Tag Archives: haunted house

Saturday is Horror Day #217 – The Changeling (1980)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Changeling (1980)

Composter John Russell (George C. Scott) loses his wife and daughter in a horrible accident that leaves him devastated. Several months later, his concerned friends urge him to get away so he rents an old mansion near Seattle, owned by a Mrs. Norman (Madeleine Sherwood). Her daughter Claire (Trish Van Devere) helped him to get the mansion, and she is very helpful in aiding him to settle into the huge mansion. The house seems like a great place for him to resume his composing. But he quickly discovers that he is not alone in the house. As he grows closer to Claire, together they seek to find the answers to the secrets of the house – and the powerful man who is guarding them.

I remember when this movie came out, but I never made an effort to watch it until yesterday, not sure why, but I should have. The film was directed by Peter Medak, who also directed movies such as The Ruling Class and Romeo is Bleeding, as well as episodes of Hannibal and House. The Changeling was beautifully directed and filmed. George C. Scott was already a well-known and very talented actor, but I hadn’t seen one of his films in years, so it was almost like watching him for the first time. Trish Van Devere, who plays Claire, was Scott’s fifth wife. They were married in 1972 and remained married until his death in 1999.

Among the rest of the cast, veteran actor Melvyn Douglas plays a senator whose family once owned the mansion, Jean Marsh plays the ill-fated wife, Barry Morse is a parapsychologist, and John Colicos a detective. If you’re old enough you might remember Madeleine Sherwood from the TV series The Flying Nun – she played the head of the convent where Sally Field was a nun.

A haunting musical score lends atmosphere to this lovely film. The heartbreak of the present helps to solve the sins of the past. This is a great example of a haunted house film, one that I highly recommend. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #182 – The Deliverance

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Deliverance

Ebony (Andra Day) is having a hard time with life. Her husband is off in Iraq and she isn’t sure when or if he’s coming home. She is doing her best with her three kids, Andre(Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate(Caleb McLaughlin) and Shante (Demi Singleton), but that hasn’t been easy. Ebony has had substance issues and she always seems to be just one step ahead of CPS trying to take her kids away. On top of that, she has her mother Alberta (Glenn Close) who is suffering from cancer and goes for regular treatments. Alberta has the men chasing after her, despite her age, and she is both sassy and outspoken.

The family has moved three times in the last year, due to circumstances, and she is hoping this time they’ll be able to stay longer, put down roots, and provide greater stability for her kids. But strange things have begun to happen. Dre is talking to himself, although when pressed he says it’s his friend Tre – the boy who lives in a hole in the basement. All three kids are acting up in school in horrifying ways, although they’ve never been behavioral problems before, and Ebony is at her wits’ end trying to figure out what is wrong with them and is there some kind of evil presence in their home that is causing this?

My first problem with this film is that I could never muster up enough sympathy to care about the characters, not any of them. I didn’t feel any emotion through the film, just one level throughout. Maybe the pacing could have been better. Or maybe the script. I have to ask what the hell was up with Glenn Close? At first, I thought she was meant to be playing a black woman, but that wasn’t the case. And why she was a man magnet is beyond me. The plot seemed full of holes, including the one in the basement. And the explanation concerning Lucifer and the fallen angels that became demons and now one of them is in the children was totally simplistic and rushed. It felt like they didn’t have any better idea than some generic demon. Why that house? I know it’s based on a true story that took place in Hammond Indiana. I also know the family involved has been trying to milk what happened and that perhaps things were not quite the way they told it.

I was not scared and I was not impressed. I expected so much more based on what people were saying on Reddit. One person even suggested Glenn Close deserves an Oscar nod for her performance. I totally disagree.  On the whole, it was okay, worth one watch but I wouldn’t do it again.  I’ll give this film 3 Stars.