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Probably the most well shot horror film I've seen this month. The Innocents is an adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Miss Giddens applies for a job as a governess, it's her first job. She watches over two kids in this big mansion. She begins to question her situation when the children do odd things that seem out of character. She hears about the old governess who killed herself because her lover had died. She starts seeing apparitions of this woman and thinks the children might be possessed.
I find it interesting that people believe the children are victims of sexual abuse. This works within the confines of the story. It's possible the uncle knew about these atrocities and couldn't come to face the children, which is why he is away all the time and doesn't want any contact with them. He feels guilty and he wants someone innocent, young and sincere to look after them. Victims at the hands of whom though? The two deceased people our lead claims to see all the time? Their parents? The film doesn't offer an explanation, which is where the film works the best. A rewrite by Truman Capote puts the question in the viewers head, is any of this real? The original script leaned heavily on the ghosts were real aspect, whereas the final product isn't so clear.
Those final moments between Miss Giddens and Miles are intense and all they do is talk. They each seem to think they have the upper hand in the conversation, until those final moments reveal themselves, I had no idea what was going to transpire and was literally on the edge of my seat. Cinematographer Freddie Francis & Jack Clayton worked perfectly together to drill a sense of dread into the viewer. Are the children safe with her? Is she safe with the children. I honestly never knew...
Francis works the camera beautifully, creating a claustrophobic feel while Miss Giddens holds a candle in the dark. The edges of the character are constantly engulfed in black. Only she is lit and nothing else is visible, this leaves the safety of the character in question. We don't know what is around her, she doesn't know what is around her. All we have are the images within that circle and the audio that Clayton lets us hear. He plays with our visual and auditory senses to generate whichever emotions he pleases.
Not particularly scary, which is a shame, just a beautifully done film that knows what strings to pull. The Innocents is about a lot of things that smarter people than me know how to dive into and sink their teeth in the content.
October 27th
The Innocents
Black & White Horror
The Innocents
Black & White Horror
Probably the most well shot horror film I've seen this month. The Innocents is an adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Miss Giddens applies for a job as a governess, it's her first job. She watches over two kids in this big mansion. She begins to question her situation when the children do odd things that seem out of character. She hears about the old governess who killed herself because her lover had died. She starts seeing apparitions of this woman and thinks the children might be possessed.
I find it interesting that people believe the children are victims of sexual abuse. This works within the confines of the story. It's possible the uncle knew about these atrocities and couldn't come to face the children, which is why he is away all the time and doesn't want any contact with them. He feels guilty and he wants someone innocent, young and sincere to look after them. Victims at the hands of whom though? The two deceased people our lead claims to see all the time? Their parents? The film doesn't offer an explanation, which is where the film works the best. A rewrite by Truman Capote puts the question in the viewers head, is any of this real? The original script leaned heavily on the ghosts were real aspect, whereas the final product isn't so clear.
Those final moments between Miss Giddens and Miles are intense and all they do is talk. They each seem to think they have the upper hand in the conversation, until those final moments reveal themselves, I had no idea what was going to transpire and was literally on the edge of my seat. Cinematographer Freddie Francis & Jack Clayton worked perfectly together to drill a sense of dread into the viewer. Are the children safe with her? Is she safe with the children. I honestly never knew...
Francis works the camera beautifully, creating a claustrophobic feel while Miss Giddens holds a candle in the dark. The edges of the character are constantly engulfed in black. Only she is lit and nothing else is visible, this leaves the safety of the character in question. We don't know what is around her, she doesn't know what is around her. All we have are the images within that circle and the audio that Clayton lets us hear. He plays with our visual and auditory senses to generate whichever emotions he pleases.
Not particularly scary, which is a shame, just a beautifully done film that knows what strings to pull. The Innocents is about a lot of things that smarter people than me know how to dive into and sink their teeth in the content.