The Changeling * * * * 1/2
Directed by: Peter Medak / 1980
Not to be confused with the forthcoming Clint Eastwood child abduction swap mystery of the same title (actually, among a number that have shared the title through the years), Peter Medak's 1980 "The Changeling" is a tightly told haunted house thriller. Upon losing his wife and daughter to a tragic accident, an acclaimed music composer (George C. Scott) moves into a Seattle mansion to find peace and a new life. However, something in the house wants it's pieces put back together as well. Any story or film that gets me to shed tears as it builds up a spooky scare is genuinely suspenseful and frightening in my book, or perhaps I shouldn't watch such films at five o'clock in the morning. "The Changeling" dissects it's story in near-perfection with startling cinematography, atmosphere and ideas that surely chill even the best haunted mysteries before or after it. If you love a great scare, look no further than this often over-looked gem.
-djg
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