Changeling, The (1980)
Changeling, The (1980), directed by Peter Medak.
After seeing his wife and daughter die in a freak traffic accident, a composer moves to the northwest and rents an old house that should not have been rented. The spookiness begins at the 12 minute mark, with the piano-heavy score doing much of the heavy lifting.
Some intriguing elements: that he has a connection to the house that operates through time in irregular ways. His pounding to open a door seems the same as the mysterious pounding he heard earlier. An old music box plays one of his own compositions.
He suspects he has been selected by the house because an old tragedy there matches his own, although confusingly this is not the cause of the main haunting.
Notes:
Second to last film from Melvyn Douglas. He did Ghost Story (1981) the next year, another story of guilty secrets and vengeful spirits.
The pounding is a quote of The Haunting (1963).
The rubber ball appearing from nowhere was used in The Shining (1980) the same year.
Looking up at the dark landing reminds me of The Uninvited (1944).
The spirit voice on the tape suggests the later The Sixth Sense (1999).
Digging into the old well and finding a body there anticipates The Ring (2002).
I understand the spirit is vengeful, but really...
This appears on Martin Scorsese’s list of his favorite horror films, the others being:
I don't think it is a strong entry, but people vary in what they find frightening. To someone who can imagine being haunted by grief, it might be more moving.
It is well made but lacks a certain "get up and go". The action climax spoils the atmospheric build up, with being chased by a haunted wheelchair looking ridiculous to me.
We get a political subplot with the Senator and his police connections which seems out of place.
This is said to be based on the experiences of the original author. Although the film is not done documentary-style, I wonder if that made it more real, more frightening to the filmmakers?
Photographed by John Coquillon -- Cross of Iron (1977), The Oblong Box (1969), Straw Dogs (1971), Witchfinder General (1968), Wuthering Heights (1970).
Available on Blu-ray from Severin. The film source is very grainy in many scenes.
In a commentary track with the director and producer we learn:
The director read the script of The Haunting (1963) and was terrified by it. He really wanted the assistant director job on that film. He didn't get it but was working next door at the time, met Robert Wise and was able to visit the set during filming.
He also cites The Uninvited (1944) and The Innocents (1961) as influences.
George C. Scott had a reputation for being difficult but caused no trouble on this project. He played piano well enough to simulate his performance.
Scott's wife, Trish Van Devere, was something of a package deal as his co-star, but they say they wouldn't have used her if she wasn't right for it.
The director says that if you step frame-by-frame you can see his hand trying to pull Melvyn Douglas off of the burning stairway. He and the producer agree: you couldn't do that today.
