film he is in and now headlines a Disney summer tentpole movie and provides a nice cool emotional core. He plays Ben, a bereaved physicist who has invented a camera that can capture ghosts. However, after his wife passes away he becomes a grumpy skeptic. He is joined by Rosario Dawson as a single mother who is looking for a change of pace for her and her son and picks this house to run a Bed and Breakfast. It doesn’t take long to figure out they selected the wrong property. They discover that once you step foot in the house the ghosts follow you wherever you go.
They are joined by a trio of wonderful comedic supporting performances. Dead pan Owen Wilson plays a fast-talking priest who is trapped in the home after trying to help the family. Tiffany Hadish is wonderfully under stated while still being hilarious as a local medium, and Danny Devitto is still bringing his unbelievable energy and timing as a local historian. The scene with he and Stanfield describing the scariest of the ghosts to a local police sketch artist is one of the funniest scenes of the film. All of them end up trapped at the house and learn that the ghosts are actually afraid of one powerful ghost named Crump who needs one more soul to make is an even 1000 so he can come back to life.
Writer Kattie Dippold does a great job incorporating not only the characters from the ride, but also setting the story in and around New Orleans which has its own occult vibe. Darren Gilford’s sets bring the spookiness and charm of the attraction to the screen. Simien does a great job of letting his talented cast make their characters their own and have fun with the material and special effects while not overwhelming the film. Which is different than the 2003 film in which Murphey seemed like he was competing with special effects and nostalgia rather than embracing it.
Am I giving the film too much credit because of my love and nostalgia for the attraction? I don’t think so. It’s a good movie but not a great one. Simiem’s film is fun and has a lot of heart, the cast is having a great time, and “Haunted Mansion” is a really good time at the movies, that is even better if you are a fan of the attraction.