It’s so easy to tell George C Scott is a theater actor at heart. The way he projects his voice and how he just takes over scenes. Hugh Jackman also performs as if he is on stage. If you watch a lot of old movies it’s easy to tell the actors who are at heart theater actors - Bette Davis was one.
This is not the scariest movie. It is a ghost story and at the heart of the story is a man who lost his son and wanting to seek justice for the boy who had been killed n the house by his father. I did have problems with the movie. A single man who lost his family buying a mansion didn’t make sense. A man who was so methodical first confronts the Senator is an utterly stupid fashion. The wheelchair scene with the wheel chair chasing Scott’s girlfriend was just silly.
I also couldn’t help but wonder if this movie was an inspiration for The Ring. In both tales a child was thrown into a well. In this movie the child was dead before he was tossed into the well played a big part of the movie. I also liked how the Senator was portrayed. You wanted him to be the bad guy but you realize that on a certain level he believed he was the killer’s son and thought his father was good. I felt pity for him.
I also liked how Scott was portrayed as a person who would not let himself be victimized by the house. Yes he showed fright but also told the ghost off.
Melvyn Douglas who played the Senator was also in Ghost Story which came out in 1981 which was his last movie.
Was this as good as Scott’s Exorcist III? No.
Anyone see this?
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The ball bouncing down the stairs is one of the most chilling moments in horror.
When the wheelchair suddenly moves by itself my then-boyfriend jumped in a way I rarely actually see people do, haha. It’s a really great ghost story and George C Scott is amazing in EVERYTHING he’s in. My favorites of his are Hardcore, this movie, and Exorcist III.
It's a great movie, with the protagonist dealing with the haunting in a way very different from how most haunted house stories go. As I recall, he only rented the house, hoping it would provide an inspirational setting for returning to musical composition.
I just saw it for the first time. Spot on. He rented it.
I enjoyed the movie and seeing George C Scott's performance, as I mainly know him for The Exorcist III (Legion). It must have been an influence on (Ringu) the Ring. It was the first thing I thought of as the plot was unfolding. It was hyped up as being very scary, but I just appreciated it for the vibe and story. It felt like a long episode of Tales from the Darkside to me (in a good way).
The Author of the Ring novel said he was inspired by Poltergeist. Not sure if parts of it were also inspired by this though. An evil child being thrown down a well seems very Japanese Folklore to me, wouldn't be surprised if it's independent.
I watched this over the weekend. I didn't think it was scary at all but I did enjoy it. It wasn't nearly as good as the Exorcist 3 but solid nonetheless.
Love it. He really was a fantastic actor.
Couple quibbles. It was his wife and daughter that are killed. He doesn't buy the house. He is working at the university and the local historical preservation group offers to let him live there.