The Changeling

Starring:George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh, John Colicos, Barry Morse, Madeleine Sherwood, Helen Burns, Frances Hyland (II), Ruth Springford, Eric Christmas, Roberta Maxwell, Bernard Behrens, James B. Douglas, J. Kenneth Campbell, C.M. Campel, Voldi Way, Michelle Martin, Janne Mortil, Terence Kelly
Director: Peter Medak
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
When a recent widower (the wonderfully overemphatic George C. Scott ) moves into an antique Washington mansion, his realization that he may not be the only resident leads him toward a deadly secret that refuses to remain buried....The best haunted-house film since the legendary Haunting, this potent, classy combination of the mystery and horror genres eschews explicit gore and dumb shocks in exchange for a subtle creepiness that occasionally builds to a terrifying peak (watch out for that seance scene!). The result is a satisfyingly intelligent horror film with an intriguing dash of Watergate-era paranoia. Director Peter Medak went on to direct the considerably more gratuitous and somewhat less effective Romeo Is Bleeding and The Krays. --Andrew Wright
Description
George C. Scott becomes the unwilling instrument of a ghost's revenge in this supernatural thriller. ' 'A superior haunted house thriller.' ' (Variety)

DVD Features:
Biographies
Interactive Menus

Average customer rating:

Great horror flick
a Horror Classic
The template for intelligent scary movies to follow
Dark Secrets and Spirits that won't stay buried
the scariest

The Changeling
Starring: George C. Scott , Trish Van Devere , Melvyn Douglas , Jean Marsh , and John Colicos
Director: Peter Medak
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Horror | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Innocents
Black Christmas (Special Edition)
The Lady in White
The Sentinel
The Legend of Hell House

ASIN: 0783116926
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Amazon.com

When a recent widower (the wonderfully overemphatic George C. Scott ) moves into an antique Washington mansion, his realization that he may not be the only resident leads him toward a deadly secret that refuses to remain buried....The best haunted-house film since the legendary Haunting, this potent, classy combination of the mystery and horror genres eschews explicit gore and dumb shocks in exchange for a subtle creepiness that occasionally builds to a terrifying peak (watch out for that seance scene!). The result is a satisfyingly intelligent horror film with an intriguing dash of Watergate-era paranoia. Director Peter Medak went on to direct the considerably more gratuitous and somewhat less effective Romeo Is Bleeding and The Krays. --Andrew Wright

Description

George C. Scott becomes the unwilling instrument of a ghost's revenge in this supernatural thriller. ' 'A superior haunted house thriller.' ' (Variety)

DVD Features:
Biographies
Interactive Menus

Customer Reviews:

Great horror flick.......2007-06-14

I love this movie. It's one of the creepiest haunted house movies I've seen, and it has a great plot. Highly recommended for any time of the year, Halloween especially!!

a Horror Classic.......2007-05-20

A long time favorite without flashy special effects. Even my kids loved it.

The template for intelligent scary movies to follow.......2007-05-17

If you enjoy movies which have historical color, and are more than just surface blood and guts, then this movie will satisfy your non-mainstream movie soul. Set in Seattle in 1980, the surroundings have been selected to enhance the nostalgic, longing quality of the child entity who haunts the mansion digs of the main character.

The Changeling is almost at the level of a Hitchcock film - in terms of setting the iconic standard for the scary movie genre to follow. As the plot unfolds, you will spot devices now copied in newer movies - the child ghost and the wheelchair, the innocent ball being bounced down the stairs by a playful unseeing hand, the erratic movement of the camera as the policeman's car overturns, the haunting music box tune layering the musical score - the list just goes on and on.

The viewing is enhanced by the great acting of George C. Scott and the palpable chemistry between Scott and Trish Van de Vere, the female lead.

Can you tell this is one of my favorite movies? For study of film to sheer viewing entertainment, this film cannot be equalled.

Dark Secrets and Spirits that won't stay buried.......2007-05-12

George C. Scott was a fantastic actor, and this quiet little "ghost story" once again proves it. As a family man who in the opening of the movie watch on as his family is killed in a traffic accident, you can feel the pain drip off the screen. He moves into a large house and slowly begins to believe that he may not be alone in the house. As he starts to hear and see things he can't explain he begins to unravel a 70 year old murder of the young child that lived there, which leads to a long hidden secret and a very powerful Senator(well played by Melvyn Douglas).
This film makes some leaps of faith at the audience, such as you have more than a [...] education and that the power of a ghost isn't in seeing but in hearing and feeling. Not for all taste, but if good non-gory thrills are what you want, this "chiller" fits the bill.

the scariest.......2007-04-11

Scariest movie I ever saw. Maybe it was the mood I was in during my first watch, but I still get goosebumps on several scenes. The story ties together well and you can watch with teh family; no gore, no swearing. An absolutely haunting movie.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 19, Episodes 37 & 38: The Changeling/ The Apple

Average customer rating:

Filler Eps from an Otherwise Great Season!
These two don't quite measure up to their neighbors
Before V'Ger, there was... NOMAD!
STANDARD STAR TREK STORIES!!!
Two super machines - Two different kinds of fun classic trek

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 19, Episodes 37 & 38: The Changeling/ The Apple
Starring: Star Trek Original Series
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 20, Episodes 39 & 40: Mirror Mirror/ The Deadly Years
Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 18, Episodes 35 & 36: The Doomsday Machine/ Wolf in the Fold
Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 16, Episodes 31 & 32: Metamorphosis/ Friday's Child
Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 17, Episodes 33 & 34: Who Mourns For Adonais/Amok Time
Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 21, Episodes 41 & 42: I, Mudd/ The Trouble With Tribbles

ASIN: B000055Z4I
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Description

"The Changeling," Ep. 37 - Nomad, a deadly robotic space probe, is on target for Earth. Can Captain Kirk outsmart the killer computer? "The Apple," Ep. 38 - Vaal, protector of Gamma Trianguli VI, tries everything is its power to destroy Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise during an ill-fated visit to the strange planet.

Customer Reviews:

Filler Eps from an Otherwise Great Season!.......2006-10-24

If you are picking and choosing which volumes to keep, you can safely give this one a miss without missing too much. The first episode is interesting though because the theme is very similar to the V'ger story from the first Star Trek movie. The tension and tight plot are redeeming factors to an otherwise average episode.

The second and weaker episode shows an emotionally vulnerable Kirk who questions himself and his abilities when a number of his crew die on an Eden-like planet behaving as if he is a rookie captain who has only just lost members of his crew on dangerous assignments. The rest of the episode is very forgettable and ranks among the worst of all 3 seasons combined.

These two don't quite measure up to their neighbors.......2003-09-03

The Changeling-This episode, which features a confused and destructive floating robot, is an unspectacular offering. Like several episodes, it ably enough explores the unfortunate fact that technology is fallible, and that even with the best intentions, things can and do go wrong. This ship-based episode is less exciting than some of its neighbors, although there are a few dramatic scenes. On the negative side, the idea that Uhura could be rapidly re-programmed would be laughable if it wasn't so insulting to her. Also tedious is Kirk's outwitting of Nomad. (3 stars)

The Apple-This episode, in which the crew beams down to a `pre-fall' planet where the lizard-god still controls his followers, is an unpleasant surprise. Star Trek was in the middle of a strong rhythm that was broken by this silly episode. I suppose the basic biblical premise is OK, but it doesn't go anywhere. The planet is just a vehicle for red-shirt carnage, and none of the guest actors are convincing in their admittedly silly roles. I suppose the question of whether these people will be better off after their paradise is lost is an interesting one, but unlike in Who Mourns for Adonais?, the question is not taken up here. Basically just a half-hearted, 3rd season-like show, but without the trippy style many of the later shows at least contributed. (1.5 stars)

Before V'Ger, there was... NOMAD!.......2003-01-29

REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 19: The Changeling © / The Apple ©

THE CHANGELING © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Man vs. Machine / Inperfection

Historical Milestone: The first temporary death of a core character (Scotty); Spock's first mind-meld with a machine life-form

Notable Gaffe/Special Defect: In a few of the long shots of Nomad, you can just make out the line that keeps him `suspended' in mid-air.

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Four dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Out of all the Kirk-outwitting-the-computer-by-talking-it-to-death episodes, this one is likely the most notable. It also was something of an inspiration to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (and you thought ST:TMP was uninspired!) with the whole The-Enterprise-crew-must-stop-a-senitent-machine-trying-to-return-to-the-planet-of-its-creators-AKA-Earth-and-eliminate-all-imperfect-lifeforms scenario. Fortunately, unlike its big-screen clone, The Changeling isn't chock-full of overlong special effects sequences, nor does it lack primary colors. Bottom line: if you're thinkin' of taking a look at ST:TMP, just watch this eppie instead. You'll thank me for it some day...

Aside from this show's parallels to the Trek crew's first big-screen adventure, The Changeling features one of my all-time fave Trek moments: Nomad erases the mind of Uhura after taking a listen to her infernal caterwauling some tin-eared folks would call `singing'. Now if that ain't a blessing in disguise, I don't know what is! Oh yes, don't forget to check out Uhura's re-education sessions with Nurse Chapel; you'll see what likely inspired the creators of Hooked on Phonics!

THE APPLE © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Cultural Stagnation / Self-Reliance

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Four dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Continuing this volume's Man-vs-Machine theme, once again Kirk & Co.
Take a few liberties with the Prime Directive to put a stagnant society of innocent beings back on track towards `normal' development by destroying a machine that controls them, much like what was done in Return of the Archons. Throw in a few deadly dart-shooting flowers, land-mine rocks and vaporizing lightning bolts, and you've got a few great ways to off a few red-shirts! And for a twist, let's add Spock surviving a dart-flower attack as a way of showing off the toughness of his amazing half-Vulcan biology! You gotta do that at least twice a season, y'know...

My fave moment in this eppie is at the end, where Kirk alludes to Spock's appearance looking similar to that of Satan. This moment was Roddenberry & Company's little poke at some of NBC's execs statements that Spock looked a bit too satanic for network TV after viewing the series' first pilot. Fortunately, Roddenberry fought to keep the character in the show, and the rest as they say is history...

`Late

STANDARD STAR TREK STORIES!!!.......2002-09-16

Volume 19 of The Star Trek DVD series contains to standard episodes of the second season. Although neither of the episodes are bad they are definetly far from ground breaking! It's logical to assume that this would not be the first DVD a Star Trek fan would get from this series but if you are a die hard fan then you may as well purchase this (unless you can get a DVD with more than 2 episodes).

The first episode here is THE CHANGELING. The Enterprise runs across the ancient Nomad probe which has gone from galaxy to galaxy destroying biological inperfections. The somewhat damaged probe believes that Kirk is his creator and obeys Kirks commands. However the probe continues to follow out it's function and begins to destroy all biological inperfections on the Enterprise aka innocent crew men! The episode is well written but the Nomad probe looks really cheesy and Kirk arguing with it is even more ridiculous. Still this episode is quite watchable.
(Note: Vic Perrin does the voice of Nomad he also did the voice of Dr. Zin in Jonny Quest and appeared in various Sci-Fi Adventure shows)

THE APPLE is one of those Star Trek episodes where the crew finds a paradise and later finds out it's a living hell. When they arrive on this beautiful planet, 3 crew men are killed, Spock is constantly abused by the planet's plant life and lightning bolts from the sky and the idol worshipping natives with bad wigs and sun burned skin are too ignorant to help the crew. If thats not bad enough the Enterprise is being held by the idol Vaal (that is actually a machine controlling the natives) in a force field. Now don't get me wrong this is a good episode but this is typical Trek. This plot has been done a hundred times better in other Star Trek episodes but this is still decent. This was also the first Star Trek episode I ever saw : )

Overall a decent collection of episodes but nothing very special here. Both shows are good and watchable but I recommend venturing into a different Star Trek collection before buying this one. Recommended.

Two super machines - Two different kinds of fun classic trek.......2002-08-07

A great pair of episodes - exemplifying both the campy and the genuinely creepy aspects of sci-fi on classic trek. First, the creepy...

The Enterprise encounters a machine (small enough to be towed though the Enterprise's corridors with a virtually invisible wire, yet powerful enough to wipe out both whole civilizations and Lt. Uhuru's voice). Though unrecognizable and sentient beyond any human technology, the machine identifies itself as "Nomad" - a robot probe launched from Earth in the 21st century. Even stranger - the probe identifies Kirk as its creator. Thinking quickly, Spock convinces Kirk not to correct the machine's error (though since the mistake saves the ship from destruction, it was more instinct than inference) and, though unsure of the machine's true nature at first, Kirk keeps Nomad in the dark. We learn that Nomad, to some extent, is the same Nomad created in the 21st century - a unique experiment combining space exploration and artificial intelligence, and cooked up by an eccentric inventor whose name sounds like Kirk's. We also learn that Nomad had encountered and merged with an alien probe with a seemingly similar mission, but far greater powers. The mind-meld in which Spock learns the horrific truth adds a chill and also some depth to the machine, which is one of the most perfect examples of coldly calculating AI on any major science fiction program. Though Classic Trek repeatedly concocted alien superbeings based on computers that had evolved to the point where they thought themselves gods ("For the world is hollow"; "Return of the Archons"; "The Ultimate Computer" and "The Apple"), this episode rose from the pack, and remains conceptually indistinguishable from "Star Trek, The Motion Picture" despite the far superior FX of that film.

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great horror flick.......2007-06-14

I love this movie. It's one of the creepiest haunted house movies I've seen, and it has a great plot. Highly recommended for any time of the year, Halloween especially!!

a Horror Classic.......2007-05-20

A long time favorite without flashy special effects. Even my kids loved it.

The template for intelligent scary movies to follow.......2007-05-17

Dark Secrets and Spirits that won't stay buried.......2007-05-12

the scariest.......2007-04-11

Average customer rating:

Bring this deal back!

The Night Flier/Changeling
Starring: Miguel Ferrer , Julie Entwisle , Dan Monahan , Michael H. Moss , and John Bennes
Director: Mark Pavia , and Peter Medak
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0000E6FQO
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Customer Reviews:

Bring this deal back!.......2004-09-01

"The Changeling" is one eerie cinematic experience. John Russell (George C. Scott) watched helplessly as his pretty wife and young daughter perished in a horrible automobile accident. Overcome with crushing grief, Russell gives up his career as a composer in New York to head across the country to the state of Washington. His talents as a musician allow him to obtain a post at a local university, but he needs to find some new digs so he can maintain his privacy. A suggestion from friends leads him to the local historical society where Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere) recommends he rent out Chessman House, a local landmark currently unoccupied. Why the historical society is in the real estate business is an unanswerable question, but Russell agrees to move into the decrepit but beautiful house anyway. To say something is wrong with this old building ranks as one of the great understatements in cinematic history. A ghost haunts Chessman House; a very angry spirit whose sole purpose in life (no pun intended--in fact, a double pun!) is convincing Russell to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding its demise. At first, Russell isn't convinced that anything is wrong. Sure, he hears some weird booming noises in the middle of the night, and his piano occasionally bangs out an odd note or two when no one is around, but these oddities do convince the musician to launch an investigation into the house's history.

Things start to get weirder once we learn the history of Chessman House. According to local rumors and documents, a family living in the house back in the early twentieth century lost a daughter in a coal truck accident. Subsequent horrors convince our protagonist that the spirit inhabiting the building has nothing to do with this incident. For example, Russell witnesses the apparition of a young boy in a bathtub upstairs, and the voices he starts hearing don't sound like that of a young girl. In the film's best scene, a plastic ball bounces down the house's stairs and comes to rest right in front of Russell. The composer takes the toy and throws it in a nearby creek only to come home to discover the ball bouncing down the stairs again! Chilly! The truth becomes clearer in another ultra eerie scene when a psychic visits the house and channels a message from Joseph, a boy who lived in the house before the family with the girl ever arrived. It is the revenant of this young child communicating with John Russell, and the composer henceforth methodically unearths the mystery behind the ghost in Chessman House. No spoilers here, but ultimately a powerful senator, an abandoned well, and a small room in the attic provide the necessary clues in solving the mystery.

In "The Night Flier," some nut in a pitch black Cessna is flying around the country and landing at out of the way airports in order kill the personnel on duty. All of these grisly incidents occur in the middle of the night, not in and of itself strange, but the actual killings raise a host of intriguing questions screaming for someone to investigate. No one makes a connection that these crimes might be linked until a trash tabloid paper called "Inside View" gets a whiff of the story. The star reporter for this rag, Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer), eventually expresses an interest in the killings when the facts become too weird to ignore. This journalist (a term used loosely) boards his own small plane and begins to follow the crimes up and down the East Coast. Dees faces a host of problems during his investigation, including the reluctance of witnesses to speak about what they know. Bigger difficulties emerge in the form of Merton Morrison (Dan Monahan), the sleazy editor of "Inside View," and a hungry new reporter looking for her first big break named Katherine Blair (Julie Entwisle). Dees isn't too worried about these problems since he understands completely the ins and outs of tabloid journalism, and knows from years of experience how to hold his own against rivals and unenthusiastic witnesses.

Dees's excursions slowly uncover a series of sinister clues to the identity of the unknown pilot. The enigmatic aviator's name is Dwight Renfield, and the guy only flies at night. He also seems to possess a weird ability to control the minds of some of his victims, victims left lying in county morgues with holes in their necks that you could drive a tractor through. Dees knows he's on to something huge, a story that could put him back on page one of "Inside View." As the reporter homes in on his quarry, he learns Renfield knows about him and what he's trying to do. Ominous incidents start occurring, messages left in blood in Dees's hotel room warning the reporter to cease and desist, stalking, things like that. Richard isn't the sort of guy that scares easily, however, so he takes these warnings as signs that he's about to break the story. Meanwhile, back at headquarters, Dees reticence to reveal the juicy details of the case to Morrison leads the editor to assign eager beaver Blair to the story. The boss chuckles over imagining the hostility that will inevitably occur when Dees learns he's been steamrolled. Better Dees should worry about what will happen when he finally confronts Dwight Renfield than what Blair or Morrison are planning.

What a catch! Two great horror films that will leave you scuttling for the light switch! You can't go wrong with either of these great movies. Although it looks as though this particular deal is currently out of print, there's no reason to think that the offer won't return in the future. If it does, you really ought to take advantage of such a stellar package. These two films have it all: heavy gore, great acting, good special effects, and scares aplenty. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Middleton's Changeling [Region 2]
Starring: Ian Dury , Amanda Ray-King , Colm O'Maonlai , Richard Mayes , and Guy Williams (II)
Director: Marcus Thompson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0000C24E6

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

A Letter to Three Wives

The Cat And The Canary

Malevolent [2002]

DVD: Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball

Anlagen-Meisterwerke