Disney's "Haunted Mansion (2023)" is a remake of the 2003 Eddie Murphy edition which is based off the classic theme park ride by the same name. Got it? Maybe you rolled your eyes at yet another Disney remake, but I have good news. It is actually funny, spooky, and, most importantly, entertaining.
While this is first and foremost a comedic film, they throw in some genuinely spooky moments especially if you are someone like me who puts the horror genre towards the bottom of my film interests. Perhaps "The Conjuring" fans would think it is nothing scary, but I appreciate the efforts. This version makes a concentrated effort to be different from its 2003 counterpart which was campy and silly.
The cast brings their best effort. Led by LaKeith Stanfield, he plays our protagonist named Ben whose wife passed several years ago. It still haunts him, and the loneliness plagues his life. There are a couple of tearful scenes involving Ben and the younger kid named Travis (played by Chase Dillon) that would make any drama teacher happy. Chase Dillon could have a bright future in the acting world based on what I saw from his performance.
Other actors and actresses include Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito and Owen Wilson. The latter two in the same movie is as great as you think it may be. Many of the funniest moments come from them.
The ghost that other ghosts are afraid of (played by Jared Leto) was done very well. They kept his face largely hidden to keep up the tension. That is a fairly common movie tactic in horror films. The effect was present.
I thought the set was done well. It was modeled after the ride itself, and you can tell the visual effects were done with care. It has been an issue lately with Disney films giving their VE department not enough time, so maybe they will trend in the right direction after this.
I almost went to see this film in theaters last year but never made the trip. I wished I had. It's a fun entertaining flick that may be part of my October rotation going forward. My film rating is a B+.
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