Certain horror films of decades past lose their luster as time moves on. The things that scared us in the ‘40s or ‘50s may feel quaint in the 2020s. This is a perfectly normal experience with art. We’re supposed to grow and find new ideas with time. But now and then, there are films that never lose their potency, and still shock audiences that think themselves immune to the genre’s tricks. Forty-five years since its premiere, The Changeling is still utterly terrifying.
Directed by Peter Medak and inspired by the experiences of playwright Russell Hunter while he was living in a strange house in Denver, The Changeling is a classic ghost story. George C. Scott plays John Russell, a grieving composer who moves to Seattle to mourn his wife and daughter. He moves into a vacant mansion and soon begins to experience unexplained phenomena. He is woken up by loud banging. Taps turn on without his assistance. Glass breaks. Floorboards creak. He's not a man of faith but once he sees the ghostly form of a drowned boy in a bathtub, he knows that he must believe the unbelievable. Discovering the truth of what happened in this house will reveal a dark family tragedy and the cover-up of a murder.
