Disney - Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits (CD)

All Music Guide

Not so much a soundtrack as a collection of spooky pop songs, The Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits ranges from an overwrought remake of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" by Raven to Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party." "Dead Man's Party" is one of the few original songs included on the soundtrack, along with the Atomic Fireballs' "Man with the Hex," Suzanne Vega's "Tombstone" and the Jackson 5's "Boogie Man." Most of the album features fair to middling covers, including Morris Day's cover of "Somebody's Watching Me"; even though Day has been responsible for many great funkpop moments, his performance which is the album's best cover still isn't on par with Rockwell's original. The Conti Bros' version of "Spooky" and Brian O'Neal the BusBoys' covers of "Right Place, Wrong Time" and "Monster Mash" are decent enough, but just aren't as charming as the original material. One cover that does work well is the Barenaked Ladies' spin on "Grim, Grinning Ghosts," a.k.a. the theme song from Disney's Ha...unted Mansion ride; it's also reprised by the movie's Singing Busts. Mark Mancina's sparkly, spooky score gets short shrift, appearing only once on the soundtrack. While the album isn't bad, it could've been funnier, scarier or more creative, and it's hard not to look at the soundtrack as a missed opportunity. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less