Stephen King Praises This Elegant Horror Classic: It “Was enough to scare the daylights out of me”
Sharai Bohannon
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Stephen King gave this creepy classic film a little love a few years ago. During the British Film Institute’s King On Screen event in 2017, they asked the horror author to select a few movies to run alongside adaptations of his own work. While he picked a few bangers, the one that caught our eye is The Changeling. Uncle Stephen brought THEE haunted house movie to the BFI’s season.
Read Stephen King’s full quote
“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.”
Also Read: Stephen King Raves Over Netflix Horror Series, Calling It ‘Existential hell in the suburbs”
We agree with Stephen King that this one has to be in any season of work celebrating his own creepy vibes. Let’s unpack this classic for those who might not be familiar with it though.
Rotten Tomatoes Synopsis
“Composer John Russell (George C. Scott) is vacationing with his family when a car accident kills his wife and daughter. Distraught with grief, Russell leaves his home in New York City for a giant, secluded house near Seattle. Soon Russell starts to feel the presence of a ghost, a boy who drowned in the bathtub there. Russell seeks the assistance of Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere), who led him to the house initially, in uncovering the secrets of the boy’s death.”
The Changeling was directed by Peter Medak. The screenplay was written by William Gray and Diana Maddox. The film stars George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Helen Burns, and Madeleine Sherwood.
Also Read: Stephen King Calls Film Recently Snubbed By the Oscars As “Utterly brilliant” and “Thought-provoking”
If you haven’t checked it out, then watch the trailer below. When you’re ready to do the right thing and watch the movie, you can find it on Peacock, Plex, Tubi, and Vudu.
Watch the trailer
I love this movie, and I love that Stephen King also knows it’s one of the best of its subgenre. If you also are obsessed with The Changeling then find me at @misssharai.
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