Horror is one of my favorite film genres and no I’m not talking about the lazy ones riddled with cheap jump scares, such as The Nun. I’m talking about the grade-A stuff the scary ones. Those that crawl under your skin and haunt you in your dreams at night.
There are several good examples of these types of films in recent years but let’s face it. If you want the absolute best the creme de la creme of horror then you’ve got to look back to the classics. Now, let’s talk about The Innocents and why it’s the perfect film to enjoy your boring night.
The Innocents is a 1961 gothic psychological horror film directed and produced by Jack Clayton, and starring Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave, and Megs Jenkins. Based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by the American novelist Henry James.
The film tells the story of Miss Giddens a kind and caring woman who really really loves children.
Oh! More than anything I love children.
More than anything.
She becomes the new governess to a pair of young orphan twins a brother and a sister, who live in their uncle’s ridiculously large and creepy old mansion along with the housekeeper Mrs. Gross I mean Grose, and the few other servants.
At first, everything seems normal with nothing to suggest otherwise, but as with other delicious horrors, it turns out things are not as they appear to be. Soon you'll find out that the previous governess Miss Jaisel died under mysterious circumstances and the children Flora And Miles after giving the impression of being just a pair of polite eloquent high society kids start to pile on the creep factor HARD.
And when Miss Giddens begins to see apparitions of people who are long gone from this world that’s when you’ve got yourself a tasty gothic ghost story folks.
And if I had to describe the film in just two words it’ll be delightfully creepy.
Oh! Look, it’s a lovely spider and it’s eating a butterfly.
While other films use ugly methods like blood, gore, guts, or the aforementioned cheap jump scares to startle, shock, or just plain gross you out The innocents uses clean cinematography, gorgeous set design, a gothic atmosphere, and some of the best uses of sound I’ve ever seen in a film to creep you the F out.
The film is anchored by Deborah Care’s excellent performance as Miss Giddens. She has such a magnetic screen presence. Her delivery and facial expressions are all top-notch and she really gets you invested in what she is going through in the film.
As of yet, this is the only film of hers that I’ve seen. I’m not familiar with the actress at all, but let me tell you something, in the film she delivers what very well may be the greatest performance by a female lead in a horror film, at least in my opinion. The only ones that I can think of that come close are Ellen Burstein in The exorcist, Jody foster in The silence of the lambs, and maybe Essie Davies in The babadook.
And please, of course, this is a 60-year-old film and acting has changed a lot since then, but for me, her acting holds up extremely well.
The child actors also did a fantastic job. Of course, they’re far more creepy than endearing, but it’s a horror film and no good horror film is complete without a creepy kid or two. The children seem harmless enough at first, but it doesn’t take long before Miss Giddens begins to suspect that there’s more to them than meets the eye.
Flora is creepy enough on her own but miles is a thousand times worse. Between casually flirting with a woman four times his age and even showing a tendency towards violence at some points, miles feels much more like an adult than a kid.
Don’t worry, there’s a man in the house.
Is there?
Yes! Me. I will protect you.
Now if anyone asks me what makes this movie different than others. I would say the sound effects of this movie.
The film showcases what are genuinely some of the best uses of sound. It is wonderfully used throughout the film to amplify the creeps without straight-up startling you. The people who are in charge of the sound here know where to use music and where not.
The entire movie is told from Miss Giddens's point of view. She’s in all of the scenes and you’ll never leave her side, which means that you will get to fully experience what she goes through. However, there’s a catch because you’ll see it through her eyes that there is no alternative point of reference, which means that you’ll never be really sure that what you’re seeing is what’s actually happening.
The film cleverly sprinkles shadows of doubt, which makes the audience ask a question are we seeing a pure and gentle woman trying to save two innocent children from terrifying specters, or are we seeing a broken woman gradually losing her mind and putting the kids in harm’s way as a result.
And that is the biggest horror, the horror of the unknown.
