 Several other critics praised the way that the film had kept the tone of James 's story and the subtle approach to horror . This subtlety , according to a review in the Western Morning News , hit " exactly the right note of terror " , and the film was praised as genuinely scary by some critics . Whittaker , though generally critical of the film , felt it strongest when focussed on the house , children and ghosts . Paul Whitelaw , writing in The Scotsman , commended Welch and Fywell for sustaining a horrific atmosphere , and noted that the soundtrack added to the horror . For him , even the use of horror clichés was effective , contributing to the film 's atmosphere . The Guardian 's Phil Hogan expressed a contrary opinion : while he thought The Turn of the Screw " exquisitely turned out " , he felt the film 's use of clichés limited the extent to which it was actually scary . In a review for The Leader @-@ Post , Andy Cooper praised the " creepy atmosphere " and tension , but said that the film " [ fell ] short in the chills department " and " could have done with a few jolts of terror to breathe more life into it " . 
