Back in 2003, you may remember in The Haunted Mansion, the first film adaptation of the classic Disney theme park ride, Jennifer Tilly played the creepy role of Madame Leota. She’s a character that’s hard to forget as she was the ghostly head floating inside a crystal ball giving cryptic séances. As part of the updated cast for the upcoming Haunted Mansion reboot, Jamie Lee Curtis will now be taking on Madame Leota who’s shared a glimpse of what we can expect.
Disney’s Haunted Mansion provides us with a plot much different than what we saw in the 2003 version where a single mom discovers some paranormal activity happening in her newly bought mansion and looks for ways to exorcize it. One thing that’s still remaining the same is revisiting the character of Madame Leota who will be played by none other than Jamie Lee Curtis. The Halloween scream queen shared on Instagram her character’s ghastly look as a floating head inside of a crystal ball. Take a look at this mystifying photo below:
As the Freaky Friday actress’s caption invites audiences into the spirit realm, it’s clear to see this talented actress “having a ball,” so to speak, playing this role. Instagrammers were just as shocked as I was to see Curtis looking unrecognizable as the crystal ball medium in her awe-striking hair and makeup surrounded by a blue haze. This spooky look for the upcoming Disney movie looks incredibly similar to the Madame Leota seen in the classic theme park ride it’s based off of which is sure to bring some nostalgic feels to theme park fans.
Anyone who’s a Jamie Lee Curtis fan knows that her history being in Halloween films running away and striking down a masked killer is the one to ask how scary Haunted Mansion will be. Curtis teased a lot of humor and spookiness in her new movie with a blend of comedy and the type of scary you’d expect from the chilling ride compared to “a monster movie.” This is a great way to attract an audience of both kids and adults to see this supernatural movie. Looks like parents can rest assured that their kids can see this funny yet ghostly movie without them getting nightmares.
As well as seeing Jamie Lee Curtis giving us chills in each scene, other things that will get you psyched about Haunted Mansion are the A-list cast that’s included like Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, and Danny Devito. Taking a big step as the film’s director is Dear White People’s Justin Simien with Haunted Mansion being his first big-budget project. After coming out of developmental hell after plans didn’t work out with Ryan Gosling starring and Guillermo del Toro directing back in 2015, it’s nice to know a new movie adaptation of the famed ride has resurrected itself.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ unrecognizable appearance as Madame Leota is sure to stick in our minds watching Haunted Mansion. For all we know, this movie has the potential to be gateway horror for kiddies wanting to see something considered scary but is still family-friendly enough not to give them night terrors. Be sure to see this Oscar winner mesmerize us in Haunted Mansion coming to theaters on July 28th.
