Film Event: Disney's The Haunted Mansion VIP Screening

Greetings foolish mortals! This month, I felt incredibly lucky to have been invited by Disney Studios to a VIP screening event to celebrate the upcoming release of Disney's The Haunted Mansion*. Hosted at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, we headed along for some spooky delights. 

To be expected with a Disney event, the theming of the event was on point and beautifully ghoulish. Greeted by The Haunted Armour (or two of them, in this case), replicas of the 13 Tombstones and a crystal ball just like that of Madame Leota's, it's safe to say they thought of all the details.

To give you a bit of background, Disney's latest cinematic release is, of course, based on the popular parks dark ride attraction. Having first opened in Disneyland Park in 1969, The Haunted Mansion has gone on to be a much-loved fan favourite. Much like Jungle Cruise (2021), there are plenty of nods to the much loved theme park ride which make for exciting viewing; keen Disney Parks fans will notice Doom Buggy chairs and sequences imitating the iconic ride queue line. 

Image courtesy of Disney Studios

Many people were expecting this to be a direct remake of the 2003 flop starring Eddie Murphy but nay-nay. Disney's The Haunted Mansion follows Ben Matthais (LaKeith Stanfield), a astrophysicist who developed a camera to detect dark matter - which in theory should allow him to photograph ghosts. Following a tragic event in his life, he has given up on his discovery and lives a life of solitude. Ben decides to dust off the lens, however, when a single mother (Rosario Dawson) and her son offer a large sum of money to a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. What ensues is one hundred and twenty minutes of wholesome spooky fun and occasional heart-warming moments. 

Image courtesy of Disney Studios

Overall, the film is well-acted and assembled of a notable cast that you're more than happy to spend time with. Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito in particular steal the show, offering some memorable amusing moments. There are some truly sweet scenes touched upon regarding grief and closure when losing a loved one in which LaKeith Stanfield does well as a troubled hero with a low-key, likeable intensity. 

We had a wonderful time at this very special and heavily themed VIP screening and it certainly set me up for Halloween and spooky season. You can see my Instagram Reel from the event right here. You can also see my blog post from my most recent trip to Disneyland Paris here.

Before I sign off on another film event, tell me, will you be seeing Disney's The Haunted Mansion in cinemas this August? Or, if you've already seen it - what were some of your favourite moments? As always I love reading your comments so please do leave me yours below. Disney's The Haunted Mansion is in UK Cinemas from August 11th. 

Until next time film fans, 

*Disclaimer - I was invited by Disney as a guest but was under no obligation to post. As always, all opinions are my own and not reflective of that of the brand.