Haunted Mansion's Jared Leto Performance Raises A Lot Of Questions

This post contains spoilers for Disney's "Haunted Mansion."

Disney's latest attempt at adapting the popular theme park attraction "Haunted Mansion" into a live-action film has taken a very family-friendly (and critic-friendly, based on /Film's review by Josh Spiegel) approach, but it's my responsibility to warn moviegoers of a serious jump-scare in the early going. Sure, the entire appeal of the movie is how it blends humor, heart, and horror together into one big witch's brew of spookiness, but there's a certain notable moment that practically demands a content warning — one that hasn't been highlighted in much of the marketing to this point and has surprised more than a few unwary souls (or should I say foolish mortals?) who had absolutely no idea what they were in for.

I'm talking, of course, about that title card in the opening minutes displaying the downright ghoulish acting credit of: "And Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost."

Yup, that's right. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the infamous theme park character, left out of the 2003 Eddie Murphy movie completely and whom many fans have clamored to see brought to life this time around (er, in a manner of speaking), is that he's portrayed by none other than Jared Leto. Much has been said and written about the shockingly great performance of star LaKeith Stanfield and pleasant supporting turns by Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, and Jamie-Lee Curtis. But almost all of that threatens to be overshadowed by the inclusion of the always divisive, typically creepy, and oftentimes annoying antics of the man behind Dr. Michael Morbius himself.

Too harsh an assessment? Perhaps, but one viewing of "Haunted Mansion" is all you need to wonder why this choice was made in the first place.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Jared Leto's casting in "Haunted Mansion" as the villainous and vengeful spirit intent on collecting 1000 souls to free him from the confines of the eponymous mansion is head-scratching on several different levels — not least of all because he's wholly unrecognizable in the role. Imagine if the entirety of "Morbius" took place with Leto decked out in his awful, CGI-slathered vampire form, or if one of our greatest living directors had decided to put him in facial prosthetics and let him get away with an awful Italian accent rivaling Chris Pratt's in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." (Wait, that last part actually happened!) Well, add in the voice modulation thrown in during post-production on "Haunted Mansion," and it's no wonder why everyone I've talked to has been shocked to discover that Disney cast someone as recognizable as Leto for the major role of the Hatbox Ghost ... only to turn him into, well, that.

For those on the fence about casting a skeptical eye on the cult of Jared Leto (which, uh, may or may not be a literal cult?), here's another eye-rolling development that further puts his appearance in "Haunted Mansion" into question: He brought back his obnoxious method acting nonsense, apparently. In a prior interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Justin Simien admitted that, "When I was with him [filming], yeah, he was full-on Hatbox Ghost." For someone who only really showed up for roughly 10 minutes of screen time, it's hard to understand why such gimmicks would be necessary — much like his casting overall. If nothing else, his presence adds a fittingly creepy layer to a sinister spirit. But at what cost?

"Haunted Mansion" is currently playing in theaters.