The Changeling (1980)

"A man staying at a secluded historical mansion, finds his life being haunted by the presence of a spectre."

I've often wondered if "The Changeling" started off life as a potential TV movie. It certainly has that feel about it, but maybe it's just because it was directed by Peter Medak and it's Canadian. It's not that there's anything wrong with any of those things as "The Changeling" is still one of the most terrifying ghost stories ever filmed and quite possibly the last horror movie from the '80s which is actually scary.

I'm not a big fan of the '80s as far as genuine horror movies go. 1980 itself was the cut-off point after slightly over a decade of horror which lived up to the dictionary definition. Horror became lame for at least another 25 years with only a few exceptions so I always think of "The Changeling" more fondly than I should.

Objectivity has its place, but this is one of the rare occasions when I am going to be almost 100% subjective and merely state my opinion. It's not that "The Changeling" isn't without enough flaws for me to tear it apart, but you should all know by now that I'm not the kind of guy who does that just to attract more page hits. When I genuinely like something as much as "The Changeling", I am far more likely to go to the other extreme. Although the popularity would be great, I have no desire to turn into a sycophant either.

Having said that, the one hugely negative thing which I have to say about "The Changeling" is that I never liked George C. Scott as an actor and felt completely alienated from his character in "The Changeling". Actually that's two things, but they hinge around the same person. The only way I would ever be able to identify with him would be if I was an old musician who suffered the loss of my entire family in a car accident and then went to live in a huge mansion. Apart from getting older, the rest of it is very unlikely to happen. My cats don't drive for one thing. Well, not that I know of. I also have no musical talent, and the chances of me living in a huge house with ghosties in is also not exactly on my list of things to do.

Ghosties terrify me. Seriously, I have four things which I am truly afraid of: spiders, heights, drowning and ghosties. If I was ever stood on the top deck of a ship and a ghostly arachnid appeared that would surely be the end of me. Thus, you can imagine that when I have to face at least two of my phobias in a movie, it's not pleasant. At least "The Changeling" doesn't have any spiders in it.

The ghost rolling a ball trope as shown in the picture above probably goes back even further than "Voices" (1973) although, of course, its most famous use is in "The Shining" which was also made in 1980. If you've seen it used too many times then it's kind of comical, but I think the scene in "The Changeling" where John Russell (George C. Scott) first encounters the phenomenon is by far the best example. If that had happened to me, I would have been out of that place faster than a DVD collector trying to get the closing down sale bargains at Blockbuster. I probably would have screamed like a little girl and wet myself too.

Obviously that isn't even the most terrifying scene in "The Changeling" as just about everything in it once George C. Scott started getting haunted creeped me out when I was rewatching it last night. The séance was also pretty brutal to my bladder, and I'm surprised that we made it through to the end of the film without a flood. What made it worse was that I've already seen "The Changeling" about twenty times over the years and should know better! Maybe with Hallowe'en coming and being alone in the house with two cats who see things which aren't there really got to me.

In case you wonder, there is a bit of a mystery for George C. Scott to solve in "The Changeling" which I can't say anything about without spoiling it for you. I really want you to see this film for yourselves if you haven't already so maybe this post is more about my reactions rather than a real review.

Since "The Changeling" was made in 1980, before the trends of shakycams, bad CGI effects, and overly loud jump scares, there's nothing bad that I can say about the way it looks or sounds at all. I could criticise how the acting is sometimes a little bit TV movie-ish, but given the background of most of the talent involved, it's still high-quality TV movie acting not soap opera stuff.

"The Changeling" is simply one of the most atmospheric (and even claustrophic) movies in my DVD collection. Even if you are one of those stupid people who doesn't believe in ghosts (or anything else), the internal logic of the story still carries it. I'll be blunt about it, "The Changeling" should be in everyone's collection if they want to be thought of as a true horror fan. You won't get much better than this.

Something scary for the weekend

Mamá (2008)



"Little Victoria is woken up by her sister Lili who insists on leaving the house because somebody unpleasant has come back..."

Everyone has been raving about this award-winning short film by Andres Muschietti so I thought I'd better post it on here to scare you too.

According to the IMDb, "Mama" is due to become a full-length feature in 2012.

Arachnophobia (1990)

"South American killer spider hitches a lift to the US in a coffin and starts to breed and kill."

If you're scared of spiders, you probably won't see much of this film!

I hate spiders myself and the amusing story I have to share with you is that while watching this the first time round, the girlfriend I had at the time had dark brown hair and was twisting it up in knots during the film. At one point I thought I saw a giant spider sitting on her head and almost soiled myself. It turned out to be her knotted up hair.

If you do decide to come out from behind your cushion, look out for the badly "censored for PG rating" shower scene where the girl is wearing beige underpants! Mine were a different colour after this film.

If you aren't scared of spiders, "Arachnophobia" is still a decent "creature feature" but it's quite formulaic underneath. John Goodman's exterminator character provides a lot of humour for those who appreciate such things and there's undoubtedly a sense of fun to the proceedings but with most of the cast playing things straight, I wouldn't describe it as a comedy.

Patrick Macnee's Ghost Stories (1997)

I just watched "Vol. 4: Hollywood Ghosts" on the new (and free) SnagFilms channel on Roku but, obviously, this series is all over YouTube so I assume that it must have lapsed into the Public Domain at some point.

I've seen the boxset of what I believe is the full series on sale in various supermarkets before now but never had much interest in it. I saw most of the episodes on Channel Four many years ago and thought they were quite superficial.

The "Hollywood Ghosts" episode seems to be the exception. I learned lots of things from it which I never knew before and I've now got quite interested in the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short. I'm familiar with their names but I never really knew any of the details about their deaths before and this documentary had me Googling away like crazy.

There's another "Hollywood Ghost Stories" (1986) documentary available but introduced by John Carradine instead. I was actually hoping that SnagFilms had this much better documentary available too as I remember having it on VHS back in England and I thought it was really good. Unfortunately, they didn't. I still remember some of it though especially Elke Sommer's story. It was very scary stuff.

Although I don't actually believe in ghosts, at least not in the same way that most other people who believe in ghosts do, I always enjoy a good ghost story especially when it's supposed to be true. I'm not sure how much of that is because I'm a horror film fan or whether it's a more primal response that's in all of us.

I've encountered a few horror fans online who hate supernatural movies and I can't understand that at all. I can accept anyone hating those ridiculously fake reality TV shows about hauntings, especially the most famous of them, but to dismiss an entire section of your favourite genre strikes me as completely illogical. I don't particularly like the majority of Asian ghost films but I'll still watch them.

Anyway, if you are looking for something spooky to watch amidst all the thunder and lightning of the summer storms tonight, these documentaries should sort you out.

The Top Ten Scariest Cats

Finally, in my trilogy of feline terror, I bring you the top ten scary (rather than "scaredy") cats. In other words, a bunch of evil, furry faces that not even their own mothers could love.


1. Pet Sematary (1989)

Church wouldn't have been an evil cat at all if he hadn't been brought back "wrong" after been run over on the highway. Indeed, sometimes dead really is better, as Louis Creed finds out.


2. Torture Garden (1967)

You would think that the name of this tortoiseshell cat, Balthazar, would be warning enough for greedy Colin. The demonic witch's familiar can make you rich and asks only to be fed with human heads in return. The painful mind control is just a bonus.


3. The Uncanny (1977)

Sugar may look like a James Bond villain's companion, but he is an evil genius himself and certainly no one's sidekick. As leader of a conspiracy against the human race, he knows all the tricks to make sure that Frank Richards can deny him nothing.


4. Good Against Evil (1977)

This black cat turns up every time something nasty happens. Coincidence or the devil in disguise? I think we all know the answer.


5. Night of the Demon (1957)

Karswell's familiar, Grimalkin, can change from a domestic cat into what appears to be a small vicious leopard. Reason enough to give him all the treats he wants, anytime he wants, I think.


6. Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Ah, Mr. Kittles. A pissed-off cat armed with a broken beer bottle? Now that really is something to be scared of.


7. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

Truly a "Cat From Hell" or merely a cumulative reincarnation of Drogan's victims back to get revenge? Either way, you don't want to mess with this kitty.


8. Strays (1991)

Do you think the leader of the gang is really Church in another role? His acting totally against feline nature by attacking humans doesn't seem to bother the filmmakers too much.


9. The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

There's a lot more to this cat than meets the eye. Verden's dead wife has returned in feline form and she's jealous. The epic battle at the end makes the one with Mr. Kittles look tame.


10. Vampire Circus (1972)

Emil is really a vampire who can change from human form into a panther at will. Is that really so scary? It is if you're one of his victims.


Dishonourable mentions also go to all the demon possessed cats including the tabby possessed by Azazel at the end of "Fallen" (1998), Pepper at the end of "Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes" (1989), and the stray Roman cat possessed by Baal in "The Rite" (2011).


Of course there's nothing to really be afraid of with a domestic cat. Although dogs are responsible for around 30 human deaths in America every year, the number of people killed or seriously injured by cats still remains at 0. Don't believe me? Look it up. Apart from the potential spread of rabies, cats can't kill you with a bite or a scratch, and there are absolutely no reported cases of cats going berserk and tearing anyone apart.

What are people afraid of? The magical power of a witch's familiar or the sharp sting of a misplaced claw? If it's the former, they are deluded. If it's the latter, I think we all know who the bigger pussies are, and it isn't the ones with furry tails!

Contrary to the old wives' tales, domestic cats do not steal the breath from babies or gouge anyone's eyes out with their claws. The same cannot be said of lions or tigers, of course, but who in their right mind has one of them in their home anyway? You wouldn't even be able to watch your horror movies on TV with something that size curled up on your lap.

"What about the feral cats?" I hear you ask. They aren't scary but afraid and would rather just be left alone. That's why "Trap, Neuter and Release" programs are important. Feral cats are our allies. Removing large bodies of feral cats over and over again creates a vacuum and nature abhors a vacuum. Rodent populations rise rapidly without cats to keep them in check leading to devastating effects on our food supply and the spread of all manner of diseases. If Britain hadn't got lucky with the Great Fire of London, the bubonic plague which spread unchecked after thousands of "witch's familiars" were burnt along with their persecuted humans would have claimed far more victims. Why does nobody ever learn from the mistakes made in history?

Every year millions of cats are still wrongly tried and executed in "Humane Societies" for alleged "behaviour problems which may present a risk to the general public". Want to know the truth? All these shelters get far more money from animal control contracts than they do from donations, and they kill these animals just for the sake of keeping the money rolling in. Yes, it's a business and the people in charge are taking home huge wages for spreading disinformation and committing murder. They falsify the number of kills, promote a bogus front of helping the helpless and re-homing the homeless, and grab your money with their blood-stained hands.

Cats don't have behaviour problems, we just have problems with some of their behaviour. Unlike dogs, cats have domesticated themselves to us not the other way around. As everyone knows, you can't train a cat to do anything that it doesn't want to do. They are as clever and emotional as we are, yet there are some people who treat them either as the enemy or a pest just as a way to make a quick buck.

Ever heard the one about all the precious little birds that cats kill each year? Another hypocritical lie coming from a race which guzzles chickens by the bucket. Cats have virtually no effect on exotic wildlife especially when TNR is used to control their population rather than mass cullings.

Think again before you donate money to so-called humane societies. What they are doing is far from humane. By all means, adopt as many animals as you can from them, but do not give them any more money to pay for unnecessary "euthanasias".

Support "no kill" shelters and cat rescues with adoption policies which also guard against the barbaric practice of declawing. Let's try to have a little less evil in the world.

Insidious (2010)

"When proud parents take possession of an old house, an accident results in one of their sons falling into a coma. The tragedy doesn't stop there when they are beset by vengeful spirits from another realm in this new chiller by the director and writer of Saw and by the producers of Paranormal Activity."

I've read that "Insidious" is just a reworking of "Poltergeist" (1982) with Darth Maul as the bad guy. Has anyone seen it yet to confirm this?

The story also sounds a lot like like "They Wait" (2007) to me especially the part about the kid being in a coma.

Having also read that it's supposed to be really scary but with a big chunk of comic relief added by the paranormal investigators, should I be worried that this is more of a comedy than a real horror movie?

I'm probably not going to see "Insidious" at the cinema anyway because yet another PG-13 horror doesn't interest me in the slightest, but I'd like to read your thoughts on this movie before I make up my mind.

If you've written a review of "Insidious", please leave a link to it in the comments below.