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218 comments in total

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33 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
First-Rate Haunted Horror, 10 November 2001
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

George C. Scott loses his wife and daughter in a car accident, moves to Seattle, and rents a gigantic old mansion with a haunted secret past. This film is skillfully directed by Peter Medak who gets more that even he probably bargained from a solid cast of actors, a wonderful script, and one great-looking eerie old house. Medak creates tons of suspense with the barest sight of blood. This film reeks atmosphere. The house reeks atmosphere. Scott's performance and that of veteran Melvyn Douglass reek atmosphere. Doors creak, balls mysteriously bounce, water runs, windows break in the old house trying to tell Scott about the secret of a young child that once lived there. The script is fanciful yet well-written and very creative. Scott gives an atypically subdued performance that suggests passion, heartbreak, and tenacity. The rest of the performers are very good too. I cannot remember the last time Mr. Douglass gave a poor performance. Some of the scenes that really stand out in my mind are flashback sequences showing the terrible secret that has been hidden in the house for over 70 years. Medak doesn't have a huge budget to work with here, but this movie beats out newer haunted house films like the remake of The Haunting by leaps and bounds. This is one classy scare film!

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30 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Chilling ghost story, 14 June 2005

Author: jrs-8 from Chicago

"The Changeling" tells the story of a composer (George C. Scott) who, as the film opens, loses his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. Getting away from it all, Scott buys an old home to get his mind right and to get back to doing the work he loves. Soon he discovers that his house is haunted and filled with secrets waiting to be revealed. To say much more then that would be unfair to the first time viewer.

Suffice to say this is a chilling film with several good scares that aren't achieved by manipulating the audience. By that I mean loud chords of music on the soundtrack or the unexpected cry of a cat or something like that. "The Changeling" works for its scares and succeeds. Another big reason the film is so well done is the performance by Scott. For a change the hero in a ghost story is not a wimp but a strong, self assured man who is going to fight to the bitter end to find the truth and get his life back. Very few actors could have pulled it off better then Scott.

The supporting cast is headed by Melvyn Douglas (in one of his last roles) and Scott's wife, Trish Van Devere who projects a look of total terror as well as anyone I have seen.

Two moments that stand out are the séance scene which is eerie and the unexpected arrival of a child's toy ball. This film will give you shivers. If you are a fan check it out and make sure to watch it with a loved one cuddling up against you with all the lights turned out.

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31 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Very scary and atmospheric horror film, 13 March 2005

Author: Idocamstuf from Greenville, NY

In this sadly forgotten horror film, George C. Scott plays a music composer who has just moved to Oregon to escape the painful memories of his wife and daughter who were killed in a car crash. He rents an old and secluded mansion from the historical society as a place to live. Soon after he moves into the house, strange occurrences begin.

This is one of those horror movies that can be scary without being bloody and gory. It simply relies on atmosphere and frightening, but subtle images to deliver its chills, and it works. I will never be able to understand that "R" rating mainly because there is only very mild profanity and there is no blood or gore. Anyway, I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good scary ghost story. 8/10.

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28 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice and Spooky, 7 December 2003
Author: Gafke from United States

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.

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21 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Does for Ghosts what AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON does for Werewolves!!!!!, 5 November 2003

Author: IAN-Cinemaniac from Belgium

THE CHANGELING is by far the scariest film I have ever seen. It's not because of scary monsters or gory F/X. This film has very few gory moments or F/X. It scares with great story telling, sounds and dark corners. It's actually quite a sad story as well. The acting is excellent and the director is quite accomplished. I am a huge movie fanatic and HORROR is one of my favorite genres; and I realize there are very few actually good horror movies, so take my word this is great film making. WATCH IT ALONE and you will be very unpleased by how scared you are. This is not a film to watch with a group. I tried that once and everyone thought it was boring. You need the quiet to pay attention to build the natural tension and fear. Enjoy. They don't make them better than this. This is up there with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON as the best of the horror genre!!!

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17 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely Horrifying., 30 January 2003

Author: TheTwistedLiver from Chicago

The first time I saw this film, I was about four years old. I'm not sure if I have slept right since, I am now twenty four and it still haunts me.

The tale of a lonely musician, who loses his wife and daughter in a terrible accident, and then decides to rent an old mansion in the pacific norhtwest, only to find the house has a history of it's own. The film is paced well, set perfectly, and reveals a darker side of the bourgeouis than most are willing to explore. A masterpiece.

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13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
One Of The Best, Classiest Haunted-House Movies, 17 July 2005

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

"The Changeling" is an old-fashioned, but hair-raising ghostly tale, very much at the level of classics of the subgenre like "Legend of Hell House (1973)" and "The Haunting (1963)." The film's narrative is interesting, and at times, even moving. Also, the film proves that old adagio that you don't really need to show anything in order to scare the audience. There are hardly any special effects in the film; violence is mostly implied. Director Medak puts his trust on the audience, allowing the viewers to fill in the blanks – the movie stimulates the imagination of the viewer like the best horror films often do. I wish more directors were as smart as Medak because his technique really pays off – this is one helluva scary movie! Plenty of spooky sequences will keep horror fans glued to the TV and those of you that don't particularly care for this type of production will surely enjoy this film's classy, elegant style. George C. Scott is terrific as the man tangled in a complicated web of ghostly mysteries. Many other familiar faces show up throughout the film (Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Madeline Sherwood, etc.). John Coquillon's camera work is eerily patient, and composer Rick Wilkins is a great accomplice when it comes to help scare the audience. It is simply one of the best haunted-house movies that I have seen.

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14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Good film!, 14 November 2004

Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

John Russell (George C. Scott), a widower who lost his wife and child in a roadside accident, moves into an opulent mansion and becomes aware of its tragic history; he works at the solving the mystery with the help of a new acquaintance, Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere, Scott's real-life wife).

Solid, mystery/horror/thriller is competently made and unlike lame junk like "The Amityville Horror", it actually manages to be spooky. And it does this without relying on special effects or any other sort of gimmickry. It just tells a simple ghost story that for once is refreshingly uncomplicated (of course, it helps that Scott's dialog is full of explanation).

It's a nice throwback to earlier classics like 1963's "The Haunting" and I can see why some people would hold it in high regard. In fact, I would put it the same league as Carpenter's "Halloween", another classic masterpiece of subtlety and dread.

Excellent cast of professional actors is a big plus.

One of the better scare movies ever made and worthy of re-discovery.

8/10

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Most enjoyable edge of the seat spooky, 22 October 2003

Author: davedeb2003 from Nottingham England

Never seen the late George C Scott in a film like this before,but i think he just about got away with it.Before you watch it make sure you can watch it without interuptions,prefarbly when its dark,that way you'll get more involved.

The film is about a ageing music composer who,after a car accident in which is family are killed,buys a mansion,all is well to start with but soon there is loud banging at night and soon we see a medium being called in to find the ghost of a young boy called Joseph who was murdered in the house 70 years ago,Mr. Scott then trundles through the film trying to find the reason he was killed and by who.A totally enjoyable super natural movie that as a few twists and turns,a few scenes will make the hair on your arms stand up,having said all this the ending was a little predictable.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A Real Haunted House Thriller!, 28 February 2005

Author: Darren DeBari (darrendebari@mindbreak.net) from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Horror films have become caricature's over the years. They contain characters, situations, and elements you've seen before. The exceptions have been THE SIXTH SENSE and SCREAM. THE SIXTH SENSE cleverly turned the ghost genre on it's head and SCREAM mocked the slasher genre while still providing some good thrills. However, there is only one film when it comes to the haunted house genre.

Peter Medak's THE CHANGELING is everything a horror film should be. It's suspenseful, well acted, contains an intelligent plot, and uses no special effects or gore to obtain it's objective. It generates real fear.

George C. Scott plays John Russell. He's a man trying to endure the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. He rents a mysterious, old house from the Historical Society where he can compose out of. He's an accomplished piano player and takes a job teaching piano at a University. He's got quite the reputation as the size of the class is monstrous.

Soon, things begin to get strange. Every morning there are loud, banging noises from upstairs in the house. These noises lead to a bedroom where a child's wheelchair is found and an old music box that plays an identical song to the one Russell's been composing. It gets even more terrifying from there as Russell investigates the history of the house with the help of Claire, a beautiful member of the Historical Society, played by Trish Van Devere. Scott and Van Devere have a natural chemistry and it may be due to the fact that they were really married.

Russell finds out some surprising secrets after a terrifying Seance. The secrets lead him to Senator Joseph Carmichel, played by the great Melvyn Douglas. Carmichel tries to keep everything quiet but the dead have a way of tormenting the living and keeping old secrets alive.

A great horror film can derive fear from even the simplest things. In this film a child's ball rolling down the stairs will make your hair stand up on end. There's also a piano striking a chord without a player, and a glass flying off a table and shattering during a Seance. This film is filled with those simple things and a whole lot more.

Today's films are filled with quick cuts, computer generated effects, and loud scores. This film achieves it's objective in a much more subtle fashion. It's characters are real people and not just reactors. It's story is intelligent and well told. Finally, it's effect is chilling and stays with you long after the experience, the mark of a truly great horror film.

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