Haunted Mansion
By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Ghostly comedy is a spirited ride with peril, some scares.
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Haunted Mansion
Community Reviews
Based on 22 parent reviews
A child nearly commits suicide in this movie
Moderate Scares with a great message about Grief and working as a team
What's the Story?
In HAUNTED MANSION, single mom Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her 9-year-old son, Travis (Chase W. Dillon), move into a New Orleans mansion that's filled with long-buried secrets -- and several unpleasant ghosts. Hoping to cleanse the house of the evil within, Gabbie hires a scrappy team of paranormal experts to help.
Is It Any Good?
Satisfactorily spooky and just the right amount of scary for tweens and young teens, director Justin Simien's film is a true adaptation of the iconic Disney attraction. And in this case, "true" means more accurate than the actual Haunted Mansion ride itself, which was created in 1969 and, although set in New Orleans, didn't feature any people of color. Simien corrects that disconnect by casting Black actors in the primary roles and infusing the movie's backdrop with the sounds, sights, and culture of the Crescent City, from alligators to zydeco.
That said, the ride probably has more twists than this film. The story is pretty routine: There's a problem (a haunted house), we meet the experts who will solve the problem, and then they solve it. The humor level is enough to keep a feeling of lightness, which balances the specters on screen. Many of the characters are mourning the loss of a loved one, and the movie does address this with real heart. As a way to spend a couple of hours as a family, this fright-light comedy is a hauntingly good time. Still, a matinee may be advisable to give kids a few hours of daylight to process everything, in case -- just like in the ride -- an apparition jumps into the backseat of a kid's brain and follows them home.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Haunted Mansion compares with other haunted house movies. Were the scary moments too scary? How much scary stuff can young kids handle?
Discuss the movie's message. Do you agree that death isn't the end, but the beginning of a new chapter?
What elements of New Orleans culture did you notice? How does the jazz "second line" funeral connect with the film's theme?
Considering how little iffy content is in this movie (other than the scares!), why do you think drinking was included?
Do you believe in ghosts? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 28, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: October 17, 2023
- Cast: LaKeith Stanfield , Rosario Dawson , Jamie Lee Curtis
- Director: Justin Simien
- Inclusion Information: Gay directors, Black directors, Black actors, Female actors, Indigenous actors, Latino actors, Female writers
- Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Compassion , Courage , Teamwork
- Run time: 122 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: some thematic elements and scary action
- Last updated: June 7, 2024
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