The Turn of the Screw

A young governess arrives at a remote estate to care for two children and becomes convinced the house is haunted by malevolent ghosts who are corrupting the children, but the truth of what she sees—and her own sanity—remains ambiguous. A classic Victorian ghost story, psychologically complex and genuinely unsettling. Adapted editions exist for middle-grade readers.

Content Ratings

No Romance

There is no romantic content in most adaptations; the original contains subtle adult themes but adapted versions focus on the ghost story.

Intense Themes

The story is psychologically complex and deliberately ambiguous about whether the ghosts are real or the governess is unstable; themes of innocence corrupted, the unreliability of perception, and psychological breakdown are central; the tone is genuinely unsettling and sophisticated; adapted for MG but retains psychological complexity.

Moderate Violence

The ghosts are threatening and may have harmed people in the past; the governess believes the children are in danger; the atmosphere is one of sustained dread and psychological menace; violence is implied and atmospheric rather than graphic.