Stars: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathanial Parker, Wallace Shawn, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly

Director: Rob Minkoff

Summary: In this Disney family comedy Eddie Murphy stars as the workaholic father, Jim Evers, sucked into a world of ghosts, ghouls and other spooks when he convinces his family that his professional interest in a potentially lucrative piece of real estate is really a 'family trip to a big old house'.

Eddie Murphy stars in this spooky, CGI-packed Disney film, based on the famous Disney World attraction. He plays Jerry, a workaholic estate agent who interrupts his family's vacation to check out a remote mansion that's for sale. But soon he and his family are trapped in the haunted house and are screaming for their lives. Terence Stamp is the ghost butler, and Nathaniel Parker is the ghost owner who falls for Jerry's wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason), believing she is the reincarnation of his lost love and providing for both a refreshingly interracial, and frighteningly inter-dimensional romance. Jennifer Tilly has a great bit as a loudmouthed head in the crystal ball; Wallace Shawn and Dina Walters are the ghost servants. Zombies rise up from their graves to attack the living, but generally the film is harmless kid stuff that is bursting with cheerful colour, noise, bloodless shocks and refreshingly bathroom-free humour. Fans of the ride should be pleased, as it hits nearly every bump, from the barbershop quartet busts, to the ghostly passenger in the coach. Murphy hams it up royally and the rest of the cast is up for the challenge, especially Stamp, whose droll line readings provide a perfect balance of menace and mirth. Makeup maestro Rick Baker provided the non-CGI special effects.

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Lush production design and sparkling special effects make The Haunted Mansionpretty to look at. Terence Stamp, as a malevolent ghost of a butler, provides a suitable air of menace as he dematerialises to and fro. Marsha Thomason is lovely as a real estate agent hired to sell a haunted mansion, but in truth the ghostly owner of the mansion believes she is the reincarnation of his lost love. Wallace Shawn and Dina Waters make a modestly amusing comic pair as a ghostly husband and wife who bustle about. Jennifer Tilly, as a green disembodied head in a crystal ball, glitters appropriately. The movie also features endless clichés, futile attempts at humour, and Eddie Murphy. If you're looking for a movie based on a Disneyland ride, try the very clever Pirates of the Caribbeaninstead. --Bret Fetzer

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary - 1. Don Hahn - Producer, Featurette - 1. Disney's Virtual DVD Ride: THE HAUNTED MANSION - Exploring the mansion with ghost-g, 2. Anatomy of a Scene: Ghost in the Graveyard, 3. MAKING OF: Behind the scenes of HAUNTED MANSION, Music Video: Raven Sup
Year:	2003
Release Date:	June 21, 2004
Runtime:	90 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B E D 881269
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Haunted, Mansion, Horror, Occult, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Comedy