The Changeling is a 1980 Canadian horror film about a music professor who rents a Seattle mansion with a troubled history.
The movie was directed by Peter Medak (Hannibal TV series) from a screenplay by William Gray (Humongous; Prom Night) and actress Diana Maddox.
The movie stars George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere (Scott’s real-life wife).
The story is partly based upon events writer Russell Hunter alleged he experienced while he was living in the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion of Denver, Colorado.
Months after the death of his wife and child in a car accident, composer John Russell (George S. Scott) retires to an old mansion which has been unoccupied for years. But John’s hopes of peace and quiet prove unfulfilled, as he finds himself regularly disturbed by a strange and uncanny presence that haunts the house.
Teaming up with local historian Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere), John begins to research the house’s past, and soon finds secrets more terrible than he ever imagined. It is now up to John to right the injustices of the past and finally lay to rest the spirits which haunt his home…
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“It’s a stodgy sort of picture, too self-consciously “classy” by half, and engineered rather than simply directed, but it does have a few effectively spooky sequences and a likeable central performance by Scott.” Caelum Vatnsdal, They Came from Within
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Cast and characters:
George C. Scott as John Russell, composer + The Exorcist III + The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986)
Trish Van Devere as Claire Norman + The Hearse
Melvyn Douglas as Sen. Joseph Carmichael + Ghost Story; The Tenant
John Colicos as De Witt + Phobia (1980)
Jean Marsh as Joanna Russell + Tales from the Darkside (TV series); Frenzy
Barry Morse as Doctor Pemberton + Murder By Phone; Funeral Home; Asylum
Madeleine Sherwood as Mrs. Norman + Haunted By Her Past; Deadly Nightmares; Wicked, Wicked
Helen Burns as Leah Harmon + Tales from the Cryptkeeper
Frances Hyland as Mrs. Grey + Tales of the Haunted; Happy Birthday to Me
Eric Christmas as Albert Harmon
Roberta Maxwell as Eva Lingstrom
Filming locations:
In the US, establishing shots were filmed in Seattle, and some location shooting was done in New York City. Notable Seattle locations seen in the film include SeaTac airport, University of Washington’s Red Square, the Space Needle, the Rainier Tower, and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, amongst others.
In Canada, interior scenes at the university were filmed at the University of Toronto and the Historical Society scenes at the Flatiron-shaped Hotel Europe in Vancouver. The scenes at the senator’s home were filmed at what was then Royal Roads Military College (now Royal Roads University) in Victoria, British Columbia. Interior scenes of the mansion where Scott’s character lives were a set, as were the exterior scenes; the house was a giant mock-up.
Technical specs:
1 hour 47 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Film Facts:
The original script title was House on Chessman Park.
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