Bravo's 100 Scariest #54: The Changeling (1980)

This is one of my favorite horror films, another post from 2007 about #54 on Bravo's 100 Scariest list, The Changeling. Great flick.

There are few films that I can classify as chilling. Scary? Yes. Spooky? Sure. Dare I say, even creepy? plenty. However, there is something about this film that is utterly chilling. It reaches into your bones and latches on. It's rather slow moving, so you have to be patient, because all of that set up time adds to the effect.

I think the reason that this film is so effective is that it's not only creepy, but it's heart-wrenching. All the characters are so tragic. There are no villians, per say. Only victims.

The film stars the incomparable George C. Scott playing a man who has lost his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. He moves from New York to Seattle to start over, and rents a beautiful old house from the historical society to live in. Strange things begin to happen right away and so he sets out on a quest to learn the history of the place. He doesn't exactly like what he finds.

If you like movies that are completely psychological, say, like the original The Haunting; you will love this film. There is only one scene that uses anything even close to a special effect and only one scene where any blood is shown. The atmoshpere of the old house is perfect and the use of sound effectsis amazing.

One last thing, the music is fantastic. This was an HBO movie, so it's a little hard to find, but it's worth the effort. It was released on DVD, so keep lookin'!

(As a side note, I first saw this movie when I was six, and it effected me so that I didn't sleep for a week. Literally. Didn't sleep for a week.)