I love, I mean, love haunted house movies. You may know by reading my past writing that one of my favorite movies of all time is the original THE HAUNTING. Unfortunately, very few films I have ever seen have come close to being as scary as that film. Far too often they must reveal every secret and show every spirit. I had heard of a film called THE CHANGELING, a relatively low-budget Canadian production starring George C. Scott, that was supposed to be pretty good. While scanning the horror section of my store, stuck between two of the FACES OF DEATH movies lay this film, in an assuming, quiet box. I gave it a try, and was extremely pleased. THE CHANGELING does indeed reveal many of its secrets, but it somehow manages to remain genuinely frightening.

The movie begins with a shocking scene. George C. Scott and his wife and daughter are moving their stalled car to the side of the road. Scott goes to make a phone call and then watches in horror as a truck comes along and kills his family in one fell swoop. Now a haunted widower, Scott decides to leave New York and head to Seattle, where he has a position waiting as Professor of Music at the University. Once he arrives in Seattle, he decides to rent a house where he can spend his time composing music. With the help of a woman from the historical society, he finds a grand old house and moves in.

Guess what? Surprise surprise, something is a little weird about the house. It begins with a banging noise which wakes Scott up early morning. Before long, he discovers a hidden stairway to a cobweb-covered room. In this room there is an old-fashioned weelchair and an old book with some initials on it. Hmm? What could they mean? The film does a great job of raising questions without answering them too quickly. Other than that, however, life pretty much goes on as normal for Scott, who spends his time writing music and mourning his wife and daughter.

Before long, however, Scott can no longer bear the mysteries of the house and needs to discover if it is truly haunted. So, he invites his friend from the historical society as well as some spiritual mediums to hold a seance. The seance scene is indeed creepy, but the one following it is even more frightening. Let's just say that Scott taped the seance and the tape picks up some sounds which weren't heard before. It was at this point that I knew we had a winner.

While the film was frightening on a basic level, the plot began to get more complex and the mystery of the house became more sinister and interesting. In fact, three-quarters of the way done, Scott figures it all out. I was left thinking at this point, "Since I know everything now, it probably won't be scary anymore." Wrong I was. The scope of the mystery expanded and I was left with an image as creepy as the one after the seance: the image of a boy trying get out of a floor. I know that doesn't make much sense, but see the film and you'll see exactly what I mean.

THE CHANGELING is quite simply a terrific film. Unassuming and quiet at first, by the end, I was struck by how much of it stuck with me. It's plot is excellent, complex, and holds one's interest throughout. There are some good special effects, but not many at all, and that makes the film even better. THE CHANGELING does not rely on shock effects or blood and guts. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for that sort of thing, but not in a haunted house movie.