The Changeling
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Movie Reviews of The Changeling
Movie Review: One of the finest examples of the genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently widowed composer, John Russell, moves back home to Seattle to take up a teaching post at the local university as well as focus on his music. With the help of Claire Norman of the historical society, he rents an enormous, old house where he will be afforded both the space and seclusion needed to carry on with his work. The house, which is supposedly free of any past, significant "incidents", seems, at first, to be a perfect choice but soon, minor inexplicable events starts surfacing until John finds himself fully submerged in the house's horrible past and he is left with no other choice but to help the tormented soul that haunts it avenge his murder 70 years earlier. I remember seeing this movie in 1980 and I remember just as vividly being scared witless that night. I was 14 at the time and knee deep in my love of all things horror, regardless of the panic that would descend the moment bed time came. Not having seen this movie in many years, I watched it again this past weekend with a friend who'd never even heard of it and I couldn't believe that it chilled me to the bone the same way it did 29 years ago. This movie is a lesson in horror filmmaking. Everything is delivered expertly and efficiently. All the elements conspire to create a dark and menacing tale of murder and spectral vengeance. The sound editing is amazing (as is the accompanying score by Rick Wilkins) with distant banging, faint whispering and bold metallic screeching, infusing the atmosphere with pure dread. The camera work is very effective, especially when it's used to show the ghost child's point of view, as he descends stairs, enters rooms or looks down at the partially opened door of his attic room. The post séance scene is an inspired segment; an unnerving moment that manages to illuminate the story while everything around it is framed with darkness and shadows. The small cast is excellent, with the late, great George C. Scott, bringing depth and unnerved determination to the character of John Russell. The underrated Trish Van Devere is also first rate as Claire Norman, the historical society's liaison and John's friend and confidant. Melvyn Douglas is equally compelling in the smaller role of the changeling, Sen. Joseph Carmichael. This gem of a ghost story is a wonderfully crafted and executed example of what can be achieved without having to resort to the bombast and bluntness that are the lynchpins of most contemporary horror films. Younger audiences will most likely dismiss this movie as being cheesy, lame, dated or what have you, no doubt the result of years of being bludgeoned by first rate special effects at the service of fourth rate material and talent. I would, easily, place The Changeling on a list of top 25 modern horror films, alongside Halloween, The Exorcist, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, Night of the Living Dead, The Shining, Dawn of the Dead and Suspiria, to name a few. It's a beautifully realized film that deserves to be better known and appreciated.Movie Review: Another one of those movies Hollywood forgot how to make
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite horror films of all time. About the only ones I can think of that I like as well are the original "Halloween," and "The Shining." Those two movies are very different films from each other, and from this film, but all three are characterized by one common theme: what really scares you is what you DON'T see. Somehow, Hollywood forgot this a long, long time ago. Your imagination, given a little room to work, can conjure nightmares more vivid and more frightening than anything the best art department and visual effects specialists can ever put on celluloid. If done well, things only need to be hinted at, and then you will fill in the details out of the scrapbook of horrors that you carry around in your head, and you mind will tailor it to your own deepest fears.
Don't get me wrong, visual effects are a true marvel of modern film making, enabling makers of films to achieve effects that their forebears only dreamed of. Done well and judiciously, this can tremendously enhance a film. The problem is, these days, almost no one uses this tool judiciously. It's invariably overdone. I can't think of a recent ghost story told on the screen where we don't get treated to full, detailed views of the ghost sooner or later. These days, they always strive to outdo the last film with yet more spectacular stunts, more spectacular effects. Sometimes it works, but it rarely rises to the level of some of the old films, where the technology was more limited, and this forced them to rely more on the unseen, on suspense, drama, and the talents of the actors and the director.
"The Changeling" is a movie in the old style. The Ghost is never seen (except, once his identity becomes known, in a flashback to the scene of his murder), but his ominous presence pervades the film almost from the beginning. Imagine yourself in the place of John Russell, the main character played to perfection by the late, great Geo. C. Scott. All alone in this huge, old, dark house, and you begin hearing inexplicable noises. Before long, you realize there is another presence in there with you. Do this while watching the film alone, at night, in your own dark house.
One of the scariest scenes I've ever seen in a movie is the scene where Russell hears the rubber ball his deceased daughter once played with bouncing down the stairs. It comes to rest just outside the door of the room where he was looking at photos of his lost family. Knowing the ghost has done this, he drives out to a bridge, and throws the ball in the water, and then arrives back home to find the ball bouncing down the stairs straight toward him as soon as he walks back in the door. You never see anything except a rubber ball, but it almost makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. There are other scenes as well done as this too, and like this scene, all depend on the viewer's imagination, but that's why it works.
This is what a ghost story ought to be.
Movie Review: No one's been able to live in it. It doesn't want people
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the supposed reasons why ghosts remain in this world is that they were murdered, and want the world to know who did it.
So expect a lot of that in "The Changeling," a quiet, compelling ghost story that harkens back to old-fashioned chillers. No ghouls, buckets of blood, chainsaws or serial killers. Instead, this movie relies on outstanding acting, and a timeless feeling that permeates the simple story. And it'll scare the skin off you.
John Russell (George C. Scott) is on a trip with his wife and daughter, when a freak car accident kills them both. Months later, the grieving composer moves to Seattle and rents an enormous historical house, trying to bury himself in his new job. But there are odd sounds and sights in his house -- faucets running, eerie voices the piano clashing, and a boy drowned in the tub.
John becomes increasingly desperate to find out the truth, assisted by the real estate agent who got him the house (Trish Van Devere). With seances, visions and a well under the floorboards, he begins to piece together a terrible crime from many years ago -- and the "changeling" that the ghost wants revenge on.
Anyone who wants blood, special effects and lots of screaming had better look elsewhere for their horror kicks. "The Changeling" is a very different kind of movie -- think Shirley Jackson, not Stephen King -- where a wheelchair rattling down the stairs is enough to make your hair stand on end. (And do I detect some influence on "The Ring" in certain scenes?)
This movie also feels elegant and timeless. Old mossy mansions, horseback riding in damp forests, and a composer trying to overcome his grief. Peter Medak drapes the movie in beautiful visuals, and allows the viewers to get to know the characters before the plot really gets moving.
Then "The Changeling" becomes creepy very fast. The plot grows more suspenseful with every scene, building with every new discovery -- a wheelchair, a baptismal medal, and a bathtub -- until something has to erupt. The ghost never appears except in flashbacks -- an appalling murder scene -- but his keening voice can be heard over and over.
George C. Scott gives a pitch-perfect performance as the mild, slightly reclusive John, who is still suffering from his losses and trying to move on with his life. Van Devere comes across as a bit annoying at first, but she also serves as a good counterpoint to Scott, as well as a potential love interest whenever he's ready. Melvyn Douglas also has a good brief role as a politician with a deep dark secret.
Less is more in "The Changeling," a movie whose scares spring from its exceptional scripting, eerie ghost and great acting. Just don't watch this one alone in the house... at night.
Movie Review: A true classic of the horror genre
Summary: 5 Stars
I doubt I will be the last person in history to praise the enjoyable creepiness of "The Changeling," the near-peerless haunted house thriller that slithered out of Canada in 1980. To this day, I still have a difficult time watching this film alone. I can recall viewing this flick with a girlfriend on a dark and stormy Halloween night. About halfway in, she literally left the room crying, asking me to turn on the light.I think the mood is extremely important to "The Changeling." The opening tragedy that befalls the protagonist's family is about as terrifying a prologue as ever seen in film. The Canadian locale (I believe this was filmed in the Vancouver area) is dark and overcast, with an old house that looks about as far from a Hollywood backlot as any house could possibly be. The extraordinary cast, including Academy Award winners George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas, also lend a respectable air to the eerie proceedings. Frankly, this is good old-fashioned horror that proves the great axiom - `Less is more.' You will find no gateway's to hell or murdering witches or serial killers in "The Changeling." Just a ghost - the ghost of a murdered child.
Scott plays a grief-stricken musician who moves into an old dark house, working as a professor at the nearby university. He eventually begins hearing weird sounds in his dusty abode and, after a bit of investigation, discovers a hidden room in the attic - a hidden room with a wheelchair. Scott begins to research the house's history, eventually discovering a dark secret stretching all the way to the local Senator (Douglas, of course). And did I say there was the ghost of a murdered child? Not wanting to give away the scares, let's just say vignettes involving the wheelchair and a rubber ball are some of the spookiest scenes ever filmed. And, of course, there's the seance.
British director Peter Medak (having done "The Ruling Class" previously) has done a superb job in building the tension of this film. Camera angles peering around corners, leering from above and rapidly moving up the stairs towards dark, hidden rooms, cause the proceedings to be almost unbearable. And of course, you have George C. Scott, an actor who never really gave a bad performance in a film. "The Changeling" is no exception. One of the greatest American actors of all time, Scott is matching wits with an extremely indignant ghost. As a lover of the supernatural genre, I am lucky this great talent chose such an unusual project to participate in. Quite simply, "The Changeling," like "The Haunting" made 20 years before, is one of the greatest horror films of all time.
Movie Review: Creepy
Summary: 5 Stars
The trip down memory lane continues with my recent purchase of The Changeling DVD. It was one of the first horror movies I say. While considered a horror movie, this is movie is more downright creepy than horrific.This George C. Scott, Trish VanDevere, Melvyn Douglas vehicle is well produced and well acted, depending on story rather than effects, which there are virtually none. It is a combination haunted house/ghost story/murder mystery that evokes a feeling of terror without any gore.
In summary, Scott plays a composer who loses his wife and daughter in a traffic accident in the first scene. He moves into a huge historic mansion where a murder was committed around the turn of the century. VanDevere works for the historic society that rents him this expansive manse that bangs and rumbles mysteriously making sure Scott gets up in time to teach his classes. After discovering a secret room behind a closet (shades of Rosemary's Baby?) he investigates the nasty things that happened in this personable house's past. It's takes a seance to find all the missing pieces as the ghost tells the story of his murder by his father. Seems daddy like money more than his son and would loose it if the sickly stripling kicked it before he turned 21. Daddy disposes of the inferior model and acquires a healthier one through the local orphangae. (Thus the changeling.)
The spirit is well portrayed almost exclusively through the plot. It's only physical manifestations are as a dead body floating in a bathtub. At times it's lonely, other times it's pissed off, and when it seems that things are gonna fall apart, it's downright malevolent, knocking off a police captain that threatens to put the kibosh on Scott's machinations to expose this whole torrid affair. Just like a six year old boy.
The film suffers less as a fashion victim than Scott's film of the previous year, Hardcore. Hey, it was the seventies. We all had those wide lapels. Unfortunately, the ending is muddled and the now senator changeling appears to try and make peace with terror tantrum ghost boy who is tearing down the house by this point. Senator changeling then drops dead of a heart attack. Or did he kick it first. It's not too clear. Aside from this, it's a great movie.
The DVD has a crisp picture with the slightly washed out color you'd expect of a seventies movie and the sound is clear. The only special features are some cast and crew bios.
What's the creepiest scene? Follow the bouncing ball...