The Changeling (1980)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Russell Hunter (story)
William Gray (writer) ...

Release Date:

28 March 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

...an experience beyond total fear.

Plot:

A man staying at a secluded historical mansion, finds his life being haunted by the presence of a spectre.

Plot Keywords:

House | Mansion | Composer | Ghost | Research

Awards:

10 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

George C. Scott	...	John Russell
Trish Van Devere	...	Claire Norman
Melvyn Douglas	...	Sen. Joseph Carmichael
Jean Marsh	...	Joanna Russell
John Colicos	...	De Witt
Barry Morse	...	Doctor Pemberton
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Mrs. Norman (as Madeleine Thornton-Sherwood)
Helen Burns	...	Leah Harmon
Frances Hyland	...	Elizabeth Grey
Ruth Springford	...	Minnie Huxley
Eric Christmas	...	Albert Harmon
Roberta Maxwell	...	Eva Lingstrom
Bernard Behrens	...	Prof. Robert Lingstrom
James B. Douglas	...	Eugene Carmichael
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Security guard

Also Known As:

L'enfant du diable (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 (video rating) | South Africa:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1980) | USA:R (certificate #25883) | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Boeing Field - 7149 Perimeter Road, Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Chessman Park Productions

Trivia:

Before Peter Medak was given the job, two British directors were considered; Tony Richardson declined due to creative differences.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There are no telephone poles or wires going to the phone booth in the opening scene.

Quotes:

De Witt: I understand you lost your wife and daughter a little while ago. Maybe it shook you up. Maybe too much... *Maybe*, you need help.
John Russell: I'd like you to leave now...
De Witt: [making his threat a bit more clear] We can see that you get it... do you understand what I'm saying?
John Russell: [points to the door] Out! Now!
De Witt: [pressing] Listen to me, Russell! You've got something of the Senator's... he wants it back. It's a little gold medal, a family heirloom, he lost it. He thinks *you've* got it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Girls (2000)

Soundtrack:

Rondo in A minor for Piano, K. 511

Absolutely Horrifying.

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.