7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A man staying at a old mansion which has been unoccupied for years finds himself disturbed by a strange presence which haunts the house.
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh, John ColicosHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 16% |
Mystery | 13% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 CD)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
"Serious" actors often blanch at being asked to appear in horror films, which makes the fact that what is arguably George C. Scott's best remembered outing (for better or worse) in that idiom, The Exorcist III, was actually not his first horror outing (though by the looks of his IMDb credits, it perhaps unsurprisingly was his last). Scott may have been bolstered by the fact that both the film currently under discussion and Firestarter had arguably a bit more to offer than the pretty lame attempted reboot of William Peter Blatty's exercise in terror, which may have helped to encourage the legendary actor to return to a genre that many performers would dismiss with an allusion to "slumming" and their refusal to participate in such activity. And in fact in that regard, it's probably inarguable that The Changeling has at least as much, and most likely more, on its cinematic plate of disturbances than even the film based on the Stephen King piece. While some of the copious supplements Severin Films has aggregated for this set suggest that The Changeling never really made much of an impact during its initial theatrical exhibition, at least in the United States where it apparently came and went without much notice, other online data points suggest it did pretty good business internationally, and the film ended up winning a cornucopia of awards at the first Genie ceremony in Canada. In fact, The Changeling not only won Best Picture, it also scored for Best Foreign Actor (George C. Scott), Best Foreign Actress (Trish Van Devere), Best Adapted Screenplay (William Gray and Diana Maddox), Art Direction and Production Design (Trevor Williams), Cinematography (John Coquillon), Sound Editing (Patrick Drummond, Dennis Drummond and Robert Grieve) and Sound (Joe Grimaldi, Austin Grimaldi, Dino Pigat and Karl Scherer). That would seem to suggest that our kindly neighbors to north at least recognized the merits of this interesting dissection of grief and loss.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc also included in this package. Because Severin's original standalone 1080 release wasn't
reviewed at the time, I'm including 20 screenshots instead of our standard five for 4K UHD reviews. My comments below will also address both
formats
simultaneously.
The Changeling is presented on both 1080 Blu-ray and 2160 4K UHD courtesy of Severin Films with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. I'm assuming
the
1080 disc in this set is the same one previously released by Severin, as I never received a review copy of that original release. That said, some of
the
supplements actually mention that the 4K UHD presentation here is an ostensibly "new, improved" one culled from the best surviving element, as the
original camera negative is evidently lost. (The back cover of the release states "scanned in 4K from the internegative".) The biggest difference I
noticed between these two versions was the color temperatures on display, and
while
the HDR "boost" on the 4K UHD version arguably at least marginally improves some of the shadow detail in several of the very dim attic scenes or
even
the "automatic writing" sequence, it also seems to have added a really florid pink flushed look to flesh tones that kind of comes and goes throughout
the presentation. There are some other, probably more subtle, changes to the palette courtesy of HDR, including select moments where things take
on
a slightly more blue undertone when compared to the 1080 version, as in the kind of cool sequence featuring Russell and Claire atop a historic
flatiron
building in Seattle. Both the 1080 and 2160 versions show considerable roughness in the opening few minutes, which I suspect were all part of the
optical process to generate the credits, which appear part of the way through. Once the presentation switches to Russell with his friends in front of a
hotel fire place, things improve measurably, though quite frequently throughout the 1080 and probably especially the 2160 version, grain can be very
gritty looking, especially against lighter parts of the frame (this doesn't necessarily mean scenes in total daylight, as screenshot 19 may disclose).
Detail levels are very good to excellent for the most part, especially some of the fine detail like the herringbone pattern on Russell's Harris Tweed
jacket, but there are also some intermittently soft looking moments in both versions, as in the basement footage where Russell and a workman are
trying to pinpoint what's making all the odd sounds in the house. Generally speaking, the 4K UHD version offers some slight upticks in fine detail,
and a more vividly suffused palette (for better or worse, depending on the red tones, which fluctuate). This is another shot on film production where
I'm not totally convinced that the 2160
version is always a friend to things, but both versions at least offer an organic appearance that hasn't been degrained.
Both discs in this set offer DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The surround track is decently immersive, though it certainly does not approach the cataclysmic levels that more contemporary horror films tend to exploit. For instance, some opening ambient environmental effects are relatively front and center, and even the big maelstrom that caps the film, while more explicitly engaging the side and rear channels, may not have the overwhelming energy that some might wish for. The film's score is very evocative and cues involving both piano and a music box are nicely clear and problem free. Some of the higher string cues sounded just slightly tinny to me a couple of times, but midrange and low end cues have a much more full bodied sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
4K UHD Disc
I'm frankly not sure that The Changeling is the unheralded masterpiece some seem to think it is, but it's a surprisingly emotional ghost story that has a melancholic subtext that's quite remarkable in the annals of horror. This may be another shot on film production where the increased resolution and dynamic range of the 4K UHD version introduces some unwanted elements, but when the 2160 version doesn't exhibit the florid red tones and grain is at its tightest, things look very good. I actually preferred the 1080 presentation in this package, one way or the other. The supplements are excellent, per Severin's traditional approach. Recommended.
Limited Edition
1980
1980
Limited Edition | Website Exclusive Bundle w/Ball, Poster and Pin
1980
Limited Edition | Website Exclusive Bundle with Ball and Pin. The Poster wasn’t included
1980
Quella villa accanto al cimitero
1981
Collector's Edition
1981
1976
La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba
1971
1973
1963
2016
1944
Unrated
2004
1978
2013
1981
Unrated
2007
2016
1959
1980
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga
1972
2001
2015
2019