Review of The Nanny

If I were to use one word to describe this film, CREEPY would probably be it. But since this is one of my favorite psycho-thrillers, I'm gonna have to go slightly further than that. I will start off by stating that this is a masterpiece of horror filmmaking. It manages to thrill and entertain without the grotesque excesses of Bette Davis' other sixties shockers, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, or HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE. Don't get me wrong, these are also two very fine films, but let's face it, they go way over the top at times. THE NANNY, however, is one of Davis' most realistic chillers dealing with the popular servant problem. Davis' employers are convinced that she's Mary Poppins, but the child in her care knows much better. The little boy, fresh out of a children's asylum, has great difficulty convincing his stuffy parents that the nanny was responsible for his baby sister's death. But we in the audience knows who's telling the truth and who's not, right? Wrong!!!!! Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, who wrote several scripts for these sixties psychological-horrors, has taken great care in manipulating the audience every which way he can that pretty soon it seems that no one or anything in the story is quite what they appear to be. This is one of Bette Davis' most memorable latter-day film roles, but the great supporting cast is worth mentioning too. William Dix is a standout as the disturbed little boy, Wendy Craig is genuinely affecting as the boy's infantile mother, Jill Bennett is simply magnificent as the level-headed aunt who, like her nephew, suspects that there's something not altogether right about the nanny. The most impressive performance, however, is given by the remarkable child actress Pamela Franklin who plays the pretty young girl upstairs that the boy confides in. For intriguing mystery and heart-pounding suspense, THE NANNY is highly recommended!!!!!