Rhi Axtell – Writer

If you have been keeping up with my blogtober-y rambles, you have probably caught on that I like my spookiness to be fun and silly. I occasionally dip into more scary things, but on the whole, I am a soft, marshmallow person who likes hugs and laughing and light-hearted cheer.

And it is because I am a soft, marshmallow person who likes hugs, and laughing, and light-hearted cheer that I decided to turn my spooky-sights to the new Haunted Mansion film that recently came out. Horror for kids? Yeah, sign me up!

I vaguely remember the earlier film (was it with Eddie Murphy?) and I have definitely been on the ride the film is based on in Disneyland Paris, but neither struck such a strong chord in my memory that I could notice any references that were made in this more recent film. I can’t say it impacted my enjoyment of it, though (or maybe it did? I’ll never know).

I guess this is a film review blog? So let’s review.

THE GOOD

I really loved the cast in this film. Every character is quirky and fun, but not without depth. I think LaKeith Stanfield did a great job as being the lead – he hit the level of silly, scared and very sad required for this role really well. He bounced off the other cast members who all brought their own fun flair to the film.

I liked how this story didn’t flinch away from ghosts. They were there right from the start. They were big, they were spooky, and they were (most importantly) very, very silly. You want a haunted mansion? You very much get one.

I saw a review somewhere which said that this film is a great ‘gateway into horror’ for the younger generation, and I would agree with that. It’s spooky, it deals with themes like death and grief, but it doesn’t go too hard that the little ones will be left up at night. The main villain straight up looks like a cartoon character too, and even with the deep, booming voice of Jared Leto, I don’t think he ever reaches ‘terrifying’ level (actually, I found some of the other ghosts more terrifying than him – there is a scene right at the start with a painting which is very creepy).

Overall, it’s a Scooby Doo level of horror and that’s fab.

THE NOT SO GOOD

The cast, though diverse and amazing, is too large. The film wants to fit in a subplot for every single character, everyone gets their moment to shine, everyone gets character growth. While this is lovely, and they are a lovely bunch of misfits, it drags out the film. The film is two hours and three minutes long and I was really starting to feel it at the end. I wanted it to be fast-paced, snappy, scary fun, but it dragged. I wasn’t exactly bored, but I definitely was sighing more than laughing at some points. I guess I was a little bored. Okay, I got a bit bored. It picked up again towards the end.

I watched this on Disney Plus, which meant that I got the ‘This film contains product placement’ warning at the start. Usually this isn’t a problem, but boy did I notice the product placement in Haunted Mansion. It was everywhere. It did make me wonder if I was watching a film, or a long advert for a string of companies. If they could slip in a logo or a reference to a shop, they did. In one scene, the medium, played by Tiffany Haddish, asks spirits to write down a message on a piece of paper ‘that she bought from CVS’. It’s a fun little joke, but there was a part of me that noted it as product placement. This is just one of many many little product placements all throughout the film.

Capitalism – ruining our spooky fun.

Anyway, Haunted Mansion overall is a great watch if you’ve got a spare few hours and want to be a bit silly and spooky. Although long, I don’t feel it was a waste of time and was left with a smile at the end (and a spooky urge to buy a notepad).

See you tomorrow!