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Changeling, The
HBO // R
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Oh, the haunted house film...tarnished by the seemingly-endless sequels to "The Amityville Horror" (the last one involved a dollhouse. Seriously.), I'd gotten to the point where I thought my chances of seeing a good haunted house film were about as good as...oh, I don't know...marrying a genie. Then, "The Changeling" fell into my lap (no, not literally). No axes or machetes, no nekkid nubile sorority girls, no flesh-eating, no eye-gouging, no computer-animated monsters...and believe it or not, it somehow still manages to be entertaining! Superb acting and wonderful direction set a very spooky mood, helping to form what I consider to be the best haunted house film of all time. (Admittedly, I haven't seen the original "The Haunting". I will sooner or later. Promise.)
Anyway, George C. Scott plays a composer who suffers a family tragedy. To attempt to get on with his life, he moves to Seattle and begins teaching an advanced music course at his alma mater. After mentioning to some old friends that he's looking to rent a remote house where he can work on his music, he's referred to a historic preservation society and begins to lease a gigantic house. Soon after moving in, he begins hearing some odd noises...but after seeing a vision of a young child drowning in a bathtub, he begins to uncover the mystery of the old house and a murder long forgotten...
So, why is it called "The Changeling" instead of, say, "George C. Scott Meets The Ghost In The Haunted House"? In true "Sixth Sense" form (only 20 years earlier), the spirit seeks help from those in the physical world, and the title is part of the mystery to be unraveled. I try to spoil movies as little as possible, but the reason for the title will become apparent as the film progresses...
Video: Stunning. Although the initial scene in the snow looked great, I groaned when the grainy, washed-out title sequence started. It's long been a theory of mine that if any part of a film looks bad, it'll be the title sequence. No idea why, but "The Changeling" is another in a long series of discs I have that look great aside from the beginning. I've been nitpicking at video quality quite a bit over the past couple of months, and try as I might, I have a hard time saying anything negative about the 1.78:1 widescreen-enhanced transfer here. (Okay, light grain, but it's not that noticeable.) This is by far the best looking disc I've seen from HBO DVD, and aside from the hairstyles and clothing, I wouldn't have guessed that this was shot way back in '79. Colors are extremely rich and vibrant but never oversaturated, the image is clear and razor-sharp, free of edge enhancement, and fleshtones and black levels are perfect -- particularly important, since a number of scenes take place in very low light. The set design and cinematography are among the best of any horror film I've seen, and this disc reproduces them (aside from the title sequence and two or three brief shots) without a single flawed frame. This is as close to perfect as a catalog title of its age can look, and I have to give "The Changeling" the highest possible rating I can for video quality.
Audio: The dialogue has a somewhat flat, monaural sound to it -- similar to watching reruns on cable of '70s shows -- but the wonderful music (diagetic and not; remember, the main character is a composer) is powerful and enveloping, making full use of the Pro Logic track. The effects also have quite a kick to them. Expect the foundation to rattle a little, for instance, when a rubber ball bounces down a large flight of stairs. It's not as jaw-droppingly-impressive as the video, but still way above the curve...
Supplements: Cast/crew bios are pretty much it.
Conclusion: "The Changeling" is an amazing film, and considering its low price -- it can be found online shipped for under $16 -- this disc is a must-purchase for anyone with an interest in intelligent horror. If "The Changeling" is indicative of the quality of releases we can expect from HBO DVD, then this is a company with an extremely bright future. I don't think I've ever given a "Collector Series" recommendation to a bare-bones disc, but I'll take a chance and do it now. If you don't add "The Changeling" to your collection, you're doing yourself a disservice. Next time you're movie-shopping, put down "Men In Black" or whatever mainstream Hollywood schlock is being sold at a loss, and grab this disc. You won't regret it.
Anyway, George C. Scott plays a composer who suffers a family tragedy. To attempt to get on with his life, he moves to Seattle and begins teaching an advanced music course at his alma mater. After mentioning to some old friends that he's looking to rent a remote house where he can work on his music, he's referred to a historic preservation society and begins to lease a gigantic house. Soon after moving in, he begins hearing some odd noises...but after seeing a vision of a young child drowning in a bathtub, he begins to uncover the mystery of the old house and a murder long forgotten...
So, why is it called "The Changeling" instead of, say, "George C. Scott Meets The Ghost In The Haunted House"? In true "Sixth Sense" form (only 20 years earlier), the spirit seeks help from those in the physical world, and the title is part of the mystery to be unraveled. I try to spoil movies as little as possible, but the reason for the title will become apparent as the film progresses...
Video: Stunning. Although the initial scene in the snow looked great, I groaned when the grainy, washed-out title sequence started. It's long been a theory of mine that if any part of a film looks bad, it'll be the title sequence. No idea why, but "The Changeling" is another in a long series of discs I have that look great aside from the beginning. I've been nitpicking at video quality quite a bit over the past couple of months, and try as I might, I have a hard time saying anything negative about the 1.78:1 widescreen-enhanced transfer here. (Okay, light grain, but it's not that noticeable.) This is by far the best looking disc I've seen from HBO DVD, and aside from the hairstyles and clothing, I wouldn't have guessed that this was shot way back in '79. Colors are extremely rich and vibrant but never oversaturated, the image is clear and razor-sharp, free of edge enhancement, and fleshtones and black levels are perfect -- particularly important, since a number of scenes take place in very low light. The set design and cinematography are among the best of any horror film I've seen, and this disc reproduces them (aside from the title sequence and two or three brief shots) without a single flawed frame. This is as close to perfect as a catalog title of its age can look, and I have to give "The Changeling" the highest possible rating I can for video quality.
Audio: The dialogue has a somewhat flat, monaural sound to it -- similar to watching reruns on cable of '70s shows -- but the wonderful music (diagetic and not; remember, the main character is a composer) is powerful and enveloping, making full use of the Pro Logic track. The effects also have quite a kick to them. Expect the foundation to rattle a little, for instance, when a rubber ball bounces down a large flight of stairs. It's not as jaw-droppingly-impressive as the video, but still way above the curve...
Supplements: Cast/crew bios are pretty much it.
Conclusion: "The Changeling" is an amazing film, and considering its low price -- it can be found online shipped for under $16 -- this disc is a must-purchase for anyone with an interest in intelligent horror. If "The Changeling" is indicative of the quality of releases we can expect from HBO DVD, then this is a company with an extremely bright future. I don't think I've ever given a "Collector Series" recommendation to a bare-bones disc, but I'll take a chance and do it now. If you don't add "The Changeling" to your collection, you're doing yourself a disservice. Next time you're movie-shopping, put down "Men In Black" or whatever mainstream Hollywood schlock is being sold at a loss, and grab this disc. You won't regret it.
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