With 2020’s The Turning, we get a horror tale based on Henry James’ famed 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. The film updates matters to modern day – sort of, as the story takes us to 1994.

Kate Mandell (Mackenzie Davis) leaves behind her job as a teacher to become a nanny for wealthy young orphaned girl Flora Fairchild (Brooklynn Prince). Because Flora witnessed her parents’ death, she needs a close personal touch, and Kate hopes to help her recover.

Kate finds more than expected when Flora’s teen brother Miles (Finn Wolfhard) gets expelled from boarding school. An odd kid, he adds to the challenge.

In addition to these troubled children, Kate encounters other difficulties that come without explanation. As she tends to the kids in their massive estate, bizarre events suggest some kind of supernatural concerns at work.

Like many horror films, Turning attempts a psychological approach. It asks the audience to decide if the lead character actually experiences the terror she believes befalls her or if these events reside in her mind.

A better-made version of Turning could pull off that challenge, but this one seems stiff and trite. Its nods toward introspective drama remain superficial at best, as it veers toward typical modern-day horror instead.

That means we find a slew of the same hoary clichés. We get cheap thrills and jump scares, with precious little real push toward understated psychological horror.

These factors leave us with a movie devoid of subtlety. Silly and overwrought, Turning starts at such an intense setting that the film comes with nowhere to go.

A good horror tale would build slowly, but Turning lacks the self-confidence to take that gradual approach. It telegraphs supposed terror right off the bat and enjoys no room to develop.

It doesn’t help that we find none of the characters to seem compelling. Both kids come across as superficial brats from the get-go, and even Kate herself feels so harsh and edgy that the viewer never bonds with her.

Obviously a good story exists here, as James’ text wouldn’t endure more than 120 years later otherwise. Unfortunately, Turning squanders its potential and becomes just another trite, tedious horror flick.

Footnote: expect a small tag scene after the end credits.

The Turning appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, the movie presented strong visuals.

Across the board, definition seemed good. Even with a mix of low-light sequences, the film appeared accurate and concise, as only a smidgen of slightly soft shots emerged.

Jagged edges and moiré effects didn’t mar the presentation, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.

In terms of palette, Turning went with a standard teal orientation embellished with a fair amount of amber/orange as well and some deep reds. Within stylistic choices, the hues seemed well-depicted.

Blacks were dark and dense, and shadows gave us good clarity. I felt pleased with this transfer.

As for the movie’s Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio, it offered a mostly typical horror movie soundscape. This meant a fair amount of creepy atmosphere and occasional “jolt moments”.

Along with good stereo music, the soundfield was able to open things up in a satisfying manner that embellished the story. We got a nice sense of various elements along with a useful sense of the spooky bits, some of which worked really well.

Audio quality was always good. Music appeared full and rich, while effects demonstrated nice clarity and accuracy. Low-end appeared deep and warm.

Speech was natural and distinctive throughout the film. The mix used the speakers well and created a fine sense of the material.

In addition to an Alternate Ending (3:34), we find three Deleted Scenes. These include “Mrs. Grose’s Confession” (2:12), “Miles Stands Over Dead Swan” (1:37) and “Jessel On Lake” (1:08).

The “Ending” threatens feels a bit goofy. As for the cut sequences, they bring a bit of exposition and that’s about it, so don’t expect much from them.

Behind The Turning fills 10 minutes, 31 seconds with comments from director Floria Sigismondi, producer Scott Bernstein, and actors Finn Wolfhard and Mackenzie Davis.

“Behind” looks at the source and its adaptation, cast and performances, production design, and Sigismondi’s approach to the film. Though not a bad featurette, “Behind” mainly offers general promotional fluff.

The disc opens with ads for Black Christmas and Brahms: The Boy II. No trailer for Turning appears here.

Despite its inspiration from a classic novella, The Turning gives us little more than the usual modern-day horror tripe. Silly and cliché, the film fails to offer any real drama or scares. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and audio along with a small set of supplements. Avoid this dull stab at terror.