The Changeling

George C. Scott stars as composer John Russell, who moves cross-country from upstate New York to suburban Seattle after losing his wife and daughter in a tragic automobile accident. Russell rents a sinister looking Victorian mansion in hopes of finishing a new composition while slowly piecing his life back together. However, he quickly discovers that he is not alone. The house is haunted by the angry poltergeist of a young boy who was murdered many years ago. Appealing to his sense of lost, the spirit of the dead boy manages to communicate with him enough for Russell to piece together the mystery.

THE CHANGELING delivers on all cylinders. Medak’s skillful, understated direction breathes new life into an overly cliché sub-genre, the old haunted house horror/thriller. His style gracefully compliments George C. Scott’s powerful, yet subtle portrayal of a man who has experienced devastating loss. The rational minded, not easily frightened Scott is so convincing in his reaction to the mysterious happenings that take place in the house that it helps make every element of the plot more believable as well. It also helps that this film was loosely based on alleged real-life events, being co-screenwriter Russell Hunter’s experience living in the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion in Denver, Colorado. The Victorian mansion is like a character in itself. Rarely, if ever, have I witnessed such a flat out scary looking house.  Yet, there remains a certain forgotten beauty to it as well. This is the setting for some truly bone chilling moments. In my favorite scene, John Russell hears the loud echoing bounce of a rubber ball rolling down the epic staircase. Russell picks up the ball and looks at it. This harmless rubber ball belonged to his dead daughter and every time he sees the ball it is a brutal reminder of her tragic death. So, Russell drives to the nearest bridge and throws the ball into the river, symbolizing him moving on with his life. When he gets back to mansion, as soon as he walks in the door, the exact same ball rolls down the stairs and stops dead right before his feet.  (Ace Jordan, HorrorNews.net)