The Haunted Mansion (2003)

'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.