The Innocents

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Alec B The more the movie digs into the ambiguity around the haunting the more eerie and unsettling it gets. Also, this is probably Kerr's best performance. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/24 Full Review Peter G Perhaps still the best version, IMO, to be based on James THE TURN OF THE SCREW. The ambiguity concerning whether the Governess actually sees Quint & Miss Jessel or whether her perceptions result from her own repressed mind are maintained as James intended except for with one particular instance. At one point the Governess hears crying & then when she finds it coming from the room with a piano she observes a tear on the keyboard. Pauline Kael called this tear ‘a pearl of ambiguity' & it does cause the viewer to, if only momentarily, believe in the actual ghostly presences which the Governess are claiming are real. I have seen quite a bit of Kerr's variety of film characterizations but this, IMO, is her ultimate achievement & the 2 children are splendidly unsettling especially Martin Stephens as young Miles. A year before this he was the leader of the alien children in VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED which was an equally fascinating & chilling portrayal as here. Choosing black & white cinematography instead of color adds to the combination of the natural beauty & sinister dread present in the films location. Capote's contribution to the adaptation is also a significant factor in this memorable film. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/23 Full Review David F This old movie adapting Henry James's novel isn't very scary but it has scary good sets. The creation of Bly, the country house populated by a few servants and 2 orphan children left to the responsibility of an absentee London-based uncle, is stupendous, with beautiful woodwork, lovely formal spaces, spacious grounds, and spectacular leaded-glass windows everywhere you look. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/07/23 Full Review Will G. F The show is better but this faithful adaptation is also fun and rewatchable. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/21/23 Full Review Steve I first saw this when I was only 12. It stayed with me for days. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/23 Full Review Wayne K An old school horror film from before the days of cheesy effects and irritating musical stingers, The Innocents is atmospheric, foreboding and sinister, yet believable and low key. Much of the film is composed of conversations between our lead Miss Giddens and either the maid of the house she's working at, or the 2 children who live there. The tension is slowly built up as we learn more and more about the situation but are left constantly guessing about the eventual income. The simple direction and camerawork allows us to follow the lead without distraction, and Deborah Kerr's gives a fantastic performance as a sensible woman slowly unwinding thanks to forces she doesn't quite understand. The story elements have been subject to heavy analysis, but I wasn't interested in interpretation, I just wanted to see a horror film that actually scared me, and it truly did. There's one scene that was so unexpectedly frightening that I gripped the arm of my chair as goosebumps appeared all over my body. It's great to see a film that can made the audience quiver without dumb fake outs or jump scares. In The Innocents, it's all about the atmosphere, the incredible sound design and the images that make you feel truly unsettled. If you feel like watching it, I strongly recommend you do so with the lights on. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Innocents

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