The Changeling

Synopsis: It was the perfect family vacation for composer John Russell and his family when a freak automobile accident claims the lives of his wife and daughter. Consumed by grief, John, at the request of friends, rents an old turn of the century house. Mammoth in size, the house seems all the room that John needs to write music and reflect. He does not realize that he is not alone in the house. He shares it with the spirit of a murdered child who has homed in on John's despair and uses him to uncover decades of silence and deceit. With the help of Claire Norman, the one who aided John in procuring the house, they race to find the answers and soon learn that a devious and very powerful man guards them.
Genre: Horror
Director(s): Peter Medak
Production: Vestron Video
  10 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes:
76%
R
Year:
1980
107 min
1,557 Views


Where would we put

all that luggage?

Think about that.

- You're very strong.

- Okay, push!

This is the last holiday

I'm ever going on with you.

Where'd you get all those muscles?

- Come on.

- More, more, more!

- Don't quit now.

- How much further?

It's only a couple million more miles.

A couple of what?

Couple million more miles.

Right up here we're gonna stop.

Keep pushing. Don't quit.

- Mexico next time.

- Hawaii's better.

Hold it, hold it.

That's good.

- Now what you gonna do?

- I'm gonna try to get us some-

- Help?

- Help.

Come on.

Let's have a snowball fight.

Daddy! Daddy!

Come on!

Help me, Daddy!

Yes, do you have the number

for Emergency Road Service?

Thank you, Stan.

If you want a hand with anything,

just give me a shout, Mr. Russell.

I will, thanks.

Mr. Russell?

Catch.

You know that this piece

is going to Seattle too, Estancia?

Yes, sir.

Good.

At first, right after it happened,

I was in shock.

I just functioned automatically.

I didn't feel anything.

And one day, it hit me-

Joanna and Kathy are gone.

I just kept walking around the apartment

saying it over and over: "They're gone."

I guess I was about half crazy.

But that's over four months ago...

and what I've got to do now is

start making demands of myself.

Your first class is next Monday.

I'll set up a meeting tomorrow

with some of the faculty.

You'll remember a lot of them.

That's fine, Robert.

Thanks for everything you've done.

Come on. Everyone's very excited

about you being here.

A well-known alumnus and

distinguished composer like yourself.

Says who?

Distinguished or not,

we're glad you came.

Come on!

Give it to me!

- No!

- Okay, kids, keep it down.

Go into the kitchen,

get yourself some cookies.

By the way, how long are you

planning to stay in that hotel?

- There's plenty of room here.

- No, thanks, Eva.

I think I'm gonna find a house to rent.

I've got some things coming out.

I need a place I can lock myself in

and pound away at the piano all night.

I have a friend who works for

the Historical Preservation Society.

They have some old houses

that I'm sure they rent.

- We'll see what we can come up with.

- Good.

- Mr. Russell?

- Yes.

Hello, I'm Claire Norman.

Why don't you hop in and we'll drive up.

Fine.

- When was the house last occupied?

- Let's see.

About 12 years ago.

It's been with the Historical Society...

for the past 12 years.

There we go.

Wow.

There were plans at one time to

turn it into some kind of a museum.

But I don't know. I guess

a house was meant to be lived in.

Why hasn't it been lived in?

I've only been with the Society

for a year now.

The impression I get is they haven't

tried very hard with this place.

Of course,

it does need a lot of work.

Yeah.

There's some pieces here

that are just stored.

You'd have your pick of them.

You know, whatever you'd like.

Kitchen's in here.

What does it take to maintain

a house of this size?

We have a man

who looks after all these places.

Mr. Tuttle.

And...

this is the music room.

This is really why

I thought of you and this house.

The piano was left here

when the Society took over.

Just too much trouble

to move, really.

It must be in very bad shape.

What are the terms?

Sorry to disturb your composing.

That's all right, Mr. Tuttle.

This has already been composed.

There's a man in front wanting

to deliver a water storage tank.

Oh, okay.

Have you managed

to do any writing?

I'm still working on the second

movement. Same old problem.

Well, maybe the lectures will help,

get some new ideas going.

It's my understanding...

that there are...

twenty-three students registered...

for this series of lectures

on advanced musical form.

Now, we all know that

it's not raining outside.

Unless there's a fire in some other part

of the building we don't know about...

there's an awful lot of people here

with nothing better to do.

However...

we'll know more

after the second lecture.

I'm sure there are many of you...

who may recognize this.

Sounds a little bit better

with an orchestra than a piano.

No, you made it sound fine.

That was a great class.

John's secret is

that he's a natural ham.

Don't go too far.

Excuse me.

- If you can't find your way back-

- I'll send out a search party.

Hi. I'd like you

to meet my mother.

- How do you do, Mrs. Norman?

- How do you do?

This is John Russell.

You remember the Chessman house?

Oh, yes. I'm very pleased

to meet you, Mr. Russell.

- How are you liking the place?

- Fine.

- It's so large.

- Yes.

Ladies and gentlemen,

may I have your attention, please.

I'd like to introduce

Senator Joseph Carmichael-

My God.

He's going to make another speech.

What you're hearing is a lifelong

Republican commenting on a Democrat.

You know how I hate making speeches.

But sometimes,

on a very special occasion...

like raising money for

our magnificent symphony orchestra-

And weren't they fantastic tonight?

Damn right.

- I was just going to get a drink.

- I think I'll join you.

I'll be right back, Mother.

Thank you.

Thank you. Actually,

he's on our board of directors...

at the Historical Preservation Society.

In fact, he's become

our number one philanthropist.

- So, you're getting settled in then?

- Oh, yes.

There's some things at the Society

office that belong to your house.

I'll see if I can

dig them up for you.

I'm glad you took the house.

Mr. Tuttle?

Yes, Mr. Russell?

You frightened me.

Is anyone else here?

Mrs. Rissean cleaning today?

No, sir, just me.

Thank you.

That's lovely- the music.

- Well, hello.

- Hi.

- Has the quality of a lullaby.

- Yes, it is in a sort.

Well, here we are, as promised.

These are some assorted prints that

used to hang in the house somewhere.

And this...

is an old restored photograph

taken at the front of the house.

- Isn't that remarkable?

- Beautiful.

I tried to call first, but Information

isn't giving your number out yet.

That's a beautiful old piece.

Did you refinish it?

I didn't, no.

Um, that was Kathy's,

my daughter.

Well, I guess I'd better be off.

I hope you like the prints.

Thank you.

You going riding?

Yes. Do you ride?

What's the matter?

I was just thinking

about my daughter, Kathy-

how much she loved horses.

An air lock somewhere.

It was too loud, too rhythmic.

Well, it's starting, at least.

Why would it happen

two mornings in a row...

precisely at 6:
00?

Why does it go on for half a minute

and then stop? It doesn't make sense.

A furnace is like anything else,

Mr. Russell.

It's got habits.

It's an old house.

It makes noises.

Well, very good.

We're still not together

on the off-beats...

and, darling, you're retarding

a little too much on the last four bars.

Otherwise, it was splendid.

- Good night.

- Good night.

See you tomorrow.

What I'm driving at is...

has anything like this

happened in the house before?

If so, to whom, when,

and what did they do about it?

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William Gray

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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