The Turn of the Screw by Jeffrey Hatcher


The Turn of the Screw
Title : The Turn of the Screw
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0822215543
ISBN-10 : 9780822215547
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 50
Publication : First published October 1, 1996

Based on the provocative tale of suspense, horror and repressed sexuality, this adaptation gives the famous story yet another turn of its own. A young governess journeys to a lonely English manor house to care for two recently orphaned children. But she is not their first governess. Her predecessor, Miss Jessel, drowned herself when she became pregnant by the sadistic valet, Peter Quint, who was himself found dead soon after, under mysterious circumstances. Now the new governess has begun to see the specters of Quint and Jessel haunting the children, and she must find a way to stop the fiends before it is too late. But one frightening question tortures the would-be-heroine: Are the ghosts real, or are they the product of her own fevered imagination?

The Turn of the Screw Reviews

  • Dana Cordelia

    Genuinely scary and intriguing - would very much love to see this performed live.

    Inevitably this was going to be compared in my head to The Woman in Black, one of my all-time favorite plays and certainly one of the scariest live shows I've ever seen. Hatcher's adaptation of The Turn of the Screw is very well-done, but based on the stage directions and notations I believe it may lack some of the same visceral scares (particularly as far as sound is concerned) of TWIB. Additionally, the ambiguous ending of this one (versus the very clear holy-cats ending of the other) puts it at a disadvantage...although to be honest I very much like how they ended this and thought the question was appropriate for the piece. This piece would definitely require two truly incredible actors and a bullseye lighting designer.

    Good to read, likely much better to see performed live. I'll keep an eye out.

  • Kate Arms

    This adaptation of The Turn of the Screw for the stage maintains the ambiguity of the novella and uses theatricality and the skills of two actors to convey the mysteries at the heart of this classic ghost story.

    I am not convinced at the wisdom of only using two actors. However, by avoiding realism, the adaptation leave lots of room for thrills and chills aided by the audience's imaginations.

  • Jessica Moran

    So, so, so hard to read. The writing is probably quite good, but the way people spoke back then...ugh. Too many words for me, and I love words!