Turn around, every now and then I get a little discouraged at the January movies. Seriously tho, watch something else. My friend Derek had the perfect analogy for this quintessential January release horror movie. “The Turning is like having two gorgeous puzzles–only you have half of each puzzle–then you force all the pieces together.” Quite the apt analogy for this newest big screen adaptation of the Henry James novel The Turn of the Screw. With names like Universal, Amblin, and Dreamworks behind it, I haven’t a clue where things took a turn for the abysmal in the process from page to set to screen. Either the screenplay is to blame or–for whatever reason–the film couldn’t be finished properly in time for the release. That’s right, there is practically no ending. I mean, there is, but it’s so abrupt and confusing that it’s as if the film threw an ending on there because time or money ran out. Prior to the uncomfortably ambiguous ending, the movie had so much going for it. However, all the elements that were working so well never went anywhere. If I can point to a couple elements that were outstanding, it’s the brilliantly unsettling, creepy, ominous setting and production design. The gothic mansion and grounds are very much characters in and of themselves. Combining these two elements gave the film an excellent atmosphere for Henry James’ story. And the acting wasn’t bad either. No real stand out moments, but fairly solid performances all the way around. Perhaps what this movie is most guilty of (aside from the non-ending) is disregarding any rules of horror (or even logic) that it establishes for itself. So much happened out of sheer convenience, with no real consistent consequences. The conflicts and devices that were introduced were interesting, and I was looking forward to seeing how they were going to influence the action and characters. Unfortunately, nothing that was “foreshadowed,” alluded to, setup, or dangled as plot bait was ever revisited. Much like with Underwater, this movie also feels more like a series of plot points than it does a–even poorly developed–screenplay. While the trailers gave the impression that this was going to be an arthouse horror film, one with lots of ominous nuance and intrigue, it is simply just another January horror movie that was released here to die or serve as a tax write-off. One last item of mention: once you see a photo of Quint, you will be mind-blown as to how or why any parent would even think that this guy would be safe around kids–seriously–he is creepy alive. Still, how Universal, Dreamworks, and Amblin allowed this to happen, baffles me.

Ryan teaches screenwriting at the University of Tampa. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter or email him at RLTerry1@gmail.com! You can catch Ryan most weeks at Studio Movie Grill Tampa, so if you’re in the area, feel free to catch a movie with him!

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