Visible crew/equipment: When Claire is showing John the house for the first time you can see the shadow of the camera on the tablecloth on top of the piano when John approaches it. (00:09:57)
The Changeling (1980)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Peter Medak
Starring: George C. Scott, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh, Trish Van Devere
Russell finds out that the spirit/ghost that has been haunting his place is a boy called Joseph Carmichel. He was a crippled boy who could not walk. His father killed him by drowning him while he was trying to take a bath. He then got a orphan to take his place by sending him to Europe to get 'cured', then bring him back so that both of them could live on some sort of insurance policy or something. Russell tells this to Sen. Carmichel, the changeling: the orphan who took Joseph's place. After Russell leaves, Carmichel puts Joseph's medal (which Russell dug up along with Joseph bones in a well under a house) on his 'father's' picture, which eventually starts to shake. Back at Russell's place, Claire (Van Devere) goes inside, but eventually the house starts on fire. Russell then comes home and rescues her just as Sen. Carmichel (who is having a out-of-body or some dream-like experience) goes inside the house and up the stairs. In Joseph's room, Sen. Carmichel sees a vision of Joseph's father killing Joseph. Sen. Carmichel then suffers a heart attack which kills him at his home. Russell's place burns to the ground as Russell and Claire survive.
Big Evil
More mistakes in The Changeling
John Russell: It's my understanding... that there are, uh... twenty-three students registered... for this series of lectures on advanced musical form. Now, we all know it's not raining outside, and unless there's a fire in some other part of the building that we don't know about, there's an awful lot of people here with nothing better to do.
Trivia: Martin Scorsese called "The Changeling" one of the eleven scariest movies ever made in a list he published.
Question: Carmichael died at his home. Was it his ghost or something else that John saw in the house as it was burning?
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: It was implied to be his "spirit" or "soul" that John saw.
TedStixon