Haunted Mansion Review: Spooky And Fun Starter Horror

As someone without a devout love of Disneyland or much passion for theme parks in general, I admittedly don’t maintain a special high bar for what a movie based on the Haunted Mansion attraction should be. Having actually only been on the ride twice and only when it’s in holiday mode (when it changes things up and adds a Nightmare Before Christmas theme), my hopes for any big screen adaptation are more tuned into the approach to the genre – a desire for family-friendly fun that is just spooky enough for young audiences to get a taste of the special cinematic joy that is found only in horror films. Just about all references and Easter eggs are lost on me, so the experience hinges on delivering satisfying paranormal chaos with a hefty dose of silly that keeps the tone light.

These are all boxes that are checked by director Justin Simien’s Haunted Mansion. On par with other modern kid-focused scary fare like Eli Roth’s The House With A Clock In Its Walls, Rob Letterman's Goosebumps, and Anne Fletcher’s Hocus Pocus 2, it pairs a talented, charismatic cast with a supernatural mystery that toes the line when it comes to mature content, and delivers compelling characters, exciting production design and effects, and an engaging story. It has its messy spots, including an unclear idea of what to do with Owen Wilson and issues when the action moves away from the titular house, but more of it works than doesn’t.

Written by Katie Dippold, who has experience in the all-audiences horror arena having scripted 2016’s Ghostbusters, Haunted Mansion centers on Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), a genius astrophysicist who has spent the last few years of his life knocked down and unable to get back up following a professional embarrassment and the death of his wife (Charity Jordan). Living in New Orleans, he gets by leading ghost tours – despite not believing in ghosts – but is otherwise lost in a deep depression.

This all changes when Father Kent (Owen Wilson) comes to his door looking for his help. Having learned about a camera that Ben developed that can photograph dark matter, Kent enlists him to assist Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and Travis (Chase Dillon) – a mother and son who have moved into a mansion that they insist is haunted by dozens of ghosts. Cynical Ben takes the gig when he is offered $2,000, and he tours the house quickly without even first charging the battery in his camera… but he finds himself compelled to return when a spirt ends of following him home.

Haunted Mansion’s ensemble cast delivers a mixed bag, but LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito are standouts.

It should not be news to anyone at this point that LaKeith Stanfield is an exceptionally talented performer, as this year marks the tenth anniversary of his astonishing breakout role in Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12, but it is nonetheless impressive to see how far his career has come, now playing the lead in a major Disney summer release – and he brings a lot to Ben as a character. He has the charm that stops his cynicism from being obnoxious, range that brings necessary pathos that adds to the film’s stakes, and charisma that excites you to witness Ben’s growth. Stanfield is the movie’s center, and he effortlessly carries the weight.

In the supporting cast, things are more uneven. Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito are individually the comedic standouts of the film – both playing oddball experts who, despite all appearances and attitude, actually know what they’re talking about and what they’re doing. Respectively playing a mystic and a historian, their parts are well grounded… but getting the short end of the stick when it comes to material are Rosario Dawson and Owen Wilson. In the case of the former, there simply isn’t much to the role beyond being a mother protective of her son; in the case of the latter, Wilson is basically just playing Owen Wilson Wearing A Clerical Collar and the character doesn’t really make any sense up until a late twist clarifies things (it has the vibe of “fixed in reshoots”).

The mystery and ghosts have some surprising depth beyond their spookiness in Haunted Mansion.

Imbalances in material for the ensemble cast aside, Haunted Mansion is supplemented by a story with surprising complexity. The rules of the mansion itself do a clever job of activating and pushing the plot (starting with the fact that anyone who steps foot inside is haunted until they return), and specificity in the haunting – like safe zones and danger spots – get introduced with light exposition and become successful foreshadowing. On top of all that is the big picture mystery regarding how the ghosts came to be trapped and the sinister intentions of The Hatbox Ghost (Jared Leto), which add layers to everything without any over-explanation.

The movie is at its best when the principal characters are all together and being freaked out by elongating hallways, moving portraits, and all sorts of terrors – though it stutter-steps and the pacing is disrupted when action leaves the main setting after the first act. A trip to the local police station and a jaunt to another mansion add to the plot (and provide opportunity for the film to feature a few cameos), but they disrupt the flow that’s established when the protagonists are trapped.

To straight up compare Haunted Mansion’s quality to other Disney ride adaptations (again, as a non-ride aficionado), it’s more Jungle Cruise than Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, but a step up from Tomorrowland. Laughs and scares are on the menu in equal measure along with surprisingly thoughtful plotting, making it solid starter horror that will inspires jumps but not nightmares.