Board 8 Watches and Ranks 80s Horror - The Rankings

20. The Changeling (1980 / 233 points)
Directed by: Peter Medak / Screenplay by: William Gray, Diana Maddox
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d7d66960.jpg
Why Its Significant - I couldnt think of a better film to bridge the 70s & 80s decades than The Changeling. Wildly influential, I best describe The Changeling as your favorite directors favorite horror movie. Haunted house movies were a staple of the 70s but became less prevalent in the 80s. So, The Changeling at once feels like a relic but also a stand-out of the 80s canon, opposite of the graphic violence seen in slashers and body horror. The film delves into the psychological impact of grief, showcasing how the lines between reality and the supernatural can blur for someone consumed by sorrow, all while suggestion-heavy framing and a masterful use of sound design creates an intense, unsettling atmosphere. This focus on psychological horror by way of family agony paved the way for future films like Hereditary, Mike Flanagans (who is on record saying this is the scariest film of all time) Haunting series, Crimson Peak, and even The Babadook. Even directors who have only flirted with the horror genre like Martin Scorsese acknowledge its unique terrifying influence on his work in films like Cape Fear and Shutter Island. Its an unexpected monolith of horror, a film that continues to inspire and terrify audiences decades after its release. The Changeling never received an official sequel, but Until Death, a 1988 made-for-TV horror film directed by Italian cult filmmaker Lamberto Bava, was marketed as such for some reason!

The Rankers
Karo - 8
Evilordexdeath - 11
Plasmabeam - 12
Bitto - 14
Lightning - 14
Mythiot - 14
Jcgamer107 - 15
Inviso - 20
Rockus - 20
Seginustemple - 23
Johnbobb - 24
Fortybelowsummer - 27
Snake - 30

Karo - A grieving composer rents a gigantic old mansion that nobody wants and of course it doesn't come with a vengeful spirit of a murdered child or anything like that.

It is a fairly standard haunted house tale, but is presented in a way that provides some good atmosphere and resists the urge to blow its load too early. It's a great example of tell, don't show. Too quick to reveal your monster and it will lose a lot of its scariness.

Although I feel the title is misleading at best, committing fraud and living off someone else's fortune doesnt make you a 'changeling', it just makes you Donald Trump.

Still it is a sold suspense movie that avoids most of the pratfalls of todays horror, and I have to say they just dont make em like they used to.

Evilordexdeath - Pretty solid flick with not too much to complain about, besides a slightly cheesy overdone ending (especially that wheelchair chase scene) that also doesn't resolve the story in a very satisfying way. It was well-paced, there was a nice little intrigue in the middle section, and I liked the detail of the main character being a composer and how the musical elements added specificity to the story. It maybe suffers a little from trying to balance a spooky ghost story and an investigation about an old murder that was covered up, preventing either aspect from getting enough focus to really stand out. There are some rather gripping scenes brought through by solid acting, particularly the seance scene and the medium lady. Overall I enjoyed watching it and could probably see it again, but it isn't a film that excited passion in me, either positive or negative.

Plasmabeam - A slow burn for sure, but I found this one to be engaging for the most part. Satisfying journey with the grieving protagonist trying to find peace by revealing the truth about another childs death.

Bitto - Rating: C

Really more of a mystery than a horror, but that's fine. I like mysteries way more. I really like the idea of solving the mystery of a haunted house and the mystery is fine. All the characters are grounded (except for the random part where John feels the best idea of confronting Carmichael is by screaming at him at the airport lmao). I like that Carmichael isn't some comical villain and deals with John's confrontation with confusion, anger, but also curiosity. I like that Joseph isn't calmed by the effects of Carmichael and still gets upset. I just...don't like the full product, I guess? The plot isn't super memorable, the characters aren't either, and neither are the shots.

Lightning - None of this belongs to you!

The Changeling stands out among 1980s horror films as something from a different era, it is very much in the style of older ghost films and stories such as the work of M R James, and lacks most of the gloss and style that would come to be associated with 80s horror. There are no final girls, exciting chases, or witty quips, it is more creeping dread, a mystery to be solved, and decidedly middle aged, more academic protagonists. The aesthetics too have more in common with the horror of the 1970s than the decade this released at the very start of. All of this works in the films favour as it leverages this slightly stuffy style to create an intriguing slow burn mystery with elements of a morality play to it.

This is a film without much in the way of big scares but a firm sense of creeping unease throughout. There are several frightening moments, such as the initial contact with the ghost or the ball coming down the stairs but most of the tension and atmosphere instead comes from the tragic mystery being revealed, interleaved with George C Scotts John Russells own tragedy in his recent past. Although the film rarely mentions the tragedy that opens it after the first act, you can feel it motivating its lead throughout.

Overall this is an enjoyable, very classically styled ghost story. It does unfortunately fall into a few of the pitfalls common of earlier films in the ghost subgenre, for instance the female lead is mostly just there to be a hysterical shrieking woman, and the ending ultimately feels fairly anticlimactic. Despite these shortcomings this film represents a classic style of slow burn movie about a haunting that mixes mystery and horror that you rarely see anymore.

4/5

Jcgamer107 - 6/10