HM plot holes...

[MadderAdder]

I love the 2003 one because it made my mom and I laugh so much. I enjoy it more, nostalgia be damned.

 

[MichRX7]

Saw the movie last night. My wife and I completely enjoyed ourselves and didn't take it serious at all since it is a fantasy comedy movie based on a ride with fake ghosts that is based on a made up story that seems to change over time (which is fine) that was originally not supposed to be a ride at all, but a walk-through.

 

[erasure fan1]

I watched it the other night and I can see why it did so poorly. It nailed the call backs to the ride, I generally liked the characters, but as a whole it just didn't land for me. I wasn't expecting a super deep story, but this just seemed all over the place. I'm not sure they really knew what they wanted this movie to be. I will say that my original thoughts on the release date stand. If this was coming out for the Halloween season it would have done much better. I'm not saying it does gangbusters, but I bet it would have had a significant jump.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Of the two, I'd prefer to watch the 2003 film every time. The new one did sort of renew my appreciation for the old. It's not good, but it feels much more like a "thing" than the new one, which is an awkward, lumbering homage in search of a movie.

The best scene in either the 2003 or 2023 movie is the opening credits for the original.

Played totally straight as a period piece with no jokes and great music it shows what a HM movie could be.

 

[LittleBuford]

The best scene in either the 2003 or 2023 movie is the opening credits for the original.

Played totally straight as a period piece with no jokes and great music it shows what a HM movie could be.

An absence of jokes would be going against the spirit of the ride.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

clearly the movie was edited into oblivion (there were pretty extensive reshoots, which accounts for some of the irregularities),

The movie was 2 hours, but many scenes and ideas felt rushed with little room to breath or have their impact sink in.

Even if you didn't know about the reshoots, something felt off while watching it. As if moments were cut down or had their order changed.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

An absence of jokes would be going against the spirit of the ride.

Too many of them goes against the spirit of the ride, too. There has to be balance, which I don't think either Mansion film had.

The ride isn't laugh-a-minute from the moment you cross the threshold (misguided Interactive Queue aside), and in fact spends much of its time building the foreboding atmosphere with only wry hints at humor before it finally cracks open late in the game. And even then it's mostly pretty sardonic. The way both movies try to stuff themselves with Jokes with a capital J misses that the humor in the ride is itself the punchline of a larger joke - you're meant to think you should be scared, only to find out it's all in good fun. The living aren't in on it. Which could actually be a really wonderful way to set up a Haunted House film, but alas.

Pirates 1 basically nailed it right out of the gate. The movie isn't a comedy, but it's definitely funny, and it has some bite to it - a period piece with supernatural elements that expands the world of the ride in a cinematic way, but somehow manages to neither grovel at its feet nor contradict it directly. Employs the best tropes of the genre and subverts the others. It's smart, sweeping, and fun as hell. That's how you adapt a ride concept for film. Too bad they couldn't fully keep up that momentum in the sequels.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Since we're talking about the new one...

Wifey and I watched it this weekend. If The Haunted Mansion hadn't been my favorite ride since I was 4, I probably wouldn't have cared for this film, but all the easter eggs hit my nostalgia sweet spot. I found that the male lead and the little boy had a satisfying character arc, but overall, the picture was too muddled.

Interesting that they made the Hatbox Ghost the main villain, though. I would have thought it was going to be the Bride.

 

[pjomlbfan2327]

Those familiar with my posts know I try to take a very optomistic look at things (and slam all the negativity on these boards).

With that said, I thought the storyline of The Haunted Mansion movie was among the WORST I've ever seen.

The biggest problem was the gaping plot holes. Story elements came out of nowhere, and disappeared just as fast. Nothing made sense--even for a fantasy movie.

I understand that characters in movies (especially horror and comedy movies) must intentionally make nonsense mistakes in order to drive the plot and build suspense. In high school drama class I learned you "suspend disbelief" when your mind accepts these fantasies as fact. But the following examples were so ridiculous, it was impossible to let my imagination run free during this movie.

*Why didn't the family put up ANY fight trying to leave when the storm hit?

*Why would the young girl follow a glowing energy ball without the slightest hint of fear (and with only minor apprehension from the spider-fearing boy)

*Why was Eddie Murphy NOT scared of the changing portraits, the staring busts, and the breathing door? Yet Leota freaked him out. And then, all of a sudden, he's immediately cool with the idea that the house is filled with ghosts.

*Why didn't the wife put up ANY kind of fight to get away from Gracey? Isn't her whole family somewhere in the house within screaming distance?

*Why did Murphy and the kids look for the key before even BOTHERING to look for mom. All they would have had to do is wait in the attic for a few minutes (she was in the attic looking at the wedding dress the VERY NEXT SCENE!)

*What was this "curse"? It was never explained. Pirates of the Caribbean took a much more complicated curse and made it EASIER to understand.

*Assuming the curse was brought on by the murder of Elizabeth, why was EVERYONE in the house (the butler, the maid, the ballroom dancers, etc.) effected by the curse?

*If the curse impacted everyone attending the Mardi Gras ball, why were the OTHER ghosts in the vast graveyard ALSO prevented from "crossing over" (they were obviously dead BEFORE the Mardi Gras party, or nobody would have been around to bury them!)

*What actually BROKE the curse? We know the curse was broken when Gracey learns his wife was murdered. But was it simply Gracey knowing that fact? Or was it becuase Murphy accused Ramsley the butler?

*How did Murphy know "the butler did it"? He just blurted than line out without anything leading him to that conclusion.

*Why, when the curse was broken, did a dragon bust out of the ground and grab Ramsley? Because he murdered a woman 100 years ago? Because a human told the woman's husband he was mistaken about her suicide?

*If Gracey is a ghost, then why did he need to kiss the "possessed" mom? Why couldn't he simply join up with the glowing energy ball that was Elizabeth? And why, if they're both ghosts, could they not make contact before?

*Why were Leota and the Singing Busts not allowed to "cross over" like everyone else when the curse was broken? Were they not ghosts like the rest of the group? And if not, how in the world did she get trapped into a ball and why were they singing concrete sculptures?

These are just a few of the inconsistancies that were so distracting, you could not take the movie seriously.

*Why didn't the family put up ANY fight trying to leave when the storm hit?

The roads were flooded. Plus, they thought it was going to clear up, and they would be able to leave once the storm stopped.

*Why would the young girl follow a glowing energy ball without the slightest hint of fear (and with only minor apprehension from the spider-fearing boy)

She's supposed to be the brave one; she trails it slowly. The spider-fearing boy is following out of... well, fear, he doesn't want to be alone in a creepy house, where he doesn't know where the mother and father are. (I will say, this isn't said in the movie, but some people who have experienced paranormal events have said that some of the spirits were comforting/inviting than their more threatening counterparts.)

*Why was Eddie Murphy NOT scared of the changing portraits, the staring busts, and the breathing door? Yet Leota freaked him out. And then, all of a sudden, he's immediately cool with the idea that the house is filled with ghosts.

Eddie Murphy doesn't see the changing portraits or the staring busts; the audience does. The breathing door is two things. 1. It is his only way out at the moment. 2. He believes he is imagining it, which you can tell when he looks at the mirror and realizes he's not a zombie, and in the attic when he tells the kids, "Daddy is hallucinating". Leota is a floating head, and he is finally realizing he can't come up with an excuse. I don't know if he's immediately cool, but more in shock of "I just need to get through this."

*Why didn't the wife put up ANY kind of fight to get away from Gracey? Isn't her whole family somewhere in the house within screaming distance?
*Why did Murphy and the kids look for the key before even BOTHERING to look for mom? All they would have had to do is wait in the attic for a few minutes (she was in the attic looking at the wedding dress, the VERY NEXT SCENE!)

Two in one answer. The wife is fascinated by the history of Gracey Manor. She doesn't realize anything is wrong until Mr. Gracey says something, which we see her yelling at him and running away. The whole family was, in fact, not in screaming difference. It's a giant a** manor lol. Murphy is told his wife is in danger and knows that the last time he saw her, she was upset in the room. He probably assumed she was still there and could prevent the danger before it happened (not knowing it was happening at the same time). " All they would have had to do is wait in the attic for a few minutes (she was in the attic looking at the wedding dress, the VERY NEXT SCENE!)" They didn't know that, though.

FIVE IN ONE NOW:
*What was this "curse"? It was never explained. Pirates of the Caribbean took a much more complicated curse and made it EASIER to understand.
*Assuming the curse was brought on by the murder of Elizabeth, why was EVERYONE in the house (the butler, the maid, the ballroom dancers, etc.) effected by the curse?
*If the curse impacted everyone attending the Mardi Gras ball, why were the OTHER ghosts in the vast graveyard ALSO prevented from "crossing over" (they were obviously dead BEFORE the Mardi Gras party, or nobody would have been around to bury them!)
*What actually BROKE the curse? We know the curse was broken when Gracey learns his wife was murdered. But was it simply Gracey knowing that fact? Or was it becuase Murphy accused Ramsley the butler?
*How did Murphy know "the butler did it"? He just blurted than line out without anything leading him to that conclusion.

The curse, while not going into detail, leaves the spirits trapped on the property. I would say the spirits that died after Elizabeth were trapped; the spirits beforehand wanted to stay (although now they couldn't leave if they wanted to). Although it could just be plot convenience and just brings it back to the ride. We only see the ghosts during that scene where Gracey claims Sara is Elizabeth. They are probably not really ghosts, but the residual energy shown now that Gracey is desperate, not really spirits. The curse started, I'm assuming here, from the murder, but we kind of see that Ramsley is seemingly stronger than the other ghosts, and it is implied that he either used dark magic or made a deal with the devil, which is why he is significantly strong and gets taken to hell at the end. What broke the curse was Ramsley being exposed as the murderer and consequently being the "evil" in the house. Once he is gone, nothing is preventing the spirits from leaving, breaking the curse. Ramsley also "confesses" when he says "Well done" and their entire argument basically confirms that Ramsley is the reason Elizabeth is dead.

*Why, when the curse was broken, did a dragon bust out of the ground and grab Ramsley? Because he murdered a woman 100 years ago? Because a human told the woman's husband he was mistaken about her suicide?

As stated previously, the dragon was for dramatic effect, but it was basically Hell dragging him to the underworld for basically failing what he was supposed to do to keep his powers.

*If Gracey is a ghost, then why did he need to kiss the "possessed" mom? Why couldn't he simply join up with the glowing energy ball that was Elizabeth? And why, if they're both ghosts, could they not make contact before?

He didn't need to kiss her, the same way Sara didn't need to run from Jim when he objected. They love each other and haven't seen each other since a traumatic event happened. After not seeing each other or talking to each other for years (a century even), they missed each other. A kiss seemed natural. It was Ramsley's dark magic that prevented Elizabeth from confessing that it was Ramsley who murdered her. No one knew it was her.

*Why were Leota and the Singing Busts not allowed to "cross over" like everyone else when the curse was broken? Were they not ghosts like the rest of the group? And if not, how in the world did she get trapped in a ball, and why were they singing concrete sculptures?

I don't believe they are ghosts. They are some sort of other paranormal entities, so a soul couldn't really leave if they wanted to. Leota being trapped in the ball isn't completely relevant to the story, so it doesn't need to be said; the same goes for the statues. A lot of it isn't relevant to the story. (At least this story).

I'm not going to lie, while half of these are some things you have to assume, a lot of things you just weren't paying attention to. The beauty of this story is that you don't know what happens; you piece it together with the character, Jim. They aren't feeding it to you on a silver spoon; you learn it the way he does. You piece it together. Half of these are either common sense or just you not paying attention at all. (Obviously, the others you do have to have some background knowledge in paranormal things, and assume a lot).

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

*Why didn't the family put up ANY fight trying to leave when the storm hit?

The roads were flooded. Plus, they thought it was going to clear up, and they would be able to leave once the storm stopped.

*Why would the young girl follow a glowing energy ball without the slightest hint of fear (and with only minor apprehension from the spider-fearing boy)

She's supposed to be the brave one; she trails it slowly. The spider-fearing boy is following out of... well, fear, he doesn't want to be alone in a creepy house, where he doesn't know where the mother and father are. (I will say, this isn't said in the movie, but some people who have experienced paranormal events have said that some of the spirits were comforting/inviting than their more threatening counterparts.)

*Why was Eddie Murphy NOT scared of the changing portraits, the staring busts, and the breathing door? Yet Leota freaked him out. And then, all of a sudden, he's immediately cool with the idea that the house is filled with ghosts.

Eddie Murphy doesn't see the changing portraits or the staring busts; the audience does. The breathing door is two things. 1. It is his only way out at the moment. 2. He believes he is imagining it, which you can tell when he looks at the mirror and realizes he's not a zombie, and in the attic when he tells the kids, "Daddy is hallucinating". Leota is a floating head, and he is finally realizing he can't come up with an excuse. I don't know if he's immediately cool, but more in shock of "I just need to get through this."

*Why didn't the wife put up ANY kind of fight to get away from Gracey? Isn't her whole family somewhere in the house within screaming distance?
*Why did Murphy and the kids look for the key before even BOTHERING to look for mom? All they would have had to do is wait in the attic for a few minutes (she was in the attic looking at the wedding dress, the VERY NEXT SCENE!)

Two in one answer. The wife is fascinated by the history of Gracey Manor. She doesn't realize anything is wrong until Mr. Gracey says something, which we see her yelling at him and running away. The whole family was, in fact, not in screaming difference. It's a giant a** manor lol. Murphy is told his wife is in danger and knows that the last time he saw her, she was upset in the room. He probably assumed she was still there and could prevent the danger before it happened (not knowing it was happening at the same time). " All they would have had to do is wait in the attic for a few minutes (she was in the attic looking at the wedding dress, the VERY NEXT SCENE!)" They didn't know that, though.

FIVE IN ONE NOW:
*What was this "curse"? It was never explained. Pirates of the Caribbean took a much more complicated curse and made it EASIER to understand.
*Assuming the curse was brought on by the murder of Elizabeth, why was EVERYONE in the house (the butler, the maid, the ballroom dancers, etc.) effected by the curse?
*If the curse impacted everyone attending the Mardi Gras ball, why were the OTHER ghosts in the vast graveyard ALSO prevented from "crossing over" (they were obviously dead BEFORE the Mardi Gras party, or nobody would have been around to bury them!)
*What actually BROKE the curse? We know the curse was broken when Gracey learns his wife was murdered. But was it simply Gracey knowing that fact? Or was it becuase Murphy accused Ramsley the butler?
*How did Murphy know "the butler did it"? He just blurted than line out without anything leading him to that conclusion.

The curse, while not going into detail, leaves the spirits trapped on the property. I would say the spirits that died after Elizabeth were trapped; the spirits beforehand wanted to stay (although now they couldn't leave if they wanted to). Although it could just be plot convenience and just brings it back to the ride. We only see the ghosts during that scene where Gracey claims Sara is Elizabeth. They are probably not really ghosts, but the residual energy shown now that Gracey is desperate, not really spirits. The curse started, I'm assuming here, from the murder, but we kind of see that Ramsley is seemingly stronger than the other ghosts, and it is implied that he either used dark magic or made a deal with the devil, which is why he is significantly strong and gets taken to hell at the end. What broke the curse was Ramsley being exposed as the murderer and consequently being the "evil" in the house. Once he is gone, nothing is preventing the spirits from leaving, breaking the curse. Ramsley also "confesses" when he says "Well done" and their entire argument basically confirms that Ramsley is the reason Elizabeth is dead.

*Why, when the curse was broken, did a dragon bust out of the ground and grab Ramsley? Because he murdered a woman 100 years ago? Because a human told the woman's husband he was mistaken about her suicide?

As stated previously, the dragon was for dramatic effect, but it was basically Hell dragging him to the underworld for basically failing what he was supposed to do to keep his powers.

*If Gracey is a ghost, then why did he need to kiss the "possessed" mom? Why couldn't he simply join up with the glowing energy ball that was Elizabeth? And why, if they're both ghosts, could they not make contact before?

He didn't need to kiss her, the same way Sara didn't need to run from Jim when he objected. They love each other and haven't seen each other since a traumatic event happened. After not seeing each other or talking to each other for years (a century even), they missed each other. A kiss seemed natural. It was Ramsley's dark magic that prevented Elizabeth from confessing that it was Ramsley who murdered her. No one knew it was her.

*Why were Leota and the Singing Busts not allowed to "cross over" like everyone else when the curse was broken? Were they not ghosts like the rest of the group? And if not, how in the world did she get trapped in a ball, and why were they singing concrete sculptures?

I don't believe they are ghosts. They are some sort of other paranormal entities, so a soul couldn't really leave if they wanted to. Leota being trapped in the ball isn't completely relevant to the story, so it doesn't need to be said; the same goes for the statues. A lot of it isn't relevant to the story. (At least this story).

I'm not going to lie, while half of these are some things you have to assume, a lot of things you just weren't paying attention to. The beauty of this story is that you don't know what happens; you piece it together with the character, Jim. They aren't feeding it to you on a silver spoon; you learn it the way he does. You piece it together. Half of these are either common sense or just you not paying attention at all. (Obviously, the others you do have to have some background knowledge in paranormal things, and assume a lot).

I don't think you're going to get a response. That poster hasn't been on in 18 years.