Iconic author Stephen King has no shortage of opinions on pretty much anything, some more controversial than others. But it’s his opinions on pop culture — television shows, movies, books, and so on — that tend to have more weight, even if they don’t always jibe with popular opinion. Still, when Stephen King speaks on such topics, it’s best to take heed. And one great resource for his top picks is a 2017 interview with BFI, where King listed off his ten favorite films. One entry on that list earned King’s praise as the best supernatural horror of all time, and it’s available now to stream, for free, on Tubi: 1980’s The Changeling.
As King said in the interview: “For supernatural horror, I like Peter Medak’s film The Changeling, starring George C. Scott in perhaps his last great screen role. There are no monsters bursting from chests; just a child’s ball bouncing down a flight of stairs was enough to scare the daylights out of me.”
A Vengeful Spirit Seeks Justice in ‘The Changeling’
Widowed composer John Russell (Scott) finds himself in Seattle, after a cross-country move designed to put distance between himself and New York, where he witnessed his wife and daughter get struck and killed by an oncoming semi. He rents an old mansion from Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere), agent of a local historical society. The house has been vacant for twelve years, she assures him, only that may not be entirely true. Shortly after moving in, John becomes subject to strange occurrences: loud banging; water taps turned on; a shattering window that reveals the existence of a hidden attic; and the discovery of a music box that plays the same tune he played on the piano the night before. Most disturbingly, he sees the visage of a drowned boy in a bathtub.
John and Claire do a search on the mansion’s history, and chalk up the disturbances to the spirit of a young girl, who died on the grounds in 1909. He brings in a husband-and-wife team of mediums to hold a seance, which is recorded on audio tape. The seance is eventful, to say the least, but over the course of it, they find out who the spirit is: not a girl, but Joseph Carmichael. Who is Joseph Carmichael? John uncovers a horrible truth: Joseph was a crippled, sickly six-year-old, murdered in 1906 by his father. Joseph — and his father, by extension — would inherit an enormous fortune upon turning 21, an age he was unlikely to reach. So, in order to gain the inheritance, he replaced Joseph with a local orphan – the “changeling” – and claimed that his maladies had been cured by an extended stay in Europe.
Now determined to bring peace to Joseph, John digs deeper. Literally, by digging a hole on property once owned by the Carmichael family, where he uncovers the skeleton of Joseph, along with an incriminating christening medal buried along with him. John confronts “Joseph Carmichael,” now a U.S. Senator, with the revelation, only for the senator, caught off guard by seeing the medal (identical to the one his adoptive father gave him), to send Police Captain DeWitt (John Colicos) to John’s home. DeWitt attempts to intimidate John into relinquishing the medal, but is forced to leave and obtain a search warrant after John refuses to let him in. Only DeWitt never makes it back, with his vehicle mysteriously overturning en route, killing him. It’s clear that Joseph won’t give up until he gets justice… but can John find it for him?
Stephen King Is Right, and Wrong, About ‘The Changeling’
Stephen King is right, and wrong, about The Changeling. It is an unconventional, excellent, and gripping supernatural horror, but it also stands as a brilliant, detective-style thriller, with an emotional depth that is a rarity in either.
As a horror, the film makes use of its eerie, secluded mansion setting, where the disturbances seem almost expected. It’s largely devoid of jump scares and gore, instead building the horror through unsettling moments and clever camera angles — though the red rubber ball falling down the stairs, landing at John’s feet, or the old, dusty wheelchair that comes to life and chases Claire down the stairs are two of the more prominent examples of the former.
And, in a beautiful, yet disquieting sequence, the camera shifts to the point of view of Joseph, looking down on the seance from above and coming down to make his presence known, a perfect example of the creative eye of director Peter Medak. As a thriller, John and Claire’s work in uncovering the hidden secrets linked to Joseph’s death is engaging, a true mystery with an unexpected twist.
But it’s that emotional depth that sets The Changeling apart. John has no attachment to the mansion. He’s leasing it, and no one would blame him for packing his bags and leaving; it’s even implied that many before him have done the same. Only he’s still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, so he recognizes something in Joseph’s actions, a plea for help, and finds a kindred spirit – no pun intended – whose agony over his untimely death melds with John’s grief. Ultimately, Joseph finds the justice he was looking for; and in bringing justice to him, John, in one of Scott’s best performances, finds a reason to live. It’s that justice, though, that leads to a bigger question: should Senator Carmichael, who knew nothing of the elder Carmichael’s machinations, have to pay for the father’s sins? The fact that (SPOILER) he ultimately does might just be the most horrifying thing about The Changeling. That, and the possibility that it’s based on a true story.
The Changeling is streaming for free on Tubi.
