RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Innocents
The Innocents

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Innocents (1961)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
96 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:23

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.9/10

Consensus: Creepily atmospheric, The Innocents is a stylishly crafted, chilling British ghost tale with Deborah Kerr at her finest.

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:02-06-2006

Synopsis: Based on Henry James's TURN OF THE SCREW, THE INNOCENTS is a chilling psychological horror film about a woman, Miss Giddens (Kerr), who takes a position as governess for two orphans in a stately... Based on Henry James's TURN OF THE SCREW, THE INNOCENTS is a chilling psychological horror film about a woman, Miss Giddens (Kerr), who takes a position as governess for two orphans in a stately Victorian home. Alone with the children and only a few servants, Miss Giddens soon begins to see what she believes to be ghosts and begins to suspect that the children's increasingly bizarre behavior may be the result of some supernatural power. When she learns the fate of the house's previous governess and valet, Miss Giddens takes it upon herself to rescue the children from the supernatural being that seems to have them in its grips, all the while questioning her own sanity. Ms. Kerr's nuanced performance, possibly the best of her career, and Mr. Francis's atmospheric cinematography help make this a true horror classic. [More]

Starring: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave

Starring: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave, Pamela Franklin

Director: Jack Clayton

Director: Jack Clayton
Screenwriter: William Archibald, Truman Capote
Producer: Jack Clayton

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Innocents

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Stylish, intelligent and creepy. Cinematic storytelling at its finest, where word and image are perfectly married.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's masterly in every way with a great performance from Deborah Kerr as the troubled Victorian governess, superb black-and-white widescreen photography by Freddie Francis and Georges Auric's last, truly distinguished score.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
09/24/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

An impressively creepy adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
06/03/06
Andrew Pulver
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jack Clayton’s 1961 chiller lives up to the story’s title, incrementally tightening the nerves through suggestive technical artistry in a way that few contemporary ghost stories manage.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Ben Walters
Ben Walters
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

masterful thriller

comment Comment
11/08/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Is it the finest, smartest, most visually savvy horror film ever made by a big studio?

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
09/24/07
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice

This unresolved mystery charges the events ... with a dreadful sense of uncertainty far more thrilling than the simple supernatural chills of a typical haunted house movie -- another "turn of the screw," as James would have said.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/04/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

It sneaks under your skin, subtly and suggestively portraying something sinister and perverse that may exist only in the protagonist's head, but that doesn't mean it can't mess with yours.

Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
04/05/06
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com

Sends some formidable chills down the spine.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Too much Freud and too little thought.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 6 Comments
09/24/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Not altogether frightening, but it has a few creep-out moments that mostly redeem its totally ambiguous ending.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/16/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...creates an appropriately spooky tone that builds slowly, incrementally, until it reaches a shattering conclusion.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
09/16/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Based on Henry James' story Turn of the Screw this catches an eerie, spine-chilling mood right at the start and never lets up on its grim, evil theme.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/10/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This classy English mystery is adorned by a wonderful Deborah Kerr as the governess driven to extremes by a strange, haunted mansion and strange, haunted children,

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/20/08
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

Kerr is on top form here, enacting a role that takes perfect advantage of her respectable facade wrestling with unspeakable turbulence beneath the surface.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/24/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Creepy, atmospheric happenings with effective direction + Deborah Kerr.

comment Comment
02/18/06
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

Wonderful adult horror, stylishly well-made and frightening on a couple of levels.

comment Comment
08/04/05
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

A real shocker, it chills the heart.

comment Comment
07/29/02
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Ambíguo e com forte subtexto sexual, este é um filme seminal, servindo como inspiração para obras como O Bebê de Rosemary, Os Outros e os recentes longas de terror japoneses.

comment 1 Comment
07/18/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Innocents

September 26, 2008: Exclusive: Brand New The Children Photos and Director Introduction
Writing exclusively for RT, director Tom Shankland presents the first gallery of stills from the set of his twisted child-zombie movie The Children and takes us in to the... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
16
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
42
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
24
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
118
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
177
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
130
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
76
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
59
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
38
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
19
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
4
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Innocents at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.