The Infant Kiss

The Innocents (1961) Dir. Jack Clayton

Miss Giddens is the new Governess of Bly Manor, but soon begins to suspect that Flora and Miles - the two children under her care - are possessed by malicious spirits.

“All I want to do is save the children, not destroy them. More than anything, I love children. More than anything. They need affection. Love. Someone who will belong to them, and to whom they will belong.” - Miss Giddens

The Innocents - Jack Clayton’s adaptation of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw - is a masterpiece. One of the finest ghost stories I’ve ever seen.

What’s interesting to me, looking back at the critical reception it had in 1961, is how it reflects the way in which people talk about horror today. The film was too slow, thoughtful, and subtle for the traditional horror fans looking for their drive-in B movie scares. But the curtains were too billowing, the horror tropes too present, for the critics to consider it anything other than a bit of throwaway horror junk. Now, of course, it’s seen as a classic by horror fans and critics alike.

But I find it oddly reassuring that the concept of “elevated horror” (a nonsense term used to excuse a snob liking a piece of genre entertainment) or the derogatory use of “art house horror” has been a consistent, and tiresome presence in horror discourse for over half a century. So it was, so it ever shall be. 

Clayton took the name of the film from a play that adapted The Turn of the Screw and even asked the writer (William Archibald) and director (Harold Pinter) to help write the script. Eventually, he wanted someone to come in and ramp up the ambiguity and Freudian symbolism so he turned to Truman Capote who was working on In Cold Blood at the time. Impressive pedigree when you have Pinter and Capote involved.

The temptation here is to talk about the incredible cinematography of the film (by Freddie Francis, who would go on to be favourite collaborator of David Lynch). I think one of the more illuminating pieces of trivia is how much Deborah Kerr was sweating in some scenes due to the use of every available lighting rig being directed at her in some shots. Some days, Kerr would arrive to the set wearing sunglasses. However, I think it’s worth investigating some of the links below for a better, more thorough deep dive into the making of the film. As one of the last black and white horror films made in the UK, it has a fascinating production history full of interesting compromises and makeshift solutions.

“The film was, and still is, one of my favorites, and I consider it as one of the best-photographed films I have ever done. I was, and will always be happy with the look of the picture and so I never get bored with it.” - Freddie Francis

I think a lot of horror stories starring children tend to explore  paedophobia in society. The Exorcist is probably the most famous example, while there are some more overt instances like The Village of the Damned or The Children of the Corn. You could even make a case (and Cabin in the Woods does) that slashers are a socially acceptable way for society to watch teenagers die horribly. Horror generally distrusts and dislikes youth in general. 

What is intriguing about The Innocents is that it deals in both paedophobia and paedophilia. The story places us in the unreliable headspace of a sexually repressed and sheltered daughter of a vicar. The two adult men in the story - the deceased Quint and the absent Uncle - are both freely, and openly, sexually promiscuous. There’s intimations that there could have been sexual abuse of the children, or at the very least, the children were witness to sexual acts. All of which adds up to a disturbing, complicated and confusing mix of never knowing who is delusional and what, exactly, is really happening until the final devastating events of the film are set in motion.

Good film this. No notes.

Where can I watch it in the UK?

Once again this doesn’t appear to be streaming legitimately anywhere but I’d imagine it’s now out of copyright? There’s an upload of it on the internet archive here, and someone has uploaded it to YouTube here.

Pairs well with

The Haunting (1963, dir. Robert Wise, available to rent for £3.49 from YouTube/Google/Apple/Amazon) is another excellent ghost story adaptation. 

I think Shirley Jackson might be my favourite author and The Haunting of Hill House could well be the best haunted house story ever written. Funnily enough, when they were making the film, Jackson apparently briefed the production by saying the supernatural events in the book were real. The team decided to go the other way and play into the ambiguity of it. But as a reader, I always felt the ambiguity and psychological horror was already baked into the source text. Maybe that’s because I can no longer separate my feelings about the book from the film?

Whatever the case, this film is superb and if you’re looking for a double bill of adaptations of hauntings that may or may not be about sexual desire (this time, a metaphor for homosexuality), you can’t go wrong with The Haunting. 

Flanagan Sidenote

I think Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor are worth watching as long as you don’t feel too concerned about them as adaptations. I see them more as using elements of Jackson/James as jumping off points for Flanagan (and his writers) to instead explore themes and characters they’re interested in writing about. Neither source book is about family and generational trauma, but Flanagan’s shows very much are. The Innocents and The Haunting already exist and I don’t need them remade, so I’m glad Flanagan went a different direction entirely. They have their flaws, but I think that’s also part of their charm for me.

Both series are available to watch on Netflix.

Further Reading

• A really interesting retrospective about the making of The Innocents.
• Cinematographer John Bailey on the cinematography of Freddie Francis.
• Freddie Francis talking about The Innocents for a Criterion article.
• League of Gentleman Jeremy Dyson on his love of The Innocents and black and white British horror.
• Today’s title is from Kate Bush’s song The Infant Kiss which she wrote about The Innocents. So here’s a fan-made music video marrying the two.
• A subtle exploration in possible psychosis - An extensive close-reading of the film.

Other Recommendations

• Another Edinburgh recommendation today: Argonaut Books in Leith have various halloween events on. But also, if you pop in and buy a horror book, they’ve got free halloween tote bags to give out!
• If you’re looking for some more book recommendations, Rue Morgue have you covered.