Haunted Mansion is a ton of fun, as it is packed with ride Easter Eggs, but don’t be fooled. It has heavy themes of grief and gets quite emotional, too.
Haunted Mansion might seem like one giant Easter Egg from the trailers, but it is so much more than that. Yes, there are many things that fans of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World will be excited to see, but this film features a decent story, with a lot of heart. It has heavy themes of grief and loss, and leans into the scary side of things, too.
Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Haunted Mansion would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.
This movie starts off with Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase Dillon) moving into their new home, which just so happens to be the haunted mansion. It doesn’t take long for them to realize there are ghosts living there, causing them to reach out to anyone and everyone they think can help them. The crew consists of a supernatural photographer Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), Father Kent (Owen Wilson), medium Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), and professor Bruce (Danny DeVito).
Not only does the house in the movie look exactly like the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, there are a multitude of Easter Eggs squeezed into it. From iconic lines being muttered, to rooms that look exactly like those featured in the ride, to characters that fans know and love. There is quite a fanbase for this attraction, and each of them are sure to be grinning like a ghost every time something is shown or mentioned.
There is a previous film with the same title that doesn’t have nearly as many mentions of the theme park rides, so this was a welcome addition. However, there is a lot more to Haunted Mansion than just references to the ride.
The movie clocks in at two hours, but it is fast paced enough that it never drags. For some reason, a lot of movies lately are too long for their own good, but Haunted Mansion does a great job at keeping things moving along, while still allowing for character and plot development.
It has a fair amount of humor mixed in amongst the jump scares and suspenseful sequences, which helps to break things up. That being said, sometimes the jokes don’t land as well as they were likely meant to. This is particularly true when it comes to Owen Wilson’s Father Kent. It isn’t his fault, because it is clear he tries his best with the lines he is given.
Still, for a two hour long movie, it breezes by and is sure to keep all viewers entertained throughout. This is largely in part due to the decent story, even if it is on the predictable side.
This is the Haunted Mansion after all, so of course there are some scary moments. The whole point of the movie is to express that this home is truly haunted, and it doesn’t waste any time proving that. This means that there are a lot of jump scares, as the humans in the house are easily startled.
There is a villain, which is evident in the trailer. And this villain is scary — especially before he really comes into view. He is creepy, intense, and clearly not a good guy. A lot of his scenes can get intense, especially for younger viewers. This is likely why the film chose its PG-13 rating, because there are no bad words at all, just scary scenes.
Another aspect of the movie that might have helped to earn it a harsher rating are the heavy themes. This movie features a lot of ghosts, and because of that it has themes of grief and loss. The story can get quite emotional at times, because of this. It is a lot for younger ones to take in, and it could cause them to shed to some tears.
Okay, it could cause some adults to shed some tears too. Still, the overall story is really great, with important messages of letting go for everyone to learn.
Haunted Mansion does have some issues, though. Putting aside just how predictable the plot is, there are a few characters that feel underused. Considering the large ensemble cast, this should come as no surprise, but more of Danny DeVito never hurt anybody. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Madame Leota and while she is important to the story, and certainly has her moment to shine, most viewers wouldn’t be mad at a little more of her either. She is fantastic and completely embraces her inner Leota.
In order to pull off the ghosts and terrifying experiences, there is a lot of CGI in this movie. It isn’t all bad, but there are certain moments that it sticks out as not great. Thankfully, for the most parts the ghosts look incredible and really sell the dead look. There is a chases scene through trees that didn’t work for me as the trees looked a bit too silly. That being said, CGI that is only sometimes wonky is better than CGI that is always wonky, especially when it is needed to pull of the movie and make it believable.
Overall Thoughts
Haunted Mansion isn’t a perfect movie, but it is a lot of fun. For those who are big fans of the theme park attraction, there are what feels like unlimited references and Easter Eggs. However, they are not pushed too much in a way that takes away from the plot and the story.
This film leans into the creepy side as much as it can, while still feeling like a family friendly movie. The cast is great, with LaKeith and Rosario standing out as truly fantastic. Haunted Mansion uses a combination of scary jump scares and laugh out loud humor to keep things zooming along at a quick enough pace to keep things entertaining.
There might be a lot of predictability to the story, but that doesn’t make it any less emotional. With heavy themes, there are times it will surely tug at viewers’ heartstrings. It might seem like it should have come out during spooky season, but Haunted Mansion is actually a great summer movie because of how much fun is weaved into it!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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About Haunted Mansion
Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, “Haunted Mansion” is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. The film’s producers are Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, with Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serving as executive producers.
Directed by Justin Simien, the film features an all-star cast ensemble cast including LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon and Dan Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.
Haunted Mansion comes to theaters July 28th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.