The Haunted Mansion has a light tone, similar to the ride, a story behind the attraction with some horror moments thrown in! The film was directed by Rob Minkoff, the co-director of the animated Lion King (1994), he later directed The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), I like that film too! The screenwriter is David Berenbaum who also wrote elf (2003), released the same year, and his first film. The movie is currently streaming on Disney+. Of course, there was a recent Muppets Haunted Mansion that is also streaming on Disney+. Guillermo del Toro had planned a Haunted Mansion film. There is a new film that has begun filming with Justin Simiens in the director’s chair. The actors in that cast include LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, and Danny DeVito. The 2003 movie begins with the “Welcome Foolish Mortals” title and line. Then, we get the mansion doors opening and glimpses of a masquerade party, a dance like in the ride's ballroom, and a close-up of a letter being written.
The envelope is sealed and then slipped under a door. A masked man (Nathaniel Parker) looks at the letter horrified and rushes away. A woman’s gloved hand falls dropping a cup. The man holds the body of the woman and then tearfully carries her body in front of the dancers who silently stare at them. Close-up of the letter, “Forever yours, Elizabeth.” A Gothic romance, this is a great opening. Then, we find the man has hung himself from the ceiling as lightning flashes, the skeleton that it is in the attraction’s stretching room, and then we pull back to the mansion. I really like attraction references in a movie based on a ride. They are only hinted at with the Pirates films, the first one, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), was out five months before Haunted Mansion. It easily overshadowed this film. The music by Mark Mancina also has some of the creepy organ music from the ride.
This shifts to daytime, much later, as a paperboy (Zach Minkoff) rides up to the mansion gates on his bicycle. A ghost bursts from the mansion and he yells before riding away! He has left behind flyers of the Evers and Evers. They are Louisiana realtors, including Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) with his wife, (Marsha Thomason). Murphy plays the lead and this was in his kid movie phase with Daddy Day Care (2003) that year. Thomason is currently in the COBRA action series. This switches to Jim showing a house to a married couple, Mr. Coleman (Jim Doughan) and Mrs. Coleman (Rachael Harris). Mr. Coleman finds something wrong about every house and Mrs. Coleman threatens a divorce. Still, Jim doesn’t give up, but has to take a call from Sara. Jim handles her questions about a dinner reservation and also keeps the Colemans thinking it is another house buyer. This convinces Mrs. Coleman to buy the house. We get more couples at a tacky Tiki Lounge. Maybe a bit too much of this set-up.
Jim returns home and tries to make up for his late anniversary with a teddy bear and watch. Sara goes over how many activities with their kids he missed out on. Jim says they will have a weekend to spend at a lake. He goes upstairs to tell his kids and his son, Michael (Marc John Jefferies) runs out terrified of a spider in his room. Jim goes to Michael’s room and takes up a magazine so Michael can whack the spider with it. They argue until his daughter, Megan (Aree Davis), takes the magazine and crushes the spider against the window. A nice introduction of the young characters. Sara is taking a phone call downstairs with an elderly man (Terence Stamp) who wants her to go to the house past Old Miller Road. The master says she has a “trustworthy face”, but not her husband. Jim sees her on the call, she shows him the address, and he is excited that there are mansions in the area. We see the Evers family driving to the “detour.” It is very swampy land with overhanging trees that is creepy in the daytime.
They drive up to the mansion’s gate, Jim honks, but he and Sara walk up to the locked gate. She is about to leave, when the gate opens. Everyone gets out of the car and Jim has them check out the back of the mansion. Jim and Michael see the headstones and dark trees that covers hills, a very Gothic and beautiful shot. Lightining flashes and it starts to rain so the family heads over to the porch of the mansion. The door suddenly opens and they walk in to see the cobwebbed interior with a large fireplace. The dark hallway underneath the fireplace is revealed by lightning showing the figure of the old butler (Stamp), this is a little chilling. He introduces himself, with a stoic face, as Ramsley. The butler explains that Master Gracey wanted to discuss plans over dinner. They pass armors of knights and then finally reach the ballroom. Sara looks at the fireplace when lightning reveals Master Gracey (Parker) who introduces himself. Gracey was part of the backstory of the attraction, named after Imagineer Yale Gracey?
Haunted Mansion zombie head, Disney Gallery, Disneyland, 2003, photo by the author.
Jim tries again to introduce himself with a handshake and smile, but is again ignored. It appears that Gracey is charmed by Sara who is impressed by the house. Jim senses Gracey’s interest. Ramsley looks out the window and says that the storm has caused the river to overflow. The family must stay overnight. Gracey has Ramsley take the children to a room and then Jim and Sara to their room. Jim annoys Ramsley who leaves their room. Sara is angry that Jim is obsessed with work that has them trapped in the mansion. Jim brings up his expensive gifts and she locks herself in the bathroom. He is startled by Ramsley who takes him to see Gracey at the library. Alone, Jim sits in the library’s chair and then activates a secret door moving a statue’s head. It closes behind him! In their room, Michael opens a music box that shows the dancing figures of Gracey and Elizabeth, then he turns to see a glowing, blue “ghost ball.” Megan follows the ghost ball and her brother follows her. Sara sees a maid, Emma (Dina Waters) holding towels, but she silently runs off. She is startled by Ramsley who says that her husband is in the library.
Sara instead finds Gracey, he shows her the mansion, and tells the story of the mansion and of Elizabeth. Jim walks from behind a painting, he walks the hall with the transforming paintings, and the statue heads that turn towards him. Jim hears a telephone ring and Ramsley, on the other end, hangs up. He looks at a mirror and sees his face horribly mummified, make-up effects are by Rick Baker, he worked with Murphy on Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). The ghost ball has led the kids to the attic. Megan looks at the white wedding dress. Michael who sees a painting of a woman who looks exactly like his mother! The servant, Ezra (Wallace Shawn) tells the kids that they don’t belong there. Emma says that the painting is of Elizabeth. This is the connection with Sara to the mansion. Still, there is a dark secret yet to be revealed. Ezra and Emma are friendly to the kids and allies to the family. Jim follows a voice into the Séance Circle and the crystal ball of Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly)! There are more surprises from the attractions, including the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Singing Busts (the Dapper Dans!), plus some zombie terror! The Haunted Mansion is a fun romp with a mix of humor and horror!
Four Ghost Balls out of Five!
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