Dragonwyck (1946) on Netflix

A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.

In 1844, the Wells family lives on their own small farm in Greenwich, Connecticut and the sons and daughters have a rigid discipline and religious education from patriarch Ephraim Wells. When his wife Abigail receives a letter from her wealthy distant cousin Nicholas "Nick" Van Ryn, inviting one of the Wells daughters to live with him and his wife Johanna and tutor their young daughter Katrin, naive Miranda Wells gets excited at the prospect of traveling. Abigail convinces Ephraim to let her go, and Ephraim escorts his daughter to the Hudson Valley, New York. They meet Nick and they learn that he is a patroon of farmers at the Hudson Valley. Then Miranda travels to the Dragonwyck mansion where she is introduced to voracious Johanna, sweet Katrine, and housekeeper Magda. She also meets Dr. Jeff Turner, who is a sort of leader of the farmers that work for Nicholas, at a party and befriends him. Soon she notes that Katrine is neglected by her parents. When Johanna gets mysteriously ill and dies, Miranda returns home. But the atheistic Nick visits her family to propose to marry her. Now Miranda's dream comes true and she marries him and moves to Dragonwyck. Will they live happily ever after?

—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In 1844, Abigail Wells receives a request from her previously-unknown wealthy distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryn, and she and her husband Ephraim Wells, a devout but poor Connecticut farmer who owns his own land, reluctantly allow one of their daughters, Miranda, the one with wanderlust, to accept the position of companion to Nicholas and his wife Johanna's 8-year-old daughter Katrine at Dragonwyck, the Van Ryn manor in the Hudson Valley. The Wells are reluctant to send Miranda because Nicholas doesn't believe in God, which would be a drastic shock to her; also, Nicholas' tenant farmers are beholden to him and not allowed to work toward purchasing from him any land of his on which they farm. Upon her arrival at the Van Ryn manor, Miranda catches the eye of young physician Dr. Jeff Turner. This does not sit well with Nicholas; not only is Jeff a vocal supporter of tenant-farmer rights, but he also has eyes for Miranda--whose eyes are turned in Nicholas' direction--as the openly odd interactions between Nicholas, Johanna and even Katrine stem from an absence of love. What happens in the manor is affected in part by Nicholas' goal as a father; not achieving that goal might result in adverse consequences, the changing times of land ownership, and long-held secrets at the manor.

—Huggo

On May 19, 1844, innocent farm girl Miranda, raised in a repressive God-fearing Connecticut family, summons up the courage to go against the will of her puritanical father. However, as Miranda accepts an invitation from distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryn to stay at his majestic Dragonwyck Manor--a gloomy, memory-laden mansion that has been home to the Van Ryns for two centuries--hair-raising secrets start to unfold, and misfortune befalls the House of Van Ryn. Little by little, affection turns into cruelty and love into a deadly obsession. Is the dream of a bright future turning sour?

—Nick Riganas

In 1844, farmer's daughter Miranda Wells is invited by distant relation Nicholas Van Ryn to live in his mansion as companion to his daughter. Arriving with high hopes, Miranda finds the Van Ryns a bit strange. The parents barely know their daughter Katrine; Nicholas faces a revolt of his tenant farmers; the servants hint darkly of curses and visitations. And what does Nicholas really do up in his tower room?

—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

When Miranda Wells is invited to live with her dark and charming distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryn so she can tutor his daughter at his Dragonwyck Manor, she is a naive farm girl. As she watches the dark secrets of the house unfold, she becomes more aware of selfishness, desire, and insanity while becoming more involved with Nicholas. The closer Miranda grows to the community and the Van Ryns, the more she wishes she had never set foot in Dragonwyck.

—Max Vaughn