The Changeling: A Creepy Mystery
An Eerie Mystery Surrounds a Restless Spirit
George C. Scott moves into a new (haunted) house after the death of his wife and daughter ; he is consumed by the house's history and an untold murder.
At its heart, The Changeling is a mystery. It has a well developed story, and as the pieces of the mystery reveal themselves, each is fleshed out in an eerie sequence. Our introduction to the film is through one character, thrown into intense hardship. Through his eyes, a mystery from the past starts to unravel, complete with haunting memories and eerie sounds. It is an unusual horror movie, foregoing cheap scares and stingers in lieu of a deeper plot--the search for the truth is the core of this film, unearthing the why and the rationale. Despite its year (1980), the film aims less for flash--its devotion to the story would nearly rob it of the horror categorization altogether were it not for some eerie seance footage and haunting moments enclosed in a creepy mansion.
A Restless, Haunting Spirit
George C. Scott plays John Russell, a world-renowned pianist who has recently lost his wife and daughter in a devastating car accident. His chosen isolation afterwards, his desire to engross himself in his work, is completely understandable and works as a great impetus to surround him with an eerie mystery. His desire to move into a gigantic colonial house, however, seems somewhat unfitting--however wealthy, it's odd to imagine a grieving widower choosing the largest house he can afford to work out his sorrows. But it plays nicely into the story's needs and is easily overlooked as a minor plot weakness.
Rapidly at home amongst his knick knacks and piano, John composes and plays, but finds the house is trying to communicate with him. The house is full of sounds and creepy glimpses into the past, consuming his attention. There are several shots of dark hallways alongside a piercing and abstract score to underline the horror. The cinematography is nearly too dark, but it's effective in its efforts to concentrate the audience's attention. John doesn't seem terribly afraid of the house's seeming distaste for residents, but rather, intrigued. He explores the house, breaking through sealed entryways and inviting whatever may lay in store for him.
The Characters of The Changeling
The film takes its time establishing the two main characters, John and the house. The house has an intricate past worth discovering, but it's a difficult riddle to solve. With the aid of his real estate friend, John unearths the family history from years past, but is unable to pin down the origins of the restless soul trapped inside the house. It is only with the aid of a seance that he finds concrete answers. And with those answers, the brutal truth of the spirit's murder can come to light. John literally unburies both the tortured bones and the connection to those in the present day who may be tied to the tragedy.
The Changeling makes for a refreshing horror film. So many are short on substance and heavy on meaningless gore, all executed by shallow characters established with a mere five minutes of screen time. This film takes its time but establishes a real feeling for a scary setting and lets it unfold with a solid pace. For some, dark hallways will never be the same.
