Jared Leto is ‘terrifying’ as Hatbox Ghost in ‘Haunted Mansion’

Director Justin Simien was bowled over by Oscar-winner Jared Leto’s transition into a ghost for Haunted Mansion’.

Speaking to EW the filmmaker raved about the actor’s eerily convincing performance; bringing the Disneyland character alive on screen.

"It's very surprising. You'd be shocked to know who it was until you're told," He said.

"The character itself, it's part digital, part physical performance. We're trying to go for something scary that feels like it could exist physically in the real world, on the ride, but pushes the scare a lot further than the ride does. He knocked it out of the park. He's very menacing and terrifying."

The Haunted Mansion’s Hatbox Ghost has a history of its own. The character was briefly removed after being introduced at Disneyland California in 1969. It was returned in 2015 and will son also be spotted at Disneyland Florida.

In Simien's film the Hatbox Ghost - portrayed by Leto – can be seen stalking the halls of the titular mansion. The film follows a mother and son as they grapple with supernatural squatters in their new property.

"We got down to the point where we were obsessing over the angle you first see the mansion when you walk onto the ride in Disneyland, when we see it through the gates and we see the pillars," he explains.

"That angle has to hit. That's how specific we were. When you first glide through the dining hall and you see the waltzing dancers, that angle had to be right, because that's the one where you gasp on the ride."