Director: Floria Sigismondi
Notable Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, Brooklynn
Prince, Barbara Marten, Joely Richardson, Kim Adis
January has been, at least in my lifetime, known as a month
where studios dump questionable movies into theaters. In the last handful of
years though, it has increasingly been a time period where genre films find a
strong following. Whether it’s horror films that don’t quite fit in anywhere
else during the year or action films that have a question mark looming over
them, January has become a place where films either go to die – or find new
life. This January has been no exception. Despite a horrific box office debut, Underwater
proved to be a shockingly quality film and Bad Boys for Life has become
a surprise box office juggernaut. The Turning, on the other hand, has
proven to be neither despite some initial intrigue from the horror community.
Based on the very popular novella, The Turn of the Screw,
The Turning is just the latest adaption to hit the silver screen. The
novella has already been adapted numerous times including the incredible 1961
film The Innocents and as inspiration for other media including the
upcoming Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, the sequel to their
critic and viewer acclaimed series The Haunting of Hill House, so there
is hardly any shortage of versions to see of this film. It’s not surprising then that another film based
on this intellectual property would be slated for release, but with so many
options to consume, one has to wonder just what The Turning would have
to offer in this particular instance.