Haunted Mansion

Not to be outdone by the steady beat of animated classics brought into live action (with the recent release of The Little Mermaid coming to mind), Disney’s summer fare takes a tonal left turn with a remake of Haunted Mansion. Originally a 2003 Eddie Murphy film and based on the Disney amusement park ride of the same name, it’s little surprise that the trailer positions the film as a kind of ride, never taking itself too seriously. With an all-star cast of Rosario Dawson, Case W. Dillon, LaKeith Stanfield (residents) and Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Dan Levy, and Tiffany Hadish (ghosts) to lead the way.

The outset of the trailer begins with an off-screen knock on the door—wasting no time to remind us that in some ways, the star of the film is the mansion itself. An immersive, atmospheric score synchs with some pivotal moments, such as the wide shot stepping into the mansion at 0:20 and wiping the dust off the mirror at 0:22, priming the audioviewer for a jump scare. Sure enough, after a moment of notable silence, we get such a scare at 0:29, closing out the first part of the trailer.

The studio title card introduces with it a fairly typical epic film soundtrack—strings, rollicking percussion, wordless choir— as we’re treated to a montage of supernatural moments within the mansion, as well as introducing many of the aforementioned actors’ characters. Synch points continue their regular occurrence, such as the gun shot at 0:38. At 0:47 an audiovisual blackout leads to something mildly resembling the punchline conceit in comedy trailers, with Owen Wilson offering a line quite in keeping with those familiar with his roles in other films—a humorously refreshing candour.

By 1:15 the arrangement builds to high strings, pausing only at 1:36 for another moment of high suspense before a tidal wave of water approaches. At 1:39 we’ve reached the third part of a common three-part structure that trailers often follow, as the arrangement moves to a more insistent four-beat meter and repeating, rising scale pattern that further escalates the tension. Notice how at 1:40 with the car horn, 1:43 with the bells, and 1:46 with the falling tree, the sound effects synch precisely to the beat, with these points of synchronicity not falling under a particular pattern but certainly becoming more intense and frequent.

This rising scale finally resolves at 1:46 as we see the main title screen, ending with a comedic post-trailer scene with dialogue only. This scene is notably a little more extended than most scenes occurring after the main title card, further emphasizing the comedic aspects of the film and ending firmly in that genre.

Trailers regularly mix elements of editing for different genres for the films that have such a mix—and Haunted Mansion is clearly equal parts comedy and thriller, albeit perhaps leaning towards comedy. As such, it’s little surprise that the trailer’s editing decisions reflect this.

Haunted Mansion arrives in theatres July 28th.

— Curtis Perry