Astounding movie with a riveting veteran actress and in which from the beginning to the end the suspense and tension are continuous . Stars the great Bette Davis in a twisted and surprising terror thriller . A little girl in charge of the allegedly perfect nanny has been dead in the the bathtube. But it's Joe (William Dix) who's sent away to a home for disturbed children and when he returns two years later the nanny (Bette Davis) is still around the childless house . He goes back to an unloving dad (James Villiers) and a fragile mummy (Wendy Craig) , and a suspicious nanny whom he hates . Joey's mother , Virginia Fane , is a quivering nervous woman , then comes her sister (Jill Bennett) to care the naughty child . Nanny wasn't responsible . . . Was She? Would you trust the nanny . . . Or the boy? She had been in the family for years. Then, two died mysteriously and two lived in terror !
Another memorably terrific Bette Davis portrait showing psychological creep-outs , and stealing the spectacle , as usual , by playing an intriguing , doting nanny who's been accused by her young charge of drowning his sister in the bathtub . A fine simple tale told with thoughtful flashbacks , as Bette Davis gives an awesome , controlled acting as the supposedly ideal nanny to a dysfunctional family . The script of the film is very warped and the final has an extraordinary surprise . In the movie there is intrigue , mystery , shocking scenes , taut , terror and though being mostly developed on interior stages is neither tiring , nor dreary , but enjoyable . Marvellous classic British thriller which still keeps entertaining and expectant from start to finish . Bette Davis provides a wonderful 'Nanny', which extremely gets you involved in the role from the beginning to the end . It is a battle of wits between the starring duo over who's responsible for some evil goings-on . Interesting and attractive screenplay by Jimmy Sangster , Hammer's regular , based on the novel written by Marryam Modell as Evelyn Piper. Spectators at the time were probably hoping for a macabre thriller , another outing belonging to a sub-genre developed in the Sixties and Seventies , dealing with older actresses , deranged widows or unsettling spinsters ; in this ordinary subgenre , middle-age or elderly women often committing grisly killings , such as : ¨What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?¨, ¨Hush , Hush sweet Charlotte ¨, ¨Whoever Slew Aunt Roo?¨, "What's the matter with Helen ?" , ¨The anniversary¨ ; however , in ¨The Nanny¨ the shocks are rather subdued . Bette Davis is well accompanied by a very good cast , such as : Jill Bennett, Wendy Craig , James Villiers , Maurice Denham , Alfred Burke and the duo of prodigy children : William Dix and Pamela Franklyn steal the show.
Compellingly produced but in short budget by writer/producer Jimmy Sangster and the prestigious horror company Hammer Films . The motion picture was competently directed by Seth Holt . He was an assistant editor at Ealing in 1944, graduating to editor (1949), producer (1955) and director (1958). He returned to editing for Charles Crichton's Battle of the sexes (1960) and for Saturday night , Sunday Morning (1960). He also made two thrillers as Nowhere to Go (1958) with George Nader and Station Six Sahara (1963) with Caroll Baker .Probably his best known film is The nanny (1965), with Bette Davis and Blood from the Mummy's (1971) with James Villiers , Andrew Keir and a few days before the end of its filming he held a dinner party , after which he collapsed and died of a heart attack . Rating : 7/10 . Audiences were shocked in 1965 due to creepy Bette Davis role but they were really hooked and nowadays her acting goes on surprising us . Essential and indispensable watching for Bette Davis fans.