) is a 1980 horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 directed by Peter Medak

Peter Medak

Peter Medak is a Hungarian-born film director of British and American films.-Early life:He was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Jewish family, but in 1956 fled his native country for England due to the Hungarian Revolution...

 and starring George C. Scott

George C. Scott

George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...

 and Trish Van Devere

Trish Van Devere

Trish Van Devere is an American actress.-Early life:Van Devere was born as Patricia Louise Dressel in Tenafly, New Jersey. She was married to the actor George C...

 (Scott's real-life wife). The story is based upon events that writer Russell Hunter

Russell Hunter (playwright)

Russell Ellis Hunter was a writer, playwright, and composer based in Denver, Colorado. He was best known for writing the story for the movie The Changeling.-External links:...

 said he experienced while he was living in the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion of Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

.

Plot

Scott stars as Dr. John Russell, a composer living in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 who moves cross-country to Washington state following the deaths of his wife and daughter in a traffic accident while on a winter vacation in upstate

Upstate New York

Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...

 New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. In suburban Seattle, Russell rents a large, old and eerie Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

-era mansion and begins piecing his life back together.

However, Dr. Russell soon discovers that he has unexpected company in his new home — the ghost of a murdered child. It shatters windows, abruptly opens and shuts doors, and manifests itself during a seance

Séance

A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...

. Russell investigates and finds that the mystery is linked to a powerful local family, the heir of which is a wealthy United States senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

.

Production

The Changeling was produced by a Canadian production company

Production company

A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...

 and filmed largely in Canada, with establishing shots

Establishing shot

An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...

 filmed in Seattle, and some location shooting was done in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Notable Seattle locations seen in the film include SeaTac airport, University of Washington's Red Square

Red Square (University of Washington)

Red Square, officially Central Plaza, is a large open square on the campus of the University of Washington that serves as a hub for two of the University's major axes, connecting the campus's northern Liberal Arts Quadrangle with the science and engineering buildings found on the lower campus...

, the Rainier Tower

Rainier Tower

Rainier Tower is a 31-storey skyscraper in the Metropolitan Tract of Seattle, Washington, at 1301 Fifth Avenue. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center in New York City as well as the IBM Building, which is on the corner across the street from Rainier Tower to the...

, and the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge

Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge

The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge is a floating bridge that carries the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 across Lake Washington from Seattle to Mercer Island, Washington. It is the second longest floating bridge on Earth at , whereas the longest is the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge just a few...

, amongst others. The interior scenes at the university were filmed at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 and the Historical Society scenes at the Flatiron

Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and the only skyscraper...

-shaped Hotel Europe in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. The scenes at the senator's home were filmed at what was then Royal Roads Military College (now Royal Roads University

Royal Roads University

Royal Roads University is a public university located in Colwood, Greater Victoria, British Columbia, that describes itself as "Canada's University for Working Professionals".-Overview:...

) in Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. 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.

Awards and recognition

The Changeling won the first ever Genie Award for Best Canadian Film

Genie Award for Best Motion Picture

The Genie Award for Best Motion Picture is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian motion picture.-1st Genie Awards:*The Changeling *Cordélia...

. It also won the following Genie Awards:

• Best Foreign Actor — George C. Scott
  George C. Scott
  George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
  
  
• Best Foreign Actress — Trish Van Devere
  Trish Van Devere
  Trish Van Devere is an American actress.-Early life:Van Devere was born as Patricia Louise Dressel in Tenafly, New Jersey. She was married to the actor George C...
  
  
• Best Adapted Screenplay — William Gray and Diana Maddox
• Best Art Design — Trevor Williams
• Best Cinematography — John Coquillon
  John Coquillon
  John Coquillon was a Canadian cinematographer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Coquillon started in the British film industry as a Pinewood Studios clapper loader in the 1950s before becoming a documentary cameraman later in the decade shooting numerous wildlife movies throughout Africa. ...
  
  
• Best Sound — Joe Grimaldi, Austin Grimaldi, Doni Pigat, Karl Scherer
• Best Sound Editing — Patrick Drummond, Dennis Drummond, Robert Grieve

This film was #54 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
Director Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...

 placed The Changeling on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.

Soundtrack

The Soundtrack to The Changeling was released by Percepto Records on CD on December 21, 2001 and was limited to 1,000 copies. On April 13, 2007, Percepto released a 2-CD "Deluxe Edition" of the soundtrack, which was also limited to 1,000 copies and has subsequently been sold out.

Regular Edition Track Listing 1. Main Title 2:31 2. The First Look 1:46 3. First Chill 1:31 4. Music Box Theme for Piano 5. Country Ride 1:04 6. Bathtub Reflections 3:03 7. Secret Door 3:31 8. The Attic 2:45 9. Music Box Theme 1:45 10. The Ball 3:15 11. The Seance 7:31 12. The Killing 3:42 13. Carmichael Reflects / On the Floor 2:18 14. Face On the Bedroom Floor 1:59 15. Chain Reaction 3:46 16. The Doors 1:10 17. Mirror, Mirror On The Wall 1:11 18 The Attic Calls Clair 3:52 19. Resolution 5:53 20. End Title 3:10 21. The Seance - Alternate Version (bonus) 7:09 22. Carmichael's Demise (bonus) 3:43 23. Piano Solos (bonus) 1:37 24. Alternate End Title (bonus) 2:31

Deluxe Edition Track Listing Disc 1 01. Main Titles 2:33 02. Piano Source :57 03. Arrival At The House 1:48 04. Piano Source 1:11 05. Piano Source :13 06. First Chill 1:33 07. The Door Opens By Itself :21 08. Music Box Theme For Piano 2:06 09. Country Ride 1:06 10. Bathtub Reflections 3:05 11. Finding the Secret Door 3:33 12. Up Into The Attic 2:47 13. Music Box Theme 1:47 14. The Wheelchair :25 15. Microfilm Research / Cemetery 1:30 16. Ball Over The Bridge / It's Back! 3:17 17. The Seance / Talk To Us! 7:14 18. Murder Flashback 3:43 19. Wheelchair / Carmichael Tower 1:00 20. Carmichael Reflects :34 21. The House On The Lake 1:56 22. Breaking Into The House :54 23. Face On The Bedroom Floor 2:01 24. The Chain Appears In The Dirt 3:47 25. All The Doors Shut 1:12 26. Mirror Mirror (Vision Of Death) 1:13 27. Russell Goes To See Carmichael 2:02 28. The Attic Calls Clair 3:53 29. The Big Finale / Resolution 5:55 30. Music Box / End Credits 3:13 Disc 2 01. The Seance - Alternate Version 7:11 02. Carmichael's Demise (Unused Cue) 3:45 03. Alternate End Title 2:31 04. Unknown Cue 1:51 05. Unused String Quartet (V1) :48 06. Unused String Quartet (V2) 1:17 07. Solo Celeste :47

Film inspiration

Writer and playwright Russell Hunter

Russell Hunter (playwright)

Russell Ellis Hunter was a writer, playwright, and composer based in Denver, Colorado. He was best known for writing the story for the movie The Changeling.-External links:...

 said in a 1980 interview that he based many elements from The Changeling on experiences from his first months in Denver in 1968, while living in a large house at 1739 East 13th Avenue — the north edge of Cheesman Park

Cheesman Park, Denver

Cheesman Park is an urban park and neighborhood located in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.-Geography:Cheesman Park is located in central Denver, southeast of downtown...

. The house was razed in the 1970s and a condominium building now stands on the site.

This house was the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion. Hunter rented it for the "unbelievable price of $200 per month, because no one else wanted to live there," Hunter relates. A little more than a week after moving in, strange things began to happen, he said. Banging and crashing were heard regularly, coming from the direction of a bedroom fireplace. One morning, Hunter yelled "Stop it!" and never heard the noise again, he said later. Next, doors mysteriously began to open and close unaided, while walls vibrated and threw paintings to the floor.

A woman he met at a bridge game told Hunter that undoubtedly a poltergeist

Poltergeist

A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...

 was in the house. At another social gathering, he said, he met a man whom no one later could identify. The man told him the house had a third floor which could be accessed through a secret stairway concealed at the back of a second-floor closet. With help, he broke open the back closet wall revealing a narrow stairway, covered with a thick layer of dust. In the attic, Hunter discovered a child's trunk

Trunk (luggage)

A trunk, also known as a travelling chest, is a large cuboid container for holding clothes and other personal belongings, typically about wide, and each deep and high. They were most commonly used for extended periods away from home, such as for boarding school, or long trips abroad...

 that contained the diary of a 9-year-old boy whose family had hidden him in the attic because they were ashamed that he had been born a cripple

Cripple

A cripple is a person or animal with a physical disability, particularly one who is unable to walk because of an injury or illness. The word was recorded as early as 950 AD, and derives from the Proto-Germanic krupilaz...

. The journal mentioned that the boy's favorite toy was a red rubber ball.
]

At the suggestion of friends, Hunter reportedly called a well-known medium to conduct a seance

Séance

A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...

 in the house. The medium told him the crippled child would have inherited a large fortune from his grandfather, but the child died before he could inherit it. He was buried secretly, and the family adopted a similar-looking boy from an orphanage and played him off as their own in order to collect the inheritance. The second boy graduated from a leading university and became a successful industrialist, said the medium.

The spirit of the crippled boy would not rest, according to Hunter. The medium said his body had been buried in south Denver, at a spot that was now under a closet sill of a bedroom in a designated house. The medium said they would know it was him, because they would find a gold medal inscribed with his birthday. The medium also said the spirit threatened harm to the children of the house where he was buried if the owners of the house would not give permission for the search. After a couple of warning incidents affecting their children, the owners of the house gave permission for the excavation under the bedroom floor, and the gold medal was found.

Disturbances at the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion continued, however. Some glass doors blew up as Hunter approached them and shards of glass cut an artery, he said. Some bedroom walls shook. Not long afterward in the 1970s, the house was demolished on order and, during the work, walls of a bedroom exploded and crushed a man operating the bulldozer, said Hunter.

Hunter moved into a house on Kearney Street, but the poltergeist moved with him, he said, and the disturbances continued. At the urging of friends, Hunter called in a priest from Denver's Epiphany Episcopal Church to perform the rites of exorcism

Exorcism

Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...

at the house. The priest, who asked not to be named, said of Hunter: "He did seem to have a problem. We performed the rites of exorcism in his second house, on Kearney Street." The priest said it apparently worked — at least, he heard no more from Hunter. (Linked article is not an original source.)

External links

• "The Changeling" Video trailer at LoveFilm.com