Halloween is right around the corner and to help ring in All Hallows Eve I wanted to talk about a spooky film. Today's subject is a movie of the supernatural and eerie variety. A story about a man dealing with a recent tragedy and who finds himself living in a haunted house. Starring a legendary actor and boasting some fantastic moments, it's a classic horror film that may be unknown to some, but loved by those familiar with it.
So if you're like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that's a mug of hot chocolate. So sit back, relax, and let's talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.
The Changeling is a film that follows a man named John Russell as he enters a new phase in his life. Russell is an accomplished classical composer who just accepted a position as a professor at a University in Washington. We join him in a transitional period in his life after having just lived through a tragic loss.
After arriving in the Seattle area he meets a woman named Claire Norman who runs the town's historical society. During a conversation she mentions an old house that is available to rent. Expressing interest they plan to meet there the next day. Upon the completion of the tour he resolves to rent the domicile to serve as his new home.
From the outside the mansion looks decadently eerie. It is a three story house that looks like it could be the setting for Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher". It also boasts an iron gate and long straight driveway that beckons visitors into its abode. Soon after getting unpacked he begins noticing odd noises and happenings in and around his new home. This starts with banging and water running and builds to more intense things. It isn't long before the realization sinks in that his house has another inhabitant. An inhabitant from beyond the veil.
The title of our subject today comes from folklore found in European countries. The tale could be found in countries like Ireland, Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, and Spain to name a few. Though the tale varied from country to country, there are similarities among them. I find those similarities fascinating since these countries are removed from each other by land and water. Changelings were offspring of trolls, fairies, or elves. These offspring are then left in the place of a human child in secret, thus getting the name of changeling. Our subject today takes that name for another meaning, but I'll leave that for you to discover on your own.
The Changeling is based on the supposed true story of composer Russell Hunter and what he experienced when living in Denver, Colorado. I say supposed because despite people's efforts it has been difficult to find proof that he even stayed at that property or if the historical events of his story happened. Apparently, he stayed in a mansion called the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion. In an interview the writer stated that nobody wanted to live there and because of that, he was able to rent the mansion for $200 per month. While living there by himself he experienced unbelievably loud banging and crashing that would start at six in the morning and would stop when he awoke. Doors would open and close on their own, faucets would turn on and off, and walls would vibrate, knocking pictures and paintings off the wall. The haunting grew so bad that Hunter nearly died twice and ultimately forced him to relocate.
Upon hearing of Hunter's story, a screenplay was written by William Gray and Diana Maddox. In writing the film, the two spent six months researching events, books, and articles. The film follows Hunter's story quite closely, taking events from it directly and transposing them onto celluloid. Once written, it was directed by Peter Medak and released in 1980.
I wanted to highlight The Changeling as my Halloween week episode because of the effect it has. It isn't overtly scary, so if you're looking to be scared out of your wits, this isn't the one for you. Here there are no cheap scares, no gore, and no visual effects. Instead, The Changeling is multi-layered and a slowburning psychological horror film that does a great job of being eerie, creepy, and beguiling. It has an unbelievable atmosphere that makes you want to turn the lights on and second guess what that noise in the house might be. That effect is brought on by a variety of things including the great score, cinematography, and acting. I personally feel that the acting is one of the main reasons why The Changeling is so effective.
In the lead role of John Russell is the legendary George C Scott and in the supporting role of Claire Norman is Trish Van Devere. The chemistry between the two is excellent which is no surprise since they were husband and wife in real life.
Scott plays Russell with a tremendous amount of restrained emotion. He exudes that energy of a paranormal skeptic coming face to face with the unexplainable. He was the perfect casting for Russell, he has such a wonderful seriousness about him that when other emotions come into it, they're that much more believable. He does an excellent job here, as he did with every role he was in. I don't know if I've seen a movie with him cast where he wasn't fantastic, which is a testament to his skill.
Trish Van Devere plays the role of Claire with a lot of sincerity. When I watched it for the first time it honestly didn't really even compute that she was an actress. I thought that the person in the role as Claire, it just felt natural to me. I was impressed when I later learned that Trish had played Claire. In my mind if you're able to pull something like that off as an actor, it's really quite impressive. Trish does a great job as Claire and I can't pictures anyone else in that role.
Despite the film being set in Seattle, Washington, almost all of the filming took place on Canadian soil. A good majority of shooting took place in Seattle's Northern neighbor of Vancouver. Even the scenes shot on campus were taken at the University of Toronto.
When it debuted in theaters, it received great reviews and did very well at the box office. This success has undoubtedly contributed to its legendary status. Some directors quote The Changeling as a source of inspiration for them including Guillermo del Toro. I find that horror fans know and love this film, but sadly to casual fans, it resides as an unknown, which is a shame. There's so much to love and countless memorable moments, scenes, and sequences.
There are some fantastic moments in this movie that are noteworthy. Some are infamous, including the séance sequence and the bouncing ball to name a couple. One of my favorite moments for suspense and eeriness is when he plays back the tape of the séance. There's a great buildup there and it's worth seeing. I won't talk about it too much, but it's really good. I used a moment from this scene as the hint for the episode as it's an awesome sequence of shots and acting.
Of course, not all of the noteworthy moments are frightening. One of the more mundane moments is something that has always stuck out to me. It's really simple and if you were watching the movie you might not even pay attention to it. However, I want to highlight it as it does a fantastic job of giving us clues to the character we're following that reveal a lot using very little.
It's the moment in which Russell enters his lecture hall for the first time. We see a crowded lecture hall which has curved tier wooden seating. There's no empty seat in the house and people are standing at the top. The room is abuzz with chatter until the door open in front of them. The room comes to a silent hush as our protagonist enters the room, briefcase in hand and sport coat draped over his arm. Looking a little intimidated he walks over to a table and sets his things down. He looks over the crowd, rolling up his sleeves and begins to speak. He says,
"It is my understanding...that there are uh...twenty-three students registered for these series of lectures on advanced musical form. Now we all now it's not raining outside...and unless there's a fire in some other part of the building we don't know about...there are an awful lot of people here with nothing better to do. However, we'll know more after the second lecture."
This small exchange between professor and student body illustrates a lot about the man we're following and why I wanted to highlight it. We can see him almost bloom with emotes in these sequences, but what I like about this sequence is that for the first time we understand that this man is respected. He has clear value simply in his presence, evidenced by the overcrowded lecture hall. We can also see that he has many layers to him as an individual. He has a sense of humor and play, a timid confidence, and an intellectual seriousness all at the same time.
It's something we see and interpret in cinema all the time, but when you break it down like that, it's revealing. In two minutes, I was able to ascertain a lot about the main character using no direct storytelling methods. It's pretty amazing if you think about it, what film has the power to communicate to us. If you get to re-watch the film, watch out for that scene. I'll be curious if you have a similar takeaway.
When I first watched The Changeling I really enjoyed the experience that unfurled within its 107 minute duration. I curled up with a blanket and hot cocoa and pressed play, prepared for something scary. I was pleasantly surprised to find a multi-dimensional horror film that kept me on my toes. I found it eerie, creepy, suspenseful, and riveting. It's one of my favorite ghost movies and a film I always think about during the spooky season of the year. If you're in the mood for something eerie to watch, reach no further than this horror classic.
If you'd like to watch The Changeling for yourself you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording I am happy to say that you can find The Changeling a plethora of streaming services including Peacock. Peacock is a streaming service with a diverse catalog of Films, TV Shows, and Sports for $4.99 or 9.99 per month and it includes a free tier as well.
You can also find The Changeling on Tubi. Tubi is a service with a large variety of things to watch and the best part is, it's completely free of charge.
The Changeling can also be found on services like PLEX and Vudu for free as well. If you're a prime member, you watch it with your subscription on Prime Video. Lastly,
you can also watch it on services like Prime YouTube and Google Play for $1.99 to rent.
If you like this podcast tell your friends and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Each week there will be new content including hints about episodes before they air. If you'd like to learn more about the podcast visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you'll find more info about the show and a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired, the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time with another beverage and another fine film on Glazed Cinema.
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