The Innocents is Jack Clayton's filming of the Henry James classic novel The Turn of the Screw, and probably the earliest take on it that wasn't done for the stage. This ghost story (or is it?) was co-written by legendary penman Truman Capote, and shot by future Hammer Studios genius Freddie Francis. So, knowing all this information, it will lead you to know three things that will be fact:
1. It will ask more questions than it answers.
2. It will be beautifully designed and conceived lyrically.
3. Tucker Carlson would never see it.
So, the long and short of it is you have a bastard whose selfishness is exceeded only by his wealth, who hires the wonderful Deborah Kerr as the governess to his two wards, Myles and Flora. She takes over control of his country estate, the breathtaking Bly, where the two little ones abide with staff, and comes to realize the little tykes may be battling inner and outer demons whose roots lie in the recent past.
Or are they?
Nothing is certain. Are there spirits? Is there possession or is it merely corruption? This movie often has the feel of the masterful Robert Wise piece, The Haunting, minus that film's ability to cause discomfort and have clear conclusions. There are some creepy images and moments, including one that absolutely has to have inspired the cover to Black Sabbath's first album.
Despite being a gentle horror film, and a masterpiece of cinema, I can't recommend this as a Halloween experience, due to its subtlety, and its constant need for you to put yourself and your ideas into the goings-on. It's just as much your movie as it is the creators. That's my take on it anyway. Do see this film, as its source material informed Mike Flanagan's recent Haunting of Bly Manor, which wasn't as strong as its predecessor The Haunting of Hill House. And it can't touch Flanagan's glorious Midnight Mass. But Mr. Flanagan's Bly mini-series may help you answer some questions or fill in some blanks.
Just save the original for, say, February.
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