Paul Magne Haakonsen I have watched this 2003 ghost movie three times by now, every time with a couple of years in between each viewing. But I can't claim that it is an overly impressive movie. I just had the chance to watch it once on DVD and twice on TV.This is by no means a scary movie or a horror movie, nor is it intended to be so. This is a ghostly comedy, if there ever was such a genre. And with Eddie Murphy in the lead, of course you know it will be a comedy of sorts.The story is about a busy and fast-talking real estate agent (Murphy) who is going away on vacation, but has the opportunity to make a huge sale on an old mansion estate, a chance which is just too good to waste. Taking a detour there with his family as they make their way to their vacation, the family stumbles upon an old house with a ghastly story and even more ghastly inhabitants.This is a family movie, and it is suitable for younger viewers as well. And that is what is good about this movie, because there is something for just about everyone, from old to young.The effects in "The Haunted Mansion" are good and they serve the movie and the story quite well. And it is important to have good and believable special effects in a ghost movie. So thumbs up to the special effects team on their efforts in "The Haunted Mansion".The acting in the movie was good, although you shouldn't expect a Shakespearian experience here. People do well enough jobs with their given roles. In my opinion then it was without a doubt Terence Stamp and Nathaniel Parker who carried the movie with their performances.All in all, this movie is the type of movie that would do well in a Halloween repertoire of movies to watch. I am giving it six out of ten stars.

Phil Hubbs Ah 2003, the start of Disney's major theme park ride adaptations into the movies...not counting a few earlier nondescript flicks and 'Mission to Mars' which I never realised was a theme park adaptation. If you think about this premise you could be forgiven for thinking it would turn out crap, especially with Eddie Murphy involved. And you wouldn't be far wrong on that one point, the casting of Murphy and his 'family' members in this film was a terrible choice.The reason being they all stick out like a sore thumb in the story, they all look totally out of place and none can act too well. The film has been turned into a Murphy vehicle and the film suffers for it, it feels forced, his family in the film feel forced and fake, the silly humour and annoying dialog from Murphy feels forced and its all in there simply for Murphy, awful decision.That aside the rest of the film is actually pretty sweet. The plot has been cleverly turned into a romantic ghost tale where upon the mansions owner is seeking his one true love whom he lost centuries ago. Of course his true love is Murphy's living wife so a battle of supernatural proportions ensues as Murphy must stop this aristocratic spook floating off with his wife.What works is the extra casting of the main ghost servants and their master within the mansion. Stamp is perfect as the stiff upper lipped butler with a dark secret, Wallace Shawn is perfect as the quirky sidekick footman ghost, Tilly is surprisingly good as the crystal ball gypsy spirit and Nathaniel Parker plays the noble British toff manor owner to a tee complete with thick dark locks. Not too sure how these ghosts work though, at times they can't or don't seem to interact with the living, then all of a sudden they can touch and pick things up.Its all very clichéd and hammy of course being based on a stereotypical haunted house attraction but that's fine, you expect that. In fact they capture that atmosphere perfectly, the whole eccentric Disney ambiance coupled with an eerie fanciful glow. Indeed the film does work better if you have actually been on the attraction at Disney World. There are many many little homages to the ride throughout the film from visual references to dialog, some sequences showing identical sections from the attraction. It does sounds kinda tacky but it really works nicely and gives you a pleasant ghostly trip down memory lane.I really liked how the ghosts become 'more dead' visually the further from the mansion they are. So once outside all the ghosts have a really cool supernatural blue glow or aura which looks quite striking. I liked the graveyard and how it housed many of the ghosts from the attraction including the three famous hitchhiker spooks. As said I also liked the replication of sets from the attraction too, the hallway of portraits being the main one easily. One thing I didn't like was the swamp set New Orleans look for the mansion, not my personal cup of tea, I prefer the Liberty Square Dutch Gothic design from Disney World's Magic Kingdom.But how did that ghostly horse drawn hearse crash through the walls of the mansion complete with Murphy and co inside?. How would ghosts be able to knock through walls when they are...errr ghosts. And how on earth would living people be able to go through the wall with the ghosts??.On the whole the film does look really good and clearly a lot of thought and craftsmanship went into making the visuals realistic. Its really nice (and amazingly surprising) that they actually constructed the mansion instead of relying on CGI. The interiors and props all benefit from genuine craftsmanship too which really sets the mood, for all you 'Nightmare Before Christmas'/Addams Family/Munster lovers out there (like me) you'll love it.This is a film you really really really really did expect to be utter utter utter tripe...but its not!. Its actually a really decent looking light-hearted supernatural ride just like the real attraction. The homages are great for folk who have been to the attraction but for those who haven't they just come across as neat spooky visual candy. As I said the only let down is Murphy and co as the endangered mortal family, well mainly Murphy. His tomfoolery lets down the quite decent performances of the supernatural cast.6.5/10

jfgibson73 I heard it was terrible, so I went a long time without watching it. But since I like the ride so much, I wanted to see it in case there were even a few things from the attraction that they working in successfully. As a fan of the attraction, I angrily hate this movie. It is so far off from something so well done, it shouldn't even exist. But watching it with my young daughter, who knows nothing about the ride, I saw it a different way. It drew her in immediately and kept her attention. She wanted to see what happened to the family, and things progressed at a good rate. Nothing was too intense, although not every kid will be able to handle the crypt scene. So from that point of view, it is an entertaining family film that works good as a first scary movie. I still hope they make another one that is more for fans of the attraction, though.

highwaytourist What was Eddie Murphy doing in this movie? The idea of having married realtors and their two children getting trapped in the haunted mansion while there on business and trying to escape wasn't a bad idea, but the execution was all wrong. Murphy endlessly mugs the camera, which makes his miscasting even more obvious. And the script? It's painfully obvious, with predictable lessons about not giving up, follow your heart, face your fears, love conquers all, and blah, blah, blah. The story is so generic that it's mechanical, all the way to its predictable ending. Very little of the original story or characters are used and when they are, they just have bit appearances. Amid all of this are beautiful costumes, decent special effects, sets that are elaborate yet artificial looking, and wisecracks that raise the occasional smile or chuckle but are never as funny as the filmmakers think they are. The best that one can say it's harmless and easy enough to take. Very faint praise indeed.