The Haunted Mansion (film)

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Categories: 2003 films | Films based on theme-park attractions

The Haunted Mansion is a film released in November 2003 by The Walt Disney Company.

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Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Based loosely on The Haunted Mansion theme park ride, this film stars Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason as Jim and Sara Evers, African-American proprietors of "Evers and Evers Real Estate" and parents of 10 year old Michael and his 13 year old sister Megan (played by Marc John Jefferies and Aree Davis). Jim is a workaholic who has not been spending time with his family, to the disapproval of his wife. On a weekend trip in which he has promised to devote time to the family, they make a detour through the swamps of New Orleans to Gracey Manor, a decaying but valuable property. The owners have contacted Sara with interest in selling.

Once arriving a violent rainstorm erupts, and they are led inside by butler Ramsley (Terence Stamp) who is immediately disturbed that Sara did not come alone. They are introduced to Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), the heir of the house, and invited to stay the night as the roads have flooded. The children are sent to one bedroom, the parents to another.

As the parents are separated and Jim finds himself trapped in a secret passage, the children are led by a floating blue orb into an attic room where they discover an antiquated painting that looks exactly like their mother. They are encountered by Ezra and Emma (a footman and maid), who work for the mansion who warn them of impending danger. They discover that the two are actually ghosts, as is Master Gracey, and that he thinks their mother is his lost suicided lover Elizabeth returned to him from beyond the grave.

Meanwhile Jim discovers the animated head of gypsy Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly in a critically praised performance), stored magically inside a crystal ball. Through her help he is led to his children and together they follow her instructions through a ghost-populated graveyard to find a key that will help them flee the mansion. They learn that there is a curse binding the souls of everyone who has died in the mansion to walk its premises until it is broken.

Jim and his daughter go into a mausoleum (per the gypsy's instructions) and locate the key in question, only to be attacked by hundreds of zombie-corpses. They find themselves trapped in the mausoleum, but his 10-year-old son overcomes his fear of spiders (which are crawling all over the outside of the crypt door) and frees them just in time.

They use the key to unlock a trunk. Inside the trunk is a letter from Elizabeth declaring that she loved Master Gracey. It is revealed that Ramsley, also a ghost, poisoned Elizabeth to prevent an interracial relationship between she and Master Gracey. He then traps the children in a trunk suitcase and literally throws Jim out of the house, trapping him inside. He confronts Sara and makes it clear that she will either proceed with the marriage (and a suicide) to help break the curse, or that her children will die.

Jim, attempting to break back into the mansion but finding it magically sealed, sits outside in vain until the head of Madame Leota comedically rolls up to him to encourage him to keep trying. He drives his car through the wall just in time to stop the wedding and confront Master Gracey with the truth. When all is revealed, Ramsley is sucked into the depths of Hell. Unfortunately Sara has had enough of the poison given to her before the wedding to die. Just in time, Elizabeth's spirit moves into Sara's body and revives her, breaking the curse and bringing her back to life.

Thus all of the spirits in the mansion, including Elizabeth, Master Gracey, Ezra, and Emma ascend into the light of Heaven, their curse broken. Jim has learned an important lesson about family, and his son and daughter have learned bravery in the face of evil. The family, now in possession of the deed to the house, head back home (with the encased head of Madame Leota in the back seat).

The film received mixed commentary. Many critics felt Murphy's performance was out of place; Thomason's (a British actress affecting an American accent) cold. Others praised the film for never wavering from its dark and serious message of racial tolerance (not to mention its horrific imagery) despite being directed at children. The film did very well in its opening weekend, grossing approximately $35,000,000 in the United States.

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Cast

  • Jim Evers: Eddie Murphy
  • Ramsley: Terence Stamp
  • Master Gracey: Nathaniel Parker
  • Sara Evers: Marsha Thomason
  • Madame Leota: Jennifer Tilly
  • Ezra: Wallace Shawn
  • Emma: Dina Waters
  • Michael: Marc John Jefferies
  • Megan: Aree Davis
  • Mr. Coleman: Jim Doughan
  • Mrs. Coleman: Rachel Harris
  • Mr. Silverman: Steve Hytner
  • Mrs. Silverman: Heather Juergensen
  • Hitchhiking Ghost: Jeremy Howard
  • Hitchhiking Ghost: Deep Roy
  • Hitchhiking Ghost: Clay Martinez
  • Tiki Lounge Customer: Bridget Brno
  • Tiki Lounge Customer: Gregg London
  • Boy on Bicycle: Zach Minkoff
  • The Singing Busts: Shelby Grimm, Harry J. Campbell, William T. Lewis, Tim Reeder, Bob Hartley
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References To The Attraction In The Movie

As the movie is based on the ride, the film has many references to the Haunted Mansion and even some to The Phantom Manor, Europe's version of the Haunted Mansion. Below is a list of the references.

  • The large plaque on the front of the video/DVD box of the film, is taken from the ride.
  • The storyline of the film is loosely based off Phantom Manor's storyline. In the ride, The Phantom hangs the groom and leaves the bride (named Melanie) searching the house for the groom. In the film, Ramsley poisons the bride, and later, Master Gracey hangs himself.
  • The theme song from the ride, Grim Grinning Ghosts, is used in various forms throughout Mark Mancina's score for the film.
  • "Welcome Foolish Mortals", the famous welcoming is not voiced by Paul Frees but by Corey Burton.
  • The floating candelabrum from the Endless Hallway.
  • The floating tarot cards are from Madame Leota's room.
  • The grand foyer featured in the movie's mansion is based on original concepts for the ride's foyer. It is somewhat copied from the loading area from the Phantom Manor.
  • Master Gracey, The Ghost Host, is a main character, played by Nathaniel Parker.
  • The music box in the opening credits is a reference to the Phantom Manor, where there is a music box in a gazebo in the facade.
  • The Bleeding Bride also is a main character in the film.
  • The ballroom dancers (they later appear as ghosts).
  • The 13 hour clock, but not in its ride form.
  • Gracey's hanging corpse and a woman's scream is taken from the ride.
  • The mansion's exterior is built in a style similar to that of the Disneyland mansion (Greek Revival). However, many Italianate elements were introduced.
  • The raven is featured in some scenes of the film, but the bird used is not even a raven.
  • When Jim gets out of the car, there is a plant in the background like one from the ride's facade.
  • In the background when Jim is turned away from the house, there is a bust in the background that looks like Thurl Ravenscroft.
  • The conservatory.
  • The graveyard.
  • The opening doors, they are taken from the rides entrances.
  • When the Evers enter the mansion, you can see two of the changing portraits on the landing. They reappear in a later scene.
  • Spiders.
  • When Ramsley, played by Terence Stamp makes his entrance, the armoury resembles the endless hallway from the rides.
  • The ballroom set is inspired by the scene in the ride. The original scene was to have the camera moving along a balcony, giving the audience a view of the ballroom from above, exactly like the ride. The ballroom is one of several scenes in the film that are practically identical to the scenes from the ride.
  • Wallace Shawn's character, Ezra, is named after one of the Hitchhiking Ghosts.
  • The wallpaper with demon faces.
  • The light and table in Jim's room resembles the set-up of the séance room in the ride.
  • A chair in Jim's room looks like the chair from the ride with the odd face.
  • The libary.
  • The library has the piano in it, but with no phantom pianist.
  • In the library, there is a samurai suit, which originally was to come alive, but the scene was scrapped.
  • The large red sofa in the library is actually taken from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
  • The Ghost Ball is new to the movie and has never appeared in the ride, although guests and photos on websites have spoke of, or shown "ghost balls".
  • Dina Waters plays a maid in the film, and female cast members dress as maids in the rides.
  • The elevator in the film may be a reference to the stretching gallery in the ride which is really a elevator in reality.
  • The Portrait Gallery is an almost exact replica of the one in the ride, although the portraits are somewhat different from the ride.
  • The watching busts are in the film.
  • The breathing door from the Corridor of Doors is in the film.
  • A dark area with a ringing telephone seems to be inspired by the loading zone of the ride. The mirror displays Eddie Murphy's facing morphing between a corpse and back to normal. This is a reference to the changing Master Gracey potrait in the ride.
  • The attic scenes are very similar to the ones in the ride.
  • The portrait of Elizabeth may be a refernce to the bride portrait in the Phantom Manor.
  • The Heartbeat sound effect can be heard in several scenes.
  • Madame Leota has a major part, and the séance room is a cross between the ride scene and a gypsy tent.
  • The flying instruments and objects.
  • "There's always my way..."
  • The hearse with the invisible horse, except the horse is a skeleton in the film.
  • The ghost bicyclists.
  • The ghost duellists from the ballroom scene.
  • The tea party.
  • The ghost with the hooked nose is the hearse driver in the ride.
  • The floating teapot.
  • The hanged man in the portrait in the ride.
  • The caretaker and his whimpering dog make a brief appearance, although the filmmakers mistakenly portray them as ghosts. Originally, the caretaker was to be a main character, played by Don Knotts.
  • The king and the queen on the see-saw.
  • The decapitated knight and the executioner.
  • The Hitchhiking Ghosts make an appearance, and Gus and Phineas talk. We can also see that Gus has been given a walking stick instead of his ball and chain.
  • Animal screech from the graveyard.
  • The singing busts appear, singing a verse from Grim Grinning Ghosts. One is modeled after Thurl Ravenscroft, and another resembles Marc Davis.
  • The mausoleum may be a reference to the crypt at the end of the ride.
  • The inside of the mausoleum may be a reference to the catacombs in the Phantom Manor.
  • The large black coffin.
  • The zombies are from The Phantom Manor, as none appear in the Haunted Mansion.
  • Terence Stamp's character, Ramsley, traps Megan and Michael in a trunk. This may be a reference to one of the stories made by fans of the ride, where the bride died after being locked in a trunk.
  • Ezra (not the Hitchiking Ghost) plays a ghastly rendition of the "Wedding March" on the ballroom organ in the movie. In the ride, a phantom pianist labors over a similarly morbid variation of that piece, but in the attic.
  • While playing the organ at the wedding, Ezra greatly resembles the organist in the ride, partly because of his costume.
  • Originally, the skulls that fly out of the organ were to be put in the film, but the idea was scrapped.
  • Jim has to battle suits of armor in the film. This is a reference to the moving suit of armor in the rides.
  • The evil spirits flying in through the windows may be a reference to the skulls flying out of the organ, or to the random ghosts seen in the ride.
  • At the end of the credits, Madame Leota croons the "Hurry back" spiel that guests hear from Little Leota at the end of the ride.
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