The Innocents, The Omen, Friedkin’s The Guardian that started production as purely grounded thrills and ended as tree-demon-druid-babysitter terror, all of M. Night Shyamalan‘s series Servant: eerie nannies – either the unaware victim entering a web of nightmares or the unaware household welcoming a mysterious malevolent presence – have been a frictional genre staple for decades. Lorcan Finnegan‘s follow-up to his surrealistic sci-fi tale Vivarium may be far more rooted in reality, yet the unnatural and otherworldly still intrude upon domestic normalcy in Nocebo’s blend of psychological delirium and folk horror.
The set-up is certainly promising for this Ireland-Philippines co-production. The life of fashion designer Christine (Eva Green, once again committing to the horror genre with conviction) has become one of perpetual aches and chronic pains, hallucinations, nebulous anxiety and bouts of amnesia, all stemming from a mysterious phone call months ago that she can’t remember. But only she heard the cryptic warning coming from the other end or saw the ghostly hound that seemed to attack her afterwards, leaving her husband (Mark Strong) and young daughter more concerned about Christine‘s mental state and medications. Then Diana arrives at their Dublin doorstep, and even though neither husband nor wife remember hiring the Filipino housekeeper, she’s quickly welcomed into their home.
As solid as Green and Strong are in their roles, it’s Diana’s up-&-coming Chai Fonacier who carries Nocebo. From the story’s subtle escalation to the folk horror-steeped finale and step into another genre entirely, she portrays her mysterious nanny – an archetype so easy to make cartoonishly invasive or overtly sinister – with a subtle charm that rides a fine line between menacing and genuine, even as she begins slipping unknown herbs into the family’s meals or wielding talismans and rituals to assuage Christine’s pains and weakness. Their dynamic is Nocebo’s strongest facet, a push-&-pull of Green’s intensity and Fonacier’s “here to help” personality that overshadows the rest of the cast.
Unfortunately Nocebo’s occult-psychological character-driven tension is marred by Finnegan’s predilection for derivative horror movie build-up and beats; the well-trodden psychological horror playbook is followed close enough that every scare and startle felt painfully telegraphed, laden with exposition. As the final act unfolds, the story’s heavy-handed themes expand the film from its personal stakes to a folk horror-infused stab at capitalism and colonialism. It makes for an ambitious thematic ending that ups the hallucinatory visuals and supernatural chaos despite feeling like the narrative’s dark truths and domestic horror could’ve been fused more effectively.
Those looking for another bonkers wildly-out-there directional effort from Finnegan might be underwhelmed by Nocebo, yet the familiar story beats and cliched scares that might frustrate also act as a compelling stage for its committed cast. Genre fans will find Green’s whole-hearted return to horror and Fonacier’s revelation of a role to be worthy strengths amid Nocebo’s weaker elements. If anything, these 97 minutes provide a worthy entry to the annals of nanny nightmares.
Photo courtesy of RLJE Films
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