Peter Medak's ghost story/mystery is taut and it relies on a
crisp, unfolding story rather than shock, thus making the "horror"
all the more palpable. Brief overview: George C. Scott moves into
a haunted house, essentially, after a terrible accident claims
his wife and child. The house speaks to him, and he begins to
question whether he is going crazy or whether, in fact, he is
experiencing something from the occult.
Great music, often a discordant crescendo of strings. Very eerily
shot (in Seattle, I believe). Scott aquits himself with an
understated performance of a man on the edge, and the use of
flashback in gauzy textures is effective.
The events that prove most frightening are really mundane, but
Medak makes each moment gripping, whether it is a bouncing ball
or a hidden door or an old wheelchair. This is perhaps the
greatest strength of the film. Many standard techniques are used
(a seance, for example), but Medak takes his time and allows a
slow, almost ghostly camera to build the suspense.
The thing that always impresses me about The Changeling is the
conviction Medak has in the story. There is nothing particularly
shocking about the film - no green vomit or severed heads. But
the deep dark secret does hit home harder than a violent, showy
act because it is encapsulated in a mystery - Scott is driven to
find the "secret" of the house, and Medak takes his
time in getting Scott closer to the answer.
In many ways, The Changeling is an update of the Ray Milland
classic, The Uninvited. You have a house and you have a mystery.
From there, you need little else, if the presentation is correct.
Two other things draw me back to this film on a semi-regular
basis. First, the look. Dreary and almost ancient, whether it is
the symphony or at an outdoors cafe, the movie looks haunted.
Some of this has to do with the Pacific Northwest location, but
Medak obvioulsy chose his hues, and the picture has a feel and
look of times since past.
Second, it is intelligently paced through the eyes of Scott. Any
action - and the action is rare - occurs after interesting
dialogue and convincing discussion as to the nature of the
haunting. The stand-by footwork of investigation is honored, from
old newspaper clippings, to land records, to hidden rooms, to
closed-mouthed keepers of the secret. Smartly, Medak keeps Scott
privy to the happenings, so we are not burdened with the input
and reflections of others (slowly, Trish van Devere is let in on
the happenings, but the puzzle remains Scott's to solve).
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