Back to trending
The Innocents

The Innocents

Horror · Mystery · Drama · 1961

In a mid-19th century Essex country house, a young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed.

Movie details

The Innocents

“Apparitions? Evils? Corruptions?”

1961 Horror · Mystery · Drama 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

In a mid-19th century Essex country house, a young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Innocents?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum

Horror · 1961

In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.

House of Usher

House of Usher

Horror · 1960

Convinced that his family is tainted by generations of evil, Roderick Usher is hellbent on stopping his sister Madeline’s wedding to prevent the cursed Usher bloodline from expanding. When her fiancé Philip Winthrop arrives at the crumbling estate to claim his bride, Roderick goes to ruthless—even deadly—lengths to keep them apart.

The Tomb of Ligeia

The Tomb of Ligeia

Horror · 1964

Verden Fell is shattered after the death of his lovely wife. But, after an unexpected encounter with Lady Rowena Trevanion, Fell soon finds himself married again. Nevertheless, his late wife's spirit seems to hang over the dilapidated abbey that Fell shares with his new bride. Lady Rowena senses that something is amiss and, when she investigates, makes a horrifying discovery -- learning that Fell's dead wife is closer than she ever imagined possible.

Night of Dark Shadows

Night of Dark Shadows

Drama · 1971

Recently married, Quentin and Tracy Collins have just moved into Collinwood, a New England estate that has long been in the Collins family and which Quentin has just inherited. They soon find themselves plagued by spirits of past residents.

The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies

Drama · 2002

Reporter John Klein is plunged into a world of impossible terror when fate draws him to the sleepy West Virginia town of Point Pleasant, whose residents are being visited by a great winged shape that sows hideous nightmares and fevered visions.

Gosford Park

Gosford Park

Drama · 2001

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

Lady in a Cage

Lady in a Cage

Drama · 1964

A woman trapped in a home elevator is terrorized by a group of vicious hoodlums.

The Eternal Daughter

The Eternal Daughter

Drama · 2022

An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past.

The Witches

The Witches

Horror · 1966

Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.

The End We Start From

The End We Start From

Drama · 2023

As London is submerged below floodwaters, a woman gives birth to her first child. Days later, she and her baby are forced to leave their home in search of safety. They head north through a newly dangerous country seeking refuge from place to place.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jack Clayton

Written by

William Archibald · Truman Capote

Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr

Miss Giddens

Peter Wyngarde

Peter Wyngarde

Peter Quint

Megs Jenkins

Megs Jenkins

Mrs. Grose

Michael Redgrave

Michael Redgrave

The Uncle

Martin Stephens

Martin Stephens

Miles

Pamela Franklin

Pamela Franklin

Flora

Clytie Jessop

Clytie Jessop

Miss Jessel

Court is in session

Put The Innocents on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.