Is 'Haunted Mansion' Too Scary for Kids? What to Know Before Bringing Family to See PG-13 Disney Movie

"Haunted Mansion" director Justin Simien said seeing scary movies as a kid helped him "feel like you can face the darkness of the world"

Disney's Haunted Mansion theme park ride attracts families all year — but is the new film adaptation too scary for young kids?

Dear White People director Justin Simien takes a stab at adapting the spooky ride for the big screen, 20 years after Disney's film of the same name starring Eddie Murphy.

While the 2003 iteration was given a PG rating for "frightening images, thematic elements and language" at the time, the new one earned a PG-13 label, for "some thematic elements and scary action."

Haunted Mansion's star Rosario Dawson told PEOPLE earlier in July that she was hosting large screenings of the film — and some parents had to organize babysitters and leave their younger children at home.

"This one's a fun one and it's PG-13. The thing that was great about Eddie's was that it was PG, so a lot of my friends' kids could watch it a little younger. I'm having to get people to get babysitters to watch mine 'cause it's a little older. But it's good. It's a nice continuation of the theme and the world, but they're two very separate films."

Before deciding whether to see it with the whole family, here's what to know about Haunted Mansion, in theaters Friday, July 28. Warning: some spoilers ahead.

Related: Is 'Barbie' for Kids? What to Know Before Bringing the Family to See the PG-13-Rated Movie

The plot deals with themes of death and grief

Understandably for a ghost story, much of the film is about death and grief. There is an emotional scene in which LaKeith Stanfield's character Ben reveals that his wife Alyssa (Charity Jordan) died in a car crash. For most of the movie, Stanfield's character struggles in the aftermath of Alyssa's death, and he's shown drinking to cope with it.

Additionally, one Haunted Mansion twist hinges on 9-year-old Travis (Chase Dillon) missing his late father, one year after his death.

The themes can be heavy at times but land messages of continuing on with life after terrible tragedies.

Director Simien said Katie Dippold's screenplay — and how it handled these topics — made him want to make the film.

"It did so many things right that I thought were important for me to try and protect as a director. Things that I knew could maybe get scrubbed away if it was someone else doing it. [Dippold] really goes there in terms of grief and fear and also doesn't pull any punches in terms of laughs, either," he told Slash Film.

"I felt really protective of those elements and I was really turned on by it because, one, it's an ensemble comedy that's kind of shady and sarcastic and it Trojan-Horses this whole other story about grief and loss," added Simien, "and that's my bag."

There are frightening moments throughout

Haunted Mansion, of course, dabbles in light horror elements during its two-hour runtime. While the scary moments can be startling and loud, most are not for sustained for long periods of time. Plus, comedic relief almost always follows these moments, quickly diffusing the scariness.

That being said, there are spooky, skeletal ghost effects, some brief and implied violence with weapons, and general haunted-house suspense: screaming spirits, dark hallways, graveyard imagery, etc. For comparison, think of movies like Coraline, ParaNorman and Hocus Pocus.

Simien told MovieWeb about how he balanced the comedy and horror elements while directing.

"That's how the ride was made, it was a back and forth. They could not decide if this ride should be funny or scary, or for children or for adults. These are the actual conversations that Walt Disney and the Imagineers had making the ride," he said. "They somehow landed on this weird, magical formula."

"It has this wonderful mix of humor and tragedy. It doesn't pull punches," added Simien. "You see a man hanging from the stretching room the moment it starts. You're literally moving through a graveyard. This is a scary, weird ride. It was one that I rode at 9 years old. It made me feel like I could handle scary stuff. It didn't take me out of the fight."

He said capturing his childhood experience of the Haunted Mansion theme park ride "was really important" to him.

"It became something that I could ride over and over again. I grew up, still really enjoying it, and feel like it spoke to me. That was the guiding star," he explained. "My brain just kind of functions that way. It's a tragic comedy at all times in here. It felt very natural to me."

There are children in peril

While the adult cast is subjected to most of the scary instances, the only child character, 9-year-old Travis (played by Chase Dillon) is alone and in peril a few times, though no harm comes to him before the ultimately happy ending.

Also, the film's finale see Travis being lured to his death by the evil Hatbox ghost before the adults eventually save him.

Director Simien pointed out to Slash Film that many Disney films feature scary moments, which helped him overcome fear as a kid.

"I watched Snow White and Pinocchio, these movies are terrifying," he said with a laugh. "They are blends of horror and comedy and sweetness and dark and light. As a kid, they make you feel like you can face the darkness of the world. And as a Black gay kid whose dad died, my world growing up was kind of scary. And these movies made me feel like I could get through it."

He added that his Haunted Mansion was mostly "me making the movie I wanted to see," but there were the "usual conversations between the studio" and audience "testing" to find the final tone.

Haunted Mansion opens in theaters Friday.

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