The Changeling (1980)

October is drawing to a close, and I only have a few days left to watch any ghostly, spooky, creepy, and generally scary movies during the most appropriate month. Of course I realize that I can still pop in a horror movie after the big "Boo" day is done, but it just won't have that special significance. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. Also, I'll be happy to watch a movie that isn't necessarily trying to scare me, or throw blood in my face, once November hits.

For today I choose to watch The Changeling. Of my remaining possible films, it seemed to have the most potential, and a few people recommended it given the selection I had to choose from. Hit the jump to hear about this chilling ghost story!


John Russell (George C. Scott) has been having a pretty horrible life. Not long ago, he lost both his wife and daughter in a tragic roadside accident. Four months later, he's finally snapped out of his debilitating depression and has decided to start moving forward again. He takes a new job at a university teaching music (he's a composer) and moves into a lovely, and gigantic, old house which is owned by the historical society. His contact with the historical society is Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere) and as strange things start happening in the house, every thing from strange sounds to things moving on their own, Claire becomes his sidekick in trying to solve the ghostly mystery.

Claire and John half contemplate, half freak-out about the apparent ghost in the house

One of the best things a scary movie can have to help it along is good actors. The film is already at a disadvantage because it's about supernatural things, so to have good acting backing up is very important. If the actor's reactions and interactions with one another is believable, that makes it even easier to suspend disbelief in the unreal events going on around them. Thankfully, George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere are very good and really give this story a solid base to build on. Also, there's this really old Senator played by Melvyn Douglas. I noticed I had gone to his page on IMDB before, and it turns out he was the star of Ninotchka! I can hardly believe it's the same person! Anyways, he was good too.

What I really liked about this movie was the spooky atmosphere it pulls off. It takes a little while to get going, but it's a nice slow and steady pace all leading up to one of the most haunting scenes I've seen in a while. I also liked that the movie isn't only about finding out if the house is haunted, and then running away from it once it's confirmed. Instead, the haunting hits an early peak with a seance only halfway through the film. While the events of the seance are cool, the big creepy scene I mentioned takes place just afterwards. When John reflects back on the events that transpired, he listens to a tape recording he made while the seance was taking place. I got some serious chills up my back!

Listening to the recording of the seance reveals what couldn't be heard

I'm still a little up in the air on how much I really liked the second half of the movie though. The first half of the movie is just about IF there's a ghost. Once that's established, then they get into basically a murder mystery. Who was this spirit? Why were they killed? And I suppose most importantly, how can they ever prove it to the police? Certainly can't submit a creepy tape of a seance. One thing I'll say about the film, it was smart about the whole thing. John says right off the bat that they can't use the tape as evidence because recordings can be so easily doctored. Nope, instead he has to do all the leg work himself and take on the role of detective. While it was all done really well, the final conclusion left me a little unimpressed. But only a little! The conclusion just could never live up to that awesome scene with the tape recording.

Overall, I still really liked The Changeling. It's a very well made, well acted, and atmospheric film with both a ghost story, and a murder mystery all wrapped up in one. The effects are simple, yet effective, and you get some "oh damn!" moments, especially one involving a red rubber ball. If you haven't seen this movie, definitely check it out if you like ghost stories. It's not gory or horrific at all, but it has a few subtle creepy moments. This was definitely a really well made film that I think far more people should check out.