# Haunted Mansion (2023 film)
**Haunted Mansion** is a 2023 American supernatural horror comedy film directed by [Justin Simien](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-simien) and written by Katie Dippold, produced by [Walt Disney Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-pictures) and Rideback and inspired by the Disney theme park attraction of the same name. A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their newly bought New Orleans mansion of ghosts.[1](https://movies.disney.com/haunted-mansion) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) It is the second feature film adaptation of the ride, after *The Haunted Mansion* (2003).[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/07/25/haunted-mansion-movie-review/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Theatrically July 28, 2023 (wide); Disney+ streaming October 4, 2023[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) |
| Director / writer | Justin Simien; screenplay by Katie Dippold[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) |
| Producers | Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich[1](https://movies.disney.com/haunted-mansion) |
| Main cast | LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto[1](https://movies.disney.com/haunted-mansion) |
| Box office | $67,653,287 domestic, $117,449,790 worldwide, against a $150,000,000 production budget[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29) |
| Critical reception | 38% Tomatometer (255 reviews); Metascore 47 on Metacritic (52 reviews)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/) |
| Audience reception | 84% Popcornmeter from 2,500+ verified ratings; 4.2 out of 5 average[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13 (some thematic elements, scary action); 2h 3m[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and cast
The story centers on Gabbie ([Rosario Dawson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosario-dawson)), a single mother who buys a mansion in Louisiana and discovers it is inhabited by ghosts. She hires Ben Matthias ([LaKeith Stanfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/lakeith-stanfield)), a scientist turned tour guide, along with a priest, Father Kent ([Owen Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/owen-wilson)), a psychic, Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), and a historian, Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito), to exorcise the house.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/) Gabbie's son Travis is played by Chase W. Dillon.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/)
The ghosts draw on the ride's iconography. [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-lee-curtis) plays Madame Leota, the medium in the crystal ball, and [Jared Leto](https://www.edgepedia.org/jared-leto) plays the Hatbox Ghost, the film's villain; Leto also voices Alastair Crump, a wealthy industrialist from upstate New York with a sinister connection to the mansion.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/) • [6](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hauntedmansionproductionnoteswkurlandbio_2_430a1f4e.pdf) The film also features cameo appearances by [Hasan Minhaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/hasan-minhaj), Marilu Henner, and Jo Koy.[6](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hauntedmansionproductionnoteswkurlandbio_2_430a1f4e.pdf)
## Production
The film was a long-gestating reboot. Development on a new adaptation started in 2010, with [Guillermo del Toro](https://www.edgepedia.org/guillermo-del-toro) attached as writer and producer; his version was reportedly set in a heightened version of reality rather than the real world, and the project eventually moved on without him.[7](https://thedirect.com/article/haunted-mansion-guillermo-del-toro-version-exclusive) Justin Simien, whose previous features are *Dear White People* and *Bad Hair*, directed from Katie Dippold's screenplay; Dippold previously wrote *The Heat* and *Ghostbusters*.[6](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hauntedmansionproductionnoteswkurlandbio_2_430a1f4e.pdf) Simien had worked as a [Disneyland Resort](https://www.edgepedia.org/disneyland-resort) cast member during his film school days at [Chapman University](https://www.edgepedia.org/chapman-university).[8](https://www.ilm.com/simien-georgiou-haunted-mansion/)
**Design and effects.** Production designer Darren Gilford and his team drew on Imagineering's internal "Haunted Mansion Bible" and integrated elements of both the [Disneyland](https://www.edgepedia.org/disneyland) and [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world) versions of the attraction.[9](https://www.thewrap.com/haunted-mansion-movie-design-disneyland-disney-world-versions/) Simien wanted a practical effects-driven approach, but digital augmentation was still needed for scope, and nearly 2,000 visual effects shots were used, supervised by [Edwin Rivera](https://www.edgepedia.org/edwin-rivera) and produced by ILM, DNEG, and OPSIS.[10](https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/edwin-rivera-shares-ghostly-vfx-haunted-mansion) DNEG handled most of the work inside the mansion, including Madame Leota in her crystal ball and developing the Hatbox Ghost from concept through the final asset; the studio was in post-production for around 16 months while the cut was still being finalized.[11](https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/news/an-inside-look-at-the-haunted-mansion-with-dneg/) Filming took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29)
## Release and box office
The film opened wide in the United States on July 28, 2023, in 3,740 theaters, grossing $24,082,475 on its opening weekend, about 35.6 percent of its eventual domestic total.[12](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1695843/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29) It opened during the summer run of *Barbie* and *Oppenheimer* and fell 62 percent in its second weekend.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29) Domestic grosses finished at $67,653,287, with $49,796,503 internationally for a worldwide total of $117,449,790, about 0.8 times its $150,000,000 production budget.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29) Japan was the strongest international market at $14,788,770.[12](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1695843/) The film reached Disney+ on October 4, 2023, ahead of the [Halloween](https://www.edgepedia.org/halloween) season.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 38 percent from 255 reviews, with the critics consensus reading that the "talented cast makes the movie a pleasant enough destination, although it's neither scary nor funny enough to wholeheartedly recommend."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 47 based on 52 reviews, in its "Mixed or Average" band, with 29 percent positive, 60 percent mixed, and 12 percent negative.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/)
Reviewers split over the film's tone and its use of the ride. Positive reviews praised the ensemble and the film's treatment of grief: IGN called it "a soulful ghost story" that speaks to younger audiences about the afterlife, and the *Boston Globe* credited LaKeith Stanfield's lead performance.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/critic-reviews/) Negative reviews cited pacing and visual effects; *The Washington Post* described "muddy CGI, far too much story for even its two-hour run time" and judged that the film "simply doesn't hold together."[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/07/25/haunted-mansion-movie-review/) Audience response was warmer: the Popcornmeter score of 84 percent from 2,500+ verified ratings, with the audience summary calling it "a fun blend of horror and comedy" that is "extra entertaining for fans of the ride that inspired it."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023) The film received two Costume Designers Guild Award nominations, one Las Vegas Film Critics Society nomination, and one Saturn Award nomination.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/)
## Relation to the ride and the 2003 film
The Haunted Mansion attraction first premiered at Disneyland in 1969 and later at Walt Disney World in 1971.[8](https://www.ilm.com/simien-georgiou-haunted-mansion/) The 2023 film is neither a sequel nor a true retread of the 2003 Eddie Murphy version, though it repeats some names and gags from that film.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/07/25/haunted-mansion-movie-review/) The 2003 film scored 34 on Metacritic, in the "Generally Unfavorable" band, against 47 for the 2023 film.[14](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-haunted-mansion/critic-reviews/) Simien also said he wanted to bring the history of New Orleans and specifically Black culture to the movie.[15](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/haunted-mansion-remake-black-cast-justin-simien-interview-150037862.html)
## References
1. [Haunted Mansion, Disney Movies official site](https://movies.disney.com/haunted-mansion)
2. [Haunted Mansion (2023), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/haunted_mansion_2023)
3. ['Haunted Mansion': Not just confused but inconsequential, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/07/25/haunted-mansion-movie-review/)
4. [Haunted Mansion (2023), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Haunted-Mansion-%282023%29)
5. [Haunted Mansion Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/)
6. [Haunted Mansion production notes (PDF), Walt Disney Studios](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hauntedmansionproductionnoteswkurlandbio_2_430a1f4e.pdf)
7. [Haunted Mansion Director Addresses Guillermo del Toro's Involvement In Final Cut, The Direct](https://thedirect.com/article/haunted-mansion-guillermo-del-toro-version-exclusive)
8. [Justin Simien & Bill Georgiou Discuss 'Haunted Mansion', ILM](https://www.ilm.com/simien-georgiou-haunted-mansion/)
9. [How the Haunted Mansion Movie Integrated Both Versions of the Ride, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/haunted-mansion-movie-design-disneyland-disney-world-versions/)
10. [Edwin Rivera Shares the Ghostly VFX of 'Haunted Mansion', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/edwin-rivera-shares-ghostly-vfx-haunted-mansion)
11. [An inside look at The Haunted Mansion with DNEG, UK Screen Alliance](https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/news/an-inside-look-at-the-haunted-mansion-with-dneg/)
12. [Haunted Mansion (2023), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1695843/)
13. [Haunted Mansion critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/haunted-mansion/critic-reviews/)
14. [The Haunted Mansion critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-haunted-mansion/critic-reviews/)
15. ['Haunted Mansion': Why director Justin Simien wanted to make new Disney reboot 'as Black' as possible, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/haunted-mansion-remake-black-cast-justin-simien-interview-150037862.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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