***SPOILERS ***
I had never heard of this weeks movie before sitting down to watch it. It was one of those movies where I 'felt' I should know of it when I started watching it. Where I had seen the lead actor George C Scott (who plays John Russell) also bothered me for an entire movie as he was SO familiar. Having checked his filmography, I honestly still can't recall where I've seen him as there are no movies / programs which are well known to me. This of course is no reflection on a wonderful actor. It's rarely I am very impressed by an actors performance, but I was by Mr George C Scotts here. I shall no doubt check out a lot more by him now. He didn't come to acting young having served time with the marines and completing a degree in journalism before performing in a university production and catching the acting bug. Interestingly he also refused Oscar nominations as he hated the whole concept. Enough about Mr Scott though, this is a review of the movie.
We start the movie with a scene which leads to the tragic death of John Russells wife and young daughter. They had a car breakdown and the girls push the car to the side of the road so John can call for help at a nearby phone box. While John calls for help, a truck smashes into his parked car and his wife and daughter who are playing alongside it by the roadside. He witnesses it all. He spends a period of time trying to come to terms with what has happened and eventually decides the home he shared with his family in New York holds too many memories, so he moves to Seattle to take up a teaching position at a local college.
He soon find himself housed in a large, beautiful but long empty mansion thanks to his friend and local housing agent Claire (interestingly played by Georges real wife Trish Van Devere). A large piano left at the property clinched the deal. It was too expensive for the previous owners to move it, so it was left behind. As a composer and pianist, it was ideal for John, who, feeling inspired, composes a new piece of music immediately. There's no doubt about it though, the house is creepy so when John is awoken early one morning by loud clanging noises, claims by his handyman that it is down to the old houses heating system seem realistic, even though they start every morning at precisely 6am. Making a reference to my early mention of how impressed I was at George C Scotts acting; his reaction to being awoken from a horrible nightmare to these reverberating bangs is just wonderfully convincing and makes it very easy to be taken along on this ride. The fact that the movie is based on real events experienced in the home of Co Screenwriter Russell Hunter also adds to the creepiness.
