The Turning(2020)

5.7 /10

Directed by: Floria Sigismondi

Screenplay by: Carey W. Hayes, Chad Hayes

Based on: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Star Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard,  Brooklynn Prince, Barbara Marten

The Turning is an official adaptation of Henry James' great novella "The Turn of the Screw". From its trailer, we knew that there is a spooky old mansion, where two orphan children, Flora (Brooklynn Prince) and her brother Miles (Finn Wolfhard)  live with a housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Barbara Marten)[who seems to be of the same age as that of mansion] and a  newly hired governess Kate Mandell (Mackenzie Davis). If you have seen any movie with these elements in it, you already know what's going to come next but it still all depends on how things are presented to the viewers.

Barbara Marten and Mackenzie Davis,

The Turning was supposed to be a horror flick but it doesn't succeed in scaring the audience. Even there is no single jump scare which will make you say "OMG". But still, Floria Sigismondi succeeds in one thing and that is keeping the viewers engaged in the story. It's just like digging into the story and exploring what's actually the real problem here. Is the mansion haunted by ghosts? Is there something wrong with Miles? Is the mansion playing games like we have seen in "The Haunting of the Hill House"? Everyone is suspicious here.

There are moments where you can tell what the next thing is going to happen which gives you a proud moment to say, I knew this already, but this is not what the audience comes for, right? They like to be scared and surprised. The director and writers should prove them wrong and the expectations are high when the screenplay is given by Carey W. Hayes and Chad Hayes (The Conjuring Series).

Finn Wolfhard, Brooklyn Prince, and Mackenzie Davis

The makers have tried to do something new (not very novel) by giving a twist in the ending (different from the novella and 1961 classic The Innocents). Although the overall movie doesn't support the ending very much.  Nowhere in the whole movie except the last few minutes, they have shown anything which can support this whole theory or alternate twist. This ending will leave the audience in a state of dissatisfaction, where they will scream and scratch their heads with frustration. This is not for what they invested one and a half hours.

If you want real horror, something extraordinary or out of the box story, you may get disappointed. If you want a movie with a little bit of suspense elements, you can give it a try. In my opinion, it's better than The Curse of La Llorona (2019) and The Grudge (2020).

Overall The Turning isn't that bad but be ready to experience the unexpected and unsatisfactory ending, just a one-time watch with low expectations. 

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