The Changeling
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Movie Reviews of The Changeling
Movie Review: Deeply frightening
Summary: 5 Stars
If you simply cannot avoid watching scary movies about ghosts, you are probably already intimately familiar with "The Changeling." Pulling off a film that actually delivers chills is not an easy task. It's my opinion that most pictures passing for horror these days never achieve any sort of scary atmosphere, instead relying on over the top gore to draw in the crowds. And to some extent, that's acceptable. I love to watch gory films. But if you seek movies that can actually make you jump, you've got a much smaller body of work to choose from. I'm not talking about films that rely on cheap scare tactics, like someone charging out of the shadows or the old "hand on the shoulder" gag. I'm talking about slow, subtle scares that build to a nail biting intensity over a period of time. "The Changeling" fits this bill quite nicely, although the film does have a few problems that occasionally get in the way of the shocks. If you enjoy this movie, you may want to check out "The Woman in Black," "The House on Haunted Hill," and "Ghost Story" for further "spirits gone wild" thrills and chills.
John Russell (George C. Scott) watched helplessly as his pretty wife and young daughter perished in a horrible automobile accident. Overcome with crushing grief, Russell gives up his career as a composer in New York to head across the country to the state of Washington. His talents as a musician allow him to obtain a post at a local university, but he needs to find some new digs so he can maintain his privacy. A suggestion from friends leads him to the local historical society where Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere) recommends he rent out Chessman House, a local landmark currently unoccupied. Why the historical society is in the real estate business is a question without an answer, but Russell willing agrees to move into the decrepit but beautiful house anyway. To say something is wrong with this old building ranks as one of the great understatements in cinematic history. A ghost haunts Chessman House; a very angry spirit whose sole purpose in life (no pun intended--in fact, a double pun!) is convincing Russell to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding its demise. At first, Russell isn't convinced that anything is wrong with the house. Sure, he hears some weird booming noises in the middle of the night, and his piano occasionally bangs out an odd note or two when no one is around, but these oddities do convince the musician to launch an investigation into the house's history.
Things really start to get weird once we learn about the background of Chessman House. According to local rumors and historical documents, a family living in the house back in the early twentieth century lost a daughter in a coal truck accident. Subsequent horrors convince our protagonist that the spirit inhabiting the building has nothing to do with this incident. For example, Russell witnesses the apparition of a young boy in a bathtub upstairs, and the voices he starts hearing don't sound like that of a young girl. In the film's best scene, a plastic ball bounces down the house's stairs and comes to rest right in front of Russell. The composer takes the toy and throws it in a nearby creek only to come home to discover the ball bouncing down the stairs again! Chilly! The truth becomes clearer in another ultra eerie scene when a psychic visits the house and channels a message from Joseph, a boy who lived in the house before the family with the girl ever arrived. It is the revenant of this young child communicating with John Russell, and the composer henceforth methodically unearths the mystery behind the ghost in Chessman House. No spoilers here, but ultimately a powerful senator, an abandoned well, and a small room in the attic provide the necessary clues in solving the mystery.
I liked "The Changeling" immensely. Some of the creepiest stuff ever caught on camera unfolds in this movie. Even better is how the filmmakers tie in the haunting with an engaging, multileveled mystery story replete with red herrings, murder, greed, and stolen identities. I had a discussion with a person I know who also saw "The Changeling," and they complained about George C. Scott being miscast in the role of John Russell. I didn't see that at all; I thought Scott a perfect fit for the part, and the actor played the character as a rational individual determined to solve the mystery of his surroundings quite convincingly and with effective nuance. If anything, it was nice to see Scott take a subtler role. Perhaps the movie's greatest difficulty lay in the failure of the filmmakers to do a better job tying in Russell's family tragedy with the otherworldly experiences of Chessman House. Here's a guy going through a catastrophe involving the demise of his wife and daughter, and yet he's trying to deal with the issues surrounding another fatality. That's probably why he does follow through with his investigation, namely as a way of working through his own personal tragedy, but the movie doesn't convey that as well as it should.
Forget about any extras on the disc. If memory serves me correctly, the only thing included on the DVD other than the film was a trailer. That's disappointing considering the level of creepiness "The Changeling" achieves. At the very least a commentary track would have been nice, but such is not to be. Still, the movie works very well on its own without any external elaboration from the people behind the scenes. If you want something more cerebral, and scarier than the average horror flick, you'll want to see "The Changeling."
Movie Review: Good classic scares and creepy!
Summary: 5 Stars
***WARNING: A few plot spoilers follow!***First of all, I must say I am reviewing this film as a jaded horror fan which has seen the best and worst of horror that Hollywood has had to offer. It seems that over the past 20 years that the trend has gone from genuinely frightening to ho-hum to laughable. Therefore, I love it when certain "new classics" arise to prove that trend is not always correct.
"The Changeling" gets the formula right on so many levels. A haunted house done in the style of "The Haunting" (the Julie Harris version, not the trash that was done on the remake), but with original elements. George C. Scott (who later went on to star in a great version of "A Christmas Carol") plays "John Russell", a musician who tragically loses his wife and daughter in the blink of an eye one fateful day. He choses to move to a vast, empty mansion in Seattle where he resides alone. Or so he thinks. He soon learns that he has an uninvited guest when unexplained clanging and drafts occur on a regular basis.
One might argue that if this film was made today, the director may have resorted to CGI for this film, thus ruining some of the ghostly apparitions. Maybe so, but thankfully, no cheap tricks or special effects gore clog this movie's veins. What we encounter is a dark, melancholy house which slowly and almost imperceptibly builds an atmosphere of tension and suspense. This atmosphere leads to a stratospheric climax in the famous "seance scene", which as one previous reviewer noted, was borrowed in totality by Stephen King for his miniseries "Rose Red".
For that matter, while watching this film, I noticed quite a few similarities from "The Others" as well. I mean, come on, a groundskeeper named "Mr. Tuttle"? Also, the idea of the "seen" vs the "unseen" history of the house (for example, the piecing together of the history of its inhabitants prior to the 1920s). "The Others" accomplishes this similarly with the hidden photo albums in the attic, in addition to the deliberately vague information provided by the three strangers who appear to take care of the house. And "Rose Red" has the main "villianess/heroine/protagonist" (depending on your point of view) actually "living" in a hidden part of the house (whose ever changing geography was a brilliant conception of King and King alone, so far as I know).
Anyhow, the thematic similarities between these three films ("The Changeling" of course long preceeded the other two) does nothing the sully the reputation of the two newer films. On the contrary, I think the writers and production teams were paying homage to this film, and each of those films has many distinctive elements which make them extraordinary on their own.
Trish Van Devere puts in a strong performance as Scott's co-star, "Claire Norman". It did not surprise me later to learn that she and Scott (were, Scott died in 1999) husband and wife, as their scenes together seemed very warm, natural, and convincing. Of course, in the end, she gets the wits scared out of her and gives quite a few hearty screams.
Melvyn Douglas, an accomplished actor himself, stars as "Senator Joseph Carmichael". We learn that he has an intimate connection to the occurrences at Chessman House, though I must say I was completely surprised by exactly how he fits in the puzzle. And that is something else worth commenting on. This is in fact a detective story of sorts, a mystery entertwined with a haunted house. I found this very interesting, and refreshing, much in the style of "The Others", the magnificent film I alluded to earlier. There is no "dramatic irony" here because we literally find out what is going on as the character does.
I think that some parts are a bit predictable, but it is safe to say that every viewer will be at least slightly taken off guard by the twists and turns this film takes. And this is a good thing. The only weaknesses in this film were the insertion of the "conspiracy angle" with Mrs. Huxley and the rather hokey ending with the figure of Senator Carmichael ascending the flaming staircase. I found myself thinking of the Apostle's Creed, saying, "(Jesus) died, and ascended into hell" (read that carefully). It is made clear that this is a hallucination of Scott's as another shot shows Douglas sitting at his desk at home, clutching his chest in the throes of a (fatal) heart attack. Still, I think a much stronger ending would have had Douglas drawing a bath, then found later in his tub, dead, of a heart attack. No special effects. No earthquakes. Just a frozen expression of sheer terror on his face. And wearing his medal. After seeing the film, you'll see what I mean by this.
Anyway, I shouldn't second guess the writing/direction team on an otherwise flawless effort. Ideally, I would rate this at four and a half stars, but five does not misrepresent the quality of the film. Yes, it is definitely a period piece, but what horror movie isn't? I think that if you have reasonable expectations that don't involve buckets of blood, gore, and a sensory overload of CGI, you'll really enjoy this film.
Movie Review: One of the best ghost stories on film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very subtle and spooky film that probably suffered from coming out in the middle of the 1980's horror boom when every other film featured attractive teenagers getting chopped to pieces. The result was that it did not do big business at the time of it's release and is not that well known even now, outside of a few very appreciative fans. The action centres on an elderly (for this genre, anyway) man called John Russell, played by George C Scott, who is recovering from the tragedy of losing his wife and child in an accident, and is taking a break in a remote mansion to catch up with some musical teaching and composing. It doesn't take long for him to realise, however, that the house is haunted. But rather than just flee the place, John is drawn into finding out the cause behind the supernatural activity, which leads him to ultimately even put his own life in jeapardy.
What's great about this film (well, just one of the great things), is that George C Scott can actually act. Always keeping things on the right side of hysteria, his character leads you through the film, and it's easy to idenitfy with his anguish over the terrible accident that robbed him of his family, which can be read as one of the founding emotions that lead him to become fascinated with the haunting. Scott has to carry much of the film alone, which he manages admirably. It's easy to see that this is an intelligent man, coming face to face with many things that he fears, and yet he refuses to run from them. A refreshing change from the bimbos and "scream queens" that are usually plonked in this kind of movie situation. In fact the only female character in the movie is the estate agent that found the house, and she is played by Trish Van DeVere, who thankfully is also a great actress, and she breathes life into what is otherwise a pretty small part.
But of course it's the actual haunting that forms the backbone of the film, and I want to credit the filmmakers for the handling of the experience. If I ever find myself in the middle of a supernatural occurence, my expectations are that it would be exactly like this - chilling, frightening and compelling. The seance, when a small, just barely audible voice is captured on tape, is a superb highlight, and the playback of the tape is a masterful sequence of suspense. Better still, the story takes us further than just on a spooky ghost ride, as John gradually uncovers the story behind the ghostly presence, a whole muli-layered back story is revealed, like layers of an onion being peeled away. The explanation for the haunting is poignant and heartbreaking, and the long overdue retribution for the crime that started it all is incredibly satisfying and definitely worth waiting for.
All fans of supernatural movies should really own a copy of this film. It is far better than it sounds on paper, and I'm sure it could have been easily bungled in the wrong hands. But thank goodness the director and screen writer knew what they were doing, and with all the right actors and some superb sets and camera work, what they produce is one of the most effective ghost stories on film since "The Haunting".
Movie Review: Best underrated horror film of our time
Summary: 5 Stars
Every generation seems to have their "scariest" film. My parents both recall "The Uninvited" (1944) as their favorite terror flick, and there are those who would call "The Blair Witch Project" the quintessential horror film of their generation. I choose "The Changeling" as the best ghost/suspense/horror film I've ever seen. It was not a huge blockbuster when it was released, but like many films of that ilk, it developed a cult following and is now hailed as one of the best ghost stories of all time. To this day, elements of this film can be glimpsed in other movies ("The Others," "The Ring").Because this film was shot with such a small cast of characters and limited exterior scenes (both of which would reveal a definite sense of the style of the times) it does not seem so dated for having been made in the late 1970s (released in 1980). The score is based in the classical style, usually played on the piano, which is a direct reflection of the main character (George C. Scott) who is a classical musician and professor.
To say this film is creepy is an understatement. I admit I am certainly a fan of the slasher/horror films of the 1980s, but the horror in this film comes from the story itself, not from special effects. The scipt, actors, director, score and cinematography work as a perfect team to bring a story of deceipt, murder, suspense and, of course, terror to the screen. Not one element of the film is spelled out for the audience, nor is it hammered into the viewer's head, as in many films of late ("House on Haunted Hill"), nor, thankfully, are we subject to the too-familiar gratuitous love scene between the stars ("Haunted"). The romantic relationship between the lead characters is implied, and we understand the depth of feeling they share with each other. Director Peter Medak tells this story in a slow but certainly not boring pace.
Scott and Van Devere maintain a very strong handle on what could possibly become over-the-top dialogue in the mouths of other actors, and they have both created roles here so tangible and accessible that you, as a viewer, immediately accept their situation, which makes you feel that this could happen to you, which, obviously, makes this a frightening movie.
Unlike other ghost/supernatural films of its time ("The Fog," "The Amityville Horror,") "The Changeling" wraps you up in what ends up being a murder mystery that is revealed slowly by the victim! I think this film was most likely overshadowed by the release of Kubrick's "The Shining" (released that same year) which is just as good a telling of a ghost story (if not a more pshychological ghost story), however, in "The Shining," Jack Nicholson's over-the-top performance, as good and juicy as it is, tends to detract from the wonderful tale of paranoia, delusion, hallucination and paranormal activity that Kubrick was trying to tell (in his own translation of the Stephen King story).
In "The Changeling" there are certainly shocks and starts along the way, and why would you not expect any from a ghost story? This film certainly proves itself as one of the lesser-known, but best true terror films of our time.
Movie Review: The template for the modern undead revenge flick
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie came out in the 1970s and it shows a bit...in the cars, the elbow pads on men's suit jackets. I say that not as a negative, but rather to point out that this film, although perhaps itself based on even earlier movies, sets the pace by which the "undead revenge" flick of the last thirty years has measured itself.
The "undead revenge" template by now has become quite familiar. It has surfaced, in various forms in movies from "Amityville Horror" and "Poltergeist" to the more recent "The Ring" "the Grudge" "Dark Water" "The Others" and even "Silent Hill". The theme is usually the same...the angry ghost of a murder victim, usually a child, reaches out to a susceptible adult who then proceeds to investigate the mistery of who killed the child (usually a parent). Some movies (Poltergeist, Silent Hill) break from the tradition a bit, but the "ghost who just can't let it go" is always an element of these stories. The emphasis in this genre is typically on building suspence rather than violence and gore. For some reason "the ghost" always starts out with little clues of its existence and builds more and more until some kind of destructive or murderous climax. I always rather wonder why the ghost doesn't just get it all out at the beginning...or for that matter, whether ghosts bother with all the parlor tricks when their haunted houses (or apartment in Dark Water) are sitting empty between spook victims (haunted houses almost inevitably spend at least a decade or so uninhabited to raise the question of "Why is it so difficult to get anyone to buy such a beautiful house?")
If you've been running through some of these more recent movies (particularly, the Grudge, Others, Ring and Dark Water, which barely stray from the basic plot of the Changeling), the Changeling will seem to hold few surprises. That's somewhat unfair, as the Changeling was one of the first movies to use the "undead revenge" storyline and remains one of the most effective movies of its kind. Only "The Others" can be said (in my opinion) to be a truly better movie (although "The Ring" was perhaps equally good, even if it held few real surprises).
The acting in this movie, although possessed of a typical 70's taste for alternating exaggeration and woodeness is quite good, with a particularly sensitive turn by George C. Scott in an underrated role. The storyline, although familiar by now, will keep you interested and hooked even if its surprises have been replayed endlessly in more recent films. Compared to some, some of the backstory might be a little confusing to understand (I've seen this movie several times with different people and some have gotten confused over who is the "Changeling" and who is the ghost).
The movie has its overly credulous moments. Perhaps the worst of these is the ludicrous idea that any major university would have an entire wing dedicated to "psychic research".
Overall this movie is highly recommended for those who enjoy a good spooky ghost story.