A young governess (Mackenzie Davis) is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew (Finn Wolfhard) and niece (Brooklyn Prince) after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw”.
The term “dead in the water” comes to mind when thinking about Floria Sigismondi’s The Turning, an adaption of the classic Henry James ghost story The Turning of the Screw. Flat, uninspired and dull, this “horror” film is sub-standard fare that consists of standard haunted house tropes as well as a story that literally goes nowhere. While effectively atmospheric, the movie is a floundering exercise in repetition as Carey and Chad Hayes’ screenplay consists of far too many scenes that fail to move the plot along, instead giving us standard jump scares again and again which ultimately lead nowhere.
