LOOK carefully during the cemetery scene in The Haunted Mansion. Among the many cavorting ghosts, isn't that . . ? Couldn't it be . . ? Surely that spinning spectre is old Walt Disney turning in his grave.

Perhaps not, but one wouldn't be surprised. The Haunted Mansion is not one of the great man's studio's best efforts. This rather insipid movie is a creepy comedy that is neither funny nor scary.

And, like the superior Pirates Of The Caribbean, it's based on the popular Disney theme park ride.

Jim and Sara Evers (Murphy and Thomason) run their own real estate business. Jim is something of a workaholic and simply can't resist a diversion while taking Sara and their children Michael and Megan (Marc John Jefferies and Aree Davis) on a weekend trip.

The Evers have been asked to call in at a rambling old mansion located miles off the beaten track. Owner Edward Gracey (Parker) is considering selling up, and Jim has caught a whiff of the biggest deal of his career so far.

But what was planned as a fleeting visit becomes an extended stay when a violent thunderstorm floods all nearby roads and the family is left to the hospitality of the handsome but enigmatic Edward, his distinctly weird butler Ramsley (Stamp), and what turns out to be a host of other-worldly inhabitants.

Anyone who has done the Disney ride will recognise a lot of elements from that in this film the disembodied head in the crystal ball, the spooks lurking in the back of the carriage, the manic, whirling musical instruments and frankly, the ride is a lot more scary and a lot more fun.

Squarely aimed at younger audiences, children now used to a diet of Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings will fail to be thrilled by much of what they see in The Haunted Mansion apart from possibly once sequence which sees Ms Davis encountering a number of the walking dead.

Production values are good sets are elaborately and effectively designed and the special effects are quite spectacular and the look of the film is as sleek and elegant as you'd expect to find in any Disney movie.

But while you might expect a certain amount of predictability in a film called The Haunted Mansion, there are no real surprises here. The script lacks inventiveness and just a little something to maintain interest and offer hope that the unexpected may be lying around the corner.

One thing we have come to expect from Eddie Murphy these days are his flat, uninspired comedy performances. Anyone hoping an improvement after his last outing, Daddy Day Care, will be disappointed.

And in this film Terence Stamp, the one-time screen icon and one of Britain's darlings of the 60s, is dreadful, in more ways than one.

OUT! rating: 4 out of 10

Film writer Stephen Webb reviews THE HAUNTED MANSION

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason

Certificate: PG

Director: Rob Minkoff

Running time: 86 mins

Showing at: UGC and Cineworld, Swindon