Babysitter Wanted

This flick seemed a rip-off from another rather successful horror flick, but a look at the timeline shows that it actually came out first. Inspiration for its more successful rival? With that caveat, this low-budget affair deserves an honest mention. Starting with a stale premise and relying on some annoying sound effects, this one commences to travel down the banal road of mediocrity. Thankfully, it sneaks off to be much more than that, a welcomed change of plans for what could have resulted in some rather lethargic eyes. The acting was solid, especially owing to its otherwise low rent essence. The gore was at times laughable, but this surprisingly did not detract from the film itself. The other technicalities of the film were up to par, their inconspicuous nature more a boon than a defamation. Neither unflinchingly gratuitous nor enslaved to pander to the Hollywood set,Babysitter Wanted towed the line perfectly, with a stutter stop start ending that was ultimately a pleasant relief. Merci beaucoup.

Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews

"Babysitter Wanted" was a nice surprise. I thought 'why not?'when I saw the DVD cover. I was expecting a 'D'- rated flick & got a good twist on the babysitter theme of the 70's/80's.

A first year college student, in need of money, answers a posting for a babysitter out at a farm. All the events, up to her arrival at the farm seemingly follow the 'babysitter theme' viewers are so familiar with. Once she is left alone to do her job, that's when the theme takes a turn. It wasn't what I had expected.

The actress playing college student Angie, lacked credibility, but I overlooked it, as this was schlock. I was creeped out by the child actor. The actor playing the father was a refreshing treat. It's not perfect, but worth a look, for horror's sake.

I went into the movie not expecting much, and ended up being completely satisfied. Babysitter Wanted, unlike countless DTV horrors, is genuinely creepy and has an original plot that will stay with people. A great surprise! Angie (Sarah Thompson) moves into a small town to study in college. She meets people there, but also has a feeling that someone is stalking her. She takes up a babysitter position at a farm house one weekend, and the horror begins.

The first half of the movie is in the vein of the Strangers and When a Stranger Calls. And it's equally effective, if not more. It's easy to identify with Angie's situation. The scares are consistent, although SFX is a little overused. Tension is mounted throughout.

A great twist midway turns the movie into a different direction. Without spoiling anything, the movie veers into a supernatural angle and is equally chilling as the first half although might be too gory and disturbing for some. The plot from here on is original, leading to a satisfying ending which makes room for sequels too.

The acting is surprisingly good from everyone. The productions values are great for a low budget movie, although there are a few lighting issues in the second half.

All in all, Babysitter Wanted is a welcome surprise and horror fans will have a great time with it. Recommended.

"Try to be a nice guy and that's the thanks I get!"

Babysitter Wanted is quite similar to the movie House of the Devil in many ways (though it preceded it by about a year). Both movies have a similar premise (young woman at a small college taking a rural babysitting-type job at a spooky locale because she's desperate for money), both try to scare you by slowly building tension (at least, initially) in a large, quiet house, and both have similar sources of evil as the heart of the threat to our unsuspecting heroines. 

The main difference between the two movies, though (besides a gruesome twist or two), is that House of the Devil is just better. It's more frightening, more interesting, and more memorable. That's not to say that Babysitter Wanted is bad or not worth watching. It's a sinister movie that's shot well, and I didn't find much reason to complain about the actors (though there is a faintly ridiculous monologue almost an hour into the proceedings that would have been better left out). The story is simple and violence and gore are certainly present (though it happens off-screen as often as on). The last 45 minutes or so are quite different from what comes before, so be prepared for a shift in tone. 

The final act is where the two movies really separate themselves, and that's really where I think House of the Devil completely outshines this. 

Maybe I would have appreciated Babysitter Wanted more if I hadn't seen a superior,similar movie that I couldn't help comparing it to. Give it a try if you'd like; there are far, far worse horror movies available.

I pick this up on DVD because it was cheap, and judging by the cover and title I thought it was gonna be some cheap "When a Stranger Calls" rip off... Well, it wasn't. I was wrong.

After the introduction of beautiful Angie (Sarah Thompson) who's on her first year of college, movie starts out as your regular "stalk and slash" horror flick. Angie is babysitting since she needs money, and soon as the night falls, she starts receiving weird phone calls, there's strange noise and it seems that man with bad intentions is at the door. To make matters worst, kid she's suppose to watch is acting weird and he's only eating raw flesh... About first 50 minutes of the movie resolves around stalker invading home, but soon movie takes unpredictable twist and turns movie on it's head, into completely new movie. Anyone who tells you "I see that coming" is lying. There's a short reference of what might happen, but you'll never see it coming THAT WAY, trust me.

After "second movie" comes into play, BABYSITTER WANTED doesn't hold on on gore, nasty scenes (involving meat hook... anyone who's familiar with horror movies know that this thing can get nasty on screen) and chase for the rest of the movie. There are few unintentionally funny moments, and one of them is twist. I was shocked, I was laughing and I thought it pays some tribute to the old movies (era '60-'70) Very well directed with nice creepy atmosphere, looks more expensive then it actually is because of the great cinematography, fast-paced and talented cast. I hope horror movies will see more of Sarah in the future.

The only downside of the movie (for my taste) is Angie being too religious and this leads to a bad ending. It looks like director(s) couldn't decide which ending to go for, but the action scenes and the rest of the movie will make you completely forgive the bad ending.

One of the better 2009 horror flicks, specially for being low budget. Not to be missed by any true horror fan that know their stuff.