The one and only time my family ever visited Disneyland, The Haunted Mansion ride was my favorite. It had an element of fear, but it wasn’t as terrifying as Space Mountain. It lacked the stomach-churning sensation of The Tower of Terror, but it wasn’t for the faint-hearted. As a ten-year-old, I thought it was well-executed and creatively designed.

I’m uncertain if this upcoming movie will surpass the brilliance of The Muppets Haunted Mansion special from 2021, but it surely can’t be worse than the 2003 Eddie Murphy version. Well, to be fair, that one isn’t entirely terrible. The special effects and set pieces capture the essence of the ride, but I always hope for better projects for Eddie Murphy.

It’s a shame he couldn’t be part of this one. The trailer suggests that it might rely heavily on mediocre CGI, but with such a talented cast, it promises to deliver a high level of family-friendly spookiness, even if it does look overly dark.

Haunted Mansion features LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, Dan Levy, Chase W. Dillon, and Tiffany Haddish, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto. It is directed by Justin Simien, the creator and writer behind the film and series Dear White People.

Haunted Mansion is set to release in theaters on July 28th. Hopefully, it will be available for streaming in time for Halloween.