Play The Turn of the Screw — an interactive story where YOU are the hero

after the classic by Henry James, 1898

Take the post of governess at lonely Bly and start seeing figures no one else admits are there. Protect two too-perfect children from the dead — or from your own unraveling mind — and never be quite sure which danger is real.

A moment from one playthrough

Across the moonlit lawn, the man on the tower is watching the house again — the one the housekeeper says has been dead for a year. Little Miles is awake behind you, calm, asking why you're up. Point the figure out to the child and force the truth, or draw Miles away from the window and say nothing?

Play The Turn of the Screw now →

Start free — 10 diamonds when you confirm your email. No subscription; narrated aloud; plays in 26 languages.

The Somni Tales reader: an open book with two pages of a story, an ink illustration, and a “write what you do” bar below.

Live The Turn of the Screw, don't just read it

In this interactive telling of The Turn of the Screw, you don't read about the hero — you are the hero. The Storyteller keeps Henry James's world true to the original — its characters, its places, its mood, all held as canon — then narrates every scene aloud and draws the moment you're in as an ink illustration. You type or speak what you do next, and the world answers: it remembers the promises you made, the things you took, and the people you crossed. Follow Henry James's plot faithfully, or step off it and watch a brand-new version of The Turn of the Screw unfold — one that still reaches a real ending.

How it works

The Storyteller holds the world of the book as canon — its characters, places and mood — and opens with you as the hero.
Type or speak anything: the world reacts, remembers, and stays true to the original's spirit.
Every playthrough is a brand-new story. Follow the plot — or break it and see what happens.

Common questions about playing The Turn of the Screw

Is The Turn of the Screw free to play on Somni Tales?

You get 10 diamonds free when you confirm your email — enough to open The Turn of the Screw and step into the first scenes. After that, diamonds cost from $5 with no subscription, and unused diamonds are refundable within 14 days.

Do I have to follow Henry James's original plot?

No. The Storyteller holds The Turn of the Screw as canon so its world, characters and mood stay true — but your choices write a brand-new telling. Follow the classic beats, or break from them and see where the story goes.

Can I play The Turn of the Screw aloud and in my own language?

Yes — every scene is narrated aloud word by word, and The Turn of the Screw plays in 26 languages. Change the language, voice and reading speed any time from the reader's Settings.