Haunted Mansion

[Tom Morrow]

Its a movie based on a theme park ride, how serious should it take itself? Heck even the Pirates movies didn't take themselves too seriously and they did pretty well at the box office.

Actually I was thinking the POTC films kinda did take themselves seriously enough. I’m talking about the typical Marvel style approach this trailer reeked of, full of sarcastic quips, not sarcastic like Jack Sparrow but sarcastic to say “we’re not taking this too seriously.”

Also “it’s based on a theme park ride, therefore it should be a dumb and bad movie” is a bad take.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Its a movie based on a theme park ride, how serious should it take itself? Heck even the Pirates movies didn't take themselves too seriously and they did pretty well at the box office.

The TV movie version of Tower of Terror with Steve Guttenberg and Kristen Dunst was trying to see what it can do without the help of the Twilight Zone...

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Most kids like to be scared. The parents are usually the ones too concerned about a movie being too scary for kids, not the kids themselves.

Agreed. I saw Poltergeist in the theater in 5th grade. One of my best non-Star Wars moviegoing experiences. Of course it scared me...and I love it to this day.

 

[TalkingHead]

At least it’s a co-production so maybe that helps account for the budget. Would also help explain the bizarre casting that seems designed more for a social media campaign than narrative coherence. At first I thought they were trying to do a straight House on Haunted Hill update but maybe they’re trying to pair that with the star-studded mystery ensemble thing in the vein of Knives Out? I could see that being the thinking here…only with less brains.

 

[Phroobar]

At least it’s a co-production so maybe that helps account for the budget. Would also help explain the bizarre casting that seems designed more for a social media campaign than narrative coherence. At first I thought they were trying to do a straight House on Haunted Hill update but maybe they’re trying to pair that with the star-studded mystery ensemble thing in the vein of Knives Out? I could see that being the thinking here…only with less brains.

Glass Onion wasn't exactly high on brains.

 

[TalkingHead]

Glass Onion wasn't exactly high on brains.

Which is why I said Knives Out

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The best part of the 2003 movie was the opening credits. A period piece played straight with great music.

That's what would be good for a HM movie. It doesn't mean you can't have humor, but we've already had two contemporary HM comedies. It was time for something different.

 

[mf1972]

i’m sure this’ll be PG-13 at most. i’ll be shocked if it gets a PG rating based on what the trailer showed.

 

[Phroobar]

Which is why I said Knives Out

Except it will be more like Glass Onion.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I seem one of the few pleasantly surprised by the trailer. The balance between goofy and scary seems good to me based on the trailer, and it's honestly more on the dark side than I thought it would be. It seems, at least, that they've made the choice not to try and aim for really young kids, which is probably wise. We shall see!

 

[Screamface]

There's a level of being fun, thrilling, suspenseful, surprising and emotionally engaging that the film should be. Scary is the wrong word.

I don't see at all how a stretching room in a film would satisfy any of that. The trailer satisfies nothing.

I know it doesn't fit the politics of the company but they should have gotten a veteran like Joe Dante to shepherd something like this. People don't make the sort of films this should be any more.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

There's a level of being fun, thrilling, suspenseful, surprising and emotionally engaging that the film should be. Scary is the wrong word.

I don't see at all how a stretching room in a film would satisfy any of that. The trailer satisfies nothing.

I know it doesn't fit the politics of the company but they should have gotten a veteran like Joe Dante to shepherd something like this. People don't make the sort of films this should be any more.

You're upset a film based on The Haunted Mansion features a stretching room?

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

There's a level of being fun, thrilling, suspenseful, surprising and emotionally engaging that the film should be.

See: Disney+'s Secrets of Sulphur Springs. Classic Disney family spooky goodness.

When I was a kid, Something Wicked This Way Comes and Fantasia both scared the heck out of me. As an adult, I came to appreciate Something Wicked. But Fantasia still really freaks me out. But I loved the 70's live action stuff that managed to combine supernatural and Disney really well - The Watcher in the Woods on the scary end of the spectrum and the Witch Mountain movies on the family end of the spectrum.

This trailer reminds me of a bad remake of Clue - which is an excellent (non-Disney) example of how to mesh comedy and mystery based on a beloved IP with a big cast really well.

 

[DCBaker]

First look at Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota.

More details on the film in the link below.

See Jamie Lee Curtis' Madame Leota have a ball in 'Haunted Mansion'

See Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota in Disney's 'Haunted Mansion' crystal ball photo.

ew.com

 

[WowFactor]

Jamie is a fantastic actress. Her presence in the film alone is worth the ticket price.

 

[The Peanut Gallery]

She's a great choice for Madame Leota. Cautiously optimistic for sure.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

First look at Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota.

View attachment 715526

More details on the film in the link below.

See Jamie Lee Curtis' Madame Leota have a ball in 'Haunted Mansion'

See Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota in Disney's 'Haunted Mansion' crystal ball photo.

ew.com

I love her casting as Leota, but something in that still looks a little weird to me. The CGI feels a bit . . . inexpensive . . . and is the crystal ball distorting her face? Her proportions look off. Maybe things will be clearer when it's all in motion, I'm willing to give it a chance.

I did give the design a quick pass in Photoshop just for fun to see how she'd look with some tweaks, here's what I came up with:

 

[Ghost93]

I think this could be a great movie, but also am 100% convinced it should be a Halloween release. You'd think Disney would remember from its mistake in releasing Hocus Pocus during the summer of 1993.


By moving Haunted Mansion to October, they could also move either Elemental or Indiana Jones 5 from June to July, giving their movies more room to breathe.

 

[Screamface]

It would have been neat if they got Kim Irvine to be Madame Leota.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I think this could be a great movie, but also am 100% convinced it should be a Halloween release. You'd think Disney would remember from its mistake in releasing Hocus Pocus during the summer of 1993.


By moving Haunted Mansion to October, they could also move either Elemental or Indiana Jones 5 from June to July, giving their movies more room to breathe.

I can't help but wonder if they're anticipating a soft Box Office but hoping it hits big in streaming on Disney+. It'll likely be dropping on there just in time for Halloween.

Maybe they figure they can grab people with it after they've finished their 12th rewatch of Hocus Pocus.