Haunted Mansion
Directed by Justin Simien
TheoScope Rating
Worldview · content · moral framework
Plot
In this frighteningly fun adventure inspired by the classic theme parks attraction, a doctor and her nine-year-old son, 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 enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters, including a priest, a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert, a French Quarter psychic, and a crotchety professor.
Discern Score Breakdown
30%
30%
25%
15%
Audience Suitability
Kids
Under 10
Teens
10–17
Adults
18+
Family
Mixed ages
Content Flags
Haunted Mansion (2023) is a well-meaning, emotionally grounded family adventure that handles grief and community with more sincerity than its premise suggests, but its casual embrace of psychics, mediums, and spirit communication as spiritually benign is a significant concern for Christian families. The film is not malicious, but it presents a coherent alternative spiritual worldview that operates without God, Scripture, or genuine faith. Parents should be aware that the movie is also genuinely too frightening for younger children despite its comedic wrapper.
Pastoral Take
This film is best suited for older teens and adults in your household who can engage it critically — the ghostly imagery and jump scares make it genuinely too intense for children under 10, and the spiritual framework (psychics as heroes, mediums as helpful, a priest as a bumbling joke) warrants a direct conversation before or after watching. There is real emotional warmth here around grief, community, and love, and those themes are worth discussing, but parents should be clear with their kids that the film's approach to the spirit world is not how Christians understand it — consulting the dead or relying on psychic guidance is treated here as harmless and helpful, which Scripture explicitly addresses otherwise. If your family watches it, use the priest character's ineffectiveness and the psychic's centrality as a springboard to talk about why God's Word gives us different guidance about the supernatural than Disney does.
Discussion Points
- 1Ben spends most of the movie refusing to let go of his grief and pulling away from people who care about him — he's stuck, just like the ghosts. What does the Bible say about grief and mourning? Is there a difference between honoring someone you've lost and letting that loss become a wall between you and the living?
- 2The movie has a priest character, but his prayers and faith don't really seem to do anything useful — the psychic and the scientist end up being the ones who fix the problem. What do you think the movie is saying about religion? Does that match what we believe about what prayer and faith actually do?
- 3The film treats talking to ghosts and consulting a psychic as totally normal and helpful. The Bible actually has a lot to say about this — Deuteronomy 18 calls it something to avoid. Why do you think God would warn against it, especially if the intentions seem good?
- 4At the end, Ben chooses to rejoin the world, make new friends, and invest in Gabbie and Travis instead of staying isolated in his grief. Jesus said 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly' (John 10:10). What does it look like to choose life and community, and why do you think isolation can be so tempting when we're hurting?
Want to check another movie?
Unlock every movie in our database — free for 7 days. No credit card required.
Cast
LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson
Community Reviews
to leave a review