While ghost stories and the supernatural have made a recent resurgence at the box office (think The Conjuring and Hereditary), there was a time in horror when they lay as dormant as a long-forgotten spirit: the early ’80s. Okay, The Amityville Horror (1979) did big business, and The Shining (1980) did well, but these were exceptions, not rules. Audiences were more apt to take in masked killers and teens in peril than adults dealing with psychic crises of the soul and heart. Leave it to Severin Films to unearth and give the deluxe Blu-ray treatment to The Changeling (1980), Peter Medak’s riveting meditation on retribution and the deep shadows of the past that is long overdue for celebration.
Celebrated composer John Russell (George C. Scott – Patton) moves to Seattle four months after his wife and daughter are killed in a horrendous roadside accident. Looking for a place to write in peace, he rents a cavernous Victorian manor from Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere – The Hearse), who works for the local historical society. As John settles in to write, he begins hearing ritualistic noises (thumping on the pipes, the piano plays itself) and sets out to find the source of the disturbances. When he comes across a hidden room in the attic, his already fragile world will crumble even more…
Like many people, I slept on this Canadian production when it was released; even seeing the iconic cover art of the cobwebbed wheelchair wasn’t enough to entice a young horror fan. Ghost stories can be a hard sell sometimes—a lack of the visceral or a more meditative approach to the material offer few inroads to those just looking for a quick fix. But The Changeling’s melancholic tone and slowly unfurled sense of unease have finally found their place in the horror landscape, proving that it’s never too late to dig up the past; except in John’s case, which would have been wise.
Dealing with death doesn’t have to be assigned to a more mature audience to be captivating; just look to your favorite animated classics which practically wallow in it. But, as you get older (or have someone taken from you), a film like The Changeling—one that handles the despair of loss, the helplessness of it, in such an effective way—can resonate through your very bones. The Changeling tells us that life can be fleeting and unfair, yet the connections we make—whether in this world or the beyond—are powerful beyond comprehension.
The mood of the film is firmly rooted in such classically structured pieces as The Haunting (1963) and The Legend of Hell House (1973), all ambiance and whispers, terror bubbling underneath the calm, ready to erupt at any moment. Like those films, The Changeling builds to a fevered pitch before a blessed release. The personal attachment this one possesses—driven home by a powerful performance from Scott—sets it apart with its sadness.
The emptiness and disconnect between the characters—from the void between John and everyone, as well as the mysterious senator played by Melvyn Douglas—is amplified immeasurably by Medak’s choice to shoot with wide angle lenses, especially the house scenes; even when characters are in the same environment, they seem worlds apart. The Shining employed the same technique, yet I feel more of a connection with John’s plight than what befalls the Torrance clan. His residue is just too hard to shake.
Once again, Severin delivers a package guaranteed to please fans new and old. In addition to a razor-sharp 4K scan, The Changeling Blu-ray special features include:
Anything you could want to know is here. The audio commentary moderated by Gregory is informative and frank, and Medak has some wonderful tales of this production and more from his storied and championed career. Horror gatekeeper Garris gets to the pulsating heart of what makes the film resonate, and Wannberg rightly shines a light on the film’s elegant and moody score. All of these are terrific, but my favorite feature just may be The House On Cheesman Park. A retelling of allegedly true events that happened to writer Russell Hunter (who sold his story to producer Michaels) in Boulder, Colorado in the late 1960s, Cheesman Park is presented by Denver historian Dr. Phil Goodstein. Not only is the story fascinating (and a lot of it made it to the screen), but Goodstein offers a quirky presence that is hard to resist. And if you take a shot every time he says “bounce”, prepare to have someone deliver you to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
Since its release, The Changeling has been one of those “lost” horror films, or at the very least, spoken with a hushed reverence by the few and wise. Until now. Severin Films has once again resurrected the underseen, with much more than a whisper. This is a scream.
Movie Score: 4/5, Disc Score: 4/5
Scott Drebit lives and works in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is happily married (back off ladies) with 2 grown kids. He has had a life-long, torrid, love affair with Horror films. He grew up watching Horror on VHS, and still tries to rewind his Blu-rays. Some of his favourite horror films include Phantasm, Alien, Burnt Offerings, Phantasm, Zombie, Halloween, and Black Christmas. Oh, and Phantasm.
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