The Changeling (1980)

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

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Russell Hunter (story), William Gray (screenplay)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas

10 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	John Russell
Trish Van Devere	...	Claire Norman
Melvyn Douglas	...	Senator Carmichael
Jean Marsh	...	Joanna Russell
John Colicos	...	Captain DeWitt
Barry Morse	...	Parapsychologist
Madeleine Sherwood	...	Mrs. Norman (as Madeleine Thornton-Sherwood)
Helen Burns	...	Leah Harmon
Frances Hyland	...	Mrs. Grey
Ruth Springford	...	Minnie Huxley
Eric Christmas	...	Albert Harmon
Roberta Maxwell	...	Eva Lingstrom
Bernard Behrens	...	Robert Lingstrom
James B. Douglas	...	Eugene Carmichael
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Security Guard

Storyline

It was the perfect family vacation for composer John Russell and his family when a freak automobile accident claims the lives of his wife and daughter. Consumed by grief, John, at the request of friends, rents an old turn of the century house. Mammoth in size, the house seems all the room that John needs to write music and reflect. He does not realize that he is not alone in the house. He shares it with the spirit of a child who has homed in on John's despair and uses him to uncover decades of silence and deceit. With the help of Claire Norman, the one who aided John in procuring the house, they race to find the answers and soon learn that a devious and very powerful man guards them.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | mansion | attic | child murder | tragedy | 

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Taglines:

...an experience beyond total fear.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

House on Chessman Park

Filming Locations:

Whyte Lake Trail, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 7,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chessman Park Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is based on events which supposedly took place at Henry Treat Rogers Mansion in Denver, Colorado, whilst writer Russell Hunter was living there during the 1960s. The Chessman Park neighborhood in the movie is a reference to Cheesman Park in Denver, where the original haunting transpired.

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Goofs

(at around 34 mins) After John Russell discovers the secret stairs he gets to a room with an open door. When he looks into the room, the camera moves back and reveals a shadow of a human head disappearing on the left side of the screen. Either this is fully intentional by the filmmaker or it's a shadow of a crew member.

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Quotes

John Russell: [to Senator Carmichael] You're the beneficiary of the cruelest kind of murder... murder for profit!

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Connections

Referenced in Supernatural: Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester (2008)

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Soundtracks

Rondo in A minor for Piano, K. 511
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)
Played by Jan Latham-Koenig

User Reviews

Does for Ghosts what AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON does for Werewolves!!!!!

THE CHANGELING is by far the scariest film I have ever seen. It's not because of scary monsters or gory F/X. This film has very few gory moments or F/X. It scares with great story telling, sounds and dark corners. It's actually quite a sad story as well. The acting is excellent and the director is quite accomplished. I am a huge movie fanatic and HORROR is one of my favorite genres; and I realize there are very few actually good horror movies, so take my word this is great film making. WATCH IT ALONE and you will be very unpleased by how scared you are. This is not a film to watch with a group. I tried that once and everyone thought it was boring. You need the quiet to pay attention to build the natural tension and fear. Enjoy. They don't make them better than this. This is up there with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON as the best of the horror genre!!!