The Changeling is the second old horror film I have inadvertently watched in the past month or so while trying to locate a different film entirely (the other film was The Brood). Directed by Peter Medak (Species II), this is a classic haunted house story, in fact I was able to identify pacing elements that can be seen in horrors all the way up to the present day. It didn't however include a scene in which the protagonist thought he was chasing his missing daughter all over a city, which is a part from the film I had been searching for.
After his wife and daughter die in a car accident, composer and music lecturer John Russell (George C. Scott - The Exorcist III) moves to a new state and ends up renting an old abandoned mansion, thanks to connections his friend, Claire (Trish Van Devere) has. It isn't long when John becomes convinced the house is haunted, clues the house reveal to him, lead him to believe it is haunted by the spirit of a young boy who was killed there at the turn of the 20th century.
I would have definitely enjoyed this more if I hadn't been constantly expecting a scene that was never even ever in this film. That is my fault for sure, but it did affect my enjoyment as silly as that sounds. The Changeling is a horror about a haunted house and that is made clear early on. John not only witnesses objects moving around on their own (doors slamming, windows smashing, and chandeliers swinging), but he also hears and sees hallucinations. The way the film flows reminded me a lot of more modern horrors. The whole middle act of the film has John in full on research mode, something that is a common facet of these films even now. With younger protagonists nowadays it was interesting to follow a character who appeared to be in his sixties, he had a good side character in the form of Claire, but the rest of the side characters failed to leave too much of an impression, aside from a great scene with Bernard Behrens (Galaxy of Terror) as a detective.
The house had a creepy look to it but I can't say any of the supernatural elements worked on me too well. There was a fun scene where a wheelchair is chasing a character around the house, and the few death sequences worked well, but the slamming doors and random noises did little to excite me. The Changeling was never designed to be a high thrills horror, it was meant (I think) to elicit a feeling more of a slow dread. Set dressing helps with this, in particular the secret attic room that John discovers, a very creepy looking place. The story, with its research sections, and a protagonist who believes he is doing the right thing felt very traditional. Maybe not fair as that part may well have felt more original back when the movie released.
I appreciate the movie is a classic, if I had completely intended to watch this then I would have enjoyed it more. As I said, totally my fault, but I sat there for an hour forty expecting a scene that never came. A good example of a haunted house horror that tries to get under the skin with psychological fears rather than constant threatening horror. The Changeling can currently be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
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