The Innocents (1961)

In January and February, the new Uitkijk series focuses on Invisible Forces . In this series, the films’ characters confront intangible, all-encompassing forces that each control their lives in their own way. The titles veer between horror, magical realism, and existential nightmares, showing how people struggle, falter, and sometimes break under the weight of the unknown.

Inexperienced nanny Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) moves to a Gothic mansion to raise young Flora (Pamela Franklin). Her older brother, Miles (Martin Stephens), is in boarding school. When the seemingly charming Miles is unexpectedly sent home, Miss Giddens begins to suspect something is seriously wrong with the pair. Her suspicions are confirmed by unexplained behavior, secrets, and disturbing apparitions: supernatural forces are at work. The remote estate becomes the setting for a sinister thriller with psychosexual undertones. What unfolds turns out to be partly shaped by her own inner tensions.

THE INNOCENTS (1961) is a loose adaptation of Henry James’s famous Victorian novella “The Turn of the Screw,” from a screenplay adapted by William Archibald and Truman Capote, and brilliantly shot by legendary cinematographer Freddie Francis. Jack Clayton’s THE INNOCENTS is a psychological horror with a chilling atmosphere, created by an impressive combination of screenplay, filmmaking style, and acting.