Haunted Lighthouse (2003)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

"Haunted Lighthouse" is a 22-minute live action short film from almost 15 years ago that takes place for the most part in the location in the title. The kids may not have received first billing in the credits, that went to the more famous actors, but they are the stars here. The director and writer have both worked on quite a few films that may be several decades old, but also are still very well-known today. Sadly, this cannot be said about their collaboration here. It is a bit of drama, a bit of comedy, a bit of family, a bit of kids film and a bit of mystery horror, but it fails to deliver convincingly in any of these many areas. The film definitely would have needed a bit more focus I guess to result in a rewarding viewing experience. I think it is not bad by any means and one can watch it (once) without getting too bored, but I personally fail to see any really memorable aspects in here. Thumbs down and I don't recommend it.

My Wife and I took our 7 yr old Son to this show at Sea World, San Diego. He really enjoyed it as did my Wife and I. People need to realize that this was a 30 minute version designed mainly for kids and the family as a whole. It was very entertaining as well as keeping you on the edge of your seat wandering when the next special effect was coming to surprise you and make you jump. The effects themselves as well as the time it must have taken just to design this 3D version must have been extensive. Just the planning alone probably took months. Though I must agree that the story line is quite short, we must all admit that the attention span of Children isn't that long either.I applaud Sea World and the makers of this 3D adapted version for a job well done and look forward to more of the same.

This was a cute little family flick where they give you cheap thrills by spraying water at you and having various items popping out of the screen. worth watching as long as you dont mind getting wet. It starts out with a story about how the lighthouse became haunted. Then you come to current time where a ghost boy brings two siblings to the lighthouse and trys to kill them. And it ends with a comical cameo by Weird Al. Overall 2.5 out of 4 stars

The only thing haunted about "Haunted Lighthouse" was the fact that about 30 minutes of my life has now passed on and I will be forever reminded about how I cannot ever get it back.The "Spy Kids" series, Warner Bros. cartoons, and the Muppets constantly show that you can do family entertainment that will appeal to everyone and avoid heavy shipments of cheese.I would say the writing was primarily what was at fault here. I've never read any of R.L. Stine's books but I am familiar with the genres the author deals with (early teen thrillers). I can't get on the actors here too much. The kids were.. well.. not every kid can be Haley Joel Osment.The adults were primarily Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean since Lea Thompson only had a scant two or three lines and Weird Al was mainly scenery for while he was present. Lloyd and McKean did performances that were right on par with what the film was supposed to be. The problem was the material they were given to work with wasn't up to par with them.The 3-D effects featured were well done and the '4-D' interactions (water spraying, buzzing vibrations from the seats, wind blowing, etc) were pretty effective. It's just a shame that the entire package that was delivered could not compare to the wrapping that encased it.For anyone visiting Busch Gardens I recommend seeing it once (because I think every flick they have in the Globe should be viewed at least that many times) but similar to their "Auction at Castle O'Sullivan" in Ireland... once is more than enough for "Haunted Lighthouse".Neat idea, needed more of a plot than what was likely enscribed on the back of a napkin in 5 minutes by the author.