There are a few reasons to see a horror movie: to get scared is one, for sure. Maybe to watch your friends get scared. Heck, sometimes a horror movie is even good for a laugh. But nobody seeks out a scary film to be annoyed beyond belief by each and every character on the screen. For that reason, dear readers, I recommend that almost everyone avoid The Turning—that’s right, almost everyone.
The Turning introduces us to Kate, a young teacher yearning to help children who are even more troubled and abandoned than her entire smiling class of tykes—sung, “I believe the children are our future.” So she packs up and leaves her family, job, and roommate to take a position living in the countryside while teaching a young girl, Flora, whose parents have died tragically. Kate is greeted at the old, grey, gardened, and gated 
mansion by a grumpy housekeeper who seems to spoil Flora beyond belief—proverbially shoving a silver spoon so far down the girl’s throat that her future chokes on it. Unexpectedly, Flora’s brother returns from boarding school, and he and Kate quickly get on each other’s nerves. Kate soon learns more and more about the place’s twisted past, and finds herself growing increasingly concerned for the safety of the children—and even herself.
Now if only there were a single character throughout the entire film that doesn’t make me cringe with annoyance and anger. I have little to no empathy for the privileged “thoroughbred” children or the bitchy housekeeper, and even the innocence and 
optimism of Mackenzie Davis’s doe-eyed, blonde-bobbed Kate is buried behind her character’s naïve stupidity. This is well beyond characters being “complex” and “human,” and is more like packing a film with villains.
Ok so we hate all the characters—so what? It’s a horror movie, right? All it has to do is terrify. But unfortunately, there it fails too. Aside from one decent jump scare, the rest are contrived, expected, and overly-animated. It doesn’t take much to terrify in that setting, especially with the spooky plot of Henry James’s classic novella The Turn of The Screw, and yet still, the film disappoints.
So what’s left? Perhaps some big, ground-breaking approaches to a literary classic? A 
satisfying feminist “twist” (pun intended)? A modern ending as ambiguous and hotly-debated as that of the famous novella? Well maybe that’s one way to interpret it—but when sitting in the theater it feels more like the filmmakers went to cut together the finale and realized they didn’t have all the footage they needed, so they half-assed two different options and strung them together. Mr. James, a true fan of a well-crafted ghost story, is very likely turning over in his grave—which, ironically enough, is a scarier image than any presented in this film.
And so, dear readers, I know you’re wondering why on earth I might actually recommend The Turning to anyone. Well, there are two very specific categories of folks 
who should see this film from start to finish: (1) if you’re thinking of becoming a teacher to help out the truly troubled kids and want to test yourself to see if you’re cut out for it; and (2) if you’re debating becoming a parent and wondering if you have the patience for it. A true test of the wills, The Turning will give you your answer in either case. Even then, save your money and wait until this one is on demand.
SpecialK Verdict: If gritting your teeth through obnoxious behavior is your bag, check this film out—otherwise, this horrorless, pointless, frustrating meander simply isn’t worth your time.
The Turning opens nationwide on Friday, January 24.
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