THE frame of Sara Perks’ set tilts to one side, presumably in a nod towards the story’s unhinged central character and its unnerving subject-matter.

Set in the 1840s, James’ classic is narrated by a governess reflecting on a disturbing incident during her first job when she cared for two orphaned children.

Inside Perk’s frame the beautiful but isolated Bly House is simply represented through enormous windows overlooking country grounds and grand but tired and dusty furniture.

Director Daniel Buckroyd complements Perk’s already slightly unsettling design by opening with a darkened stage with sole illumination on a moving rocking horse.

John Chambers’ jarring piano accompaniment heightens the already eerie mood, continued throughout by Matt Leventhall’s use of spot-lit segments of the stage, always keeping the audience both literally and metaphorically in the dark.

Luscombe’s new production opens with a perplexing exchange as the governess narrator is interviewed by a potential employer only to discover the whole set-up has been artfully orchestrated to force her into revisiting her past.

This plot device really tests the versatility of the four-actor cast as they ably jump in time between roles, some playing both young and older versions of characters. “Half-forgotten memories” are acted out as flashbacks, churning up the past.

True to its source material, Luscombe’s adaptation ends deliberately ambiguously, leaving viewers to interpret events as they choose.

It remains captivating throughout, despite ticking off genre clichés, including a creepy music box, sharp banging sounds, howling winds and maniacal children’s laughter.

As the original book inspired Hill, it seems appropriate The Turn of the Screw follows full circle, growing out of Luscombe’s love of Stephen Mallatratt’s celebrated stage show.

Horror, Hill and James fans will be won over.