The Innocents (1961) – Film Review

Filmed in black and white, The Innocents is 1960s horror film starring Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave, Megs Jenkins, and Pamela Franklin. It’s based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

Kerr plays Miss Giddens, a vicar’s daughter who accepts a position as governess to two young orphaned children. Their only next of kin is their Uncle (Redgrave) who is very taken up with his own life, does not want the responsibility of caring for children, and has sent them too live at Bly, his country estate.

The children’s uncle is very candid during Miss Giddens’ interview and makes it clear that, should she accept the position, she will have total authority over their upbringing and be in charge of Bly. No matter what problems the children may have, it will be her responsibility and she is not to contact him. He also tells her that she will be the children’s second governess. The first one, Miss Jessel (Clytie Jessop), died, causing him to have to search again for someone to take on the responsibility of the children: Miles (Martin Stephens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin).

Miss Giddens accepts the position and, on her arrival, instantly falls in love with Bly, asking the coachman to stop at the entrance to the grounds so that she can walk the rest of the way to the house. While she is walking, she meets Flora, who is presently under the care of the housekeeper, Miss Grose (Megs Jenkins), and they walk to the house together.

Miss Jenkins strikes up an instant rapport with Flora and Miss Grose, but expects to have to wait a while to become acquainted with Miles because he is at boarding school. However, she meets him sooner than expected when he is expelled and sent home. Miss Jenkins learns of this before Miles arrives, when his uncle forwards an unopened letter to her, and asks her to deal with it. The headmaster states he no longer wants Miles at the school because he is an “injury” to the other boys. When she tells Miss Grose about what the headmaster has said, she says it’s ridiculous.

When miles arrives home, he seems to be as adorable as his sister, causing Miss Jenkins to disregard his headmaster’s comments. However, getting Miles to explain why he was expelled proves to be difficult, so she is forced to let the matter drop.

Miss Jenkins settles into her new role quickly, but begins seeing ghostly apparitions around the house and gardens. First, a man watching her from the tower, and then spying on her through one of the windows, then a woman in black drifting through one of the passages and, later, standing beside the lake.

When she describes the man to Miss Grose, the housekeeper says it sounds like the former valet, Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde); but it can’t be him because, like Miss Jessel, Quint is dead.

Miss Jenkins becomes convinced Bly is haunted by her predecessor and the valet she was having a relationship with. She also grows to believe they are possessing the children, and causing them to behave strangely.

Like the gothic horror novella it’s based on, The Innocents is a film that can be interpreted in different ways. The first time I saw it, I was quite young and found it a terrifying ghost story. Watching it again, decades later, my perspective has changed. I now think the children’s uncle made a bad choice by inadvertently employing someone with mental problems that involve hallucinations. If you decide to watch The Innocents, your opinion may differ from mine, but, either way, there’s a good chance you will enjoy it. Be they disembodied souls or figments of Miss Giddens imagination, when the ghosts put in an appearance, it’s very creepy and Kerr does an excellent job of making her character appear to be a caring person who is willing to lay aside her fears and do everything she can to maintain her charges; welfare.

Although the cast is limited, all the actors put on an excellent performance and help to maintain an atmosphere or lurking evil without the support of clever modern-day special effects.

Despite the fact that the ghosts of Bly may be the manufacturing of an unbalanced mind, The Innocents has all the elemetns of the best gothic ghost stories, so, if you enjoy films about haunted houses, there’s a good chance you will enjoy The Innocents.

As with any film, The Innocents won’t work for everyone; and viewers with less than three decades under their belts, who are used to faster-moving, modern horror films, may find it slow and boring. Nevertheless, it’s a creepy classic that earned a place on Martin Scorsese’s list of 11 scariest Movies of all time and has overwhelmingly positive critical reviews. If you are in two minds about watching it, that should tell you all you need to know.