The Changeling (1980)

There are some movies, especially in the horror genre that don't age well. What would have scared people back in the 50's just looks kind of silly to us today. Some movies however are kind of ahead of their times and when you watch them 30 years later, it is hard to see it with an open mind cause you are thinking "I have seen this a million times." The Changeling is one of those movies.
George C. Scott stars as John Russel, a famous composer who witnesses his wife and child dieing in a terrible car accident. At the urging of his friends he moves across the country to Seattle into a huge sprawling mansion and teaches at a local college. Soon after he moves into the house strange things start happening. He hears loud banging sounds, people whispering and people walking around when he is the only one home. It also seems that not everyone wants Russel to rent this house. Some of the locals are less than friendly, and for a guy who just saw his wife and daughter get run over by a snow plow, this gets him a little fired up. Russel and his real estate agent (I think, I was kind of flipping back and forth to the Sugar Bowl, so I wasn't really paying the attention that I should have) start to uncover some pretty dubious goings on at this mansion and eventually discover a cover up that goes all the way to the US senate.
I know that it doesn't sound very exciting or groundbreaking, and truth be told, I felt a little bored watching it (hence the Sugar Bowl). I am usually pretty good at watching older movies in context, but this one really just seemed to drag and didn't hold my interest. Don't get me wrong, it is a very well made movie, it is shot well, the acting is top notch, and there is a very creepy seance scene that is actually scary. However, some of the haunted house cliche's have been done to death at this point and even though this one probably predates a lot of them, I couldn't help but be bored.
The Changeling is one of those movies that I can't even remember why it is my Netflix queue. It isn't directed by a big name director and it isn't exactly a genre classic so I am not sure what brought it to my attention. While it isn't terrible by any means and does have some redeeming qualities, I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it is worth another watch some day, but I am not wasting another Netflix spot on it.