Review - Haunted Mansion (2023)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and it took me a while, but I finally got to see Haunted Mansion, Disney's second big screen film based on the Disney Parks attraction of the same name. This movie was directed by Justin Simien, and stars Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jared Leto, with appearances by Winona Ryder and Hasan Minhaj. 

       So, the movie centers on Gabbie and her son Travis, who have acquired ownership of the Gracey Mansion in New Orleans, Louisiana. Unfortunately, however, the mansion is haunted by ghosts of all sorts, and Gabbie seeks the aid of a group of experts to cleanse the mansion of all the ghosts, especially a malevolent spirit called the Hatbox Ghost. 

       Okay, so one of director Justin Simien's main goals with making this movie was to make a better Haunted Mansion movie than the 2003 version with Eddie Murphy. And, I will say that he definitely succeeded there. Because, with this Haunted Mansion movie, I got exactly what I wanted out of a Haunted Mansion movie in that the movie was actually scary. Granted, it's still mainly family-friendly scares in the vein of franchises like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark, but it's the kind of scares I expect in a Haunted Mansion movie. And, while not all of the jokes landed and most weren't all that funny, they felt humorous in a more natural way and not in a forced way. 

        The performances in this movie were definitely great, with both Rosario Dawson and LaKeith Stanfield being at the forefront of the movie as Gabbie and Ben. Both Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito as Kent and Bruce were, let's face it, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito. Tiffany Haddish was pretty entertaining as Harriet, as was legendary scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota. But, the one performance that shocked me with how good he actually was was Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost. Seriously, the visual design for this guy was definitely something out of a nightmare, and his deep evil voice even more so. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of either Winona Ryder or Dan Levy, who felt like they belonged in a completely different movie to me. 

        The music, which felt like a mix of orchestral, dirge, and jazz, was definitely great, and I give composer Kris Bowers credit for his work on the score. I especially liked how he included the song "Grim Grinning Ghosts" as a leitmotif throughout the movie, and I liked how we got a jazz version of the song at the end of the movie. Nice touch. The CGI by Industrial Light & Magic was also really good in this movie, especially with the various ghosts scattered throughout the movie. The ghosts felt both believable and spooky at the same time. 

         There are several nods to the ride throughout the movie, with bits like the stretching room, the endless hallway, the dining room, and so forth. Unfortunately, the singing busts don't appear in the movie, but they weren't really needed, and they didn't fit the tone of this movie. Lastly, I liked how the movie clarifies how it's set in New Orleans, and how we get to see the city and culture off and on during the movie. 

       Overall, this was a spooky fun time. Is it one to rush out to see? Nah, not really. I think it's probably better to wait and watch this one on Disney+. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I liked what director Justin Simien and writer Katie Dippold did with this movie, especially dividing into themes like grief and social anxiety, which is on display with LaKeith Stanfield's character of Ben. I certainly enjoyed it more than the Eddie Murphy movie from 2003. However, I still think that the best overall Haunted Mansion movie was 2021's Muppets Haunted Mansion on Disney+. But, I'm giving the 2023 version of Haunted Mansion a rating of 4.25/5. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys later.