The Changeling (1980, USA/Canada)

Said to be one of stephen King’s favourite scary movies, I somehow, over the past 40 years hadn’t managed to see Peter Medak’s The Changeling. Fortunately the folks at Second Sight have just released the film in a Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set so I got my opportunity to view and boy was it worth it!

George C Scott plays John Russell a classical composer who witnesses his wife and daughter being creamed in a traffic accident. Determined to start a new life Russell up sticks from New York and moves to Seattle where he finds a huge dark old house to rent from the local historical society. Then of course the weird stuff starts happening with the plumbing clanging at the same time every morning, taps being mysteriously turned on, doors opening and then the visions. Yes we clearly have a haunting going on so in collaboration with Claire Norman (Scott’s then wife Trish Van Devere) of the historical society, Russell starts looking into the history of the house to see what could be causing the strange phenomena.

Along the way there are a few red herrings, the discovery of a secret room and a willful attempt to hide the truth by a mole inside the society, but thanks in part to a very scary séance Russell and Norman get to the bottom of the grisly truth that has has been suppressed for 60 years, but not without great personal cost and grave danger to themselves,

I thought The Changeling was an excellent supernatural thriller, even if the title did give the plot away a bit. Atmospherically shot Medak takes full advantage of the creepy location to deliver a number of deliciously chilling scares all served up on a bed of creeping dread. Like Richard Burton, Scott is one of those actors who when he is on form he pretty much owns the screen and he really turns it on here with his portrayal of the pained artist haunted by something way beyond his normal comprehension. Just watch the scene with the Baseball ball, it will genuinely make your skin crawl! Also keep an eye out for top billed actor Jean Marsh (and former wife of third Dr. Who, Jon Pertwee) who was at the very peak of her fame from TV’s Upstairs Downstairs at the time. She plays very short lived Russell’s wife, I hope she picked up a big cheque for her scene, but blink and you will miss her.

A bone chillingly scary supernatural chiller we give The Changeling a 666/666. On our Daily Mail offence scale there are supernatural chills a plenty, violence, drinking and smoking.

Aside from the collector’s Box set release The Changeling is also out on a 4K/UHD Standard Edition and a Blu-ray Standard Edition. The film is presented in a 4K scan and restoration presented in HDR and all three editions come stacked with special features including an audio commentary with the director Peter Medak and producer Joel B. Michaels, interviews and much more.
The Limited Edition is presented in a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Christopher Shy and comes with a 108 page book with brand new essays plus an archive interview with Peter Medak, it also includes the original soundtrack CD,

Special Features

• New 4K scan and restoration presented in HDR
• Audio commentary with director Peter Medak and producer Joel B. Michaels
• Interview with Peter Medak by filmmaker Adrián García Bogliano at Mórbido Fest 2018
• Exile on Curzon St. – Peter Medak on his early years in swinging London
• The House on Cheesman Park – The Haunting True Story of The Changeling
• Audio commentary with actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger and Paul A. Partain, and art director
  Robert A. Burns
• The Music of The Changeling – an interview with music arranger Kenneth Wannberg
• Building the House Of Horror – an interview with art director Reuben Freed
• The Psychotronic Tourist
• Master of horror Mick Garris on The Changeling
  Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Christopher Shy
• 108-page book with new essays by Martyn Conterio, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Rich Johnson,
  Mikel J Koven, Meagan Navarro, Rachel Reeves, Shelagh Rowan-Legg and Heather Wixson plus
  archive interview with Peter Medak
• Original Soundtrack CD
• Five collectors’ art cards