---
title: "Haunted Mansion"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/haunted-mansion"
fi1m_id: "haunted-mansion"
imdb_id: "tt1695843"
tmdb_id: 616747
wikidata_id: "Q108940282"
fi1m_score: 51
critics_score: 49
critics_reviews: 20
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:05.681218+00:00"
region: "AT"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Haunted Mansion (2023)

Directed by Justin Simien · 2h 03m · FSK 12 · Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

## Identity

Haunted Mansion

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/haunted-mansion
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** haunted-mansion
- **IMDb ID:** tt1695843
- **TMDB ID:** 616747
- **Wikidata ID:** Q108940282
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1695843/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/616747, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108940282

**Fi1m score: 51** · Critics 49 from 20 reviews

*In a sentence:* Nine hundred and ninety-nine ghosts in the house and every one of them wants to explain the plot

> Justin Simien has a fine cast, a handsome house and a decent idea about grief, and a script that stops every ten minutes to explain the last ten. Pleasant enough for a wet afternoon with children; a shame it is not more.

## Synopsis

Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) has not much believed in anything since his wife died. Father Kent (Owen Wilson) turns up at his door with a job: photograph a mansion where Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her young son Travis (Chase W. Dillon) have just moved in and would like to move out again. Ben takes the money, takes the pictures, goes home, and finds that something from the house has come with him. To be rid of it he goes back, and a medium (Tiffany Haddish), a historian (Danny DeVito) and a head in a crystal ball (Jamie Lee Curtis) are recruited in turn. Justin Simien directs from a script by Katie Dippold, adapted from the Disney theme-park ride.

## Review

Justin Simien has made a 123-minute film out of a theme-park ride, and it is the second time Disney has tried it with this particular ride: the 2003 version with Eddie Murphy is remembered, where it is remembered at all, as a warning. Katie Dippold’s script has a better idea than that one did. Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield) is a widower who cannot put his grief down, and the house he is hired to photograph is full of people who cannot leave at all. That is a decent match of man and setting. The film states it in its first half hour, and then spends the next ninety minutes walking us from room to room while somebody explains what each one is for.

Stanfield is the reason to stay. He plays Ben low and tired, a man who has stopped expecting anything to work, and he delivers the exposition as if he resents having to. There is a quiet scene with Rosario Dawson’s Gabbie in which he explains what his camera was built to do and who he built it for, and it moved us, more than a Disney ride film has any business doing, because Stanfield keeps his voice flat and lets the sentence do the work. Then the film cuts to a green ghost and a joke about a hat, and we felt the temperature drop.

The supporting cast fare in proportion to how much the script needs them. Owen Wilson’s Father Kent wanders in as a priest of uncertain qualifications and gets most of the lines that land; he seems to have decided this is a lark, and he is right. Tiffany Haddish’s medium is pitched at a volume the film never asks her to lower. Danny DeVito arrives as a historian and is mostly there to be frightened, which he does well. Jamie Lee Curtis spends the film as a head in a crystal ball, filmed as one, and is good fun for two scenes. Jared Leto is a voice and a costume under the Hatbox Ghost, introduced with a fanfare the film cannot pay off. Chase W. Dillon, as Travis, is the only performer besides Stanfield who is allowed to be sad without a punchline following.

The house itself is well built. Darren Gilford’s production design gives us the stretching portrait gallery, the corridor of candelabra and the ballroom of dancers, each one recognisable from the ride, and Jeffrey Waldron lights them in candle-orange with a lurid pink and purple bleeding in from the windows, so that the whole place looks like a fairground after closing. Jeffrey Kurland’s costumes do the same job for the dead: high collars, wet-looking lace, hats that belong to another century. Kris Bowers’s score leans on strings to do the feeling the script has not quite earned.

The ghosts are the problem. They are digital, translucent and weightless, and they drift through walls like screensavers; a haunted house is only frightening if you believe the things in it could touch you, and nothing here could. Phillip J. Bartell’s cut does the film no favours either. The middle hour goes room, ghost, explanation, joke, room, and every joke is held a beat past the laugh. We were bored by the eighty-minute mark, and then we were annoyed about being bored, because Stanfield and Wilson were standing right there with nothing to do while a computer finished rendering a corridor. There are product placements clumsy enough to get a laugh the film was not after.

Simien’s *Dear White People*, from 2014, was sharp and quick about people who talk over each other. Here everyone talks and nobody has anything new to say. It is a better piece of work than the 2003 attempt, and a kinder one, and it is still a two-hour film made from a theme-park ride.

Take the children on a wet afternoon if they are old enough for the 12A and young enough to find a floating hat alarming; the scares are mild and the sadness is real. At home you can pause it whenever someone starts explaining the house, which will give you plenty of chances to put the kettle on.

*Fi1m score 51, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews split almost down the middle, and the spread is wide. Most critics agree on what works: the cast, with LaKeith Stanfield’s grounded lead singled out most often, and the film’s evident affection for the ride, whose props and gags are worked into the story with more care than anyone expects from a theme-park adaptation.

The reservations cluster around the script. Critics complain that it cannot settle on funny, spooky or earnest, that it runs past two hours, and that its ghosts are let down by flat CGI. Several also object to conspicuous product placement. The grief subplot divides opinion: some find it the film’s strongest idea, others find it solemn padding. The warmest notices, from Collider and Consequence, call it a proper film rather than an IP exercise; the coolest, from The Guardian and The New York Times, call it a feature-length advertisement. Deadline is alone in finding Stanfield miscast.

## Straight answers

**Is Haunted Mansion worth watching?**

*Haunted Mansion* is worth watching only as a wet-afternoon film for families with children old enough for the 12A, and we scored it 51. LaKeith Stanfield plays the grieving photographer well and Owen Wilson gets the lines that land, but the script stops every ten minutes to explain the last ten, and the middle hour drags.

**How long is Haunted Mansion, and what is it rated?**

*Haunted Mansion* runs 2h 03m and is rated 12 by the FSK in Austria. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Haunted Mansion in Austria?**

*Haunted Mansion* is streaming on Disney+ in Austria, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Haunted Mansion, and is it suitable for children?**

*Haunted Mansion* is a 12A with mild scares and no real violence: the ghosts are digital and translucent, drifting through walls rather than threatening anyone. Small children may find a floating hat alarming, and the film is honestly sad about a dead wife, so it suits families with older children rather than the very young.

**How does Haunted Mansion compare to Beetlejuice?**

*Haunted Mansion* keeps reaching for the haunted-house comedy that [*Beetlejuice*](https://film.one/film/beetlejuice) already is, and *Beetlejuice* is the better film. Tim Burton's jokes arrive and his fondness for the put-upon dead gives it warmth; Justin Simien's film has a handsome house and a decent idea about grief but holds every joke a beat too long. Choose *Beetlejuice* unless you need something gentler for children.

**What should I watch after Haunted Mansion?**

After *Haunted Mansion*, try [*Beetlejuice*](https://film.one/film/beetlejuice) (1988, Fi1m 83): The haunted-house comedy this one keeps reaching for, with jokes that actually arrive. Then [*ParaNorman*](https://film.one/film/paranorman) (2012, Fi1m 76): A boy who sees the dead, handled with more wit and less explaining; and [*Coco*](https://film.one/film/coco) (2017, Fi1m 84): Grief and the afterlife for families, and it earns its tears rather than borrowing them.

### Reviews we read (23)

- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the reboot channels the ride's illusions effectively in a fairly compelling story with decent laughs, though VFX disappoint. He singles out the script's emotional foundation for grief and relationships as better than expected. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/haunted-mansion-review-lakeith-stanfield-tiffany-haddish-1235678503/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Gregory Nussen (2.5/4): The film handily invokes the campiness of the iconic Disneyland attraction if not its kinetics and settles into an enjoyable groove thanks to the cast's camaraderie. The critic singles out the set pieces and cast chemistry for praise but complains that the script drowns in exposition and the attempts at pathos are too flimsy. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/haunted-mansion-review-tiffany-haddish-justin-simien/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (60/100, inferred): Justin Simien brings some big ideas to a tween-friendly horror-comedy that finds the right tone but never the right shape. The critic singles out the attempt to incorporate big ideas and emotional threads for praise but complains that the film lacks the right shape overall. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/haunted-mansion-review-movie-2023-1234888176/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (50/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a so-so, creaky comedy of manors that is rickety and silly-sinister but runs too long and lacks scares or strong laughs. He singles out the callbacks to the ride and the cast's efforts amid the corporate reboot fatigue. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-07-25/haunted-mansion-review-disneyland-ride-lakeith-stanfield-tiffany-haddish)
- **The AV Club**, Luke Y. Thompson (C-): LaKeith Stanfield shines but the rest of the cast barely commits and the film feels like the most calculated of corporate products. The critic singles out Stanfield's grounded performance and New Orleans diversity for praise but complains about the lack of tension, pacing, and coherent tale. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-disneys-haunted-mansion-1850673119)
- **The i Paper**, Francesca Steele (50/100, inferred): The movie is not scary enough to be proper horror or funny enough to be comedy, with convoluted plotting and unconvincing CGI ghosts, but the cast's chemistry gives it some charm and heart. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/haunted-mansion-review-scary-cbeebies-2533558)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (50/100, inferred): Disney’s new Haunted Mansion is a hot mess but sporadically entertaining. The critic singles out the growing paternal bond between Ben and Travis and Simien's touch for praise but complains that the movie has no core and wastes its potential. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-disneys-new-haunted-mansion-is-a-hot-mess.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Leila Latif (2/2/3): The critic finds the film scattered and more product than story despite a fine cast and some sweet moments on grief. The ensemble and certain relationships are praised, but CGI, product placement and editing issues draw complaint. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/haunted-mansion)
- **Radio Times**, Patrick Cremona (2/5): It is called a fairly lifeless exercise hampered by a script that fails to balance funny, spooky and earnest tones, plus major pacing and atmosphere problems. Some mildly amusing scenes and cameos are noted positively. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u4xjo5/haunted-mansion/)
- **The Telegraph** (40/100, inferred): The spooky theme-park spin-off has some well-rigged scares but the plot is creakier than the floorboards and it is grindingly overlong at over two hours. The script feels reworked to the point of structural collapse despite not being as dreadful as the 2003 version. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/haunted-mansion-review-owen-wilson-lakeith-stanfield/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O. Sullivan (35/100, inferred): The film is neither funny nor deep despite its ambitions around grief and other issues, suffering from dreary VFX, limp jokes and implausible twists. It only gels in one quirky sequence with Winona Ryder. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/haunted-mansion-review-lakeith-stanfield-jamie-lee-curtis-jared-leto-b1099543.html)
- **Screen Daily** (30/100, inferred): Despite an appealing cast and some nicely executed moments, the film is mostly a dispiriting experience that drains the ride's simple pleasures in favour of action spectacle and strained humour. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/haunted-mansion-review/5184047.article)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The film is a grimly efficient IP cash-in devoid of scares, with a hot-pink palette and distracting product placements defusing any tension. It wastes a cast including LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson on a thoroughly plundered property with little new inspiration. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/aug/13/haunted-mansion-review-theme-park-spinoff-gives-up-the-ghost-lakeith-stanfield-owen-wilson-rosario-dawson)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a dull, feature-length Disney promotion with little to say beyond its theme-park origins. She singles out the appealing cast hitting their marks but notes the dispiriting direction by Justin Simien. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/movies/haunted-mansion-review.html)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (30/100, inferred): The film is described as a forgettable ghostly ride to nowhere that sheds goofy charm for a solemn grief subplot and unconvincing effects. It could have been directed by anyone, with few genuine monsters or thrills. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-haunted-mansion-2023)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The film is routine entertainment that should please less discerning youngsters eager for silly summer fun. The critic singles out the visually dazzling combination of CGI and practical effects for praise but complains that the over-two-hour experience feels wearisome. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/haunted-mansion-review-lakeith-stanfield-tiffany-haddish-owen-wilson-1235538263/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (B+): The film is a charming and delightful adaptation that captures the spirit of the ride through its strong ensemble cast and evident affection for the source material. Simien and writer Katie Dippold blend ride elements into a fun, entertaining story that honors the original while adding its own tone. [Read](https://collider.com/haunted-mansion-movie-review/)
- **Consequence** (B+): This adaptation succeeds as a proper film rather than mere IP translation, delivering a light, family-friendly ghost story with occasional spookiness and real emotional poignancy about grief. Simien emphasizes production details for Easter eggs while developing distinct characters and environments. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/07/haunted-mansion-review/)
- **Polygon**, Petrana Radulovic (75/100, inferred): The film revels in theme-park references and in-jokes, committing fully to the ride's details in a way that makes it a solid, enjoyable movie despite occasional overindulgence. It stands as the anti-Pirates approach, embracing its origins for a grim, grinning delight full of atmosphere and nods. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23807463/haunted-mansion-remake-review-lakeith-stanfield-owen-wilson/)
- **/Film**, Josh Spiegel (7/10): The critic finds the film surprisingly enjoyable and unnerving for a Disney release, praising inventive references to the theme park ride and a committed ensemble led by LaKeith Stanfield. The main complaints concern uneven shifts between comedy and scares plus a miscast Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1342499/haunted-mansion-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (2.5/5): The film is a generic, innocuous Disney movie that is spooky enough for kids but shallow and forgettable for adults. It earns points for ride callbacks and a game cast but is ultimately aggressively okay. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/haunted-mansion-review-disney-theme-park-ride-curse/)
- **Deadline**, Valerie Complex: The critic finds the film a haphazard tour that misses emotional depth despite promising start and faithful production design. They complain about the conventional script and Stanfield’s mismatched dramatic performance, while noting some fun for ride fans on home viewing. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/07/haunted-mansion-review-lakeith-stanfield-rosario-dawson-justin-simien-disneyland-park-attraction-1235447285/)
- **The Wrap**: The critic praises Simien’s film as a wondrous blend of horror and comedy with emotional resonance about grief, anchored by LaKeith Stanfield’s phenomenal performance. They single out the loving rendering of the ride’s elements and Stanfield’s subtle, soul-searching lead turn for praise. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/haunted-mansion-movie-review-justin-simien-disney/)

## Details

- **Director:** Justin Simien
- **Director:** Justin Simien
- **Writer:** Katie Dippold
- **Cinematography:** Jeffrey Waldron
- **Editor:** Phillip J. Bartell
- **Music:** Kris Bowers
- **Production design:** Darren Gilford
- **Costume design:** Jeffrey Kurland
- **Producer:** Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin
- **Cast:** Rosario Dawson as Gabbie; Chase W. Dillon as Travis; LaKeith Stanfield as Ben Matthias; Owen Wilson as Father Kent; Tiffany Haddish as Harriet; Danny DeVito as Bruce Davis; Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost; Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota
- **Runtime:** 2h 03m
- **Certificate (FSK):** 12
- **Release (Austria):** 27 July 2023
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $158 million
- **Box office:** $117 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB_1o3c19y0

## Where to watch in Austria

- Disney+: streaming, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy €11.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Beetlejuice* (1988), Fi1m 83: The haunted-house comedy this one keeps reaching for, with jokes that actually arrive. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/beetlejuice.md)
- *The Frighteners* (1996): A fraudulent ghost-hunter, real ghosts and a director who knows how fast to go.
- *The Innocents* (1961): For when the children are in bed: a house that frightens with candlelight and silence.
- *ParaNorman* (2012), Fi1m 76: A boy who sees the dead, handled with more wit and less explaining. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paranorman.md)
- *Coco* (2017), Fi1m 84: Grief and the afterlife for families, and it earns its tears rather than borrowing them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/coco.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/haunted-mansion