The Nanny (1965 film)

Hammer Film Productions
Industry	Film production
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Products	Films

The Nanny is a 1965 British psychological horror thriller helmed by director Seth Holt and produced under the banner of Hammer Film Productions. The film stars Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, and Jill Bennett, with a screenplay by Jimmy Sangster based on the 1964 novel authored by Evelyn Piper, a pen name for Merriam Modell. The musical score was composed by Richard Rodney Bennett, and filming took place at Elstree Studios.

The storyline follows a troubled ten-year-old boy who returns home after being held responsible for his sister’s death, harboring suspicions that the family’s longtime nanny represents a deadly danger.

Plot

Following accusations that he caused his sister Susy’s drowning, ten-year-old Joey is placed in a school for emotionally disturbed children. Two years later, upon his return home, he remains distrustful of the family’s nanny, convinced she was involved in Susy’s demise and now fears she aims to poison him. Joey refuses her meals, secures his door, and insists she stay out of the bathroom.

Joey’s unsettling conduct distresses his emotionally vulnerable mother, Virginia, who depends on Nanny for support; Nanny had previously cared for Virginia and her sister Pen during their childhood. Joey’s father, Bill, leaves on a business trip, leaving Joey alone with Virginia and Nanny.

Joey enlists Bobbie, the 14-year-old daughter of the family doctor living upstairs, to play a prank on Nanny by placing her doll in a running bathtub. Nanny reacts with visible upset upon discovering the doll. Virginia scolds Joey for his harshness during a time of family grief.

Later, when Nanny serves steak and kidney pie, Joey refuses to eat it; however, Virginia consumes the meal and subsequently falls ill, requiring hospitalization and resulting in Joey being blamed. Aunt Pen arrives to oversee matters during Virginia’s absence.

Pen dismisses Joey’s allegations that Nanny attempted to drown him. When Pen requests heart medication, Nanny deliberately delays its delivery, worsening Pen’s condition.

Joey recounts the circumstances surrounding Susy’s death: Susy accidentally fell into a tub; although Nanny found her there, she turned on the taps without checking inside. In shock, Nanny bathed Susy’s body; Joey attempted to call for help but was silenced and falsely accused by Nanny, leading to his institutionalization.

Dr. Medman eventually brings Joey back home. That night, Joey barricades his door; Pen observes Nanny outside holding a pillow—previously forbidden—which raises suspicion. When Pen confronts Nanny, she suffers a fatal heart attack as Nanny reveals her mental breakdown tied to past trauma involving her own daughter’s death and Susy’s body.

Following Pen’s death, Nanny tries to smother Joey but breaks down when confronted with memories of Susy and rescues him from an overflowing bathtub.

At the hospital, Dr. Medman informs Virginia that Nanny will be placed under long-term psychiatric care. Virginia comforts Joey, who embraces her joyfully as a content child.

Cast

Actor/Actress	Role
Bette Davis	Nanny
William Dix	Joey Fane
Wendy Craig	Virginia "Virgie" Fane
Jill Bennett	Aunt Pen
James Villiers	Bill Fane
Pamela Franklin	Bobbie Medman
Jack Watling	Dr Medman
Maurice Denham	Dr Beamaster
Alfred Burke	Dr Wills
Angharad Aubrey	Susy Fane
Harry Fowler	Milkman

Production

This movie was one of multiple projects Seth Holt directed under the Hammer Films banner.

Box office

According to Fox's financial records, the film required $1.3 million in rental income to reach its break-even point and ultimately earned $2.175 million, resulting in a profit. Additionally, the rights for American television broadcast were sold for close to $400,000.

Critical

The Monthly Film Bulletin commended Bette Davis for her subdued portrayal and praised Seth Holt's skillful creation of suspense, while noting that the film’s horror aspects appeared somewhat restrained due to script modifications. William Dix’s acting also received favorable mention.

The Radio Times Guide to Films awarded it 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as an eerie horror with a smart storyline crafted by Hammer regular Jimmy Sangster, though it criticized certain plot weaknesses and disturbing themes.

Leslie Halliwell referred to the film as a toned-down Hammer experiment with minimal star power and an unpleasant narrative.

The movie holds a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on eleven critic reviews.

AllMovie identified it as "one of Hammer Films' stronger non-supernatural releases from the 1960s."

External links

The Nanny then-and-now location photos available at ReelStreets