31 Days of Halloween: Day 22

The Innocents (1961) Director: Jack Clayton

The back of the Criterion box for The Innocents opens by stating, "This genuinely frightening" blah blah blah.  Upon reading that, I instantly assumed it wouldn't be scary.  Scorsese also put this film on his scariest movie list.  It's sometimes frustrating when a film has this kind of hype where it is said to be "genuinely frightening," because anything less seems like a failure and disappointment.  Kind of like how Citizen Kane is probably the most disappointing movie ever made because no one walks away from it the first time and thinks, "wow, that was the greatest movie of all time!!!"

So The Innocents isn't really scary, but it certainly has some spooky moments.  Miss Giddens applies for, and gets a job as a governess for a wealthy bachelor.  Her main duty is to watch over two children he has adopted, and who he doesn't feel like raising himself.  Gibbens cares for the kids at a far away mansion, distant from the bachelor and most of civilization.  Soon after arriving, Giddens begins to hear and see strange things. 

The film sometimes suffers from the same issue that plagues The Uninvited (1944), where the romantic score with sweeping strings takes the audience out of any sort of tension.  Compare some of the musical cues in this to a film like The Shining (1980), and the importance of music in horror films becomes ever apparent.  However, the romantic score only exists in the film for its first act, and once things begin to go down the path of horror, the score takes a turn to more effectively evoke the proper mood.

There is never a full answer given to the mystery surrounding the supernatural happenings.  Instead possibilities are only suggested, and the ending remains ambiguous, although not frustrating.  There are two horror themes at work in the film, and both of them are hinted at, but neither are
fully acknowledged. 

The first is ghosts and hauntings, which is quickly apparent to the audience.  But then there is another element, that is much more subtle, and that is of pedophobia, the fear of children.  The kids from the get-go seem a touch off, but we accept that as being a consequence of their upbringing.  Then small hints and questions are sparked that makes it appear that they may know more than they're leading the adults to believe.  How much influence on the strange occurrences do they have and how much do they know becomes a central question of the film.

There is no overt reason to fear these kids, but there is something slightly off about them, and not just in how they act, but how they speak as well.  It's empty, in a way.  I will not spoil the ending, but I will say that it flips the element of pedophobia on its head to leave one asking who exactly is pulling the strings in this haunted house.   

Released a year after Psycho, The Innocents also marks the point in time when horror films began to enter the "modern" era.  Already here some modern elements can be seen, such as the use of more atmospheric music, and more psychological horror elements.  There is a lot going on in The Innocents, and plenty to dissect with repeated viewings.