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Tag Archives: Melvyn Douglas

The Changeling

17 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

1980's, George C. Scott, Horror, Melvyn Douglas, Peter Medak, The Changeling, Trish Van Devere

Film Title

The Changeling

Director

Peter Medak

Starring

  • George C. Scott as John Russell
  • Trish Van Devere as Claire Norman
  • Melvyn Douglas as Senator Joseph Carmichael

A very spooky and understated haunted house horror, The Changeling boasts a genuine suspense and mystery to it, which stand it in extremely good stead. It’s a shining example of the less is more approach that favours atmosphere and twists instead of bloody carnage.

John Russell is a music composer who is one day being helped by his wife and daughter as their car has broken down in the snows of Upstate New York. Yet tragedy strikes when they are both killed in a freak collision between a snow plow and a van. the-changeling-posterBroken by this, John gets out-of-town and takes a job teaching music to university students. Grief-stricken by his loss, he tries to find somewhere to live in the hope that it will help him get to grips with life alone. Thanks to friends, he discovers a large unoccupied house that he believes will give him peace and time to reflect as well as heal. But while coming to terms with the tragic loss of his wife and daughter, John finds himself plagued by strange things in the house. A loud, repetitive banging sound occurs at the same time for a number of days at the exact same time. This particular incident leads a suspicious John to a secret room, that has been hidden away behind large planks of wood and locked. Most creepy of all is the image he catches of what appears to be a young boy drowning in the bath. At first, John isn’t sure about what to make of these unexplained events as he has no way of piecing anything he finds in the room together( which include an old-fashioned children’s wheelchair and a music box that eerily has the same tune he has been composing) with the strange phenomena of the vision he saw. the-changeling-houseYet they continue to occur and John is tried by what he experiences, and he can’t rely deny what is happening right before his very eyes. Bewildered and shocked by these things that he finds to be trying to get his attention in one way or another, he dives into the past of the house with the friendly support of Claire Norman, who helped sell him the house and is a member of a historically related society. Stumbling blocks in the form of missing records and misdirection only add more to the mystery and the obstacles it poses. A séance is conducted that helps reveal something about the presence and the tragic clues as to why it haunts the house. The events have a large impact on John, who slowly discovers a will inside him to bring out the truth before it is too late. It’s a matter of proving the existence of the spirit to anyone that it will impact that is going to be the problem. John takes it upon himself to uncover what lies at the bottom of the haunting and the repercussions it continues to have, with a forceful approach that stirs up trouble for those in relation to the horror of the past.

The Changeling is a film that is driven by an eeriness and a simplicity that enables the spooky goings on to gradual reveal themselves through a measured but never lagging pace. The method of getting jolts of terror from sound and doubt are effortlessly employed , but never in a way that gets overly styled or distracting. While some unusual angles are employed, the direction from Peter Medak is wisely kept to an understated a and marvellously constructed level. the-changeling-movieFor me, the attention to the story and how the ghostly haunting linked where the real hooks and the work from compliments them stunningly. The Changeling is just as much a mystery as it is a ghostly horror, a significant attribute that Medak wields with flair and just the right amount of content( the séance scene is a highlight of unnerving tension and revelations) to keep it ticking over. I found the matters surrounding the haunting very entertaining and spine-chilling as it gave another sheen to the film that went places I was not anticipating it to visit. It really pulls you right into the enigma of the house and what transpired there, with a suitably gloomy visual palette to highlight both the spooky aspects and the mourning heart of John going through his own pain. the-changeling-bouncing-ballTake for example the scene of John finding his daughter’s bouncing ball which he knew he got rid of, only to have it repeatedly fall down the stairs towards him on a loop. It’s a simple yet haunting indication of John’s link with the presence as it reaches out to him and how he can’t ignore what he has seen. The lugubrious and spine tingling score( complete with ghostly cries and slithering strings) aids the personal journey John goes on in battling his own grief, while bringing justice to someone from the other side who isn’t at peace.

On the acting front and definitely strong is George C. Scott in a nuanced turn. He plays the man attempting to hold his grief inside and deal with it in some way impressively, as well as showcasing the growing feeling of unease in regards to the house. george-c-scott-the-changelingScott is a professional who makes the role look effortless and the building feeling of determination that his character attains in trying to uncover the reasons for the haunting are pretty amazing, as well as wholly believable. Trish Van Devere( who was actually married to Scott in real life) is nicely curious and helpful as the concerned Claire, the two working well together in a natural way that isn’t surprising considering their off set relationship. Rounding out the main cast is Melvyn Douglas a powerful Senator who somehow fits into the scheme of things regarding the past of the house. Douglas wonderfully makes the most of the part by displaying a worry and slowly unraveling fragility.

A smartly old school horror that knows the best way to chill the blood is by making things creepy and gradual, The Changeling is for me an underrated horror gem that deserves a hell of a lorn of credit for what it teases out.

Ghost Story

13 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 83 Comments

Tags

1980's, Alice Krige, Craig Wasson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Fred Astaire, Ghost Story, Horror, John Houseman, John Irvin, Melvyn Douglas

Film Title

Ghost Story

Director

John Irvin

Starring

  • Fred Astaire as Rick Hawthorne
  • John Houseman as Sears James
  • Melvyn Douglas as John Jaffrey
  • Douglas Fairbanks Jr as Edward Wanderley
  • Craig Wasson as Don/David Wanderley
  • Alice Krige as Eva Galli/ Alma Mobley

A creepy horror film that has a classy veneer and a stunning cast of mainly acting veterans, Ghost Story brings something else to the genre of creepy horror hauntings and does it very well.

In a sleepy, small New England town that is seen almost always covered in blankets of snow, four elderly men meet every so often for evenings of brandy and creepy tales. Ghost Story PosterThey are the Chowder Society, who have known each other since their days at college. The quartet compromises of business owner Ricky Hawthorne, lawyer Sears James, Dr. John Jaffrey and town mayor Edward Wanderley. Their club is an informal one but one they take very seriously and pride themselves on the ghost stories they recount to one another. Yet these creepy stories have nothing on what is about to happen to them in the real world. One of Edward’s sons dies mysteriously after seeing a decomposing apparition of a strange woman, causing him to fall to his death. Alarmed and mourning, Edward’s other son Don returns to his father’s sleepy town to reconnect with his father, but has his own questions and theories regarding the suspicious death of his twin brother. He believes that the events have something to do with Alma Mobley, a mysterious woman who he had an affair with before he left her due to her overbearing and cold tendencies. Alma in turns it seems moved onto his brother after being left by Don. Events take an even more sinister turn when Edward dies in a similar fashion to his son, leaving the others to contemplate what they should do. You see,  events in the present day begin to mirror a key event from the men’s past involving a dark secret concerning the beautiful Eva Galli, who bore a strong resemblance to Alma. Realizing that they are now being haunted for a past misdeed that has intertwined with the next generation, the remaining members of the club begin to recount the most terrifying story of all to the searching Don; a true ghost story that involves them all and whose dark presence has returned to exact justice.

Tension grows within this film due to strong direction from John Irvin. He infuses Ghost Story with class, which offsets the often ghoulish and lurid subject matter at hand. The Chowder SocietyHe marvellously brings the hauntings to creepy life and delves into the script’s main themes of regret and sins of the past. I admired how Ghost Story didn’t feel the need to move at a very quick pace, instead allowing the chilling narrative to unfold with mystery. That isn’t to say that the film is slow, it just takes its time successfully building atmosphere and ambience. The cinematography and exquisite lighting create interesting juxtapositions in time; the present is shown as mournful, whereas the past is show with a painterly quality that belies the shocking horror that occurred. The score, while overblown in various moments, still crafts an eerie spell with sudden shifts in pitch and repeating dreamlike percussion. The same can be said of the make up effects for the ghost which may be dated but still pack a gruesome punch.

The main quartet of veteran actors are excellent in this film. Ghost Story CastConsidering the fact that none of them were in particularly good health( the film would be the last film of Astaire, Douglas and Fairbanks), they are all on splendid acting form here. Fred Astaire is wonderful as the most amiable of the society, Melvyn Douglas is great as the most panic-stricken and John Houseman, with his gravelly voice and demeanor, exudes authority as the leader. Douglas Fairbanks Jr has the smallest role out of the bunch, but still makes a very big impact on the story. The four great actors add class and gravitas to the story and make it a cracking good yarn with their presence. Craig Wasson is well-suited to the part of the inquisitive Don, who is the first person to suspect something not of this world is at play. The main standout of the cast is Alice Krige who essays the dual roles of Alma and Eva that eventually merge as one. Ghost Story Alice KrigeWith her clear, deep voice, playful smile that at times really unnerves and pale glow that shimmers almost all the time around her , Krige is striking to watch as the vengeful spectre who won’t stop until justice is done. Her physical features as well as her otherworldly poise and unusual gestures leave a creepy and very haunting impact on the viewer. If you ever wanted to see a vengeful ghost that could also bewitch at the same time, you can’t go wrong with the chilling performance from Krige on display here.

A delightfully old-fashioned horror film that doesn’t feel the need to rush its story, Ghost Story is a marvellous entry into the horror genre that is best enjoyed with the lights off on a cold wintry night.

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