Also known as El Celo (translated from Spanish as "The Zealot"), this adaptation of Turn of the Screw (or rather The Innocents, since it samples some of the exact dialogue from that movie) was filmed in Spain, albeit in English. Sadie Frost plays an unnamed, immature governess whose pastor father has just died after a lingering illness. Now on her own, she seeks a position as governess to two orphans who live on their uncle's remote estate. I mean really remote. This time, th

In 1999, we saw both a cinematic and a televised adaptation of James's work. I'll begin with the BBC's entry. Though this isn't my favorite adaptation (The Innocents has that honor), it's certainly the most faithful! Jodhi May turns in a striking performance as the nameless governess (called "Miss," like Amy Irving's character), a devout vicar's daughter who consents to look after the orphaned niece and nephew of a dashing wealthy man (Colin Firth) at his remote country estat

Despite the original title, this is yet another Turn of the Screw. Valerie Bertinelli plays the titular character, an American widow in London, on her own for the first time, who manages to convince the rich uncle of two orphaned children that her unfulfilled desire for a family makes her an ideal governess. You know the rest. Unlike in other versions, Bertinelli remains consistently caring even when she suspects the children are possessed and plotting against her. Diana Rigg

I've learned that the previously announced panel featuring artist Aleah Shockley (illustrator of the forthcoming book Dark Shadows: The Collins Family Album), historian Madelyn Marks (administrator of the Dark Shadows Discord group), and myself in a discussion of the experiences of later generations of fans who have discovered "Dark Shadows" has been moved to the second day of the 60th Anniversary Celebration. The panel is now scheduled for Saturday, August 1 at 5:30 pm in th

Rusty Lemorande's film, starring Patsy Kensit as the governess, Miss Jenny, boasts a few significant innovations. For one thing, this is one of the only adaptations of the story to contain a storytelling frame like the novel itself. In this case, the storyteller is a woman (Marianne Faithful) rather than the man called Douglas. Otherwise, the introduction to the events is the same. This adaptation was also the first to shift the setting to the 20th century, specifically, the

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the supernatural soap opera "Dark Shadows,” the Dark Shadows Festival is hosting a two-day event in Southern California. Fans and actors from previous iterations of the show will gather at the Westin Los Angeles Airport hotel on July 31st - August 1. On Friday, July 31st (tentatively scheduled for 9:45 pm), I will be participating on the "Dark Shadows: The Next Generation" panel alongside artist Aleah Shockley (illustrator of the fort

In the late 1980s, Shelley Duvall teamed up with Showtime to create an anthology series of horror stories called Nightmare Classics. The first episode was The Turn of the Screw, starring Amy Irving as a nameless governess. This version elaborates on James's source material, turning it into a traditional vengeful ghost story. Irving's governess is the toughest, most fanatical broad I've seen in any adaptation (with the exception of Jodhi May in the 1999 BBC production). Yet, e

Flash fiction site Flash Phantoms has included my very short (under 1,000 words) story "Saturnalia" among its horror selections for July 2026. The current stories can be found here: July Flash Fiction Horror | Flash Phantoms

I’m thrilled to have my short story “George” featured in this month’s issue of Dirty Magick Magazine. "George" follows the misadventures of a movie studio intern who fears the studio's most infamous prop, an actual human skeleton, is out to get him. Digital copies of the magazine are available through July Issue Available – Dirty Magick Magazine or C.D. Brown « Weightless Books Choose your issue and your preferred platform.

Dan Curtis's adaptation of Henry James's classic novel, scripted by William F. Nolan, is heavily influenced by the 1961 Jack Clayton production but has enough of its own additions to make it interesting. Lynn Redgrave is an admirable governess, here named Miss Cubberly; her character is mentally stronger and more domineering than Deborah Kerr's. Redgrave is also a more age-appropriate governess. Megs Jenkins, who played Mrs. Grose in The Innocents, resumes the role here. Kath

In anticipation of the release of my novel Innocent on September 7th, I will be featuring reviews of various film and TV adaptations of The Turn of the Screw, beginning with Jack Clayton's adaptation of The Innocents from 1961. For years, I'd heard wonderful things about this film but was skeptical of the praise because I’d found the source material to be slow-moving, confusing, and frustrating. Happily, The Innocents offers an antidote to my qualms about James's novella. Whi

Vampire anthology Vampires Save the Night edited by Rebecca Buchanan and featuring my short story "It's Your Problem, Too" is now available through a new distributor, PubShare (it was formerly issued by Draft2Digital in 2025). More information about the collection can be found at https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/gorgons-gaze-press/ Paperback and ebook copies are available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5X93X6P The ebook also can be purchased from the following retailers:.

Shepherd.com, a website connecting readers with authors and with recommended works in their favorite genres, has rebranded as BookDNA.com. I currently have three lists on this site: Amanda Desiree's Top 3 Books of 2025 Amanda Desiree's Top 3 Books of 2024 The creepiest epistolary horror novels Please check out my recommendations and search your own favorite titles and writers for related reading suggestions.

Recently, I had the honor of being interviewed by digital creator Katherine Gonzales for her Dark Shadows-themed podcast "Back at the Blue Whale" for a discussion of the ghosts of Collinwood, fan conventions, fan creativity, and absent friends. The episode can now be viewed on YouTube: TBRATBW (A Dark Shadows Podcast)- Ep. 10- Haunting Hallowed Halls with Amanda Desiree Podcast Host Katherine Gonzales Amanda Desiree

“She shuts her eyes in the dark, but I think that’s silly. I always look in the dark.” “Oh, look! It’s a lovely spider, and it’s eating a butterfly.” -Flora, The Innocents (1961) * My first exposure to The Turn of the Screw was through the TV series Dark Shadows. I started watching reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel when I was in high school, starting with Julia Hoffman’s arrival at Collinwood. By the following year, the ghosts of Quentin Collins and Beth Chavez began to materializ

Robert McCammon's novel Speaks the Nightbird became one of my favorite books when I first read it 15 years ago. This title launched the...

I'm thrilled that my short story "It's Your Problem, Too" will be featured in the forthcoming anthology Vampires Save the Day (er, Night...

The Smashwords e-book store is currently running a sale through the end-of-day on January 1, 2025. Thousands of books are deeply...

The Dark Shadows Event Diary: Memories of Festivals, Film Screenings, and Fan Gatherings is now available in e-Book form with expanded...

Originally, it was my intention to include photographs in my new book of Dark Shadows gatherings over the years, but I was unable to do...