Some thoughts/theories on The Turning (and itās been ages since Iāve read The Turn of the Screw so this is all basically movie lore at this point):
SPOILERS for THE TURNING film below
We know Quint killed Ms. Jessel when she tried to leave, after raping her, and presumably hid her body at the bottom of the pond. Cause of death was likely strangulation, possibly drowning, as demonstrated by Kateās vision of the figure choking and coughing up water under the bed.
What we donāt know is how the Fairchild parents died, and considering the circumstances of the supposed āaccidentā at the gate, I surmise it was a collision, possibly with a horse since there are no cross streets anywhere near and that gives us the only other likely object of collision as deer or a horse. This places both fault and motive for their deaths on Quint, which fits with Mrs. Groseās line, āhe acted like he owned the placeā following the parentsā deaths.
Quint is perverted and animalistic, and given Milesā idolatry of him, it can be assumed that Quint used him as a means to become endeared to the children after their parentsā deaths. āHe used to take Miles and disappear with him for hoursā, Mrs. Grose tells Kate, as well as that he took Miles once to a bar and got him drunk, and that, coupled with Milesā inappropriate advances toward Kate both while she sleeps and when she awakens to see him watching her, point to the fact that Quint was also using Miles in a sexual manner.
Quint also used to take photos of Ms. Jessel as she slept, and presumably Miles as well. Miles has a photo of Kurt Cobain sleeping tacked upon his wall, the same photo used on the news broadcast at the beginning of the film when talking about Cobainās death.
Miles feels like he canāt leave due to his fear of what Quint will do to him. He asks Kate if she will keep him and Flora safe, as if it has become an expectation for him to him to mistrust adult strangers. He still interacts with the specter of Quint, but makes it a game to protect Flora, calling him his āspecial friendā when speaking to the image in the mirror.
Mrs. Grose likely killed Quint: āHe is dead. I made sure of that,ā possibly while lacing his drink with some kind of drug. We know he was prone to drunkenness but also a good horseman, and his falling from a horse seems unlikely unless under the influence of something further.
Quinnās body is likely still hidden somewhere on the grounds, and this is a reach, but it could possibly the tunnel leading to the stables where Kate sees the specter of Ms. Jessel begging for help. This would make sense with Milesā hiding there if it is a frequent haunt of his. āEverything dies, Miles,ā is an echo from Flora of what he once told her.
Miles has begun strangling other boys at his school, leading to his expulsion, possibly after being a victim of Quintās, who used asphyxiation on his victims prior to raping them. He states when giving Kate her riding lesson that establishing power over others is essential to gain control, an overt coping mechanism.Ā
Mrs. Grose and Flora avoid at all costs the East wing and the master suite where Quint established himself following the Fairchild parentsā deaths. Miles visits the master suite first when he arrives home after his expulsion from boarding school. Miles also wears Quintās sweater, saying āhe wanted me to have it.ā
āNothing should have to suffer,ā is Milesā response to his violently crushing the head of a dying koi, and could possibly reference his own suffering which he wishes he could end, but cannot or will not due to fear or the hold that Quint still has over him even in a noncorporeal form.
Quint has been trying to kill Mrs. Grose since his own death but due to his noncorporeal state cannot interact with her in any way which causes her physical harm. Kate is an exception however, as her tendency to believe delusions like her mother makes her a prime victim, and her own willingness to see what others will not enable him to pin her down and begin strangling her until Mrs. Grose intervenes. He is then able to startle her into falling to her death from the balcony.
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