by Aaron Dwyer In this day and age, it’s hardly surprising to see a film adaptation of classic horror literature in theaters. What is even less surprising is Hollywood presenting us with a case of “the book was better.” It may be an age-old complaint, especially from avid readers, but it has persisted for a reason. The Turning is an adaptation of Henry James’ 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw, but in name only. All the basic ingredients of the story are there: A young woman named Kate is hired as a private tutor for Flora, a little girl in need of company following the death of her wealthy parents. At first, things are great between them until Flora’s older brother, Miles, arrives home from boarding school. The strained relationship between Kate and Miles, as well as the presence of a disapproving housekeeper, puts a lot of pressure on Kate. The fact that the house also seems to be haunted by the ghosts of two former staff members also isn’t helping. On paper, this seems like an ideal setup for a classic historical horror story. It has orphans, a creepy old house, mysterious deaths, and most importantly, people who refuse to talk about them. What more could you want? Unfortunately, somewhere in the process of adapting it from page and screen, something went screwy. There are so many trademarks of a typical scary movie: an abundance of cheap jump scares, multiple creepy dolls and mannequins, and fake-out dream sequences, just to name a few. The Turning actually ignores several of the story elements of the novella it’s based on, not in favor of being its own entity, but more in favor of being like every other horror movie you may have seen in the last decade.
A surprisingly good look and sound
Great actors that deserve a better movie
