“Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Bad Hair”) follows Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase Dillon) as they move into their new home in New Orleans, only to realize it’s crawling with spirits. To cleanse their home of unwanted guests, the mother-son duo enlists the help of Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), a medium, Father Kent (Owen Wilson), a priest, Bruce (Danny DeVito), a professor and Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), an engineer with a camera capable of capturing photos of ghosts.
In a summer chock-full of ensemble casts, “Haunted Mansion” makes no exception to that trend. Every actor gives an engaging performance that makes the haunted Louisiana house feel that much more real, despite the occasional poor CGI. Stanfield’s performance clearly stands out among his castmates. Ben suffers from the grief of a loved one which further pushes his desire to understand the afterlife. This allows him to bond with Travis and Gabbie, who also recently lost someone close to them. Stanfield delivers the wittiest lines of the entire cast with basic yet effective quips that will have audience members of all ages laughing.
Despite brilliant performances, the script feels a little rough. Characters often make decisions that feel like forced plot devices rather than what they would actually do in their given circumstances. The best example of this comes when Ben convinces another character not to sacrifice themself, just to then put himself in a similar life-or-death situation for the exact same reason. Additionally, some sequences felt entirely unnecessary, such as a side story of a ghost and its love for the sea. While a charming arc for a minor character, it definitely served as a glaring example of the script’s tendency to inflate the runtime for no apparent reason.
Set in New Orleans, the film takes advantage of the city’s culture and the beauty of the area as a whole. Everything from the brass-heavy score, composed by Kris Bowers (“King Richard,” “Bridgerton”), to the surrounding scenery and little tidbits of history feel ripped straight from the real New Orleans. The cast and crew behind this production clearly harbored a deep love for the city.
The film’s sole purpose seems to be a children’s horror movie that even adults can enjoy. It largely accomplishes this feat with equal moments of terror and humor, which all combine to make the perfect gateway horror flick for young audiences, never getting much scarier than the Disney World ride itself.
Despite an odd release date in July instead of a more sensible release in October, “Haunted Mansion” makes a perfect horror comedy for children and people of all ages. The film’s great cast and excellent direction distracts audiences from a slightly rough script and the occasional headache of bad CGI. It’ll be great to rewatch during the Halloween season.
3 crystal balls out of 5
