Spoilers for Haunted Mansion

With Halloween just around the corner, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride was recently made into a movie, which many were thrilled to hear about. The movie features the ghostly head of Madame Leota floating in her crystal ball and the Hatbox Ghost stumbling eerily throughout the mansion. Although it has both comical and heartfelt scenes, people who’ve seen the movie describe it as a letdown. Is it worth it to see Haunted Mansion?

On Jul. 28, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released Haunted Mansion, a movie gaining varied commentary by critics. It was directed by Justin Simien and produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich.

The story follows Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) who reluctantly travels to the Haunted Mansion after the death of his beloved wife. He is called upon by Father Kent (Owen Wilson) to become a “hero” and help a mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase Dillon) chase off the supposed ghosts in their new home. Gabbie also enlists the help of psychic Harriet (Tiffany Haddish) and professor Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito), who has blueprints of the mansion. The group of six discover that a ghost named Alistair Crump (Jared Leto) collects the souls of those who die in the mansion, and that he is only one soul away from freeing himself from a spiritual purgatory.

The trailer for this movie had people rushing to the theaters. However, many left with disappointment. For instance, freshman Ava Arzate was extremely underwhelmed by Haunted Mansion.

“I thought the movie had too many cliche Disney gags,” she said, unimpressed. Everything was “really predictable,” specifically the poorly executed jump-scares. For example, during the beginning scenes, a knight’s armor starts moving on its own, attempting to scare Gabbie and Travis. The movie tries to be suspenseful, but the result just isn’t as great.

On the other hand, Arzate said, “I did like all of the special effects that the movie had [and] the casting they did, Danny DeVito in particular.”

The hilarious performance by Danny DeVito was popular among many audience members, including freshman Angelina Kong.

“The scene I really liked was the part where Danny Devito was being dragged out of the mansion by a ghost,” she said. Kong had also watched the 2003 Haunted Mansion movie and thought this new version was definitely a step up. She said, “The new movie is creepier and has more jumpscares. It’s great for people who like [both] comedy and horror.”

Many immensely enjoyed the message that the Haunted Mansion movie put forth. Freshman Juliana Vaughan said, “I loved the movie and I went to see it twice!” adding that “I really liked the moral of the story and how even though you lose someone, you can still fight.”

She referred to the fact that many of the characters had suffered through loss, and were tempted to give their souls to Alistair Crump in order to have a chance to see their loved ones again. The movie shares an important message: it’s okay to grieve and mourn. Vaughan also mentioned that she loves when the cat, Tater Tot, shows up at Ben’s home, an omen that his late wife Alyssa (Charity Jordan) has received closure in the afterlife.

Personally, the Haunted Mansion was a rollercoaster of a movie. At first, I thought the storyline was great. However, as the film progressed, it seemed really rushed. The movie could have focused more on the backstory of the mansion and the ghosts that lived there. For example, why did the ghost of The Bride (Lindsay Lamb) decapitate five of her husbands? Did she just wake up one day and feel like committing a murder? Or was there a motive behind it? Despite this, I really enjoyed The Bride’s performance; her jumpscares were definitely the most unexpected.

At times, this movie had me doubling-over in laughter. As Father Kent leads the group in a prayer, it quickly shows that he has absolutely no experience in being a priest. When you straight up tell God to “Give us a break!” no one is going to take you seriously from then on. Although some jokes were amusing, others were completely unnecessary. I remember cringing whenever Harriet, the spiritual medium, mentioned that her sage was from Costco and I strongly felt that this addition ruined the suspenseful feeling of the scene.

The Haunted Mansion movie had many comedic, terrifying, and touching elements. However, there were some promising moments that could’ve been made more eerie and mysterious to resemble an ideal horror film. It’s also a fun, family oriented movie for those who enjoy a good laugh. What do you think of the Haunted Mansion?

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