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The
Changeling (1980)
(aka L'Enfant Du Diable)
Directed
by Peter Medak
 After
his wife and daughter are killed in a road accident composer John
Russell (George C. Scott) moves out of the family home and leases an
old mansion. It's a big house for the old guy to be rattling around in
on his own, but it turns out that he isn't as alone as he thinks. The
house is haunted.
The first indication the viewer gets that the house is haunted is when
one of the keys on Russell's piano is pressed down by invisible
fingers. The first indication that Russell receives is when he is woken
up one morning by the sound of banging reverberating throughout the
house. Then a little later, in true haunted house fashion, a door opens
itself. These things are only the beginning though, and when the
composer hears the sound of dripping tap, and goes to investigate, he
finds that the bath has filled with water. Russell turns off the tap
and the manifestation of a young boy appears in the bath and floats to
the surface. It has to be said that Russell handles this unexpected
occurrence a lot better than most people would. He is one brave, old
guy.
At a seance, conducted in the house, it is revealed that the young
boy's name is Joseph and he died in the house 70 years ago and
wants Russell's help.
Russell later has a vision that reveals the way Joseph died.
His death, like his short life, was tragic. With the help of his friend
Claire Norman Russell tries to uncover the truth about Joseph's death
and upsets some wealthy and influential people in the process.
The Changeling
is an incredibly good haunted house story and it terrified me the first
time I saw it. That was many years ago, I have seen it several times
since, and even now it never fails to raise a few goose bumps whenever
I watch it. Special effects in the movie are minimal when compared to
today's standards, but that does not matter because the general
creepiness of the film is more than enough to keep the viewer's
attention, and one of the scariest things in the film, strange to say,
is an old wheelchair that moves around on its own. I think one of the
reasons that the wheelchair idea works so well is because it isn't
overused. The chair moves slightly a couple of times in the film, and
then, when Joseph has a tantrum, it is thrown down the stairs. The
scene in which this happens is probably one the most terrifying ones in
the entire movie, but is not, by any means, the only scene that sends a
cold shiver down the spine.
DVD EXTRAS
 Trailer
Animated
Photo Gallery
Exclusive
Audio Commentary By Director Peter Medak
CAST
George C. Scott ... John Russell
Trish Van Devere ... Claire Norman
Melvyn Douglas ... Sen. Joseph Carmichael
Jean
Marsh
... Joanna Russell
John
Colicos
... De Witt
Barry
Morse
... Parapsychologist
Madeleine Sherwood ... Mrs. Norman
Helen
Burns
... Leah Harmon
Frances
Hyland
... Elizabeth Grey
Ruth
Springford
... Minnie Huxley
Eric
Christmas
... Albert Harmon
Roberta
Maxwell
... Eva Lingstrom
Bernard
Behrens
... Prof. Robert Lingstrom
James B. Douglas
... Eugene Carmichael
J. Kenneth Campbell ... Security guard
C.M. Campel
... Mr. Tuttle
Voldi
Way
... Joseph Carmichael
Michelle Martin ... Kathy Russell
Janne Mortil
. .. Linda
Grey
Terence Kelly
... Sgt. Durban
Robert Monroe ... Archives clerk
Hagan
Beggs
... Coroner
Anna
Hagan
... Secretary
Antonia Rey
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.. Estancia
Sammy
Smith
... Stan (the doorman)
Paul
Rothery
... Terry Grey
Bruce MacLeod
... Security guard
Fred Latremouille ... Airport
guard
David
Peevers
... Microfilm clerk
Sera
Johnstone
... Sarah Lingstrom
Adam
Earle
... Adam Lingstrom
Carl
Boychuk
... Music student
Bryan
King
... Music student
Susan
Round
... Music student
Nicki
Steida
... Music student
Randolph Blankinship ... Pilot
Travis
Major
... Pilot
DVD
Information:
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Format
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Anamorphic,
Dubbed, PAL,
Widescreen
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Language
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English
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Subtitles
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Dutch, English,
German,
Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
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Aspect Ratio
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1.78:1
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Dubbed Language
Options
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German,
Italian, Spanish
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Runtime
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102 minutes
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Audio
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Choice of Dolby
Digital
2.0 Stereo or mono
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& Rental Options~
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