George C. Scott is one a few actors who managed to have a successful career which spanned several decades. He received his first Oscar nomination for his role in Anatomy of a Murder in 1959. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Patton in 1970, which he refused, and was also up for a gong in 1961 and 1971. Scott was also recognised for his work on television, winning and nominated for a raft of Emmys and Golden Globes. His last coming in 1997 for 12 Angry Men. He was a consummate actor who was at homeworking in a number of genres. In 1980 he starred in Peter Medak’s film The Changeling.
Following the tragic death of his wife and daughter in a car accident, New York composer John Russell (George C. Scott) moves to Seattle. He leases an old Victorian mansion, which has laid vacant for years, from an agent (Trish Van Devere) for the local historical society. Not long after, he begins to start experiencing strange phenomena. After discovering a child’s wheelchair in a hidden attic room, John begins to research the history of the occupants, desperately trying to solve the mystery.
The Changeling is a mix of murder mystery and creepy ghost story all wound around Scott’s impressive leading performance. There’s a sense of wrongness throughout Medak’s film which is heightened by the house itself. It feels like a race against time as John tries to expose the crime before he himself becomes the next victim. The Changeling is an icily tense horror which bathes its events in an eerie and otherworldly atmosphere.
Special Features:
• Brand new 4K scan and restoration
• Limited Edition packaging featuring outer rigid slipcase, Amaray case, poster, 40 page booklet and OST CD
• Audio commentary with director Peter Medak and producer Joel B. Michaels moderated by Severin Films’ David Gregory
• ‘The House on Cheesman Park’: The Haunting True Story of The Changeling
• ‘The Music of The Changeling’: Interview with Music Arranger Kenneth Wannberg
• ‘Building The House of Horror’: Interview with Art Director Reuben Freed
• ‘The Psychotronic Tourist’: The Changeling
• ‘Master of Horror Mick Garris on The Changeling’
• Trailer
• TV Spot
• New English subtitles for the hearing impaired
The newly restored version of The Changeling is released on Blu-ray by Second Sight on 20 August.
