Honestly, it sometimes feels like the only thing getting me though the extended Conjuring Universe, which is now nine films old and counting, is Wikipedia.

In an early episode of The West Wing, White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg references a visiting Middle Eastern royal with 38 wives: “Imagine being the girl he dated that he didn't marry.” That quote came to me following my screening of Liam Neeson's new revenge thriller Retribution, because good Lord – if these are the projects the star keeps accepting, can you imagine how bad the ones he turns down must be?

In both form and practice, the movie might frequently remind you of Ridley Scott's Alien, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Joe Carnahan's The Grey, which remains the finest of the gazillions of macho-badass thrillers clogging Liam Neeson's resume. It's unfortunate that Øvredal's handsomely produced, fiercely acted endeavor isn't half as scary as those aforementioned titles.

If you take one step beyond the promise of Haunted Mansion's cast and ask yourself “Are these distinctive talents going to blend?”, you'll have some idea of the inherent disappointment in director Justin Simien's “adaptation” of the popular theme-park attraction.