It's ridiculous to call THE NANNY a HORROR film. It's a very dark thriller. After a family drowning of a young child under the supervision of her nanny, A FACT THAT HAS OCCURRED EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST FRAME, the young son seems to be almost allergic to this nanny. There are twists and turns that affect everyone in the household, but in the end, can one conclude that the nanny is the guilty party. The film seems to lean in a very definite way, but you really have to be the judge and jury!
This latter Bette Davis feature filmed in England in 1965 has Bette give one of the most restrained and effective performances of her career. She is unruffled no matter how bad things get. Her austere nanny uniform added with a very austere personality and a face that can be labelled "stone faced" all add to the mystery of the lady. The one disturbing fact for me is that I could not find or see a single reason why the nanny would commit this crime, unless I missed some minor detail. But, appearances are deceitful and this motion picture keeps you hanging on for some answer right till the very end.
That's why I say, labeling The Nanny a horror film is just plain ridiculous. There's no horror in it. But there are thrills galore that keep hitting you directly in the face from frame one. Shooting the film in black and white aided so much in the sinister atmosphere of this well to do household. The fact that the parents, especially one of them, are not that well balanced just adds more fuel to the fire, so to speak. It really works very well though almost the entire film is shot within the home, the nanny taking a few excursions, getting ' outdoors' for some errands which eliminates the possibility of boredom, cooped up as we are within the one basic set.
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