The Changeling (1980)

In an age where horror enthusiasts are spoonfed over-the-top gore, weak characters and tired stories, the art of filmmaking has been sorely forgotten. It takes a film like this to remind us that horror films can be truly frightening without needing us to jump out of our seats every three seconds. “The Changeling” succeeds mostly by creating an overwhelming atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Sure, there are a few quick seat-jumpers in the mix, but director Peter Medak focuses mostly on creating a solid plot aided by artful cinematography and a terrific musical score.

A quick side note- an effective musical score is paramount in producing a great horror film. Halloween will likely be my favorite horror movie of all time and that’s largely because of the interaction between Carpenter’s eerie score and Dean Cundy’s shot selection. Without the score, the film would be rendered useless. It seems that both score and suspense are lost arts in horror these days. I guess it’s not surprising that “Halloween” and “The Changeling” were released within two years of each other.

The film follows John Russell (Scott), a music composer who moves to Seattle after losing his wife and daughter in a car accident. After moving into an historic house that has been vacant for many years, Russell begins to notice strange things- unusual banging noises, doors opening by themselves, whispering . Perhaps motivated by the loss of his own family and thoughts of the afterlife, Russell sets out to discover who or what is haunting him. I’ll avoid plot spoilers here but what Russell discovers is a complex story involving multiple characters and taking place over many decades. The movie is loaded with frightening imagery and genuine suspense.

Throughout, Medak constantly comes up with unique angles and perspectives to tell his story, including far-away shots that give the viewer a dreadful feeling that the characters are being watched by something. As mentioned above, these camera techniques create tremendous suspense. My personal favorite is a scene where Russell discovers a hidden attic room. The uncertainty of what awaits him is almost unbearable to watch as the camera slowly follows him up the stairs.