Isobel Grieve
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, movies like Haunted Mansion wouldn’t exist.
When I was nine years old, my mother took me to visit her friend in California. Among the sights, we saw was Disneyland, the original theme park The Walt Disney Company opened in 1955. At the time, I was obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, and I convinced my mom to wait in a 40-minute line to get onto the ride. I haven’t been back to a Disney theme park since then, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the wait times haven’t improved. It was like this for plenty of the more recent and iconic experiences like Indiana Jones, but some of the older rides—the original rides—were not so popular. Of the few we went on, like the Tea Cups or It’s A Small World, the Haunted Mansion made a lasting impression on me.
Even before that, I remember when the 2003 adaption, The Haunted Mansion, starring Eddy Murphy, came out. It was a big hit on Disney Channel, and Raven-Symone sang a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” for the soundtrack. The music video was filled with clips from the film—it was a marketing scheme. However, as a kid, I didn’t see it so cynically. I was more engrossed in the crossover of film and music; the music video hit me at a remarkable time when I began to understand film not as just an imaginative escape hatch but a crafted piece of media.
Incredible, isn’t it? That my media literacy journey began to shape on the back of an Eddie Murphy film that no one would claim as his best work.
And with that backstory as my connection to the material, I hope you understand that I love a spooky journey. I’m all about the spoopy. However, I’m also a film buff, and I can’t deny—though I found it enjoyable—the faults and cracks in this 2023 adaptation of Haunted Mansion.
There were a couple of things behind the scenes that I was slightly shocked by. One being this film was directed by Dear White People’s auteur Justin Simien, and the other was that he agreed to sign on to this film knowing it was written by a white woman, Katie Dippold (The Heat, Ghostbusters). Considering Haunted Mansion centres in New Orleans with Black and Afro-Latinx cast members, I found that dichotomy odd.
Perhaps it’s not that serious; it is a Disney IP about a ride, after all. Although the elements of New Orleans culture baked into the background of the characters and story may have felt more vibrant and integral to the plot were there a person of colour involved in the script. Nonetheless, Justin Simien brought authenticity to the origins of characters Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), Travis (Chase Dillon) and Harriet (Tiffany Haddish).
Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), the grieving Ghost tour guide, once a renowned astrophysicist, is the heartbeat of the film with his heartwrenching backstory and integral character arc. The basis of Haunted Mansion may not be more than a silly kids’ horror film, but LaKeith Stanfield brought genuine emotion to his performance that, at times, balanced the scales of this goofy romp.
The underlying themes of Haunted Mansion are about grief and finding it in you to move on. These sentiments mix well with the original IP. What better way to explore grief than to battle ghosts and desire to be with one’s lost loved ones again?
The Haunted Mansion’s new homeowner Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), and her son, Travis (Chase Dillon), echo Ben Matthias’s journey due to the loss of Travis’s father. As far as children’s films go, the repetition of grief and searching for your loved one’s ghost is a great way to ensure the lesson is loud and clear for younger audiences. Yet, at the same time, I found that while Travis was grieving, Gabbie’s emotions were not explored; her entire motive was to protect and provide for her son. Of course, it’s an admirable journey, but it feels incomplete next to her co-leads. I think Rosario Dawson’s talents were squandered in this one-note portrayal of a single mother, even if it created more room for a paternal connection between Ben and Travis.
Even if the film carries a few solemn moments, Haunted Mansion is a horror-comedy. Not every gag succeeds, but I did find the combination of Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito a great mix of comedic tastes. I liked the origins and character arc of Haddish’s Harriet, the psychic Gabbie hires and, similarly, Owen Wilson’s performance as Father Kent. Both these characters saw more of their potential by the film’s end, which was an excellent added motif for children watching. Danny DeVito didn’t have an arc, but he played along like he always does, fitting perfectly into the rhythm of the cast around him: he’s a real team player.
However, out of the three comedic relief characters, Owen Wilson stood out. He was a scene stealer and a constant spark of hope in the darker moments. Wilson was light, jolly and well-paced; his chemistry with the rest of the cast was most infectious, and he was a pleasure to watch.
I thought Jamie Lee Curtis would be a much more critical player in the plot, but unfortunately, she was rarely seen, and when she was present, her performance could have been better. After seeing her in the most recent season of The Bear, it is evident that she walked onto the set of Haunted Mansion and phoned it in. I get the script is not unique, I’m sure it was a paycheque and good time with this star-studded ensemble cast, but there was room to be extra. Madame Leota could have had a much bigger performance with outlandish movements, tones, or campy and drag-influenced. I was disappointed that the iconic lady in the crystal ball was so subdued.
And then we have the infamous Jared Leto among the cast. Why? What was the point? His character was nearly entirely CGI—and not always good CGI—his voice must have also been distorted. There was no need to involve him in this project. You could have hired a no-name, you could have hired a stunt man and a VFX makeup artist and gotten a much, much better performance. I have my reasons for disliking Jared Leto as a person, and I think some critics would agree he’s not a very good actor—just a d*ck hiding behind the “method actor” label. SO WHY? WHAT WAS THE REASON?
Anyway, at least his face didn’t ruin the movie, we get a glimpse of his likeness in an old photograph, and that’s about it. For the most part, you can forget he’s part of the cast, which works in the film’s favour.
In the final showdown between Crump/Hatbox (Jared Leto), the villain who mansion-hopped to steal souls, and Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), plenty was happening, but not much to see. I found the CGI ghosts throughout Haunted Mansion quite passable and fun. They have that grey, misty vibe you see in Spirit Halloween decorations, and it looks just like in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. However, in the graveyard scene where the ground is caving in, and you have so many moving ghosts in the background with differing variations of ghostdom for Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto, our suspended disbelief leaves the room. It was sloppily written and poorly blocked. It’s not bad in a good way; it’s bad in a lazy way. How is it 2023, and this CGI fight looks like it’s 2013?
It’s disappointing. There was so much room for fun and kookiness, and to an extent, it was there, but when it counted, I think Haunted Mansion takes itself too seriously. A perfect example of a spooky franchise like Scooby-Doo (2002) exists, and the previous adaptation of The Haunted Mansion (2003) is there for reference in atmosphere and tone. I don’t understand how this iteration managed to miss the mark in its final moments. There was just a sense of mess in that climax; it completely derailed the entertainment value of this film.
Maybe this is a Disney problem. In the latest Marvel projects by Disney, we see that the CGI battles in the last act are getting sloppy and predictable. Is there a formula problem in their pre-production unit? It’s highly believable that a project of this nature may have been over-produced, and this is the result.
Despite my criticisms and distaste for certain creative choices, I enjoyed myself. It’s an easy film to watch; there’s a straightforward story to follow and a genuine heart at the centre. I can see myself adding it to my list of movies to watch around Halloween, only to leave it so late in October that I only manage to see Practical Magic and The Craft, but the spirit of Haunted Mansion will be there, and that’s comforting.
