By Steve Dinneen
Like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion is a big screen version of a popular Disneyland ride. The similarities don’t end there: both had a film adaptation released in 2003, with the original Haunted Mansion, starring Eddie Murphy, bombing at the box office while Johnny Depp’s Captain Sparrow shambled all the way to the bank. Twenty years later, it’s back for a second bite of the apple, this time bringing an all-star cast.
LaKeith Stanfield stars as Ben, a former astrophysicist who left his job to keep his late wife’s New Orleans ghost tour running. Stricken with grief and directionless, he is approached by a priest (Owen Wilson) to investigate a suspected haunting at the new house of single mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson). Initially sceptical, Ben soon learns the job is a ruse and he is the latest victim to be trapped in a haunted mansion.
For many years, there was a version of this movie slated with king of fantasy-horror Guillermo Del Toro at the helm. Justin Simien (Dear White People) took over directing duties and his vision is a much safer affair. It’s a mix of gags and spooky set pieces in keeping with the ride that inspired it. There’s the odd mild jump, and some of the CGI ghosts are unsettling, but nothing that will have little ones running for the exit. The emphasis is on humour, slapstick, and the energy of the cast.
Stanfield leads the charge as the weary sceptic, a mostly sincere presence who’s also funny when the moment requires. He has plenty of talent to work with, chiefly the high energy Tiffany Haddish as a medium, and the always-relaxed Owen as the not-so-holy man. Danny DeVito is a delight as an eccentric author, and recent Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis is the height of camp as Madame Leota, a character central to the theme park ride. Jared Leto comes up short as villain The Hat Box Ghost, although that’s only half his fault as he voices the CGI character.
While short on genuine thrills, Haunted Mansion is a funny and charming family movie that would have been better served being released in October. As it is, it’s an entry-level scare for families looking for something darker than Frozen.
