Haunted Mansion Director Reveals “Beef” With Eddie Murphy Movie

Haunted Mansion’s director has a bit of a beef with Eddie Murphy’s 2003 version of the movie. Justin Simien spoke to Entertainment Weekly as the trailer gets out into the world. If there’s one thing he would have done differently in that decade, it would have been to get to the mansion sooner. “I had a little bit of beef with the first film, because the first thing you’ve got to give the kids is the candy of the mansion that they know and love,” Simien explains. In fact, the Haunted Mansion itself becomes a bit of the pull in the filmmaker’s new version. Simien added that he wanted to, “create something totally different, but at the same time wouldn’t disrespect anyone who was a fan of that film or the good choices that film does make.”

“Not to dunk on the movie,” he clarified. “It’s a movie of its time, and it’s also a movie that, frankly, a lot of people grew up with and love hardcore. In theaters, I was a little too old for it, but what I appreciated was Rob Minkoff. He’s a genius. And I appreciated the elevation that they were going for. They had this beautiful book of all the production design, and I spent a lot of time walking through what their intentions were. I think a lot of that was interesting, but I also didn’t want to repeat any of it.”

What Is Different About This Haunted Mansion?

Authenticity is core to this version of Haunted Mansion. Simien was adamant that things should feel like the ride at the parks. He mentioned to EW that he was a Disneyland employee once upon a time. But, The people at Disney Parks made sure to give him an extensive walkthrough before they ever got behind a camera. “When I got the job, the first thing we did was we extensively toured [the ride],” Simien mentioned. From the first moment the house pops up on the screen, it was a goal for the entire production and seems to come through in what we’ve seen so far.

“You really do meet the mansion the way you would as a guest at the park: through the eyes of a new cast exploring the lore along with you,” Simien told the outlet.

“We got down to the point where we were obsessing over the angle you first see the mansion when you walk onto the ride in Disneyland, when we see it through the gates and we see the pillars. That angle has to hit. That’s how specific we were,” he revealed. “When you first glide through the dining hall and you see the waltzing dancers, that angle had to be right, because that’s the one where you gasp on the ride.”

Do you love that old version of The Haunted Mansion? Let us know in the comments down below!