If you’ve ever glanced at one of those “Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time” (or Top-some-other-number) lists, you’ve likely seen this title before. DO NOT CONFUSE IT WITH THE 2008 FILM OF THE SAME NAME – YOU WILL BE SORELY DISAPPOINTED.
Synopsis: John Russell (George C. Scott), a composer whose wife and daughter were killed in a tragic accident on a snowy road in upstate New York decides to relocate to Seattle, Washington where he rents a gorgeous Victorian home from the local historical society.
Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere), the agent who brokered the deal mentions that the house has been vacant for several years, but John thinks nothing of it until he begins to experience strange and increasingly invasive phenomena. At first it’s as simple as some banging on the walls – pretty standard haunting fare – but next thing he knows, every tap in the house is running at full blast and he’s seeing an apparition of a drowned boy.
Along with Claire, John begins to research the house’s history. The two believe the spirit to be that of a young girl who was killed outside the house in the early 1900’s in an accident eerily similar to the one that claimed the lives of John’s wife and young daughter, so they decide to hold a seance.
“That house is not fit to live in. No one’s been able to live in it. It doesn’t want people.”
Minnie Huxley, The Changeling (1980)
Afterwards, John is listening to the tapes recorded during the seance and discovers that the ghost is definitely not the young girl. In fact, it is someone nobody even knew was dead – and that ghost is understandably pissed. I don’t want to say more in case you’ve managed to sleep on this one. It’s worth trying to remain spoiler free (do I really need to do that with a 39 year old movie, though?).
The film won Genie Awards for:
- Best Foreign Actor – George C. Scott
- Best Canadian Film
- Best Foreign Actress – Trish Van Devere
- Best Adapted Screenplay – William Gray and Diana Maddox
- Best Art Design – Trevor Williams
- Best Cinematography – John Coquillon
- Best Sound – Joe Grimaldi, Austin Grimaldi, Dino Pigat, Karl Scherer
- Best Sound Editing – Patrick Drummond, Dennis Drummond, Robert Grieve
Martin Scorsese placed The Changeling on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time (this feels topical what with Scorcese being all the hell over the entertainment rags lately).
My Edition:
YouTube, although I just discovered that you can pick up a really cool Blu Ray bundle from Severin Films which I will definitely be picking up once I have $37 (USD) to spare – which I hope happens for me soon since it’s a limited edition deal. Edit: my partner got it for me! 💖
You can also rent it from all the regular places (Vudu, Google, etc.).
Rating:
So, this film always makes those “Top” lists for a reason. It is phenomenal – truly. The sets are beautiful. The tension building is unparalleled. The film is suffused with a sense of dread and hopelessness, because that fucking ghost is so, so angry. Will anything ever be enough for him?
The Changeling is so atmospheric, and so haunting that I promise – if you watch it, it’s going to stick with you. It’s easily one of the best ghost stories I’ve ever seen put to film.
The Changeling
Directed by: Peter Medak
Released March 28, 1980
Chessman Park Productions
Supernatural Horror
Rated R
107 Minutes
