The Changeling (1980)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There's nothing quite like a good, simple ghost story to rattle you to the bone and supply some great creeps on a dark, stormy night. Everyone loves a good one. Whether it be around the campfire or on the big-screen... the supernatural and the paranormal provide an excellent groundwork for fans of all things scary. The unfortunate thing is that all too often, the great works of the past have gotten less recognition as time goes on. And that sadly seems to be the fate of director Peter Medak's genuinely spooky and solidly assembled 1980 release "The Changeling", starring George C. Scott. It's a pretty remarkable little film. It boasts absolutely stunning atmosphere, great performances and an intriguing "Whodunnit?" mystery all set to the backdrop of a classic haunted-house storyline. And yet, it's lack of recognition to most audiences is borderline criminal. It's a film that deserves far more praise than it gets.Scott stars as John Russell, a successful musical composer who lost his wife and young daughter in a tragic car-wreck some months ago. Trying to get on with his life and find new purpose, he takes a teaching position and moves to Seattle, where he rents an old Victorian mansion from the local Historical Preservation Society. Things seem well at first- he quickly befriends his Realtor Claire (Trish Van Devere), his new teaching position is going well, and he has an enormous house all to himself. But soon enough, he finds that he might not be alone inside of this massive dwelling... As increasingly disturbing paranormal events begin to occur around him, he will find himself drawn into a decades-old mystery regarding the death of a young child... A mystery that will take some dark and twisted turns...It's interesting to read about the production of the film, especially as co-writer Russell Hunter claims the story is loosely inspired by supernatural phenomena that he himself experienced. Whether or not this is true is up for debate, but I would say that there's a certain level of "realism" portrayed in the film that I found refreshing, and it makes you wonder if Hunter's claims might have actually happened. While the film is occasionally a slave to cliché, you always buy what's happening and the handling of the characters and story is expertly done. Stars Scott and Van Devere are perfectly cast and compliment each other well as is usual for films where they appear. Scott plays his role with a certain sensitivity, both giving it some good pathos while also injecting a drive necessary for the story. The fact Scott and Van Devere were husband and wife behind the scenes also lends some much needed levity and chemistry to the proceedings that I appreciated.I was also very taken with director Medak's keen use of slow-burn atmosphere building throughout the entire run-time of the film. This is one startling and scary story and has some of the most genuinely eerie moments and surprise twists I've seen in quite some time. The visual direction is very well orchestrated and Medak makes good use of composition, flow and lighting to start and maintain a very consistent and thrilling sense of dread from the first moments through the intense and edge-of-your-seat finale. Though a few scares might be a bit misjudged and I do think Medak tips his hat too much when setting up story-beats and characters that will be important later on, his handling of the film is never anything less than completely inspired, and it's a real shame he hasn't done more work along these lines in some time.I do have some minor squabbles with the film, however, and they do hold it just shy of perfection in my opinion. And they mainly pertain to the overall pacing and handling of the film's delightful but occasionally misguided murder-mystery plot line. It's no secret that a great deal of the film is focused on Scott's Russell trying to solve the mystery of the spirit that is haunting his new home, and it is genuinely fascinating to watch it unfold. But I think it drags on a bit too much and can distract from the otherwise excellent horror of the film. A few scenes (including an overlong seance sequence) feel a little misplaced and while I won't spoil it... as I mentioned above I think Medak tips his hat too much, so you'll see some of the twists and turns coming, which will lessen their impact. But still, even beyond that... "The Changeling" has just too much to love for these issues to make more than a minor impact. The performances are quite good. The storyline fascinating and very engaging. Characters well-established and very likable. And it's just good, creepy fun! It's frightening in the best of ways and deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. I give "The Changeling" an excellent 9 out of 10 and highly recommend it to all fans of horror!

Haunted mansions persist as mainstays of ghost stories to this day, as they should. They exude shadowy atmosphere and hold such promise of fright--only, however, when handled with subtlety. The Changeling, unfortunately, delivers an in-your-face presentation of a haunted house.The mansion works visually, but Director Medak doesn't tease the audience. For example, Scott composes at the grand piano and discovers a broken key. He subsequently leaves the the room, and the camera slowly zooms in on the keyboard where the "broken" key suddenly plays unassisted by a living hand (as so predicted by the lens's focus). Had the camera panned away from the piano, and just before the change of scene there floated the faintest possibility of that key mysteriously delivering a note, the viewer would have wondered: "Did I just hear that or not?" That ambiguity would have instilled a sense of disquiet, exactly what a well-made horror film should do.Other missed fright opportunities abound. A wheelchair careens after Van Devere, ostensibly to drive home the proof of a spirit. Really? Wheelchairs have built-in negative connotations, but their ability to accelerate frantically hardly qualifies as one of them. Why couldn't the chair simply have moved a few feet from its last observed location, or perhaps have changed directional orientation toward the music box or such? At another time, the last fond memory of Scott's deceased daughter, a rubber ball (A rubber ball? Most young girls have favorite dolls or stuffed animals, don't they?), bounces down the staircase of its own accord. Scott takes this treasured memento, drives to bridge, and throws it into the river, tired of the damn thing bouncing around the house and obviously disregarding its sentimental value. Low and behold, the screwy ball comes bouncing down again. Scary? No. A clumsy attempt at scariness? Yes.The list of squandered opportunities goes on and on, but the loss falls short of totality. The genuinely haunting voice of disembodied Joseph remains as the one truly eerie element of this film. The rest of The Changeling simply fails to deliver.

John Russell, a composer and music professor, loses his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. Seeking solace, he moves into an old mansion unoccupied for twelve years. But a child- like presence seems to be sharing the house, and trying to share its secrets, with him. Through research into the house's past and a séance held within, Russell discovers the horrific secret of the house's past, a secret that the presence will no longer allow to be kept........If your a horror fan, there is nothing more refreshing than a good old fashioned haunted house movie, without any CGI to spoil the atmospherics.The Woman In Black aside, it's been so many years since we had an effective haunted house movie, and from watching this really effective horror movie, I'm really surprised that more haven't been made.......without the use of CGI.Scott is as impeccable as he ever is, and he brings more to the films atmospherics due to his emotional performance. There are times when he's edging towards the hammy side, but he restraints himself, especially toward the end.It's a slow burner for sure, but it's consistently eerie, from the banging heard at six in the morning, to one of the most wonderful séance scenes I have seen for a long time, to John playing back that séance on tape and hearing other worldly noises not spotted first.If you are a fan of everything Blumhouse, with all their quiet..........quiet............quiet...........bang!! Cow prod scares, see this, this is what proper horror looks like, and the film doesn't force you into jumping.Your just too scared to notice that your not doing it.

I will advice you to see this film in the complete darkness and with a good sound home theater, it deserves a good big screen, and a great sound. This movie is based on the sound and what you cannot see. It delivers the kind of scare that continues with you when you have to go the kitchen in the darkness and you feel forced to turn on the lights of the hall to get to the kitchen. It is scary, but in a smooth way and it builds more and more until you feel really scared. I invite you to see this movie but with a good sound, because without it, it lost the 70% of its Art, yes this movie is art. We need this kind of artists working on the current horror movies.