I found this to be a pretty solid haunted-house thriller...and better than I remembered so I have changed a few things in this review. The cinematography was admirable, mainly in the first half of the film and the special-effects near the end were excellent. That was capped off by a wheelchair chasing Trish Van Devere and a railing catching fire. In all, kind of bizarre and interesting scene.

George C. Scott stars and Van Devere and an aged Melvyn Douglas provide noted supporting roles. There are very few dry spots and overall, its a decent horror film and not an expensive DVD purchase - so grab it, if you can. The suspense build beautifully. Nice direction by Peter Medak.

This is one of my all time favorite ghost stories, right up there with "The Innocents," "The Haunting" and "Ringu."

George C. Scott plays John, a famous pianist and composer who has lost his wife and young daughter in a freak car accident. Grief stricken and heartbroken, he moves to Washington state and rents a wonderful old Gothic mansion. Surprise surprise! It's haunted.

This movie has everything. Dark, spooky stairways draped with dusty cobwebs, a boarded up room with a terrible secret, a shadowy seance scene, ghostly voices and frightening noises that echo through the huge house, political intrigue and a very solid looking ghost who scares the absolute hell out of anyone he shows himself to. It boasts a well thought out plot with several great twists and a very angry murder victim, who doesn't want to be at peace - he just wants revenge, and boy does he get it.

Fans of "Ringu" will enjoy this tale of murder, ghostly revenge and bodies thrown down wells. Just watch it, preferably on a dark and stormy night with all the lights turned off. I dare you.

According to IMDb, this story was based on a true story about an actual reporting of a haunted house. As for me, I find that beyond belief but it doesn't mean I disliked "The Changeling". It is a very spooky and effective horror film--and is much better than a typical film in the genre.

The film begins with a senseless tragedy--a man (George C. Scott) witnesses his wife and daughter's death in a traffic accident. In the next scene, some time has passed and he's now taking a teaching position at some college in some other part of the country. While things are beginning to look good for the man, he doesn't realize that the mansion he's living in is haunted...I mean REALLY haunted. It seems that a child was murdered here many decades earlier and a Senator might be connected somehow to this death.

The film worked very well for several reasons. The music was very effective, the acting very nice (I especially liked Melvyn Douglas' performance during the confrontation scene with Scott) and the story was just plain creepy. My only objection is that a few times Scott's character seemed to behave a bit oddly and seemed to connect the dots with the tragedy a little too easily. Still, a dandy horror film from start to finish.