Haunted Mansion was released in the United States on July 28 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. (Photo courtesy of Disney)
While “Haunted House” was filled with stars, the movie itself did not put on a star-studded show. The storyline is almost the same as the movies bearing the same name before it. A single mother, played by Rosario Dawson moves into a mansion in New Orleans. It isn’t long before she and her son find out they are not alone and that their mansion houses a lot of unwanted guests. She hires various people that are supposed to rid their mansion of the ghosts. Before the end of the movie there was a priest, a haunted house expert and a medium all in the same house.
There are some of the callbacks from prior movies, including how the house can turn into different landscapes, secret doors, hallways that go on forever. These scenes were some of the most fun parts of the movie, and the viewer can see what was truly intended when Disney came out with the original movie.
Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Madame Leota in the third film adaption of Haunted Mansion. (Photo courtesy of Disney)
A few familiar faces that star in the movie, but the celebrated performance of these actors do not show in this film. It did feel like the talent and acting skills of some of the movie’s frontrunners were not used to the best of their ability. There are a few comedians or actors that are known for their comedic movies in the film and it seems like all the jokes that were written for them had no laugh factor.
The movie does still showcase the gothic side that Disney intended and includes grief in the story line. If you want to see someone vulnerable, then look no further than to the many moments of this film. I do not see this version of the Haunted Mansion to be a Halloween classic like the two before it. I wanted so badly for this movie to be good, but it does not meet expectations, especially not for the average Disney fan. Watching the movie was like waiting for something that doesn’t come.