Ambiguity, in a tale of suspense, can come in handy, and was exploited to controversial effect by Henry James in his 1898 novella The Turn Of The Screw. It’s been adapted several times since its publication, most powerfully by Jack Clayton for 1961’s The Innocents. This new version, a passion project of Steven Spielberg’s that has been through two different, difficult permutations, arrives with that legacy weighing it down. Music video veteran Sigismondi, making her second feature after 2010’s The Runaways, lavishes the final result with atmosphere, conjuring creaking floorboards, dismal paintings and manky mannequins that all aim to keep you on edge.
She’s also helped by a haunted turn from Mackenzie Davis, who is kept busy creeping through dark hallways and trying to figure out what’s really going on in the house.And much like the original tome, adapted this time by Conjuring writers Chad and Carey Hayes, it’s all about keeping the audience guessing as much as Davis’ grunge-loving character (the 1994 period and Ireland-for-Seattle location setting means there are lots of get-out clauses for why Kate doesn’t dig deeper into the family history — no mobile phone, no Google etc).
It doesn’t completely work — one particular choice might leave you scratching your head in ways the filmmakers never quite intended, but there’s enough weirdness to keep the story afloat, even if you do wonder why Kate doesn’t do a runner after the first scary night. Davis is surrounded by the likes of The Florida Project’s Prince (bubbly yet troubled) and Stranger Things’ Wolfhard (intense, potentially sociopathic), all marshalled by Marten’s skeletal housekeeper Mrs. Grose, who shifts between caring and imperious. If the screw has to keep turning, at least it’s good to know that the threads haven’t completely been stripped yet.
