The Turn of the Screw

Synopsis

The Turn of the Screw (1992) is a Gothic psychological thriller built around the unnerving atmosphere and moral ambiguity of Henry James's classic novella. Patsy Kensit stars as a young governess who takes a post at an isolated English country house to care for two ostensibly charming children. As she settles into the house, she becomes convinced that unseen forces and troubling figures from the estate’s past are influencing the children and threatening their innocence. The film emphasizes creeping dread, shifting reality, and the governess’s increasing isolation as she struggles to protect the children while questioning whether the threats are supernatural or the product of her own fragile mind. Shot to evoke cold, claustrophobic interiors and long, tension-filled silences, the adaptation focuses less on shock and more on psychological unease and moral doubt, leaving the viewer to weigh interpretation against evidence. Patsy Kensit’s central performance anchors the film, creating a sympathetic yet unreliable protagonist whose convictions drive the mounting suspense without ever fully resolving the novella’s central mysteries.

Cast

• 

  Patsy Kensit

  Jenny

• 

  Stéphane Audran

  Mrs. Grose

• 

  Julian Sands

  Mr. Cooper

• 

  Marianne Faithfull

  Narrator

• Laura Cox

• Olivier Debray

Reviews

Contemporary and retrospective responses to the 1992 adaptation of The Turn of the Screw have been mixed, with many critics and viewers noting the film’s strong atmosphere and central performance but criticizing its pacing and failure to fully translate the novella’s ambiguous power to the screen. On user-driven platforms, the film has not become a consensus favorite; for example, IMDb lists the movie at 5.4/10, reflecting a tepid audience response. Critics who responded favorably often point to Patsy Kensit’s earnest, haunted portrayal of the governess and to the production’s commitment to mood and period detail—elements that recreate a suffocating, old-house dread. These supporters argue the film rewards patience, preferring psychological suggestion over overt horror.

However, substantial criticism centers on the film’s uneven execution: several reviewers found the pacing languid, the storytelling muddled, and the climax anticlimactic compared with the novella’s provocative ambiguity. Detractors say the adaptation struggles to decide whether to push for literal hauntings or psychological breakdown, and in doing so weakens both possibilities. Many also felt supporting performances and screenplay choices did not provide enough grounding to make the governess’s fears compelling to a modern audience. Aggregated mainstream critical coverage for this specific 1992 adaptation is limited, and major aggregators do not show a robust set of critic scores that yield a clear consensus. In short, viewers interested in a slow-burn, character-driven Gothic experience—especially those curious about Kensit’s turn in the role—may find value in this film, while audiences seeking a tightly plotted or more consistently chilling cinematic ghost story may be disappointed. Note: I have included the known IMDb rating (5.4/10); I cannot fetch or verify live external critic quotes or up-to-the-minute aggregator percentages in this response.