A young governess travels to a secluded estate to care for two children. She discovers, much to her horror that a couple of ghosts are hanging around, and these children are communicating with them. The governess fears that these ghosts are evil and attempting to possess the children.
The rather creepy children know about these ghosts and aren’t afraid of them. That is a bit unsettling. They knew these ghosts when they were living and breathing people. I haven’t decided if that makes it worse or not.
I kept waiting and waiting for something really gruesome and sinister to happen, but it never did. I did pick up on the slightest hint that the ghosts that keep appearing may have taken some sexual liberties with the children during their life and time of employment at Bly House, but that suspicion was neither confirmed nor denied.
The paragraphs are really long. Some of them go on for a full page or more, so I found it really difficult to keep my place on the page. People spoke a lot differently in 1898 than we speak today, and this is rather obvious when you read this book. The dialogue is rather stiff and formal, but I’m sure this is because it was the way people who lived during that time spoke.
I think that people of that time might have scared a lot easier than most people of today. Maybe it’s because I’m used to reading horror novels that keep me on the edge of my seat or something, but this book didn’t make me uneasy or give me chills at all. I found it almost boring, so it really wasn’t a problem for me to lay it down and take a break from reading it.
I would classify The Turn of the Screw as more of a psychological horror story. If you are a fan of Henry James, a fan of classic horror, or a fan of psychological horror and you don’t mind the really long paragraphs, you will probably enjoy this one.
I downloaded a free copy of this book as a from Amazon. If you would like to add this book to your own personal library, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: The Turn of the Screw
About the Author:
Henry James was born in New York City, New York in 1843. He died in London, England in 1916. The Portrait of a Lady, The Aspern Papers, Daisy Miller, and The Turn of the Screw are some of his best known works.
The Turn of the Screw – the Movie
The Turn of the Screw has been made into a movie several times over. The one I chose to watch was a BBC production made in 2009. How do I feel the movie compared to the book?
The book was published in 1898, so we know that the book took place around that time. The movie takes place just after World War I. Did this take away from the story? No, I don’t feel that it did. This is a story of good vs. evil, so I don’t feel that the time had to exactly correspond with the book.
The movie was much more enjoyable than the book. Flora and Miles are two not-so-innocent children who appear to be plotting to get rid of their new governess. A governess has never stayed with them for very long.
Peter Quint, a former friend of the children’s uncle, and Emily Jessel, the previous governess, are dead and now want to possess the children. This is the story of the governess trying to protect the children and stop that from happening.
This is classified as a horror movie, but I would say it is more creepy than horrifying.
Cast
Since this was a BBC production, the actors and actresses may not be familiar to you. The governess, Ann, was played by Michelle Dockery. The children, Flora and Miles, were played by Eva Sayer and Josef Lindsay. Sue Johnston plays Sarah, the head lady at Bly house. The ghosts, Peter Quint and Emily Jessel, are played by Edward MacLiam and Katie Lightfoot. They each gave a convincing performance, especially the children.
What makes the movie creepy?
The children do. They could be so sweet one minute, and then turn sinister and evil.
The very large house is filled with hardwood floors. The women and children all wore shoes that clicked on these floors when they walked across them.
Noises come out of empty rooms. Items move about by themselves.
The music, composed by John Lunn, was haunting and creepy.
The servants don’t like to smile. They are always so serious, and it is apparent they are hiding something from the new governess. In reality, everyone is hiding the truth from Ann. They try to make her believe she is losing her mind.
When the ghosts first appear, it isn’t that spooky. But each time they appear, it becomes a little more sinister. Towards the end of this film, demonic possession has become apparent.
Warnings
There are scenes of a man and a woman having sex, but the only nudity seen is a bare bottom. The governess has some pretty risqué imaginings, but I have a feeling this was due to the demonic oppression in the house. Though this wasn’t in the book, it was very fitting for the movie and added so much to the story.
So, I feel that the movie version of The Turn of the Screw is much better than the book. If you like to watch creepy movies, I highly recommend this one. I do not own this DVD; I streamed it for free over Amazon and watched it.
If you would like to purchase the DVD or stream this movie for free from Amazon, I have provided a link below.
Amazon Link: The Turn of the Screw DVD
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