#2 - The Changeling (1980)

 

The Changeling (1980)

(dir. Peter Medak)

After his wife and daughter are killed in a car accident, composer John Russell (George C. Scott) moves into an old mansion rented from the local historical society. There he hopes to work on his music in solitude while dealing with his grief, but when he starts experiencing strange phenomena he becomes more interested in unraveling the tragic history of the house and the child who was killed there. This is a classic haunted house film, one of the best that the genre has to offer.

In many ways this is a fairly standard ghost story, with familiar elements like a séance, ghostly whispers that can only be heard on recordings, and most importantly a mystery that must be solved in order for the spirit to be put to rest. This film does some things differently to make it stand out from the pack, though. I really like that there is no "skeptic" character - once the supernatural stuff starts, the plot moves right along without wasting any time. We also learn the identity of the ghost as well as what happened to him early on, so the mystery becomes more about fleshing out the details than solving the murder.

This movie has a lot going for it technically, too. The soundtrack to this film is awesome - lots of classical piano music and an excellent score by Howard Blake. The acting from the whole cast is great, especially George C. Scott, and the cinematography is mostly excellent as well. I can't think of anything negative to say about it, really.  As far as haunted house/ghost stories go, this is one of the best. The bombastic climax is possibly the most memorable in the genre.

Very highly recommended if you like this sort of film, and maybe even essential viewing for horror fans.