Grose (Megs Jenkins), she learns that her predecessor, Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop), and the house’s valet, Quint (Peter Wyngarde), had been having a lurid affair before their untimely deaths, which prompts Giddens to begin to suspect that these lovers have returned so that they can take over the souls of the children and continue to carry on. Even beyond that, Miss Giddens begins to see mysterious figures appearing in various locales on the property, and when she questions the housekeeper, Mrs. Giddens immediately bonds with the precocious Flora, and falls deeply under her spell, but it is obvious from the start that the power dynamic between the child and her adult caretaker is anything but normal, where you’re left wondering, "Just who exactly is watching who here?" This is especially evident during the scene when Miss Giddens is sleeping and Flora is standing above her, observing the way her new governess tosses and turns while Miss Giddens is out cold, completely unaware.Ī short time after settling into her new position, Miles is unexpectedly sent back to Bly after being expelled from his school (a matter his uncle did not want to be troubled by), and his arrival is the beginning of the end for Miss Giddens, so to speak, as he’s even more manipulative than his sister, and there’s a hint of his dangerous nature as well. Once she arrives at Bly House, Miss Giddens is completely entranced by both the home and little Flora (Pamela Franklin), who is currently the old child at the homestead, as her brother Miles (Martin Stephens) is away at school. Giddens is eager to take on the role, and when she declares, “I’ll do everything I can to keep the children happy,” it’s a seemingly innocuous statement, but there’s something slightly desperate about her total commitment to her new charges, and those words take on a life of their own soon enough. His only rules for the young woman is that she is to take complete responsibility for the kids, as he does not want to be bothered by any trivialities when it comes to child-rearing. If you’ve somehow never watched The Innocents, or are unfamiliar with James’ original story, it follows a young woman named Miss Giddens (Kerr), who takes on a position as a governess for two young children who have been orphaned and now live at their uncle’s (Michael Redgrave) summer estate. The Innocents is also propelled by a palpable sense of paranoia that continues to build until the film’s final fright-filled moments, and its timeless scares still evoke feelings of dread and terror, leaving you speculating at its conclusion about just how much of the mania was self-created by Kerr’s character, or if there were indeed ghosts lurking about at the Bly estate. Anchored by an all-time performance by Deborah Kerr, whose fragile and frantic governess believes that the children in her care have become possessed by two ill-fated lovers who now utilize the juveniles as a means to continue to not only live on, but experience the joys of childhood once again, The Innocents set the bar for “evil kid” horror in 1961, and its legacy in that regard remains unmatched even now.īased on playwright William Archibald’s adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, the power of The Innocents lies in its ambiguity and its smothering atmosphere, as it explores the horrors of sexual repression in the Victorian era. “Sometimes one can’t help… imagining things.” Released nearly 60 years ago, Jack Clayton’s The Innocents still remains one of the greatest psychologically charged horror movies ever.
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