The Innocents is arguably one of the greatest ghost stories ever filmed. Actually, there's not much to argue about. Featuring a screenplay co-written by Truman Capote based on Henry James' novella The Turn Of The Screw, stark and lustrous black-and-white cinematography by Freddie Francis, an effective score by Georges Auric, and gutsy acting by Deborah Kerr; it's a spine-chilling film filled with subtext and suggestion. There are strange cries in the garden, disembodied whispers, voices calling from a lakeside gazebo, sheer curtains billowing in darkened rooms, ghostly sobbing, laughter echoing through a creepy country estate, creaking doors, candlelit hallways, and the implication of unpleasant scandals. The sound, art direction, and costumes are all excellent, and the effects are simple but terrifying. I watched The Innocents on DVD. Here's a trailer:
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