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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 5:02:02 GMT
Very true, Naterdawg. You bring up some good points and questions. George C. Scott was unbeatable in the role. But I'm sure there's some unknown middle aged actor out there who could do the part justice as well.
Your question is something I don't think any of us can really answer. A huge part of that is largely left to interpretation. I guess the film makers wanted us to think critically and make assumptions on our own. Based on what evidence we get in the film, it's my belief that the Senator did suspect something was out of place. This would explain why Mrs. Huxley alerted him as soon as John and Claire started going through the files on the Chessman house and why Claire was suddenly asked to resign from the historical society without any explanation. Maybe the Senator didn't know exactly what his "father" had done or was too old to remember that he was an orphan originally. But either way he couldn't have known all of the details because his shock and anger at John's accusation seems far too genuine.
I believe his death was merely an accident. In his attempt to show the changeling what really happened in that attic room 70+ years prior, the Senator ended up dying of cardiac arrest. I don't think Joseph meant to actually kill him. Rather, the strain of knowing the truth was just too much for the Senator to handle. He looks to be about 80 years old so it's no wonder that was the result.
Was Joseph avenged? Possibly. The film ends on a rather bittersweet note. My interpretation is that Joseph could only rest once the Chessman house was burned to the ground and the place of his murder was utterly destroyed. Only then could he find peace and go to heaven. It doesn't actually matter if the bones were proven to be Joseph's or if they were able to prove afterwards if the Senator was an imposter/changeling. We know Joseph was telling the truth because we saw the murder happen.
And just one other thing, I think it's unfair when people demonize Joseph's motivation as petty "revenge" or claim that he was some sort of evil spirit. Really? The kid was killed by his own father when he was six years old. I think his actions are more than justified.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 19, 2018 18:10:31 GMT
Does for bathtubs and wheelchairs what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 7, 2018 2:08:09 GMT
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OmegaWolf747
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Post by OmegaWolf747 on Jun 7, 2018 9:34:13 GMT
Nice! Didn't see a release date.
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OmegaWolf747
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Post by OmegaWolf747 on Jun 7, 2018 12:40:31 GMT
I've always thought we didn't see more fear of the spirit from John because he was so emotionally dead inside from the loss of his family.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Jun 8, 2018 1:43:09 GMT
That's awesome, thanks for sharing lostinlimbo! I've never heard of this Severin label before.
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Post by Nicko's Nose on Jun 8, 2018 2:32:45 GMT
That's awesome, thanks for sharing lostinlimbo! I've never heard of this Severin label before. I own a few of their Blu-rays. Quality stuff.
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Post by Gourmando the Reindeer on Jun 10, 2018 5:06:28 GMT
I got an email from them about it. The limited edition slip version shall be mine! 👻 I did not think we would ever get this on bluray, that if we were it would have been in the works years ago.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 10, 2018 5:39:42 GMT
Nice! Didn't see a release date. 7th August.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 10, 2018 5:44:24 GMT
That's awesome, thanks for sharing lostinlimbo! I've never heard of this Severin label before. Like Nicko’s Nose mentioned, Severin do a lot of quality releases. Plenty of international cult films in their catalog. So they’ll do it justice.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 10, 2018 5:51:43 GMT
I got an email from them about it. The limited edition slip version shall be mine! 👻 I did not think we would ever get this on bluray, that if we were it would have been in the works years ago. Got that email too. It’s indeed a nice looking package. Probably some rights issues going on behind the scenes.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 10, 2018 6:10:50 GMT
Classy haunted house film, but I have always found it a disappointing experience. I can't take away from its masterful technical handling and established story-telling of an old house with a terrible secret, however never did I feel all that involved with the characters' stodgy plights (despite rock solid performances by George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere) or encounter any sort of lasting chills. Eventually I found it all to be emotionally hollow. Visually it held me there with Peter Medak's polished direction. However the story while serviceable, it lacks that disorientating spell in what should be distressing build-ups with its strange occurrences, manifestations and revelations. I haven't seen in a while, but own a copy and have seen several times. Have always rated it quite highly and it would rank as one of my top supernatural films.
That is an interesting point you have made about not feeling all that involved with the plight of the characters. We are experiencing the film as voyeurs in a sense and perhaps not wholly connecting with their situation, hence not feeling involved in an emotional state. Due to the grief of Scott's character, and the setting in the old rickety mansion, the reason for his grief—and this would be something that only an unfortunate handful would hopefully experience—is not that easily relatable. It is downright depressing in fact. It is also a stately and classy supernatural horror film and not say in the vein of Poltergeist - 82', where most people found the suburban family and it's setting easy to connect with. Same with Burnt Offerings -76', in which the ordinary and relatable family is turned against each other by the house.
The Changeling is artful horror and masterfully executed. As another poster has pointed out, that Scott is also not scared, as the fear behind the happenings we witness, is not projected onto him. That is a moot point though, due to the presentation of the tale and what Scott needed to find out. This doesn't stop the film from being creepy and even disturbing. It shows that scares can be achieved with skill and talented film-making, without buckets of blood, gory violence or overdone visual effects.
Nicely put. I can see where you’re coming from and why so many love it. It’s subtle horror all round, centred around tragedy but it never gave me those goosebumps I was hoping for. I think the real telling point for me is that I found the mystery less than engaging, and therefore the lack fear of the situation by the central character just added to my overall disconnect. I’m usually lukewarm when it comes to haunted house films.
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OmegaWolf747
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Post by OmegaWolf747 on Jul 13, 2018 23:34:56 GMT
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Post by egon1982 on Jul 14, 2018 23:03:18 GMT
Enjoyed this one since i was 9 when i rented it on video and i can't wait to get the new blu-ray to see the new 4K restoration
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2018 4:02:21 GMT
Nicely put. I can see where you’re coming from and why so many love it. It’s subtle horror all round, centered around tragedy but it never gave me those goosebumps I was hoping for. I think the real telling point for me is that I found the mystery less than engaging, and therefore the lack fear of the situation by the central character just added to my overall disconnect. I’m usually lukewarm when it comes to haunted house films. I watched again recently the other night, prompted by this discussion. It has been a very long time since I last viewed and since I also knew what was coming, I saw it in a slightly different way. The mystery was of course the first time I viewed it, very engaging, but not so much now. I still got a few tingles in a couple of scenes, mainly surrounding the seance sequence and the tape recordings.
What I noticed more, was how malevolent Joseph really became, even though he was innocent. Even after John had unraveled the secret and gave him his respite, he still destroyed that beautiful old house and the poor caretaker was out of a job. Joseph was still a child, mentally and emotionally. He had stopped maturing those many years ago. When John entered the house, his raw emotions were like a beacon for Joseph. Joseph was still locked in the throes of his final moments, incapable of digesting what was happening to him (or had happened to him), stuck in the eternal throes of incomprehensible murder. So he struck out in a way only a child would do. As John lived in the house longer, his emotions fueled Joseph's actions. He was not only a conduit. He was an amplifier. When John returned from seeing the 'changeling', Joseph's powers were peaking at a rapid and horrifying rate, able to reach out and pull in the changeling-spirit to the house, and in his final moments, let him share what had happened to Joseph all those many years ago. His guilt was always a magnet for Joseph but one so far away, he needed someone to bridge the gap. That someone was John. He was the final piece to the puzzle, someone who understood true pain and loss. With him, Joseph was able to finally destroy all that he knew, his prison in death, and bring an end to his purgatory. Was he able to find any lasting peace? I doubt it. But it seemed like vengeance was all he was after and since he could not take it out on his father, he chose the next best thing. He even celebrated with his music box.
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