This is peak ambiguity in cinematic form. Derived from Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents is a psychological horror film revolving around a governess slowly losing her mind as she thinks that the children she is taking care of are being possessed by the dead. The profound music score and the prepossessing cinematography transformed the 1898 novella into, dare I say, the most equivocal film to date, touching subjects like seclusion and sexual repression in a contentious yet terrifying manner. The lingering uncanny shots can drive someone’s claustrophobia to a maximum and the ending posed multiple symbolisms that was left for the audience to comprehend. Deborah Kerr’s performance was incredibly moving and phenomenal, rivaling her prodigious Black Narcissus act. The formidable phantasmal superimpositions can put anyone on the edge of their seat. An underrated must-watch if you’re into enigmatic psychological horror films.

what the fuck

100

Orgasmic. A stifling scream of sexual release and emerging demons. The greatest CinemaScope film - with Victorian "larger at night" chambers and hallways enclosing their grasp on the suffocated. Let go.

a story about a haunted estate swallowing children or a sexually repressed weirdo (who loves kids a bit too much) violently projecting her overprotective fantasies onto them? regardless, would be my first pick towards a problematic age gap canon. also has some of the best cinemascope and b&w photography of all time.

Sinegang Weekly Pick #9
By Isee Icy Ice

I put this off for too long. The Innocents is a film that is able to carry its praises and credibility despite all the years that has passed, and can absolutely hold up a light to modern audiences despite horror being one of the more subjective of genres. From the opening credits of a ghostly voice singing O Willow Waly to the repressed hysteria that follows you throughout your viewing experience, The Innocents is a plausible fine piece of horror cinema, and is criminally under-seen as a classic of its genre.

═════════•°• 🌻🌻🌻 •°•═════════

If you’re a Filipino cinephile interested in joining Sinegang, our membership applications are finally open! Send us a letter of intent containing the following details at wearesinegangph@gmail.com:

• Name
• Age
• Pronouns
• Letterboxd Account
• Why you want to join our film club

We’d love to meet you soon!

Sinegang Weekly Picks Ranked
Recommend Me Films

“I can’t judge you, Miss. A body can only judge themselves.”

everything that's wrong with modern horror movies, and then some. the new Criterion blu-ray is a thing to behold, i tell ya. full review on the AV Club next week.

One of the most genuinely devastating films I’ve ever seen. A slow descent into complete madness. Malicious spirits in the house. Malicious spirits in the mind. The trauma of sexual repression. The corruption of innocence. True horror. Every time I watch this I find it far more frightening than any traditional supernatural tale and I wonder how it doesn’t sit on the same top shelf as say, The Exorcist or Psycho.

Powerhouse performance from Deborah Kerr and young Martin Stephens. I had forgotten that a very young Pamela Franklin was also in this! A true classic if there ever was one. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Yeah it’s good, but Kate Bush’s song “The Infant Kiss” from her third studio album “Never For Ever” is, objectively, a better adaptation of the novella “The Turn of the Screw”

still the hottest lil horror song ever

Acho que esse filme tem a melhor música tema pra mim, todo momento que toca, até como sussurro traz aquele arrepio.
É foda acompanhar a perda da sanidade de personagens em filmes, principalmente quando é feito de forma natural. Aqui representando também como perda da inocência, você chega em um momento onde não sabe em quem e no que acreditar, essa sensação de mistério e suspense que o filme traz sem apelar é incrível.

Endlich kann ich einen Haken hinter diesem Schwarz-weiß Klassiker machen. Ein Geisterfilm der auch noch 60 Jahre nach seiner Entstehung bei mir gewirkt hat. Tolle und schaurige Bilder die ordentlich für Stimmung sorgen aber es waren die in den Dialogen kleinen Nebensätze die den richtigen Grusel bei mir erzeugt haben. Definitiv wegweisend und garantiert sehenswert.

I’m impressed at how much this leaned into its creepiness in every sense of the word.  Definitely a different approach than Haunting of Bly Manor, but I think they complement each other well.

Man, this really turned my screw.

En esto tiene que haberse inspirado El Resplandor pero fijo.

these kids are incredible

Henry James was much more subtle. But I’m still shivering. CinemaScope worked wonders on my nerves.

proud to say i am one of the people that thought this was mediocre tbh

Miss Giddens at the end: “Dear lord, what a sad little life, Miles. You ruined my night completely so you could be possessed and I hope now you can spend it on lessons in grace and decorum. Because you have all the grace of a reversing dump truck without any tyres on.”
Yeah I hated those kids. Still a great classic horror though. And if you get the reference you’re goated 🐐

Es ist immer wieder erstaunlich, wie Klassiker die Filme von heute beeinflussen. The Innocents ist quasi die Blaupause für den Modernen Geisterfilm und basiert auf dem selben Material wie die Netflix Serie "the haunting of bly Manor" von Mike Flanagan.

Die Bilder sind wahnsinnig schön und die Beleuchtung in den Nachtszenen ist sehr atmosphärisch und passend. obendrauf gibt es ein Sounddesign, was selbst heute noch stärker ist als viele Horrorprodukionen.

Der Film ist auch heute noch sehr schaurig und als Horrorfan sollte man sich den wirklich ansehen.