Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, Haunted Mansion tells the story of Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), a single mom, who discovers that the home she and her son share is haunted by irksome ghosts. Hoping to restore domestic tranquility, Gabbie recruits a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid the house of the supernatural squatters. A non-stop blend of action, adventure and comedy featuring an all-star cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto, Haunted Mansion was written by Katie Dippold and directed by Justin Simien. The film’s producers are Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, with Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serving as executive producers.
For in-depth thoughts on Haunted Mansion, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Haunted Mansion impresses consistently with a 2160p presentation in 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The cinematography courtesy of Jeffrey Waldron harnesses a rich palette that evokes a sense of wonder and history, and this disc replicates it beautifully. This presentation especially thrives with black levels that are incredibly deep and detailed with all unintended digital noise absent from the screen. The 4K UHD presentation provides a striking depth of field that simply cannot be replicated as well with the accompanying Blu-Ray. Even in terms of fine detail, this 4K UHD disc offers a welcome increase compared to its Blu-Ray counterpart.
Daytime scenes spotlight impeccable clarity and a strong handle of highlights that show no evidence of blooming. The range of the color spectrum is another area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray thanks to the implementation of HDR. Colors look more natural and nuanced in this presentation with multiple instances of vibrant hues featuring golds, greens, reds, and more that really dazzle. Skin tones look very realistic and textured throughout, especially when it comes to the makeup. Overall, this is an excellent 4K UHD presentation that is the ideal way to view the film at home.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a robust Dolby Atmos presentation that fully brings this world to life. Dialogue emanates clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end becomes very active once the haunts really kick into gear, even if we could use slightly more heft. The sound design of this film is carefully crafted, and the implementation of environmental sounds is executed very effectively.
There are elements in this track that are truly immersive, most notably anything happening within the titular space. This track has a way of making you feel as if you are in the mansion alongside the characters, perhaps because of the implementation of the height channels. Sounds are rendered with precise directionality from the more frenzied scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven moments. The score from Kris Bowers brings a real necessary element to the narrative. The mix here is very well done with nice engagement of all the channels, which makes this track a joy to listen to for fans of the film. This disc provides optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Special Features
Disney has provided Haunted Mansion with a sleek new SteelBook exclusively from Best Buy featuring artwork that is very cool in person. The front artwork is a depiction of the gothic door knocker and the rear features the crystal ball. The interior sports a still of the ensemble around the crystal ball. Photos of the SteelBook can be found at the bottom of this review.
- Making Haunted Mansion: A nearly 14-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss their love for the classic ride, fleshing out the characters, the ambitious script from Katie Dippold, the atmosphere on set, what the ensemble brought to the experience, and much more.
- 999 Happy Haunts: A seven-minute featurette that breaks down some of the numerous easter eggs sure to delight fans of the classic ride and beyond.
- Deleted Scenes: There are eight unused scenes totaling 11 minutes including some more tour guide moments, some scenes between realms, and more that are interesting but were understandably cut for time.
- Bloopers: A two-and-a-half-minute collection of flubbed lines, laughing fits, malfunctioning props, goofing off and more.
Final Thoughts
Haunted Mansion is a pretty entertaining realization of the classic amusement park ride. The film starts to feel its length at just over two hours long, but by and large, it keeps up a good pace and offers consistent engagement – just like a rollercoaster. The attention paid to the New Orleans locale is one that greatly informs the atmosphere of the narrative, and it is a very effective approach. The ensemble entertains pretty consistently from the marquee names to the newcomers. Justin Simien has deftly realized his love for the material on screen with a very engaging film and fun film for the family. Disney Home Entertainment has given this film a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release featuring a dazzling A/V presentation and a decent collection of special features. If you want some solid Halloween season fun, this will be a great addition to your viewing schedule. Recommended
Haunted Mansion will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD on October 17, 2023. The film is now available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.