"The Turning": In Search of an Ending

Henry James' classic novella The Turn of the Screw has been adapted for both the big and small screen multiple times. The most famous cinematic version of the story is probably The Innocents, the chilling 1961 film starring Deborah Kerr. This year, two adaptations of the story were released. One was the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, from writer-director Mike Flanagan, which was very well received by critics and viewers. The second version of the story that came out in 2020 was The Turning, a big-screen adaptation of the story starring Mackenzie Davis. The project was originally conceived in 2016 as a horror film based on The Turn of the Screw entitled Haunted, to be produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. The script was by Chad Hayes and Gary W. Hayes, and Alfre Woodard was set to star in the film.

Shortly before filming was set to begin, the project was cancelled. Spielberg was reportedly unhappy with a rewrite that had been done by Scott Z. Burns, which significantly changed the original concept. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Burns were let go, and the film was restarted with Floria Sigismondi behind the camera, and a new script by Jade Bartlett, based on the the original draft by the Hayes brothers. Mackenzie Davis of Halt & Catch Fire, Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things, Brooklynn Prince and Joely Richardson were cast in the movie, now entitled The Turning. The film was released to theaters in January of this year. The movie was not a success at the box office, and got terrible reviews, many of them pointing out the film's confusing ending.

The Turning is set in 1994, and tells the story of Kate Mandell, a young woman who becomes the governess to Flora and Miles Fairchild, a pair of orphaned children living at a large estate with the house's caretaker, Mrs. Grose. The previous governess, Miss Jessel, left suddenly, and Flora is worried that Kate will leave her as well. Kate assures her that she won't do that. Right from the start, odd things are happening, and both children act strangely. Miles continually challenges Kate's authority, and Mrs. Grose tells her he had been under the negative influence of Quint, the estate's riding instructor, who recently died. Kate begins to see strange apparitions, and experiences nightmarish moments. Are the ghosts real, or is it all in her mind? Kate's mother is in an asylum, and the prickly Mrs. Grose suggests that maybe Kate is going mad as well. When she learns the truth about what happened to Quint and Ms. Jessel, Kate has to decide if she can save both the children and herself from the house's evil influence.

The movie is stylishly filmed and features some fine cinematography by David Ungaro, who shot the film on location in Ireland. The choice of songs used on the soundtrack is excellent, and the score by Nathan Barr is appropriately eerie. The cast is strong, with Brooklyn Prince and Finn Wolfhard giving standout performances as Flora and Miles, and Mackenzie Davis doing an effective job portraying Kate's downward spiral. The problem with The Turning is that the script feels muddled, and the direction and characterizations are inconsistent, throwing off the tone of the film, despite the fine work of the cast.

Where the movie really falls apart is the ending. In order to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that we're given one climax to the story, and then there's a sudden reversal which turns that ending on it's head, and goes in a direction that makes the story feel incomplete. I'm all for endings that defy audience expectations and provide a cool twist. But even an ambiguous ending has to make some sense, and the one we're provided with in The Turning isn't really a conclusion at all. The odd end credits sequence doesn't offer us any help, either. It's a shame, because the film had potential, and could have been a cool modern version of a classic story. If you're looking for a really good adaptation of The Turn of the Screw, I'd stick with The Innocents, or take a deep dive into Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix. For more on that series, you can check out my review of that excellent show here: http://jveclectic.blogspot.com/2020/10/bly-manor-ghost-story-love-story.html. Here's a link to the trailer for The Turning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fw2h8P8MGg.