Twenty years after the first failed attempt, Walt Disney Studios takes another stab at transforming the classic theme park attraction, Haunted Mansion, into a successful motion picture. Repeating the mistake made in 1993 with Hocus Pocus, Disney released the film in July where it lost out on any potential Halloween cross-interest. Critical consensus didn’t help, with the film being widely panned. But the families that made the trip to the theater enjoyed it overall, and now these ghosts can follow you home on 4K Ultra-HD and Blu-Ray, just in time for your next family-friendly spooky movie night.
(Disney)
Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) is a widowed astrophysicist in New Orleans whose dearly departed wife hosted ghost tours. Before she passed away, Ben was developing a camera that had the power to capture real spectral images, a desire he lost interest in when his wife passed away. When Father Kent (Owen Wilson) shows up out of the blue with a job offer for Ben to use his invention to help a single mother (Rosario Dawson) who recently moved into a mysterious mansion that is reportedly haunted, he expects it to be another dead end. Instead, he finds himself working on a team of paranormal experts including a psychic (Tiffany Haddish) and historian (Danny DeVito) to help rid this haunted mansion of the cruel master that has trapped his 999 “happy” haunts there.
In addition to its living cast of characters, this adaptation of Haunted Mansion features Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost. While I think The Muppets did a better job of translating the attraction to the screen (in the 2021 Disney+ special Muppets Haunted Mansion), the filmmakers also take a Muppet-esque guest star approach to the film, with recognizable faces like Daniel Levy, Winona Ryder, Jo Koy, and Marilu Henner apparating in and out of scenes.
As a diehard Disney Parks fan, this adaptation of Haunted Mansion lives and dies by its devotion to incorporating all of the hallmark elements from the Disneyland version of the attraction. The plot is otherwise a little too convoluted for its own good, and the grieving, depressed lead character weighs the film down. For that reason, I recommend streaming the film on Disney+ first before you decide to buy.
Bonus Features
- Making Haunted Mansion (13:18) – Hear from cast, crew and filmmakers about creating this grim grinning adventure based on the world-famous ride. See how the ghosts were "brought to life," what role new technology played, and how the wildly popular attraction inspired the film's design.
- 999 Happy Haunts (6:59) – There are 999 Happy Haunts inside the Disney Parks' attraction…but always room for one more! See all the Easter eggs (well, maybe not all of them) where characters big, small, alive, departed, human and otherwise appear in both the movie and the ride.
- Deleted Scenes (10:46)
- Carol (0:45)
- 1 Star (0:45)
- Harriet’s House of Intuition (3:13)
- They Say the Place is Haunted (1:16)
- Between Realms (1:42)
- Crump Manor (1:07)
- Emergency Baptism (1:00)
- A Good Head for Business (0:31)
- Bloopers (2:32) – Who knew making a scary movie could be so funny!
Video
The 4K and Blu-Ray release of Haunted Mansion retains the film’s wide theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The 4K presentation handles the dark colors well, and the occasional bright ones (typically a glowing ghostly blue or green) really pop. There’s some fine detail gained in comparison to the included Blu-Ray, which also offers a fine 1080p presentation. But because the art direction has a hazy quality to much of the film, this is one case where the 4K doesn’t feel like it offers as big of a leap above the HD version
Audio
The primary audio track on the 4K disc is an English Dolby Atmos mix, which seats you in the center of the stretchroom while ghostly sounds and score travel around the world. The Blu-Ray replaces this with a similar 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix, that’s also very immersive. Both discs have identical additional audio options: a 2.0 Descriptive Audio option, plus French and Spanish 5.1.
Packaging & Design
As has become Disney’s norm for 4K releases, The Haunted Mansion doesn’t have a general 4K-Ultra HD release. Instead, consumers have three retail exclusive versions to choose from. For review purposes, we were sent a copy of the WalMart exclusive version, which comes in a standard black Blu-Ray case with disc holders on both sides of the interior. Only the 4K disc has artwork. The only insert is a flier with a digital copy code, redeemable through Movies Anywhere and eligible for Disney Movies Insiders points. WalMart’s release has a holofoil slipcover and comes with a bonus pin inside the package. The main menu of both discs features poster artwork with animated candle smoke set to score from the film. There aren’t any trailers on either disc.
Final Thoughts
Had this release offered Muppets Haunted Mansion as a bonus feature, I’d say it was a must-own. But personally, I found this adaptation of Haunted Mansion to be underwhelming. Fans of the film will find the bonus features to be short and sweet, while still offering a nice glimpse into the process of making the film.
Purchase Options
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