Chase Dillon, Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson and Tiffany Haddish in “Haunted Mansion” (2023).Photo:Jalen Marlowe/Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Jalen Marlowe/Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Disney’sHaunted Mansiontheme park ride attracts families all year — but is the new film adaptation too scary for young kids?
Dear White Peopledirector Justin Simien takes a stab at adapting the spooky ride for the big screen, 20 years after Disney’s film of the same name starringEddie Murphy.
While the 2003 iteration was given a PG rating for “frightening images, thematic elements and language” at the time, the new one earned a PG-13 label, for “some thematic elements and scary action.”
Before deciding whether to see it with the whole family, here’s what to know aboutHaunted Mansion,in theaters Friday, July 28. Warning: some spoilers ahead.
The plot deals with themes of death and grief
Understandably for a ghost story, much of the film is about death and grief. There is an emotional scene in whichLaKeith Stanfield’s character Ben reveals that his wife Alyssa (Charity Jordan) died in a car crash. For most of the movie, Stanfield’s character struggles in the aftermath of Alyssa’s death, and he’s shown drinking to cope with it.
Additionally, oneHaunted Mansiontwist hinges on 9-year-old Travis (Chase Dillon) missing his late father, one year after his death.
The themes can be heavy at times but land messages of continuing on with life after terrible tragedies.
Director Simien said Katie Dippold’s screenplay — and how it handled these topics — made him want to make the film.
“It did so many things right that I thought were important for me to try and protect as a director. Things that I knew could maybe get scrubbed away if it was someone else doing it. [Dippold] really goes there in terms of grief and fear and also doesn’t pull any punches in terms of laughs, either,” hetold Slash Film.
Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield and Danny DeVito in “Haunted Mansion”.Disney
There are frightening moments throughout
Haunted Mansion, of course, dabbles in light horror elements during its two-hour runtime. While the scary moments can be startling and loud, most are not for sustained for long periods of time. Plus, comedic relief almost always follows these moments, quickly diffusing the scariness.
That being said, there are spooky, skeletal ghost effects, some brief and implied violence with weapons, and general haunted-house suspense: screaming spirits, dark hallways, graveyard imagery, etc. For comparison, think of movies likeCoraline,ParaNormanandHocus Pocus.
Simien toldMovieWebabout how he balanced the comedy and horror elements while directing.
Walt Disney Studios
“That’s how the ride was made, it was a back and forth. They could not decide if this ride should be funny or scary, or for children or for adults. These are the actual conversations that Walt Disney and the Imagineers had making the ride,” he said. “They somehow landed on this weird, magical formula.”
“It has this wonderful mix of humor and tragedy. It doesn’t pull punches,” added Simien. “You see a man hanging from the stretching room the moment it starts. You’re literally moving through a graveyard. This is a scary, weird ride. It was one that I rode at 9 years old. It made me feel like I could handle scary stuff. It didn’t take me out of the fight.”
He said capturing his childhood experience of theHaunted Mansiontheme park ride “was really important” to him.
“It became something that I could ride over and over again. I grew up, still really enjoying it, and feel like it spoke to me. That was the guiding star,” he explained. “My brain just kind of functions that way. It’s a tragic comedy at all times in here. It felt very natural to me.”
Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Owen Wilson in “Haunted Mansion”.Jalen Marlowe
Jalen Marlowe
There are children in peril
Director Simien pointed out toSlash Filmthat many Disney films feature scary moments, which helped him overcome fear as a kid.
“I watchedSnow WhiteandPinocchio, these movies are terrifying,” he said with a laugh. “They are blends of horror and comedy and sweetness and dark and light. As a kid, they make you feel like you can face the darkness of the world. And as a Black gay kid whose dad died, my world growing up was kind of scary. And these movies made me feel like I could get through it.”
He added that hisHaunted Mansionwas mostly “me making the movie I wanted to see,” but there were the “usual conversations between the studio” and audience “testing” to find the final tone.
Haunted Mansionopens in theaters Friday.
source: people.com
