The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Workaholic realtor Jim Evers, his wife/business partner Sara and their two children are summoned to a mansion. When they discover that the place is haunted, Jim discovers an important lesson about the family he's neglected as they attempt to escape.

Director:

Rob Minkoff

Writer:

David Berenbaum

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Marsha Thomason

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Jim Evers
Terence Stamp	...	Ramsley
Nathaniel Parker	...	Master Gracey
Marsha Thomason	...	Sara Evers
Jennifer Tilly	...	Madame Leota
Wallace Shawn	...	Ezra
Dina Waters	...	Emma
Marc John Jefferies	...	Michael
Aree Davis	...	Megan
Jim Doughan	...	Mr. Coleman
Rachael Harris	...	Mrs. Coleman (as Rachel Harris)
Steve Hytner	...	Mr. Silverman
Heather Juergensen	...	Mrs. Silverman
Jeremy Howard	...	Hitchhiking Ghost
Deep Roy	...	Hitchhiking Ghost

Storyline

Married realtors Jim and Sara with their children go to Gracey Manor and Mr. Gracey is enamored with Sara and they discover that Sara looks like Mr. Gracey's old girlfriend, Elizabeth, who died young and they think it was a suicide but discover that *spoiler* she was murdered . By Ramsey

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Plot Keywords:

mansion | workaholic | butler | ghost | secret | 

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Taglines:

The reluctant guest.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for frightening images, thematic elements and language

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [br] Disney [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Disney's The Haunted Mansion

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$624,930 (Japan) (7 May 2004)

Gross:

$7,776,947 (Japan) (14 May 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Gunn Films, Doom Buggy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Gracey family that haunts the Haunted Mansion is named for Yale Gracey, one of the original Imagineers (Disney designers) of the Disneyland ride, which opened in 1969. Although a ghostly Gracey is never officially named in the ride narration or press, the name has long been associated with the disembodied "Ghost Host" in the attraction through fans' speculated narratives (contrary to popular belief, the ride does not have a definite story).

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Goofs

When Jim Evers enters the Crypt he takes the torch on the right yet when Michael Evers has to open the door both torches are there, yet once Jim Evers leaves the crypt you see the right torch is gone.

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Quotes

[to Master Gracey,who is about to strike Jim with his sword]
Jim: Hey. You wanna kill me, kill me. But listen, when I come on the other side, I'm gonna just be whipping your ass for all eternity.
[pulls out Elizabeth's real letter]
Jim: So maybe you should read this before you stab somebody.

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Crazy Credits

Look for a "special" message from Madame Leota at the end of the credit roll. It sounds deadly familiar to the ending of the Disneyland ride.

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Connections

References 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

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Soundtracks

"Superstition"
Written by Stevie Wonder
Performed by Raven-Symoné

User Reviews

Actually not half-bad.

'The Haunted Mansion' got a lot of bombs thrown at it by critics, and almost nobody liked it. Well, guess what: I did. It's a faithful homage to the ride, the actors are interesting, and the horror side of the story is appropriately creepy. The plot is partially based on the French version of the ride, and it's decent. Although the movie never answers the question of why Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker, who's really good here) couldn't marry his sweetheart Elizabeth (who was black), the hints are pretty obvious. And I liked the whole concept of the curse (even though it doesn't make any sense). The little nods to the ride throughout the movie are fun, especially Jennifer Tilly as Madame Leota, a disembodied head inside a crystal ball who speaks in riddles. Tilly can do this husky-voiced role in her sleep, and I liked her (the special effects involving her are pretty neat too). Although Eddie Murphy is miscast, and there are zero laughs in the movie, his mugging for the camera doesn't hurt the movie. The kids are OK, and Marsha Thomason does what she can with a thankless role, but it's Terence Stamp who steals the movie. He is Ramsley, the sinister butler of Master Gracey. With his deep rumbling British accent, Stamp gives a deliciously over-the-top performance, and he does here what Johnny Depp did for 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Back to Eddie Murphy for a minute: Although he earns no laughs, he plays noncomedic scenes well, and he has some good banter with Stamp. The production design of the mansion and the ghostly special effects are very cool, particularly a zombie attack that pushes the PG rating to it's limits. Is 'The Haunted Mansion' a great movie? Absolutely not; they could have punched up the comedy aspect of the movie. It's not a bad movie, though. I thought it was very entertaining, and it's certainly better than the awful trailers. Not as good as 'Pirates', but a fun ride nonetheless.