The Changeling (1980)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Russell Hunter (story)
William Gray (writer) ...

Release Date:

28 March 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

"How did you die, Joseph...? Did you die in this house...? Why do you remain...?"

Plot:

A man staying at a secluded historical mansion, finds his life being haunted by the presence of a spectre.

Plot Keywords:

House | Mansion | Composer | Historical Society | Ghost

Awards:

10 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

George C. Scott	...	John Russell
Trish Van Devere	...	Claire Norman
Melvyn Douglas	...	Sen. Joseph Carmichael
Jean Marsh	...	Joanna Russell
John Colicos	...	De Witt
Barry Morse	...	Doctor Pemberton
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Mrs. Norman (as Madeleine Thornton-Sherwood)
Helen Burns	...	Leah Harmon
Frances Hyland	...	Elizabeth Grey
Ruth Springford	...	Minnie Huxley
Eric Christmas	...	Albert Harmon
Roberta Maxwell	...	Eva Lingstrom
Bernard Behrens	...	Prof. Robert Lingstrom
James B. Douglas	...	Eugene Carmichael
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Security guard

Also Known As:

L'enfant du diable (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 (video rating) | South Africa:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1980) | USA:R (certificate #25883) | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Boeing Field - 7149 Perimeter Road, Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Chessman Park Productions

Trivia:

Before Peter Medak was given the job, two British directors were considered; Tony Richardson declined due to creative differences.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The next scene after John discovers the small child's room and the music box, Claire is listening to music on the reel to reel tape player. There is a large mirror and several small mirrors built into the mantle above the fireplace behind her. As the camera dollies right towards John, you see the arm of a grip pushing the camera in the small right mirror below the single large mirror.

Quotes:

John Russell: [to Senator Carmichael] You're the beneficiary of the worst kind of murder... murder for profit!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Girls (2000)

Soundtrack:

Symphony #1 in C minor, Opus 68

Nice and Spooky

This is one of my all time favorite ghost stories, right up there with "The Innocents," "The Haunting" and "Ringu."

George C. Scott plays John, a famous pianist and composer who has lost his wife and young daughter in a freak car accident. Grief stricken and heartbroken, he moves to Washington state and rents a wonderful old Gothic mansion. Surprise surprise! It's haunted.

This movie has everything. Dark, spooky stairways draped with dusty cobwebs, a boarded up room with a terrible secret, a shadowy seance scene, ghostly voices and frightening noises that echo through the huge house, political intrigue and a very solid looking ghost who scares the absolute hell out of anyone he shows himself to. It boasts a well thought out plot with several great twists and a very angry murder victim, who doesn't want to be at peace - he just wants revenge, and boy does he get it.

Fans of "Ringu" will enjoy this tale of murder, ghostly revenge and bodies thrown down wells. Just watch it, preferably on a dark and stormy night with all the lights turned off. I dare you.