Parked Review
Review"How did you die, Joseph...? Did you die in this house...? Why do you remain...?" – Psychic.Actually the first surprise I had with this superb ghost story was discovering it was a Canadian effort, the second was even though the movie is 25 plus years old it still retains its power and ability to sneak under your radar even in 2007. Director Medak has put together a yarn that manages to cover all the traditional bases, while still remaining faithful to the year it was made in. A modern ghost story then, that picks up the baton passed by movies such as The Legend of Hell House (1973), and grooves to a more modern take on the subject matter. Sorry if you are under twenty this one wont appeal to you, lack of CGI and camera work involving poor hand eye coordination, but if over thirty then this one rocks. A classic movie that most older horror fans would have seen in the past and now it's available via DVD, just how good is that, calling it a slice of rolled gold. Let’s get down and then up in the Attic with The Changeling. Composer John Russell is getting over the death of his wife and daughter in a tragic road accident, and moves to Seattle to take up a teaching role at I guess the local College. He lucks out when the local Historical Society finds him a vacate mansion to rent. Guess this was before Microsoft and Boeing employees were buying up the whole city or something. John settles into his teaching role and composing his latest work, but almost immediately strange things start to happen. For the cinematically challenged, due to his grief Composer dude has opened himself to a force within the house that wishes to communicate what happened in the past. Hot Historical babe Trish is out to help, freaky old Historical harridan Minnie passes on ominous warnings, and groundsman Willy Mr Tuttle is there for no apparent reason. What’s this got to do with Senator Joseph Carmichael and will John suss what’s going down before the ghosts of the past get really pissed off. An engrossing and at times scary movie ensues. Director Medak is on fire here and uses his locations to perfection. Right from the opening prologue scene, that road accident, you know you are in the hands of someone who digs the genre and knows how to get every ounce of tension out of it. There are no false scares; everything is atmosphere so thick you could carve it with a knife, tension spelt with a capital “T”, and an engrossing mystery that John Russell solves along with the audience. I was simply engrossed from the opening scene to the masterfully handled resolution, though on occasion I must admit to having a few “huh” moments. Guess the ghost was not best pleased with some of John’s decisions there. Medak uses every camera angle he has in his repertory to get this freight train out of the station and hurtling into that dark night. Overheads from within the house are stunning, and dear I say it unnerving on occasion, track cam highlights John’s isolation throughout in the exterior shots, and Medak shows up modern Directors when he decides to use quick cut shots. All about those slamming doors and John’s plaintive, “what do you want from me!” I was onboard, grooving, and simply spoilt like a fat kid in a lolly shop with what Medak brings into play in The Changeling. The Dude can direct, and he isn’t holding back here. The movie won all sorts of SciFi and Fantasy awards; naturally Oscar wasn’t interested (mainly cause the Academy suck at the best of times). Naturally Medak has to include all those horror standbys that were required by ghost stories at the time, and friggin nails every one of them. We get the obligatory séance scene, not used and abused here thank god. Medak goes a similar path to Friedkin’s The Exorcist and has things revealed via a tape recorder post séance. The hidden room, in this case a boarded up attic, and John first opening that attic door is a money shot. It might be just me but also got the real feeling that Hideo Nakata, (Ring, Ring 2, The Ring 2) based one of his major plot devices on what Medak has going down here. Naturally there’s plenty of doors opening or closing by themselves, people wandering around after dark alone, and a whole lot of creepy noises to keep your attention. That banging at six a.m is still pretty effective hombres, and the kid’s voice from upstairs! There’s a classic horror moment in this movie that involves nothing more than a wheelchair, was waiting on it happening, and it still managed to make me jump. Medak is on my xmas card list. Possibly the only valid criticism that could be levelled at The Changeling is that it moves slightly slowly, tips it’s hand way to early, and has the sort of behind the scenes political shenanigans that make you wonder what ever happened to Ralph Nader and Hunter. But what the heck Medak holds it together and simply nothing is left waving in the wind as the final credits roll. Plenty of plot foreshadow, and none of it is wasted time in the movie. George C. Scott (John Russell) gets top billing here, and rather than thundering through his lines manages to turn in a decent performance. Slightly too ready to believe for mine, but hitting all the right notes with some pretty tough dialogue. Trish Van Devere (Claire Norman) is I guess the love interest, but Medak drops that subplot around about the third act when things go all mayhem on our arses. Van Devere is up to the role, has a decent set of lungs, and by heck the gal can run in stilettos. Melvyn Douglas (Sen. Joseph Carmichael) plays old fashion politician real well, and nails a crucial emotional moment late in the movie. Rick Wilkens tossed a score onto the table that has to be heard to be believed. It starts pretty much as a piano driven affair, in line with character John Russell, but when the brown stuff hits the wind appliance the strident violins kick in to good effect. One of the better horror scores around, it has plenty of orchestral movements, handles the sound bites effectively, and by passes the need for rock or pop numbers. I had a thoroughly good time with The Changeling and the fond memories I had of the movie from a late night T.V exposure were not debased, as sometimes they are when you see a favourite movie after quite some time. The premise here is pretty simple, but Medak raises what could have been simply a Television movie, to pretty much an art house effort. The endearing thing I find with The Changeling is that the moviemakers aren’t playing to the lowest denominator, they are making a serious ghost story, and you have to love that approach. Considering 1980 was the time of the big monster movie and the start of the slasher re-cycle, hey put that washing on once again we missed a spot, The Changeling was either well ahead of it’s time or a throw back to the more serious days of horror flicks. Hollywood would only hit this beat again mid 80s, and by that stage horror was in one of its proverbial slides. The Changeling doesn’t appear to have got much of a theatre release outside it’s native Canada. Pity, as this movie kicks horror butt and shows what you can do if you want to bring this sort of talent to the table. Director Medak would go on to make Species II, flock me, and I believe is one of the second year Directors for Garris’s Masters of Horror. High on the recommendation stakes, if you like a classic ghost story then go get a copy and dig in with both hands. Throw the family out the front door, turn out the lights, and get this one playing. Past sins come back to haunt those in the present, dial me in, and don’t go in the Attic!
ScaryMinds Rates this movie as ... A psychological ghost story that lets rip.
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