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Courtesy Denver Public Library

Changeling House

A supposedly haunted mansion in Denver was the basis for the 1980 movie "The Changeling." Writer Russell Hunter lived there in the 60s. He said doors opened and closed by themselves. Walls shook. A secret stairway led Hunter to the diary of a 9-year old boy, whose family hid him in the attic because of his disability. There he died before inheriting his grandfather’s fortune, so the family masqueraded an orphan as their son – a changeling. In a séance, Hunter learned the boy was buried under the house with a gold medallion, which was found when the home on 13th Avenue was demolished. Russell Hunter then moved, but said the unexplained phenomena followed him, so he called a Denver priest for an exorcism which seemed to have worked. Hunter’s film The Changeling was a critical success, still considered one of the best horror movies ever made.

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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.


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