Haunted Mansion Footage Reaction: Classic Scares And Tons Of Potential [CinemaCon 2023]
CinemaCon is underway in Las Vegas, and the convention has already provided a host of new trailers and footage, including early screenings of "The Flash," which looks to be as good as the hype suggests. /Film's Ben Pearson is on the ground in Vegas, relaying reactions to exclusive trailers and footage presentations, and his latest sneak peek comes in the form of Disney's "Haunted Mansion" — the company's second go at adapting its theme park ride of the same name.
Following the flop that was the Eddie Murphy-led 2003 effort "The Haunted Mansion," Disney is hoping this latest attempt to bring their Disney Park ride to the big screen will replicate the success of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, which also started life as a theme park attraction. Back in September 2022, we got a glimpse at the upcoming film when the company showed early footage of "Haunted Mansion" at its D23 expo. Now, we've been treated to more of the upcoming project, which is directed by "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien.
The film's cast is about as solid as you could hope for, with LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish leading an ensemble comprised of Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jared Leto (a frightening prospect if ever there was one). The story focuses on a mother and son who move into a New Orleans home only to find it infested with supernatural entities, providing the perfect excuse to showcase the cavalcade of stars that have signed up for this outing, as a host of "supernatural experts" are brought in to help rid the house of its unwelcome specters.
And now that we've had a better look at "Haunted Mansion," it seems Disney might be onto something with this latest adaptation attempt.
We're in for a hell of a ride
The frightening (but not too scary) footage begins with a narration from Danny Devito, who lays the context for the film: Sometime after 1788, the mansion was discovered, fully built, with paranormal attacks and explosions that happened in the past. Owen Wilson, who plays a priest named Kent, appears standing with the rest of the cast inside the mansion. Staying true to the mystical illusions that trick visitors who stay inside its walls, the group thinks they're inside a room at the end of a long hallway, but in reality, it's covered up by a painting. Wilson walks towards a candelabra sconce on the wall and pulls it down, thinking it will activate an opening to a secret passage. Instead, it just falls off the wall, showing that there will be plenty of comedic moments in the new Disney+ film.
Next, LaKeith Stanfield walks up to the painting and notices there are (not surprisingly) eyeholes cut out of the canvas. He rips the painting open to reveal a hidden séance chamber with ghosts spinning and flying around the room. Now realizing that the place is definitely haunted, Rosario Dawson and her son aren't having any of it, and Dawson says, "We're out!"
From there, the footage transitions back into a more normal flow for a trailer, featuring Tiffany Haddish as a medium who may or may not be legit, and there's also a quick appearance from Dan Levy, better known as David from "Schitt's Creek," who should be a welcome edition. DeVito's character has been wanting to visit the mansion for sixty years to see how the house changes after midnight, turning every room into a trap. Hasan Minhaj also pops up holding a picture of a ghost that looks exactly like the images from the original Disney ride!
Overall, "Haunted Mansion" looks incredibly family-friendly, but will also feature some classic scares and plenty of laughs. From the footage, it has tons of potential.
"Haunted Mansion" opens in theaters on July 28, 2023.