Haunted Mansion director says he cut lots of ghosts and subplots from the final movie

Haunted Mansion
(Image credit: Disney)

Haunted Mansion may be packed full of references to the beloved Disneyland ride that inspired it, but director Justin Simien tells GamesRadar+ that he had even more planned.

"It's about editing," the Dear White People director explains about making sure the Haunted Mansion Easter eggs didn’t overwhelm the story. "It's about having the courage to kill your darlings and there were quite a few. There were some ghosts that we had whole scenes with that I love and there were some subplots that were super fun. But, at the end of the day, you know, this is a really specific story about a group of people who are moving through a difficult experience that happens to be taking place in this wonderful Haunted Mansion that we know and love. If it didn't move the story forward, unfortunately, it had to go."

Indeed, the movie follows a different story than a straightforward narrative based on the theme park attraction. It begins with Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), an astrophysicist developing a camera that can detect the dead, who is struck by tragedy. Years later, having given up on his dream, he’s brought in by a mother (Rosario Dawson’s Gabbie) and her son (played by Chase W. Dillon) to help them identify some spooky goings-on in their new mansion.

To help save the family from one particularly gruesome ghoul, Ben recruits a team to help him defeat the ghosts. The motley crew consists of Owen Wilson as priest Father Kent, Danny DeVito as college professor Bruce Davis, Tiffany Haddish as psychic Harriet, and Jamie Lee Curtis as a helpful spirit called Madame Leota.

Haunted Mansion

(Image credit: Disney)

There are lots of spooks and scares to be had in the faithful reinvention of the classic ride, but as reviewers have pointed out, you may also be surprised by how touching its exploration of grief is as well. For Simien, this was not only at the core of the whole story, but it also fits perfectly into the Disney canon.

"The Disney stories that I grew up with that I love and stick to my bones, don't shy away from the darker aspects of life," he smiles. "Whether we are talking about Pinocchio becoming a donkey boy or Simba losing his father or any of the frankly quite tragic sequences in something like WALL-E, Up, or Coco, I think that those [moments] make these stories a bit more important. So I really appreciated that Katie Dippold, the screenwriter, really took it there on the page, and that the studio trusted me and the actors to completely realize that." Our advice: make sure you pack some tissues for the more poignant moments of the film...

Of course, all this is not to say that there isn’t plenty of fun to be had in the star-studded adaptation too. And a lot of those laughs come from DeVito’s anorak-clad professor, who’s a real pleasure to watch on screen.

"I wanted Danny for a while on this project," Simien beams when we bring him up. "He's remarkable. I mean, he is one of the best actors of his generation, but he's also hilarious. He's also really warm and because he's also a filmmaker, he really understands how character choices and acting choices help the overall story."

The director continues about the actor who’s no stranger to Disney movies, having also starred in Hercules and Dumbo. "He was just a wonderful, wonderful person to get to work with," Simien continues. "He knows how to be gruff, rude, and callous and make it an absolute delight to watch."

Haunted Mansion has already been released in the US, and hits UK shores on August 11. Simien will be hoping it will win over Disneyland lovers and newcomers alike, and you can read more from our interview with him about potential crossovers here.

For more, check out our guide to the best Disney movies and the best Pixar movies.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

Read more
The toy monkey in Osgood Perkins' new horror comedy The Monkey
The Monkey director explains how a bizarre copyright issue actually improved the comedy horror movie: "Thanks, Disney!"
The Monkey
The Monkey director explains why it was so important to him to give Stephen King's "chilling" short story a "playful horror" twist: "I think [that] seemed correct for a movie about a toy"
Theo James in The Monkey
The Monkey's Tatiana Maslany reacts to the horror movie's most shocking death: "It's so wrong, and I think that's why it's so right"
The toy monkey in Osgood Perkins' new horror comedy The Monkey
The Monkey ending explained: Who dies and is the curse broken?
The Monkey
The Monkey review: Longlegs director Osgood Perkins embraces his silly side in gory, surprisingly existential horror comedy
Lucy Liu as Rebekah in Steven Soderbergh's Presence
Steven Soderbergh says his upcoming horror movie Presence is inspired by a decade-old reality TV show starring Carrie Fisher and Mickey Rooney
Latest in Fantasy Movies
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Milla Jovovich in In the Lost Lands
Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin's In The Lost Lands could get an on-screen sequel, and Martin is apparently keen too
Dave Bautista in In the Lost Lands
Dave Bautista says playing a vampire is "at the top of my list" after starring in Resident Evil director’s werewolf fantasy In the Lost Lands
Sean Astin and Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood gives unexpected answer on what movie should be removed from cinematic history: "There's nothing pure about it"
Dave Bautista in In the Lost Lands
Dave Bautista says "I always look to Clint Eastwood" when approaching a western role: "He's always going to be my gold standard"
Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich in In the Lost Lands
After the successes of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich talk pressures of starring in the first George R.R. Martin movie
Latest in News
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner Tony Gilroy breaks silence on the weird release schedule: "It's a Disney decision"
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"