This latest version of Haunted Mansion is the second film (after an Eddie Murphy-starring 2003 version) to be based on a Disney theme park ride that has also spawned a Muppet Halloween special, a comic book series and a video game. And if you’re wondering what inspiration could possibly still be eked out of this already thoroughly plundered property, the answer is not a whole lot.
LaKeith Stanfield stars as Ben, a grieving widower and an astrophysicist turned New Orleans tour guide. Rosario Dawson does battle with malign spirits and an equally antagonistic wig in the role of Gabbie, the single mother who, along with her quirky, lonely little boy, moves to Gracey Manor in New Orleans. Gabbie and Ben find themselves trapped in the mansion, along with several hundred ghosts and a chillingly dead-eyed and phoned-in performance from Owen Wilson. This is a grimly efficient IP cash-in that defuses any potential scares with a hot-pink colour palette and a bunch of oddly specific and distracting product placements.
