The Haunted Mansion

First of all, I am a Disney kid that grew up going to Disneyland in CA every year. Since I am a fan of the ride, "The Haunted Mansion", I guess I expected this film to be good. When I heard the mediocre reviews, I backed off from watching it until I just bought it on DVD this past weekend. I was very surprised to find it a lot better than I expected. My kids loved it and have watched it about 3 times.

The sets were beautiful and intricate, the costumes and make-up are gorgeous and the special effects are amazing. Rick Baker "Monster Maker" is so talented and has done an impressive (as always) job creating a vision from the Haunted Mansion ride that he also admired.

If you are a fan of the ride, I would imagine that you would enjoy this movie as much as me.

If you like the Tim Burton's spooky kind of fun movies, this wont disappoint you.

This was a very poorly reviewed film, and it didn't deserve such flack. For me, it was a dumb, entertaining movie with some heart. For others, it was a terrible job of emulating the classic Disney ride and just another stupid Eddie Murphy comedy vehicle. Though I'd rather go on the ride as opposed to watching this, it still has it's charm. This movie is about a Realtor (Murphy) and his family traveling to a haunted mansion for a business deal. While in the house they learn some strange things and end up traveling through various rooms found in the ride (the bride, the ballroom, Madame Leota, the graveyard with the singing busts). In the end, this is a fun movie for kids, and amusing for adults, with fun references, and a fun performance by Murphy and the kids.

My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****. 85 mins. PG for mild language, violence

This movie is a family movie and should be reviewed as such. Effects are not bad for its time period. The story is Halloween spooky cheesy and not really scary. We watch it every Halloween and its just fine for what it us. Way better than the 5 stars rated here.

Eddie Murphy is great fun as usual & has always been a favourite of mine as i grew up watching his Classic 80's & 90's films. Since the 2000's, Comedy legend Eddie Murphy has become a more goofy but fun family friendly movie star as he's moved onto big budget family films like "Daddy Day Care" & "I Spy" & "Meet Dave" & "Dr. Doolittle 2" & the "Shrek" films, so Murphy has become a new Comedy star for a new generation of kids which is nice & has kept his Career very much alive & relevant. I've enjoyed pretty much most of his films & Murphy always cheers me up. My favourite Eddie Murphy movie would have to be his 90's Comedy CLASSIC "The Nutty professor" & i loved it's goofy-silly sequel & I've got big Nostalgia love for the first "Dr. Doolittle" film, but hey i like most of his films. This big budget supernatural fantasy family comedy-adventure is another great film to add to your Eddie Murphy collection. "The Haunted Mansion" is a beautiful looking film with some of the best & detailed products design I've ever seen in a movie, especially in a family comedy!!! The huge Haunted Mansion set is absolutely beautiful & visually stunning with gorgeous cinematography. The special effects are fantastic as this is a huge mega budget Disney production, so everything looks spectacular & the best of the best, like the Zombie scene that is done like a proper Horror movie sequence with fantastic looking Zombies created by legendary movie effects master, Rick Baker.

The simple story is about a busy realter (Eddie Murphy) & his family are summoned to a massive old mansion & discover it's haunted & must try to solve the mystery of the mansion. Also it's about Jim Evers (Murphy) realising he's been neglecting his family & wants to be there more & take them on an adventure but of course they end up at the "Haunted Mansion" it's a nice sweet funny family film but also a really great supernatural adventure with Horror elements. There's still a heart & that sweet Disney magic toward the end but it all plays out nicely. If you like Horror movies then this is a really nice watered-down version, thats still rich with stunning gothic scenery & a real spooky atmosphere complete with a rain storm & lightening. The Ghost effects are Awesome & very glowing & colourful.

A great fun ghostly fantasy comedy with a great Eddie Murphy. One of Murphy's best "Family" films.