As an avid fan of spooky tales and thrilling adventures, I was curious about The Haunted Mansion remake. I enjoyed the original film and was hoping for a spine-tingling cinematic experience. However, my excitement quickly turned into disappointment as the film unfolded, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling that I had wasted my time on this lackluster attempt at a haunted house adventure. I watched a preview screening 2 days before the release date on July 28.
“Haunted Mansion” is a 2023 American supernatural horror comedy film directed by Justin Simien. It’s a remake of the original 2003 film called The Haunted Mansion. In the original film, it follows a realtor played by Eddie Murphy, and his family as they encounter ghosts and unravel the mysteries of the haunted mansion. The remake revolves around a single mom named Gabbie, who hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering its haunted nature. Lakeith Mathias plays Ben a paranormal tour guide, Owen Wilson plays Father Kent the priest, Danny DeVito as Professor Bruce Davis, a college historian, Tiffany Haddish as Harriet, a psychic, Rosario Dawson as Gabbie, and Chase W. Dillon as Travis, Gabbie’s son.
One of the most glaring issues with the movie is its lack of a compelling and cohesive storyline. While the concept of exploring a haunted mansion with a spooky past seemed promising, the narrative was far from unique. The main conflict is about the ghosts being trapped in the house by an evil entity. Moreover, the ending was very predictable and bland.
Despite the talented cast, led by Lakeith Mathias, the performances felt stale and uninspired. Most of the characters lacked depth and development, leaving audiences disconnected from their struggles and triumphs. Even Wilson’s comedic charm couldn’t salvage the weak script, as the attempts at humor often felt forced and fell flat. It tries too hard to be emotional at times in the most out of place moments. This makes the film come out as incohesive. For example, a horror scene in the film cut to an emotional and dramatic scene in a matter of seconds. In addition, the emotional scenes felt surface level with its lazy writing. EX; a man gets sad over tater tots.
Moreover, the film’s attempts to blend horror elements with family-friendly entertainment proved to be a major misstep. Instead of balancing the eerie atmosphere with moments of genuine terror or lighthearted humor, “Haunted Mansion” struggled to find its identity, resulting in a tonally inconsistent mess. It failed to capture the dark whimsy and suspense that make the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney parks so beloved. The mix of cheap jumpscares did not blend well with the family friendly jokes. It’s too childish at times and it makes this film far from horror. In my opinion, they should have stuck with one genre instead of mixing the two and interspersing it with out of place dramatic scenes. As for the film’s editing, in the beginning half of the movie, it was very choppy and faced past for no reason. Each cut moved in a matter of seconds and it gave viewers hardly enough time to process what was going on in the scene.
Furthermore, in the film many of the comedic moments felt forced or inserted without proper context and it came across as lazy writing. Comedy should ideally flow organically from the characters and situations. One example was when Harriet tells a ghost that she got a pen and notepad from CVS. It was out of context and not funny. I did not laugh a single time throughout the entirety of the film.
However, unlike the original film the visual effects and CGI used to create the supernatural elements were far better and captured the environment of a haunted mansion. Watching it on a big screen enhanced the haunted effects and it was the only thing worth the price. The effects captured the essence of haunting ghosts. The sound/score for the film was cinematic and matched the film’s environment. Additionally, the cinematography and color palette was one of the only things I admired. It was dark, eerie, and spooky which enhanced the creepy atmosphere. The set design of the mansion also did the same.
In conclusion, “Haunted Mansion” (2023) fails to deliver on its promise of a thrilling and entertaining haunted house adventure. With a weak and disjointed tone, lackluster performances, and an inability to find its narrative footing, the film falls short of capturing the magic and spookiness associated with the iconic Disney attraction. Although this film is better than the original 2003 film, it will not be as iconic or memorable. For those seeking a true cinematic ghostly adventure, it’s best to bypass this haunted mansion and explore other, more captivating options in the vast realm of supernatural cinema.
