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Perhaps it's not such a bad idea to adapt amusement-park rides into motion pictures. At least the results are more encouraging than the adaptations of video games and TV shows. Maybe it's the complete lack of story to begin with that forces filmmakers to actually come up with ideas of their own.
The Haunted Mansion is basically a comedy that has fun playing with horror movie conventions. It's less about plot than visual imagination, and its imagery is as rich as any Harry Potter film. If it isn't as supremely entertaining as Pirates of the Caribbean, it's at least better family fare—funnier and more appropriate—than The Cat in the Hat.
Eddie Murphy is in his element as a family man who's a bit more devoted to his real estate practice than his wife and kids. It's a hang-up that gets them all into trouble when he insists on checking out a sprawling new residence on the market when they're supposed to be on vacation. The film relies greatly on his still-formidable comic talents, and while the actors portraying his family are adequate, he receives great help from the various misfits they encounter at the mansion.
Upon their entrance, they are greeted by an extremely pale butler played by Terence Stamp, hamming it up for all the role is worth. Later, they encounter Jennifer Tilly's Gypsy head—ensconced in her own crystal ball. I also enjoyed Wallace Shawn as one of the mansion's timid servants, scurrying about as if he were the lowest creature on the food chain.
But the film's success extends beyond the cast to those behind the camera. Elf screenwriter David Berenbaum delivers the whimsical script. Makeup effects are courtesy of the brilliant Rick Baker, who's worked on everything from Star Wars to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. And somehow, Rob Minkoff (co-director of The Lion King) manages to find just the right tone for this weird mix, making it much less lame than an adaptation of an amusement ride sounds.