Movies that Deserved Better: 'Haunted Mansion' (2023)

         On July 28, 2024, Walt Disney Pictures released 'Haunted Mansion', which received a mixed reception from critics, currently holding at 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. While I personally loved the film, critics were less impressed. In the film, "A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters." The ensemble cast includes Jared Leto, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Levy, Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito. But what did the critics say? 

       Douglas Davidson of Elements of Madness says, "In truth, it’s Ben who is our way in as the grieving widower who keeps looking for evidence of ghosts simply to reconnect with his wife who passed away some time prior to the start of the film. Thus, the film is about Ben recognizing that the time with his wife was valuable and that he’s spending his time in a way that both hurts him and wouldn’t be what he wife would want. To do this, his path connects with Gabbie and Travis, two characters who moved down to New Orleans in order to start fresh from their own loss. The script doesn’t flat-out say this until the last moment, but anyone who’s paying attention to the wordplay can tell that Gabbie’s husband passed, spurring both their move and Travis’s extra fearfulness. Therefore, the Hatbox Ghost, a.k.a. Alistair Crump (Jared Leto), is given two potential victims to use to gain him his freedom. In order for the characters’ arcs to feel complete by the end of the film, the narrative needs to explore their respective plights, however, doing so, especially when Tiffany Haddish’s Harriet (the medium), Owen Wilson’s con-man Kent, and Danny DeVito’s Professor Bruce Davis each need their own mini-arcs to make their involvement more than just support thereby slowing down the momentum just enough to be noticeable. Each performer does get a moment to make their involvement entertaining and none overstay their welcome, but there’s just so much that requires exploring — the characters, the house mythos, the themes — that it can start to feel a little much after some time. We’d do well to keep our eyes on Dixon because his scene in the basement between Ben and Crump is a powerful one, making one forgive the obviousness of the plot and believing in the pain, anguish, and loneliness that this child feels absent his father."

       Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood Daily notes, "Disney’s Haunted Mansion is a fair enough choice for a family night in, experienced from the comfort of your couch, where the flaws are less glaring and the price of admission for Disney+ is cheaper."

Image Courtesy of ©Disney

       David Griffiths of Subculture Entertainment writes, "With some amazing special effects and a story a lot darker than I expected I found Haunted Mansion to be a film that certainly captures the vibe of the attraction. It really surprised me with its tone but that is what made me fall in love with it the most." Adding, "The arc is familiar, but it's comforting, just as a trip to Disneyland is meant to be. My only real quibble is that, as the movie stretches from its middle third to its final third, the energy flags as Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) struggles to tie together the various threads, like wrestling an octopus. At one point, I was ready for things to get a move-on. But an adorable coda set on Halloween sent me out with a smile. I loved the easy repartee among the entire cast; the casting director that assembled them is a genius. Wilson and Stanfield both have a laid-back style, Wilson's self-deprecating to Stanfield's quiet cool, and no one (except Leto) goes very big. Even Haddish, who is becoming a better and better performer with every film, tones down her usual style to fit the mood and her co-stars. Plus, they look cool. The costumes are snappy and stylish, in the best way. Indeed, I wouldn't mind getting dressed up with them and hanging out at this Mansion again someday."