The plot seems pretty straightforward; a group of people in a haunted house have to figure out a way to dispel the spirits trapped inside or risk becoming part of the haunting forever. The trailer also includes a bunch of winks to the Disney ride—characters like the ghostly axe-wielding bride Constance Hatchaway, the Hat Box Ghost (Jared Leto), the crystal-ball ghost Madam Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis), and the trio of hitchhiking ghosts. The stretching room that sinks downwards is also a callback to the opening part of the ride when people are first ushered into the mansion.
Other castmembers include LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Dan Levy. The film is directed by Justin Simie.
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With a kind of campy horror vibe, there’s an overwhelming sense of nostalgia from the video. The overwrought style of the ghosts, the classic tropes, even the Clue-esque whodunit characters shown in the trailer as a mother and son hire a bunch of suckers to get rid of the ghosts in their home. A mix in between Beetlejuice and Casper, Haunted Mansion doesn’t seem to be taking notes from contemporary horror (which, fair given the classic source material)—and will probably be just as family-friendly scares wise as the ride itself.
Haunted Mansion will appear in the theaters July 28.
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