The Changeling (1980)

George C. Scott loses his wife and daughter in a tragic accident and decides to start fresh somewhere new. He takes a job in a different city and moves into a furnished estate that, for some reason, has stood empty for more than a decade.

The first half creates a sense of dread -- it's genuinely creepy and so different from other horror movies which depend so heavily on jump scenes. Our "hero" isn't scared so much as inquisitive and that's a novel approach. It's also an approach that begins to feel rather clinical. If he's not nervous and he's right there, why on earth should I be nervous sitting on my couch watching him? Also, the movie kind of breaks down at the end. The climax made no sense to me. Basically, if revenge was the thing and the ghost was able to apply it at will across miles, why hadn't he done so long ago?

C