The Haunting of Helen Walker (1995)

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Based on the novel, Turn of the Screw, Helen Walker is hired as a governess for two English children, Miles and Flora, in their old mansion in the England countryside. While on the job, Helen notices strange events surrounding the mansion and children and is determined to discover the surrounding secrets of the home's past history.This is actually a pretty intriguing movie that captures the audience's attention with the peculiar children, followed by the immediate sightings of the apparitions by Helen Walker. Valerie Bertinelli did a nice job portraying her, displaying aspects of care and nurture for the children and drama and suspicion in places in the plot where appropriate. Diana Rigg did a commanding job in portraying the intimidating Mrs. Grose and Florence Hoath and Aled Roberts did a convincing job portraying the kids - very refined, dignified and lady/gentleman-like. Aled's portrayal of Miles always has this sly and sinister look at his face, with his nose in the air and stuck-up persona that I've found annoying at times.The effects done for the ghosts were worked out very well and their appearances really sent chills down my body and the hair raise on the back of my neck. The effects team also did a great job in setting up the grand mansion (making it spooky when appropriate) and the surrounding landscapes, especially the green valleys and lake.I know the movie is based on the novel, but I wished ***spoiler ahead*** Helen would have gave the screaming and obnoxious Flora a taste of her own medicine toward the end and wished the ending would have been made a little more hopeful rather than downright sad (I'm a sucker for happy endings). The ending also seemed a little rushed for me. ***spoiler ends***Overall, it's not a bad hair-raising TV movie for a few good scares and chills.Grade B-

Bit of a yawn I'm afraid, but then Deborah Kerr's, "THE INNOCENTS"is a hard act to follow. That has the advantage of being shot in stunning black and white for starters which I think creates an eerie, unsettling atmosphere throughout which this colour version fails to do. Yes I may have jumped at one point but at no time was there anything to send a real chill down my spine. The subtle, ghostly appearances in "THE INNOCENTS" were much more effective in achieving that in my opinion. I wish I could be more positive in my review of "The Haunting of Helen Walker" as it started well and engaged me. I was really hoping for something a bit special. I cannot fault the acting and overall production, but it just simply looked too glossy and lacked atmosphere for my liking, but at least I saw it through to the end.

My friends have a difficult time stifling their giggles when I mention a quality film version of Henry James's classic "Turn of the Screw" starring Valerie Bertinelli, but she does quite a good job in the title role (a character altered just slightly from the novella to account for her American origins in a British cast and setting) of an altogether excellent film.Those who have seen the earlier screen treatment of this story, _The Innocents_ (with Deborah Kerr in the Bertinelli role) will enjoy this version for similar reasons, foremost among them the excellent screenplay and eerie atmosphere. The 1995 film adds effective ghostly special effects (chilling but never overdone) to heighten the spookiness, a lush location setting, and increased emphasis on the disturbingly sexual nature of the hauntings. The children may not be as sympathetic as they should be--it's difficult to believe that their natural, unpossessed state is cherubic innocence--but the young actors are convincingly creepy and sly when under the spirits' influence. Altogether the cast is wonderful, with the incomparable Diana Rigg especially effective as the housekeeper who unwillingly comes to recognize that the new governess is _not_ just imagining things. Bertinelli's devotion, fear, and ultimate determination are completely believable, and the final showdown with the evil Peter Quint is haunting indeed--it will take your breath away. This film deserves a place in every ghost story lover's video collection.

I am a huge horror fan and this film is up there with the best of them. I might even go so far as to compare the shocks in this film to those found in 'Don't Look Now'. It starts quite slowly and seems to be just an ordinary period drama to begin with, but soon your heart will start beating.The first shock is totally unexpected and will still scare you when you think about it later. I won't give it away, but you'll notice it! Although the film does have some slower bits, there are enough twists, turns and shocks throughout to keep you interested. One of the only bad parts of this film is the children that Helen Walker looks after. I wanted to give them (especially the boy) a good slap, but this does not decrease the power and shock of the images that'll keep you thinking about this film long after you've seen it.