Nanny, The (1965)

The Nanny (1965), directed by Seth Holt.

A little boy returns home after some time in a mental hospital. He seems to be Bad Seed character who is blamed for the drowning death of his little sister. He doesn't trust the Nanny at all, and we begin to wonder if he doesn't have a point...

It builds slowly and is not exactly terr-o-rama, but goes to strange and unexpected places.

I did not know that Bette Davis had made a Hammer Film! This is another of their non-supernatural thrillers, something like Scream of Fear (1961) from the same director.

Davis, having done heavy-makeup psycho-biddy roles around this time, gets to wear her own face and do some proper acting.

Pamela Franklin, last seen in The Night of the Following Day (1968) and The Innocents (1961), is the upstairs neighbor who helps the boy.

Written and produced by Jimmy Sangster, photographed by Harry Waxman.

Available on DVD.