The Haunted Mansion is a 2003 American comedy horror family film based on the attraction of the same name at Disney theme parks.
The film was directed by Rob Minkoff, written by David Berenbaum and stars Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Jennifer Tilly, Marsha Thomason, and Nathaniel Parker.
Plot:
Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is a workaholic real estate agent who has little time for his family, wife Sara (Marsha Thomason), daughter Megan (Aree Davis) and son Michael (Marc John Jefferies). After missing his own wedding anniversary to seal a business deal, Jim promises his family to go on a weekend away to a nearby lake.
Sara is contacted by the occupants of Gracey Manor, located in the bayou swamps of New Orleans, and an eager Jim drags his family along to do business at the house. There, they meet Master Edward Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), his stern butler Ramsley (Terence Stamp), and other staff Emma (Dina Waters) and Ezra (Wallace Shawn).
Master Gracey invites the family to stay the night when a rainstorm floods the river. Jim is taken to the library by Ramsley where he becomes trapped in a secret passageway and Michael and Megan encounter a “ghost ball” which leads them to the mansion’s attic where they find a portrait of a woman resembling their mother, Sara…
Reviews:
” …why did the filmmakers hire Eddie Murphy if they weren’t going to let him be funny? Any attempt at real humor was cut off or toned down to the point where it was diluted beyond recognition. On rare occasions, you could see Murphy’s eyes spark and you waited with bated breath but alas, no joke materialized. ” About.com
