The Changeling (1980) Vs Poltergeist (1982)
Definitely The Changeling for me
shareYou and me both. Definitely the Changeling
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MovieChat Forums > The Changeling (1980) Discussion > The Changeling (1980) Vs Poltergeist (1...
I consider both of these films to be two of the three or four top heavyweight hitters in the history of Horror.
The Exorcist
Poltergeist
The Changeling
The Sixth Sense
If only Suspiria had a stronger story, or The Shining had better characterization realization (or a different lead actor altogether). Oh well... at least there's Crimson Peak to look forward to in just a couple weeks.
And, of course, there's always 1989's The Woman in Black. Perhaps not a heavyweight hitter but holds its own nonetheless...
I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way
I've seen both and The Changeling is the superior film. I find it funny how often these two get compared. They are both great horror films, but The Changeling is definitely the bleakest of the two films and has a more emotional story. Plus I personally find it scarier.
More emotional..? If there's anything The Changeling lacked, it's two things: Emotion, and a good performance by its lead actor.
Of course, I find it impressive that, despite this film being arguably Scott's worst performance, it somehow doesn't detract from the movie's greatness. Poltergeist certainly has far more emotion, however, without even trying. It also has higher spirituality, sensation, and an intriguingly ambiguous take on mythos surrounding the afterlife.
That said, I admire The Changeling just as much as Poltergeist, even if the latter has a couple less flaws.
I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way
You are certainly entitled to your own opinion and I'm not at all trying to judge you for it, but based on what you've said about The Changeling....I find it VERY hard to believe that we watched the same film.
Your quip about Scott's performance....okay, fair enough. I understand that his subtle performance wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But for you to say that The Changeling lacks emotion is absolutely baffling.
In the first five minutes of the film, the main character's family is killed in a horrific accident and the first half of the story shows him dealing with his grief in a very realistic way, mind you. You can't tell me that part of the film wasn't at least a little emotional. And on the flip side, you have the spirit of the murdered, disabled boy who was brutally killed by his own father no less. And if that weren't enough, hearing his sad, disembodied voice over the seance tape is so heart breaking.
I just find it so odd that you could say that. Up until now, I've never met a single person who wasn't moved at least a little bit by this film. Please don't think that I'm criticizing you for it. I just find it strange.
Poltergeist certainly has it's touching moments, but I don't think it was an emotional film. In fact, some scenes are quite campy; a little too campy for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I still like the film. And I think the child actors in it do a great job. (Not to mention the special effects are top notch) but to me, The Changeling is the overall better film.
In the first five minutes of the film, the main character's family is killed in a horrific accident and the first half of the story shows him dealing with his grief in a very realistic way...No it doesn't. Not at all, not in the slightest. It could've but it didn't. The protagonist's family's death is a faint backdrop at best. And, as many viewers have stated, Scott botched it here (though whether or not his performance here is as bad as his performance in TEIII varies from person-to-person).
I've seen films whose plots take place in the aftermath of a loved one's death, and the way that the characters cope with it throughout the rest of the picture is usually depicted far more thoroughly than it is in this movie (see Riggs in Lethal Weapon, or the married couple in Don't Look Now, or the mother in Full Circle, or Molly in Ghost, or M'Lynn in Steel Magnolias, or Anderton in Minority Report, or the mother character who lost her infant in The Good Son, or the students in Toy Soldiers after one of their schoolmates was killed by the terrorists, to name a few).
Had someone else played the protagonist, they may have given the character and his grief more dimension. Two of Scott's moments in particular are pretty objectively bad. The rest is solid stuff at best (though the rest of the cast delivers, and Scott does have a good monologue in the scene with the politician towards the end). Maybe the script just didn't give him much to work with. I don't know.
Everyone quotes the infamously bad "It's a hand" line. I've yet to find a person who doesn't declare that one as Grade-A camp (although, in actuality, it's more like just flat-out bad).
You are certainly entitled to your own opinion and I'm not at all trying to judge you for it, but based on what you've said about The Changeling....I find it VERY hard to believe that we watched the same film.The Changeling is one of my favorite films and I've scrutinized and assessed it every which-way, from a directorial level to a pure aesthetic one. I even have a huge collection of obscure horror films just like it (like A Warning to the Curious or A Cold Night's Death, for examples). I'm not really compelled to evaluate them subjectively because I love all of these films equally.
Thus I never spoke of which film I felt was better. I was judging them dryly, from a technical standpoint.
The Joseph character's death is theoretically appalling. That means, it's appalling on paper. The movie is lucky it manages to be as good as it is without really imposing any of its "emotion" enough to make it all resonate. The Changeling is great for a number of reasons, but emotional sensation is not really one of them.
We understand that a child dying is bad, and that a scandal stemming from that death is bad, so we care, especially because the film surrounding these events is very well directed. But the movie never makes us feel. It could have, but its lead actor did not feel like exhibiting enough emotion.
In order for us to care about Joseph, Scott's character needs to appear appalled and saddened and stressed out for him throughout the film. But we never see that, and consequently, it's tough for the viewer to feel emotions for the death of a ghost that the movie's protagonist doesn't even seem to feel.
Poltergeist certainly has it's touching moments, but I don't think it was an emotional film.I read only contradiction here. Additionally, we clearly must define "emotional" very differently. But it doesn't matter, because you admitted in your first clause here that the movie is emotional, despite contradicting that in your latter. share
No it doesn't. Not at all, not in the slightest. It could've but it didn't. The protagonist's family's death is a faint backdrop at best. And, as many viewers have stated, Scott botched it here (though whether or not his performance here is as bad as his performance in TEIII varies from person-to-person).
Okay, so from what you've said here, you strongly feel that The Changeling doesn't deal with the grief of the main character at all. And furthermore, that Scott's acting ruined that aspect of the film. Correct?
What about the scene towards the very beginning with Russell's daughter and the ball? What about the scene where he's explaining to the Lingstrom's what he went through after Joanna and Cathy died? What about the scene where he has a nightmare about the accident and wakes up in tears? You say that the film doesn't address it at all and yet, it's there in all of these scenes.
And of course you have to keep in mind that the film takes place several months after the accident so most of the grief has already gone away from him. But what I think has happened here is that you've mistaken his emotional restraint for apathy and uncaring. Grief affects everyone differently. Some people will have a harder time with it than others. I still stand by my statement that the film handles grief (at least, grief as I understand it) in a very realistic way. It comes in short bursts, or whenever he see's something that reminds him of his daughter. He doesn't mention it very often, but probably because he knows that if he does he's just going to get visibly upset. So what I'm saying is that just because Russell didn't look like he was grieving doesn't mean that he wasn't incredibly upset over the death of his family. He just chose not to show it publicly.
Bare in mind also that his family's death is not at the forefront of the story. If The Changeling wasn't a horror film and was simply about a man trying to overcome his grief, then that aspect of the story would have been more thoroughly explored. But because it's merely a supportive block for what's yet to come, it's only addressed as much as needed. Which to me, was a very appropriate amount.
And if you honestly think that TC contains George C. Scott's worst acting than I'm very curious to hear that you have to say about his atrocious line delivery in The Exorcist III. Because to me, the laughably bad "It is not in the file!" is far worse than anything he ever says during the entire run time of The Changeling.
Additionally, we clearly must define "emotional" very differently. But it doesn't matter, because you admitted in your first clause here that the movie is emotional, despite contradicting that in your latter.
I think you've misunderstood me, here. I didn't think I needed to clarify that saying a film has "some touching moments" does not equate to believing the entire film is emotional. If I had known I needed to explain myself further with that, I would have worded it better. So no, I haven't contradicted myself. A few lines of touching dialogue or some parts from a couple of scenes does not mean that Poltergeist as a whole is impassioned. I'm sorry to have confused you. share
Me too.
The Changeling is a far more effective film. Poltergeist isn't even horror. If Tobe Hooper had been left to his own devices then it may have been something more in line with The Changeling but what we got was the result of far too much interference from Steven Spielberg, which is more of a family/fantasy film. Spielberg's fingerprints are all over Poltergeist, and his ego wouldn't allow him to lower himself to make a 'horror' film. It's the same reason Jaws is classified as a thriller whereas the sequels are all horror.
shareAs far as creepiness.... I think you have to truly weigh the factors and emphasis' on varied levels, as they are not the same type of Horror film. Changeling was about a crippled child murder in a century house, while poltergeist involved a little girl getting taken from her family under paranormal circumstances (with awesome special effects).
The only emotional factor I can mindspeak is the corporeal communication between Carol-anne and her family via the tv set. And the latter sequences of Tangina's involvement. With The Changeling, much was the seance along with the sequence of events thereafter - John uncovering the morbid mystery. And though both films were produced barely a year apart, Poltergeist was a more modern setting, whereas Changeling of course appeared older, considering its locale, etc
Peanutlee33
The Changeling is definitely the creepier of the two. The old vacant house, with the strange boarded up attic room, the darkness of the interiors of the house, and the seemingly coldness and cavernous-like rooms all contributed to the creepiness. Whereas Poltergeist was set in a modern house without any creepiness to the house itself (other than the dead tree).
I also think that older hauntings have more creepiness about them than more modern ones. Although that's just my personal opinion.