Peter Medak

A decent ghost story, with a good plot line but a narrative that never really kicks into life - possibly as most of the potential horror of the story is sacrificed for something resembling a police procedural. George C. Scott plays John Russell, a man who loses his wife and daughter in a car accident in the first scene of the film. Trying to put his loss behind him he relocates to Seattle and rents a gothic mansion from Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere) who works for the local historical society. John is hardly settled in to the house when he becomes aware of strange noises and ghostly creaking. Along with Claire he begins to investigate the history of the house and is soon revealing a tale of child murder that appears to have some connection with Senator Carmichael (Melvyn Douglas). Written by William Gray and Diana Maddox (from a story by Russell Hunter) who present a fanciful and unlikely story, full of slightly pointless elements that do little to move the story forward. The story tends to throw a wee bit of everything into the mix, from seances, through to taped ghostly voices and a body buried deep in a well by way of political intrigue and a fiery climax. Unfortunately not all these elements properly gel together making for an uneven viewing experience. Peter Medak's direction is slightly distant, but he keeps the story moving forward with good momentum and gets it over the more strained elements of the storyline without too much fuss. He manages to create some decent atmospherics without resorting to false scares or the use of gore - his cleverly filmed ghost is a good, chilling creation and the seance scene is skilfully constructed. The old mansion, which is the centre for the haunting, provides a great creepy setting - all high ceilings, odd rooms, strange staircases and a hidden, cobwebbed attic bedroom. The cinematography of John Coquillon, who provides the film with a bright, deep, colourful look, is also commendable. George C. Scott is solid (if a touch old) in the lead role, while Trish Van Devere provides good support. Overall "The Changeling" is an enjoyable ghost story that does well to get over some of the more lumpy elements of its script. It is always engaging and despite being closer to a procedural than a traditional horror yarn it delivers enough atmospheric ghostly goings-on to maintain interest all the way to its fiery, slightly contrived finale.… (more)