The Nanny Reviews

An engaging and disturbing thriller which casts Davis as a well-groomed and proper nanny who, underneath her facade, is really a psychotic killer. When 10-year-old Dix returns from a two-year stay in a home for disturbed children, he reacts coldly to Davis, whom he believes drowned his sister (Aubrey) two years earlier. No one believed his story then; the blame was put on him, and he was institutionalized. Still no one believes him except for his teenage neighbor, Franklin. Dix refuses to eat any food Davis prepares, declines to use the room she prepared for him, and won't talk to her. His mother is hospitalized for food poisoning (after eating one of Davis' special dishes), and when faced with staying alone with Davis, Dix objects strenuously. Bennett, the boy's aunt, is sent for. She suffers from a heart condition and must keep her heart medicine nearby at all times. Dix runs to Bennett, accusing Davis of trying to drown him in the bathtub. She doesn't believe the tormented boy and sends him to his room. When she checks in on him, however, she finds the nanny preparing to smother him with a pillow. A struggle ensues, and Bennett--her pills out of reach--collapses. While she is dying, Davis confesses to the murder of Aubrey. Davis explains that she was giving the two a bath when she received word that her illegitimate daughter, whom she had abandoned years before, was dying after an abortion. Panic-stricken, she left the children unattended, a mistake which resulted in Aubrey's death. Following her confession, Davis returns to Dix's room to finish him off. While trying to drown him, she has a vision of Aubrey and stops. Tears pouring from her eyes, she packs her bags and leaves. This spotty film is often frightening but is at times clumsy, though Davis' performance is noteworthy.