Ghost hosts with the most

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This article was published 29/07/2023 (1144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What do you get when a paranormal tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a college history professor walk into a mansion inhabited by ghosts? You get a mix of laughter, frights, and surprisingly emotional depth for kids and adults alike.

This is Disney’s second attempt at adapting one of their most popular rides, The Haunted Mansion, into a feature film. The first, the 2003 iteration starring Eddy Murphy, was critically panned, although nostalgically revered in retrospect. The latest adaptation improves upon the original in almost every way with a strong cast and an engaging plot.

Single mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase W. Dillon) move into a mansion they believe is haunted by ghosts. Father Kent (Owen Wilson), a priest, hires Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), a paranormal tour guide who doesn’t believe in ghosts, to check things out. It results in instant chemistry between Gabbie and Ben.

This is arguably Owen Wilson’s funniest role in years and by the time Danny DeVito, as college history professor Bruce Davis, and Tiffany Haddish, as psychic Harriet (or medium, as she prefers to be called), join in to help rid the mansion of ghosts, things really take off. The movie is at its best when the cast is trapped together, with the actors showing off their comedic chops.

Katie Dippold, a former writer on Parks and Recreation and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, pens a script that weaves together layered tones, laugh-out-loud jokes, snappy dialogue and strong, emotional beats. Director Justin Simien brings the frights with some terrifying (yet family-appropriate) ghosts and visual gags.

The tonal shifts are ambitious and mostly work. This moderately affects the pacing, making the two-hour runtime feel a bit too long at times, but with the surprisingly complex story, the runtime feels mostly earned.

The film is also true to its source material as Disney’s The Haunted Mansion ride is both scary and funny. This was both by accident and by design as the ride was designed for Disneyland in 1969 by two imagineers: Claude Coates, who wanted more of a scary ride, and Marc Davis, who wanted the ride to have silly characters and be filled with gags.

Despite disagreements, both imagineers got their way and this multi-tonal approach makes for a thoroughly enjoyable watch. The film adds one more layer, which is the exploration of grief.

Ben begins the film as a bright, successful young man in love before we meet him as a dispassionate, grieving tour guide in New Orleans after the loss of his wife Alyssa. The hatbox ghost, a character from the ride and horrifyingly voiced by Jared Leto for the film, feeds on people’s grief, particularly Ben’s. In another tribute to the ride, the hatbox ghost says there are 999 ghosts in the mansion, but there’s still room for one more.

The final ghost must be someone willing to go to the afterlife, which leads to a touching scene between Ben and Travis about the merits of letting go and how the departed always want their loved ones to continue to thrive. The film deftly touches on grief in an understandable way for children, while connecting with adults as well.

Harriet also explains a “ghost wink” is someone you love in the afterlife saying hello. This will feel relatable to most viewers and leads to a tear-inducing scene between Ben and a cat at the end of the film.

The movie also functions as a love letter to its source material. The Haunted Mansion ride is in New Orleans Square in Disneyland, so the magnificent Creole architecture is featured throughout. The ride’s introductory room, which begins stretching (or sinking depending on your perspective) with four portraits that reveal themselves to be more than what meets the eye, comes alive in a thrilling scene.

The floating candles and dancing ghosts are also present along with a New Orleans upbeat-jazz style of Grim Grinning Ghosts, which plays throughout the ride. Many of the iconic ghosts, such as the bride, the hitchhikers and the ghosts that follow you home, are included.

One of the most famous ghosts from the ride is Madame Leota, also known as the floating ghost head in a crystal ball, who is played by original scream queen and Academy award-winner Jamie Lee Curtis. She rounds out a stellar cast that makes the movie truly shine.

skyler.trepel@freepress.mb.ca