2. The Nanny (1965)
The Nanny! How I love The Nanny! A 1965 Hammer Horror film, it has been completely overshadowed by Hammer's supernatural tales. This little pearl of a film deserves to be exalted to the highest heavens as one of the great, suspenseful whodunnit tales in cinema. The film stars Bette Davis as the nanny of the Fane household. Ten year old Joey is coming back from the special school that he was sent to following the death of his sister. He kicks up a right stink whenever he is home - moving rooms to be away from the nanny, not letting her touch him or go near him. He is adamant that the nanny killed his little sister. But the nanny is so nice and shows such grace under pressure. Who do we believe? The Nanny has been critically well received and most people who watch it end up liking it. Bette Davis has an amazing English accent and in this movie she is not exploited (like the excesses of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) her performance is controlled and realistic, not over the top. The film is creepy and disturbing. When we find out The truth about what happened to the poor little girl, it is deeply sinister and some of us may regret watching the film in the first place it is so harrowing. But if you can take it, The Nanny is a blinder of a film.