The Night Nurse is a fascinating example of an Australian made-for-television feature, which in many ways leaves its U.S. counterparts in the dust. An eerie and largely effective psychological thriller, The Night Nurse appears to be a cross between Robert Aldrich's Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Jean Genet's The Maids, as the film explores the deep psychological trauma resting in three generations of females, each with her own dark secret to share. Without divulging the plot, nobody is who they appear to be, and the heroes and villains are not easily defined. Davina Whitehouse, Kay Taylor and Kate Fitzpatrick are all memorable in their roles, each quirky and idiosyncratic to a fault, and the violence quotient is quite strong for the era. Perhaps the only false note in the film is the continual use of a tiresome piano riff used as punctuation for any moment of narrative import, but this is a minor quibble, as the film works regardless. Other than a few peripheral characters, there is one male prominent in the proceedings, and although he is a louse, still his demise is brutal and shocking. The climax is gruesome and baffling, if a bit abrupt, but it is right in line with other thrillers of the era, and again is not something you would see every day on American television. Kudos to Sinister Cinema for resurrecting this forgotten gem of psychological horror, well worth a peek.
