'Haunted Mansion' review: Don't expect a ton of chills in Disney's safe ghost ride
Coming on the heels of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" plundering the summer box office in 2003, a movie version of another Disney theme-park ride, the Haunted Mansion, seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. Then that accursed Eddie Murphy movie came out four months later and, lo, it was not a good idea at all.
Fast-forward 20 years and the second time is (mostly) a charm. Directed by Justin Simien ("Bad Hair"), a new "Haunted Mansion" (★★? out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters now) gathers an all-star group – including Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis – for a supernatural comedy with some spirit. Although it's a vast improvement from its early aughts predecessor (not exactly a high bar to cross), this ghoulish gathering is a family-friendly affair that's awfully vanilla when it comes to both humor and scares.
It's a shame because as "Haunted Mansion" starts, Simien conjures some real spookiness. After finding the place on Zillow, single mom Gabbie (Dawson) moves into an old New Orleans manor with her young son Travis (Chase W. Dillon) and immediately they realize the place is haunted.
After trying to escape the situation (and discover the ghosts come with them), Gabbie enlists optimistic priest Father Kent (Wilson) to round up a motley "dream team" of paranormal experts: An antisocial tour guide, and former astrophysicist, Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), over-the-top medium Harriet (Haddish) and grumpy history professor Bruce (Danny DeVito).
Amid various scaredy-cat high jinks and team-bonding moments, our heroes find a crystal ball containing the head of mercurial psychic Madame Leota (Curtis), learn that there are 999 souls trapped in the antebellum mansion and a dastardly phantom known as the Hatbox Ghost (Jared Leto) needs one more soul for his heinous plans.
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More so than with the saucier "Pirates," "Haunted Mansion" actually feels like the popular ride. (The original Disneyland version is the main inspiration for the manse here rather than the gothic-style Disney World attraction.) Simien included everything from stretching rooms to a trio of hitchhiking specters hardcore fans will recognize ? plus more subtle references, like the chair that takes Harriet on a wild ride resembling a Doom Buggy. Using both physical and special effects, the filmmaker creates a visually striking world that feels lived in for his ensemble of folks and frights and also captures a nifty New Orleans atmosphere with funeral processions and brass bands.
However, the characters are a mixed bag in the script by Katie Dippold (2016's "Ghostbusters"). Wilson, Haddish and DeVito are cast in archetypal roles they've done before, and far better. And the build-out of the mansion's mythology and ghosts – plus the sizable cast – distracts from Gabbie and Travis' core story. Fortunately, Stanfield rises to the occasion with an enjoyable, quietly touching performance as a skeptical shut-in mourning a tragic loss who rediscovers himself during a life-affirming albeit goofy quest.
Curtis also seems to be having the time of her life as a disembodied head in a movie that's much less frightening than the rest of her Halloween-ready filmography. Just please don't "Barbenheimer" this and the other ghost-filled new treat "Talk to Me" out the same day: One is a Disney-fied take on a playfully unnerving ride and the other is a nerve-shredding creep show that haunts your soul.
While too often slapsticky and risk-averse with its fear factor, "Haunted Mansion" pulls off a pleasant and fantastical brush with the hereafter and is a good first horror movie for youngsters where a ghostly mummy won’t have them running for their mommy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Haunted Mansion' review: Jamie Lee Curtis comedy misses fear factor
