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This is one of, if not my most, favorite ghost stories on film. George C. Scott helps believability in the supernatural department, delivering his usual confident, slightly understated and mature brand of acting. This movie just makes me feel comfortable despite its chilling plot line and atmosphere.
A master composer takes holiday to work on his music for a local curriculum after his wife and child are accidentally murdered in a car collision. He rents an enormous mansion hoping to focus on work but soon finds that there is a spirit in the house that wants to send him a frightful message.
The film then turns into a murder mystery, and a damn good one at that.
I really enjoyed the mood this movie creates between the music and haunting cinematography. By haunting I mean the camera just kind of looms over staircase balconies, down dark hallways of multiple floors, and this all works in perfect conjunction with carefully made sound design and music score.
I've seen this film three times before and I doubt this will be my last time seeing it. It's like the mac and cheese of movies to watch when you're wracking your brain for some entertainment on an otherwise boring night.
My only complaint is that I felt the ending was kind of muddy. I didn't understand how that final resolution was an actual final resolution to allow the unrested to finally rest. Actually, maybe it didn't? I dunno. Not a big deal. I'll take it.
The Changeling (1980)
This is one of, if not my most, favorite ghost stories on film. George C. Scott helps believability in the supernatural department, delivering his usual confident, slightly understated and mature brand of acting. This movie just makes me feel comfortable despite its chilling plot line and atmosphere.
A master composer takes holiday to work on his music for a local curriculum after his wife and child are accidentally murdered in a car collision. He rents an enormous mansion hoping to focus on work but soon finds that there is a spirit in the house that wants to send him a frightful message.
The film then turns into a murder mystery, and a damn good one at that.
I really enjoyed the mood this movie creates between the music and haunting cinematography. By haunting I mean the camera just kind of looms over staircase balconies, down dark hallways of multiple floors, and this all works in perfect conjunction with carefully made sound design and music score.
I've seen this film three times before and I doubt this will be my last time seeing it. It's like the mac and cheese of movies to watch when you're wracking your brain for some entertainment on an otherwise boring night.
My only complaint is that I felt the ending was kind of muddy. I didn't understand how that final resolution was an actual final resolution to allow the unrested to finally rest. Actually, maybe it didn't? I dunno. Not a big deal. I'll take it.