Composer John Russell (George C. Scott, more gravel than man) is looking for a fresh start. Having lost his wife and daughter in a tragic accident, he moves across the country and rents a mansion in Seattle that has lain vacant for years. But soon, he finds himself troubled by ghosts besides his own. A ghostly drowned boy appears in his bathtub. He finds a music box that plays the exact tune he has just written and recorded downstairs. And when he holds a séance, a voice makes itself heard on their tapes, calling himself Joseph Carmichael and claiming he has been murdered.

Half grounded, chilling haunted house movie and half somber mystery procedural, The Changeling fits squarely in the ‘80s heyday of the burly, tough-guy horror protagonist. (Gregory Peck was the star of The Omen, for Pete’s sake.) And Scott’s confidence and determination drive The Changeling to its thrilling, satisfying conclusion.

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