"That house is not fit to live in. No one's been able to live in it. It doesn't want people. "
Peter Medak's The Changeling is one of the best ghost films that you haven't seen. Not to be confused with the recent theatrical release of the same name starring Angelina Jolie, the two are completely unrelated.
After John Russell's (George C Scott) family is killed in a horrible car accident while on vacation, he decides to escape his all too real reality and rent an old mansion in order to restart his life and return to normalcy.
Before long the mansion seems to come to life...Russell's spirit filled home becomes aggressive--shattering windows, making noises and slamming doors--but it's not enough to make him leave... yet.
After all this becomes too much for Russell, a seance is held in his home, causing the apparation to manifest itself and make its presence known. Russell's convinced that the spirit wants something from him, undoubtedly, he needs to find out before the spirit's presence is uncontrollable. Russell soon learns that a former senator lived in the house, the same house where a little boy was killed, combined it begins to seem that this may just be the cause of the haunting...watch as the spirit tears the house apart, and in many ways, tears itself apart.
This Canadian horror film is one of the best haunted house movies I've ever seen. With a brilliant score to match it's atmosphere, this film should be the archetype for all haunted house movies, and director's should be made to watch The Changeling before they spew out the familiar, yet boring regurgitated garbage that dozens have done before them. It's dated as it is one of the purest example of a well put together 80s horror film,with plenty of exterior shots, and subtle creepy occurrences, while focusing on eerie tones and building towards an over the top ending, typical of many great horror films of the time.
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