I can see how this didn't do as well as expected at the box office, but it's worth watching. The costumes and set designs are great!

So go watch it!

The movie talks about a house seller (Eddie Murphy) , his wife (Marsha Thomason) and children , they are going to a haunted mansion inhabited by weird people : an owner (Nahaniel Parker) , butler (Terence Stamp) , servant (Wallace Shawn) and psychic (Jennifer Tilly) . They'll take on several dangers , eerie ghosts , scary skeleton and fantastic supernatural forces .

The picture mingles frightening happenings , frenetic action , mystery , tongue-in-cheek and there is horror but with humor , including a lot of references to the Disney theme park ride . From the start to finish fear and giggles are interminable . The film pays tribute to the picture ¨The haunting¨ but with laughs and fun . Much of the movie's plot is inspired by Phantom Manor, the version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Resort Paris . Vivid as well as thrilling musical score by Mark Mancina . Colorful and brilliant cinematography by Remi Adefarasin . FX , especial effects , by means of computer generator , are of first class , similar to extraordinary make-up by Rick Baker , a number one in this category , as he won various ¨Oscars¨. The make-up designed by Rick for Ramsley -Terence Stamp- was to make him resemble Boris Karloff .

Many designs of the building designs were recycled from both of the Walt Disney attractions , the exterior was based off the original structure at Disneyland and the inside was a mix of both. The production picture was made with a main aim to advertising campaign as theme park attraction . The motion picture was regularly directed by Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little 1 and 2 , The forbidden game , The Lion King) . The film obtained enough success in the Box-office . The motion picture will appeal to horror comedy enthusiasts and Eddie Murphy fans . Rating : 5,5/10 . Average .

So says the little girl who can wack a spider with her hand and not wince even once. She's looking at the backyard of the abandoned mansion which her real estate parents, Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason, are expecting as the possibility of adding to is there a list of homes for sale.

They have been contacted by the very eerie looking butler Terence Stamp (who looks like a ghost himself) for his employer (Nathaniel Parker),the heir to the estate of this eyesore, a home that may look glorious on the inside but any sensible passerby wood consider it to be an enormous rat's nest.

"Put in the toilet angle and leave out the ghosts for now" Murphy suggests, yet the family becomes very nervous when they are forced to spend the night. Mor the family who was on their way to a vacation on the lake, this is the last type of vacation they expected.

The very ambitious Murphy and wife Thomason have issues because Murphy is too involved in the business that they created together, leaving them no real family time. The setup is there for a mixture of light horror, screwball comedy and family drama aids greatly with the addition of one of Disney's most popular rides, and those who think that the ride is too short will find it thrilling to be on it for nearly two hours.

For the kids, the initial horror comes from no cellphone reception (flip phones no less!),but the audience, especially those who have been on the ride more than once, know what is to come. For the two kids who never seem to smile, they are going to have to rely on something stronger than cell phone connection to get through this night.

Another hint that this house has issues beyond the endless graveyard in the back yard is the fact that an obvious thunderstorm hits the moment Murphy and family are inside, and for Murphy the fact that he gets tossed into a hidden passageway practically right away. A portrait of Thomason in early 1900's attire indicates that there's more to them being there than to just try to sell this huge white elephant.

In smaller roles are Jennifer Tilly as the head in the crystal ball, Wallace Shawn as a creepy valet and Dina Waters as the maid. The special effects are fast and funny, and the film as a whole is very family friendly in spite of a few light cursing. Murphy seems ageless so his 15 plus years on Thomason are not noticeable. This is one of the better family comedies of the millennium with lots of fun to be had in its perfect running time.