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The Changeling (1980) R
A pianist and composer loses his wife and daughter in an accident. After several months of mourning he moves to Seattle and takes a teaching job. He moves to an old huge mansion where he spends his spare time composing new material. Soon he finds out that there's an unknown presence in the house.
The Changeling is slow and quite traditional ghost story with more melancholic than scary atmosphere. Especially the first half of the film is built upon John's grief and there's profound sadness in the haunting as well. There's no tangible threat and the way John reacts to everything doesn't seem to be inspired by fear at all.
In some way The Changeling reminds me of Ringu even though they're stylistically very different. There's just so much similarities in the stories. The similarities get more profound in the latter part of the film when it focuses more on the mystery solving and trying to help the ghost to find peace.
The film looks very good. There's not any wild and weird cinematographic trickery but slow, calm shots of magnificent settings (I was surprised to read that there really wasn't the house but it was a facade built over a regular house and interiors were shot in a studio). Soundtrack is beautiful with lots of sad piano melodies that fit the themes perfectly. Acting is solid with George Scott and Melvyn Douglas giving the best performances. The hauntings are also well made.
Solid ghost story that doesn't offer anything exactly new but delivers entertaining yet sad movie experience.
A pianist and composer loses his wife and daughter in an accident. After several months of mourning he moves to Seattle and takes a teaching job. He moves to an old huge mansion where he spends his spare time composing new material. Soon he finds out that there's an unknown presence in the house.
The Changeling is slow and quite traditional ghost story with more melancholic than scary atmosphere. Especially the first half of the film is built upon John's grief and there's profound sadness in the haunting as well. There's no tangible threat and the way John reacts to everything doesn't seem to be inspired by fear at all.
In some way The Changeling reminds me of Ringu even though they're stylistically very different. There's just so much similarities in the stories. The similarities get more profound in the latter part of the film when it focuses more on the mystery solving and trying to help the ghost to find peace.
The film looks very good. There's not any wild and weird cinematographic trickery but slow, calm shots of magnificent settings (I was surprised to read that there really wasn't the house but it was a facade built over a regular house and interiors were shot in a studio). Soundtrack is beautiful with lots of sad piano melodies that fit the themes perfectly. Acting is solid with George Scott and Melvyn Douglas giving the best performances. The hauntings are also well made.
Solid ghost story that doesn't offer anything exactly new but delivers entertaining yet sad movie experience.