Reviews: The Haunted Mansion (2003) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy, Comedy, Family, Kids
Subgenres:
Our honest review of The Haunted Mansion (2003) breaks down its scares, pacing, and whether this horror movie truly stands the test of time.
The Haunted Mansion (2003) is a 1h 28-min PG American family fantasy comedy-horror film that was based on the Disney theme park attraction, The Haunted Mansion and is Disney’s fourth film that is based on an attraction at Disney parks. The movie had an estimated budget of $90 million and grossed over $182 million at the box office. The Haunted Mansion was shot in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Burbank, California, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA and Santa Clarita, California, USA. Director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King (1994), Stuart Little (1999), The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), Stuart Little 2 (2002)) executed this family movie marvelously with great comedy and minor scares for little ones. The Haunted Mansion is a family movie that we watch at least once a year around Halloween time.
Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Trading Places (1983), Coming to America (1988), Norbit (2007)) is a workaholic real estate agent that tries to give his family everything but is late numerous times for family gatherings. He does not have much time for his family because work comes first, even misses his wedding anniversary. His wife Sara (Marsha Thomason - White Collar (2009-2014), Safe House (2015), Lost (2007-2009)) was not happy but agrees to go on a family vacation at a nearby lake. Jim could not help himself but drag his family to make one last deal at Gracey Manor, Louisiana before their vacation. Things went south after a storm floods the nearby river leaving the Evers family stranded at the mansion for the night. Skip forward - Jim is trapped in a secret passage.
Jim’s kids Megan (Aree Davis - Extreme Skate Adventure (2003), Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2006), ‘Til Death (2008)) and Michael (Marc John Jefferies - Spider-Man 2 (2004), Nerve (2016), Notorious (2009)) follows a spectral orb up to the attic. The 13-year-old daughter Megan and 10-year-old Michael found a portrait that resembles their mother, and the movie escalates from there into being a great family movie. The adults gave us average performances while the kids look as though they were lost most of the time. I enjoy watching this film with my family because it gives us time to bond and discuss the movie after it finishes. The special effects were amazing as well as the sound, thrill factor for kids, sets, eerie atmosphere towards the end of the movie, suspense, thrills and screenplay.
Similar films like The Haunted Mansion can be found in kids horror movies sub-genre(s), check them out for more movies like The Haunted Mansion.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- The Haunted Mansion Rating Scores
- Our Score: 6/10
- Overall Score: 4.27/10
- IMDB: 5.2/10
- MetaCritic: 3.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 1.4/10
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