"Haunted Mansion" Goes From Ride To Movie

In a year full of adaptations and remakes - and following the incredible success of the ride-turned-movie "The Pirates of the Caribbean" - it should come as no surprise that Disney is working on another amusement-ride-to-film adaptation.

"The Haunted Mansion" will be directed by Rob Minkoff ("The Lion King"), and - like the ride - will more than likely be lighter on the haunted and heavier on the comedy and kid appeal. David Mumpower of BoxOfficeProphets sums it up thusly: "Like Scooby-Doo and Casper before it, The Haunted Mansion will attempt to capitalize on a combination of nostalgia and CGI effects to rope viewers into this light-hearted scare fest."

The movie stars Eddie Murphy as real estate agent Jim Evers, who accidentally gets his entire family trapped in the haunted house. Once a palatial estate that housed many of the best parties in New Orleans, the decrepit domicile is now reduced to housing a damned bride and groom along with 999 ghouls, ghosts and spectres. They do not like company, so the presence of the Evers family is met with the usual supernatural hijinks. The family must navigate disappearing rooms, collapsing floors and moving eyes pictures. In order to escape the house of gentle horrors, they must figure out the puzzles before the clock strikes 13.

In addition to Murphy, the cast includes Terence Stamp, Don Knotts, Marc John Jefferies, Nathaniel Parker, Wallace Shawn, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly, and Dina Waters. You can see the trailer here.

Source: BoxOfficeProphets