Poor John Russell: he's on vacation with his family in snowy New York when their station wagon breaks down. When they finally reach a pay phone so he can call for a tow truck, the icy road causes an accident that kills his wife and daughter when all he can do is watch helplessly from the jammed phone booth. What rotten luck. This opening pretty much sets the tone for the whole movie: incredibly sober. There are no goofy monsters or one liners here. This is a very serious film, but what a film it is!

After John (George C. Scott) has mourned his loss for a while, he decides to pack up his things and move to Washington and his new job as a music professor at the local university. Wanting time to be alone and compose music, he rents a house from the town historical society. As usual, this house has a few secrets in its walls that won't keep quiet. John discovers an attic room boarded up behind a closet, with the remains of a life once lived in there by young Joseph Carmichael. What's the connection between this child and Senator Joseph Carmichael? Why does the house boom every morning at 6 A.M.? What's the deal with the missing medal? I'm intentionally leaving my synopsis as lean as possible for a reason. This movie really needs to be experienced for the full effect. The story itself, while complicated at times, is well written and genuinely interesting. Sometimes, these "whodunit" movies can get lost in themselves, overly complicating things to the point of frustration on the part of the viewer. This movie never does that, keeping twists in there, but satisfyingly minimal.

The real reason I like this movie though is the overall classiness of it. While some blood is in there, it's not much, and not unnecessary. The film is not really "horror," in that is generates an atmosphere that is not frightening (Although the ghostly wheelchair chase scene is pretty damn creepy) but eerie. The scariest part of the movie is discovering what it all means, and why what happened in the house happened. Everyone in here turns in great performances. George C. Scott in particular does an amazing job. His portrayal of John Russell is wonderful. He makes the character very realistic, with natural delivery of lines that are quite convincing. Plus, the screenwriters make him incredibly likeable. Russell is a good person who always hides his pain behind a thin veil, and when he lets it out, it's quite stirring. The set pieces in the movie are wonderful as well, with the lovely sweep of John's music room being offset by the cramped griminess of the attic room. The houses in the movie have a "lived-in" feel, which is quite refreshing.

Video quality, however, is amazingly uneven. Beautifully clean shots give way to frames swarming with print damage. It's bizarre, because it almost seems like the movie was only half-done, as if the guy in charge of remastering just closed up shop after doing a few random scenes. The audio mix is merely okay as well. It's in 3-channel Dolby Surround, and suffered the same issue as the video. Sometimes crisp and clear, other times muddy and with an annoying hiss in the background. It's frustrating to say the least. I wasn't expecting a movie to show off the home theater setup, but I was expecting quality to be more consistent.

Extras are virtually nonexistent. We're given subtitles, and a few Cast & Crew bios. No biggie, as I've seen this movie for about 9.99 in many stores. However, I will say one thing: Consider this a warning, Hollywood. When I become Mayor of DVD-Town, using those cardboard "snapper" cases will be a crime punishable by death. The damn things annoy the hell out of me. They look weird on the shelf, they get dinged up easily, and they never close right! Why do you INSIST on using the damn things!? Sorry, just had to get that out of my system...

For all you folks who like their horror a little classier, and think mood is more important that blood and guts, give this movie a shot. While not the best DVD release, it's the best you'll get, and a damn fine movie to boot!