Why Stephen King Called This Supernatural Horror Movie the Best of All Time—and It’s Officially Streaming Free
King’s supernatural horror choice
In a 2017 interview with BFI, Stephen King named The Changeling among his ten favorite films. He described Peter Medak’s movie as the best supernatural horror of all time and praised George C. Scott’s performance.
King said the film’s scares did not rely on creatures bursting from bodies. A child’s ball rolling down stairs, he recalled, was enough to frighten him. The 1980 movie is available to stream for free on Tubi.
A composer enters a mansion
Scott plays John Russell, a widowed composer who moves from New York to Seattle after witnessing his wife and daughter die in a collision with a semi. He rents an old mansion from Claire Norman, played by Trish Van Devere, who works with a local historical society.
Norman tells him the house has been empty for twelve years, though events soon cast doubt on that account. John hears loud banging, finds taps running and discovers a hidden attic after a window shatters.
Unsettling signs in the house
John also finds a music box playing the tune he performed on the piano the previous night. The most disturbing encounter comes when he sees the face of a drowned boy in a bathtub.
The film’s growing unease underpins the quiet approach King admired. Rather than depending on frequent, graphic shocks, the story builds tension through strange sounds and discoveries inside the mansion.
Key points
- The Changeling is streaming free on Tubi.
- Stephen King praised the film in a 2017 BFI interview.
- George C. Scott stars as widowed composer John Russell.
- The story follows strange events in a Seattle mansion.