The Haunted Mansion was a beloved Eddie Murphy film from 2003. It was panned by critics, which in turn made an eventual re-imagining inevitable. In 2023, the story is being re-imagined in Disney’s new Haunted Mansion under director Justin Simien.
The story follows a paranormal investigator named Ben (Lakeith Stanfield), who is reeling from a serious loss. He is hired by a Mother and Son (Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon) to investigate their new home (A Haunted Mansion). Along the way, they turn to a priest (Owen Wilson), a historian (Danny DeVito), and a psychic (Tiffany Haddish) for help. This leads to a ghostly adventure for the team against the wicked and dangerous Hatbox Ghost, an unrecognizable Jared Leto.
Their adventures make them cross paths with a variety of other Ghostly entities. One of those is the house's former psychic, Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis). This crew goes up against the Hatbox ghost and learns about each other along the way. Over time, the group discovers what it means to be a team and, most importantly, a family. The core of the film involves the group learning about the history of the house. Its history involves how the Hatbox Ghost became wicked and the mission he is trying to complete.
The Hatbox Ghost Feeds on Ben's Grief
Its first reviews praise the film as a “scary, hilarious, and unexpectedly emotional movie.” The film’s emotional crux is Ben (Stanfield) dealing with the pain of his loss. Ben is portrayed as a none believer in the supernatural and needs convincing of this mansion of haunts.
He needs convincing no matter what Gabbie (Dawson) and Travis (Dillon) can say. As the team continues to form, they turn to Madame Leota (Curtis) for help. She warns the team of the Hatbox Ghosts' history and his mission to escape. The ghost is a former aristocrat who went on to become a deadly axe murderer.
He needs 100,000 captured souls to break free and currently has 999 in total. Ben’s grief makes him a perfect final victim for Hatbox’s escape into society. At this point in the film, it seems all is lost for our crew. Ben is slowly being lured and tempted by Hatbox’s temptations to reunite with his wife. Having to avoid those temptations lets Ben learn more about his makeshift “family.” This includes that Kent (Wilson) is not even a real priest. These revelations force all the characters to confront their demons.
After the team faces their personal demons, the real challenge begins. Our group of heroes has to come together to catch Hatbox. This includes a séance with Madame Leota, which involves awakening the 999 haunts of the house. Awakening these haunts is the easy part for our heroes. Thankfully, the heroes all share one commonality with the ghosts of the Haunted Mansion. Everyone is scared of the Hatbox Ghost and his desire to break into the real world.
Everyone Has to Come Together
To stop the Hatbox Ghost, our heroes decide to team up with the Mansion’s ghosts. This involves numerous chase sequences around the Mansion. A running element of the film is Travis wanting to visit his Dad. Ben and Travis bond throughout the film, which involves Ben encouraging Travis to see his Dad and stand up for himself. It isn’t until our heroes are separated that Gabbie reveals Travis’s father died. When the Hatbox ghost realizes Ben can’t be his 100,000 soul, he sets his sights on Travis.
Realizing they are outnumbered and outgunned, they team up with the ghosts of the house. This involves funny sequences regarding who will do what in this life-saving mission. While Ben and Gabbie go to find the missing Travis, Kent is left with the task of rallying the ghosts. That is while Madam Leota (Curtis) and Harriet (Haddish) conjure a spell to stop Hatbox before his plans are enacted. Meanwhile, Bruce (DeVito) has been possessed by Hatbox to get his last soul. Ben is finally able to find Travis after the house is turned into a mythical and horrifying maze.
Harriet is able to snap Bruce out of his possession while Ben, Gabbie, and Travis come face-to-face with Hatbox. Ben attempts to sacrifice himself to save his friends until Kent arrives with the ghost calvary. Everyone’s combined forces are able to finally stop and banish the Hatbox Ghost. This allows the souls to finally enjoy their Haunted Mansion while Leota is freed from her crystal ball prison. Such a ghostly experience lets Ben properly mourn and say a final goodbye to his wife.
With the Hatbox Ghost banished, Travis and Gabbie are able to enjoy their new home. To properly enjoy it, they threw a lavish dinner party with their friends. This part includes a meal with Ben, Kent, and Bruce as a makeshift family. Such a party is occurring with the many happy ghosts dancing around them in celebration. Ending on a happy note shows Simien used Eddie Murphy’s flop to make a better movie. This group of outsiders became the family they had been looking for all along.