HAUNTED MANSION Director Says Jared Leto's Hatbox Ghost is "Menacing and Terrifying"
Casting Jared Leto as the iconic Hatbox Ghost in Disney’s Haunted Mansion movie seems like it would be a great choice. While we got a glimpse of the character in the trailer, we still don’t know exactly how the character is going to be fully portrayed in the film.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Justin Simien teased what we can expect from Leto in the role and he describes him as “menacing and terrifying”. He also revealed that the character was brought to life in a part digital and part physical performance.
"It's very surprising. You'd be shocked to know who it was until you're told. The character itself, it's part digital, part physical performance. We're trying to go for something scary that feels like it could exist physically in the real world, on the ride, but pushes the scare a lot further than the ride does. He knocked it out of the park. He's very menacing and terrifying."
The original Hatbox Ghost debuted in the Haunted Mansion attraction in 1969 and was then quickly removed due to the challenges of necessary special effects. It’s been returned to the ride, though, and quickly became a fan-favorite character. The ghoul appeared holding a hatbox, and his ghost head would transfer from the top of his body to the hatbox he was holding.
I love that the goal in bringing this character to life in the movie was to make him scary. I hope that actually comes through in the film! The director went on to say:
"When I was with him [filming], yeah, he was full-on Hatbox Ghost. A lot of that is voice performance, a lot of that is voice capture. It's a little bit of a different animal. But it gave us time to craft it and gave us quiet moments between the performance."
The film is about a mother (Rosario Dawson) and her son “who enlists a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.” It has a great cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito star, with Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota and Winona Ryder, Dan Levy, and Hasan Minhaj will also appear in the new movie.
In this horror adventure, “a doctor and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon), are looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that the place is much more than they bargained for. Desperate for help, they contact a priest, who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert, a French Quarter psychic, and a crotchety historian.”
The director said in a statement: “As a lifelong fan of the Haunted Mansion attraction, I’m beyond excited to share the teaser trailer for our new film adaptation featuring an incredible cast. Our team has worked tirelessly to create a scary, funny and cinematic otherworldly adventure for both new and die-hard fans to enjoy! I can’t wait for audiences to experience this big screen version of the iconic Disney attraction.”
The movie is set to be released on July 28th, 2023.