When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candle lights flicker where the air is deathly still — that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!
So begins the narration for The Haunted Mansion, an attraction that originally opened in Disneyland, just outside of Anaheim, California, in 1969. One of the last attractions that Walt Disney had a hand in, a haunted house of some kind can be seen on early artwork for the Disneyland Park and was waylaid first by Walt’s involvement in the 1964-65 World’s Fair and then, of course, his untimely death.
But since the attraction opened it has become an absolute classic, inspiring versions of the attraction at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. When you think of Disney Parks, chances are you think of the Haunted Mansion.
But, like any good Disney property, it has stretched (much like the famous stretching room) into other aspects of the company – there is countless merchandise, a 2003 film, the “Muppet Haunted Mansion” Disney+ Halloween special and now, a brand-new 2023 “Haunted Mansion” movie called, simply, “Haunted Mansion” (it’s cleaner). And we have all the details for what you should know about the new movie.
Is There a Trailer for “Haunted Mansion” 2023?
There is! And it’s actually really great, utilizing the same mixture of spooky/funny tones that make the original attraction so memorable (it also wonderfully utilizes Roy Orbison’s “My House Without Windows”).
What Is the Release Date for “Haunted Mansion?”
“Haunted Mansion” is a big summer movie, think Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, and as such will be released on July 28, 2023. We love a good summertime fright!
Is “Haunted Mansion” a Remake?
It’s not a remake. There was another movie, based on the original Disney attraction, released in 2003 and starring Eddie Murphy. But that movie had a completely different storyline and characters, even if it borrowed from similar elements of the ride. This new version is (in the words of another Halloween icon David S. Pumpkins) its own thing — and one that Disney is very high on. Could there be “Haunted Mansion” sequels on the way? Only Madame Leota with her crystal ball probably knows.
So, What Is “Haunted Mansion” About?
This new “Haunted Mansion” concerns a single mom (played by Rosario Dawson) who moves into a spooky (but surprisingly affordable) mansion outside of New Orleans, with her young son. Soon, she realizes that the ghostly forces are more than she bargained for. In order to combat the otherworldly evil, she calls on a ragtag group of supernatural researchers for help.
Who’s in the “Haunted Mansion” 2023 Cast?
Besides Dawson, the cast includes LaKeith Stanfield (as a supernatural investigator), Owen Wilson (as a priest), Tiffany Haddish (as a psychic) and Danny DeVito (as a college history professor). Additionally, several iconic characters from the attraction make an appearance, like Jamie Lee Curtis (as Madame Leota) and Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost. Winona Ryder, Hasan Minhaj and Dan Levy also make appearances in unidentified roles.
Will There be Easter Eggs for the Ride?
Oh, there will be tons of Easter eggs.
Who’s Making “Haunted Mansion?”
“Haunted Mansion” is directed by Justin Simien, who directed “Dear White People” and “Bad Hair” (which similarly mixed horror and comedy). Perhaps more crucially, Simien was once a cast member at Disneyland, meaning his knowledge of the Haunted Mansion is deep and pure.
The film was written by Kate Dippold, a former “Parks and Recreation” writer who wrote “The Heat” with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig’s unfairly maligned “Ghostbusters” reboot; and produced by Dan Lin, who has worked on everything from “The LEGO Movie” to Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” remake to “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
