_**Low-key Gothic horror with Deborah Kerr**_

A new governess (Deborah Kerr) takes over as nanny of two orphaned siblings at a remote English manor at the turn of the century, but there’s a secretive past to the situation and seemingly ghostly happenings. Pamela Franklin plays the girl.

"The Innocents” (1961) is a cinematic version of Henry James 1898 novella “The Turn of the Screw,” shot in B&W. It’s technically well-made and has Gothic mood, but the story is intrinsically one-dimensional, resting on the shoulders of Kerr and essentially only involving three other actors.

Like the original tale, there’s ambiguity: Is the governess hallucinating or is she really seeing what she claims? One thing that lends credence to the latter view is the fact that she is able to describe one of the persons she sees before even knowing he existed.

If you like this movie, check out the unofficial prequel with Marlon Brando and Stephanie Beacham, “The Nightcomers” (1971). While it lacks the ghostly elements, it imaginatively sets the stage for this movie (and James’ original story) in an edgy way à la "Last Summer" (1969) and "The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea" (1976).

The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot at Sheffield Park Garden, Dane Mill, Uckfield, East Sussex, England, and Shepperton Studios southwest of London, plus points nearby.

GRADE: B-