The Turning | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This is a film that I didn't really know that much about before putting it on. But I really liked the idea of it, and was feeling starved of new horrors, so I thought, why not?

Kate (Mackenzie Davis) takes a babysitting job, hoping to do some good in the world. But neither the gothic mansion, or the children, are what she expected. And when Miles (Finn Wolfhard) and Flora's (Brooklynn Prince) behaviour starts to match the strange, sinister energy of the mansion itself, Kate soon discovers that nothing about this house is as it seems.

Normally when I don't like a film or a book, I say that I really wanted to like it, but didn't. With this, because I knew so little about it, I had no prior feelings about wanting to like it - and even still, somehow, I was disappointed. How do you disappoint someone with no expectations?

I thought the premise of the film was really interesting. Babysitting horrors have been done to death with varying levels of success (the two favourites of mine that spring to mind are 'The Boy' and 'Emelie'), but this looked like it would be an interesting, different take on that trope.

All of the characters were fleshed out, and they all had quite complex personalities, which made the film all the more interesting. I was especially glad that this was true of the siblings because, in films like this, sometimes the sibling's personalities tend to merge into one. Either that or their personality traits become 'the oldest child' and 'the youngest child', but there was nothing like that here. Both Miles and Flora have their own personalities and, in a way, their own stories. And Finn Wolfhard and Brooklynn Prince did a great job portraying them.

The one personality trait that 95% of horror movie main characters have, which pushes the stories forward, is curiosity, and this film is no exception. And while some curiosity is good, there comes a point where so many things stop making sense because of the stupidity of the character. If there are strange things happening in the house, why are you exploring its hidden depths on your own in the dark without even trying to turn the light on? Furthermore, why are you still there?

The jump scares in the movie (at least in the beginning) do work for what the film is trying to achieve, but they happen too few and far between to have any kind of overall effect on the film.

The film in and of itself lacks depth. It gets to the point where the only reason you're still watching is to see the explanation at the end, because the events of the film are no longer scary or enjoyable. How many times can a door close on its own before it's just not scary anymore?

Everything moves really slowly all the way through. So slowly in fact that, even though it's quite a short film, it feels like it lasts forever!

And the ending gets a special mention, because it is very special to make an ending so confusing and nonsensical that it makes the whole film pointless.

Overall, the film starts well, and then just goes nowhere. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you do want to watch it, wait until it hits a streaming service rather than buying it from Amazon!

4/10

Lou