Miles and Flora are pulled into a ghostly game, Rebecca comes to an unhappy conclusion, and Hannah makes a shattering discovery.

Mike Flanagan’s take on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw draws to a satisfying close, and as with the middle three episodes, works best when doing its own thing. James’ novella is so familiar that it’s in the new back story and side steps that we are nourished with fresh content.

Ultimately, this is not trying to out-scare  Flanagan’s terrifying The Haunting of Hill House, with the tone here more Gothic romance, particularly the penultimate episode’s flashbacks to what set in motion the whole tragedy. Jessel and Quint are given an episode to explain how their relationship went sour and why they control the children, and the final hour pulls everything together as the disparate parties converge on the house.

But this isn’t the end of the story, as we go years into the future, with Dani forever looking over her shoulder. Can she escape her past or her destiny? The phantoms have a strong opinion on this, and the ultimate identity of the narrator a foregone conclusion.

Verdict: After an initial lull in the opening episodes, this series finds its rhythm and uncovers a romance that’s often under-developed in this classic horror story. Cringeworthy accents aside, this is solid Halloween fare and not too scary for the faint hearted. 8/10

Nick Joy

Click here to read Nick’s reviews of the previous episodes