Customer Reviews

The Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Let me first say that the score featured in the actual movie was amazing. The "Grim Grinning Ghosts" theme was integrated into the score. None of this score however made it onto this soundtrack. Only one track, which features the music from the opening credits (which is amazing!) mixed with the so-so love theme, leaving a happy ending to the track. However, if this track is the "Overture" as it says on the track listing, it should only play what is played up until the point where we first see Eddie Murphy in the film.

Raven's "Superstition" is one of the few good tracks on this album. OK, so it isn't Stevie Wonder, but it is an overall good remixed cover version. Not to mention that Raven has amazing vocal talents.

The song from the ride "Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)" appears twice on the soundtrack; once performed by Barenaked Ladies (in an excellent version, which, contrary to popular belief, was NOT recorded for this album, but for a Disneyland compilation), and once performed by the singing busts from the movie, not the original singing busts from the ride (which I was hoping for). The tracks are listed as "Grim, Grinning Ghosts", with an invalid comma. The original song written by Buddy Baker and Xavier Atencio was entitled "Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)". Usually when the song is performed, several verses are mixed up, but it is always minor. But the "When the crypt doors creak..." verse has always been the opening verse, except in this version performed by the singing busts, in which the verses are very butchered, to the point where one verse is missing, and two verses are incorrect.

Besides the "Overture", "Grim Grinning Ghosts" (by Barenaked Ladies), and "Superstition", this CD is pretty much BLAH. "I Put A Spell On You" is TERRIBLE. Only 3 out of the 18 lines (of the version from "Hocus Pocus" that we are all used to) appear in the track, mixed in with terrible coughing and laughing in the background and a piano sequence which sounds like it was performed by a 3 year old.

If anything, by it for the Overture, it is simply beautiful. And hey, you get some Raven and Barenaked Ladies thrown in there too-

-Robert: Tanabi5790@aol.com

I agree w/ all the other reviewers that we sought this soundtrack to hear the gorgeous score not these "hits." Why are marketing people so dense and out of touch w/ the targeted demo? Hopefully but not promisingly a reissue will make the score available. It's one of the best things about the movie.

Boo.

As someone who once worked and trained new Cast Members at WDW's Haunted Mansion I can only hope that the idiots in their Marketing Dept. are being strung up for this clearly cheap pandering attempt to get the pop music dollar. Bad enough the film turned out poorly, and it is only compounded by this pile of tracks that aren't even in the film--save for Iz You--the unnecssary and out of place rap song that appears over the closing credits ala the Addams Family movies. How un-original and desparate. Two stars though for Mr. Mancina's beautiful score. It is the only thing that redeems this CD. Though God knows the same idioits in Marketing will be rolling it out at as must-have album every Halloween as if it's on the level of a Mannhiem Steamroller Christmas or something. Ugh!

can someone tell me what 12 of these songs have to dow ith the Haunted Mansion movie or ride? besides tracks 2 (love bNL btw), 13 and 14 this is a "let's see how many halloween remakes we can fit onto one album and claim it has to do with the movie".

i'm still looking for Thriller and Ghostbusters on the track listing.

I am A haunted mansion fan as well as a haunter. (Extreme halloween dude.) I can only say that who ever thought that it was a good idea to put this crap on this cd should be fired. This is the worst cd I have ever had the pleasure of sleeping through and then wanting to set on fire. The one, and I mean THE ONE AND ONLY reason for my one star is for the beautiful score by mark mancina. Although, they should have just put a cd full of the music out of the movie, but no! They had to make him do something else! DON'T BUY THIS CD IF YOU ARE A MANSION FAN! It is a big let down.

If I wanted Halloween music I buy a Halloween CD just for that occasion. What I wanted was the score from "The Haunted Mansion" movie. What a deception! I can only hope that they will be fair to the composer, Mark Mancina, and release just the original motion picture score from this movie on another CD. A score which was beautiful written and performed. Be sure to check the song tracks before you buy this CD because there is only one piece of music from the motion picture. Don't waste your money!

If, like me, you are looking for music from the movie, this is NOT the CD you want. There is hardly any music from the movie on this CD at all. If you are looking for some mood music for your next halloween party, you might like this CD. If I could go back and redo my order of this CD, I would not buy it.

I normally read the reviews before I buy this time I did not. If your looking for the score to the movie forget it. I cannot express in words what a total piece of worthless garbage this CD is.

Overall, I think it was a great album. I only had a few problems-
1)very few of these tracks are actually in the movie (#13, 14)
2)why was nelly playing during the credits and then not even on the soundtrack??
3)why wasn't the movie (or at least this soundtrack) released in late october...sounds like a horrible marketing failure to me.

Anyway, the reason I gave it 4 stars despite the above mentioned was because:
1) the original score was absolutely beautiful.
2) the remake of "Spooky" done by the Conti Bros. (originally by the Rascals, 1968) was fresh and had a good sound to it (among other remakes). Needless to say, I am keeping my eye out for those Conti Brothers in the future.
3) you can't go wrong with the good ol' Jackson 5!

It's definitely worth the 15 bucks I paid for it at Best Buy.

This is a pretty good album if you enjoyed the Hanted Mansion Movie. Its pretty hard to hear some of the songs in the movie. I played this CD several times before seeing the movie on opening night and couldn't pick out some of the songs.

If you are a Haunted Mansion fan you are much better off getting the Haunted Mansion CD in the Theme Parks since it contains the entire sountrack of the ride itself! (Not available on Amazon.com)

My favorite songs, on this album, are 'Man With The Hex' by the Atomic Fireballs and 'Somebody's Watching Me' by Morris Day.