Babysitter Wanted

"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.

Babysitter Wanted starts off like pretty much every other babysitter in peril film you've probably already seen: a pretty, virginal high-school student takes a child-minding job in a remote house in the boondocks, where she experiences creepy noises, power outages, and mysterious phone-calls, before eventually being attacked by person or persons unknown. In short, it's about as formulaic as a horror film can get.

If you begin to bemoan this film's predictability, though, you're playing right into the hands of its makers, whose seemingly uninspired set-up exists only to catch the viewer off guard with one hell of a curve-ball halfway through: just as the film couldn't get any more predictable, writer/director Jonas Barnes pulls the metaphorical rug from under his viewers feet with an audacious plot development that has to be seen to be believed.

With his illusion of banality well and truly shattered, Barnes is finally free to explore new territory, but despite the introduction of some welcome black humour, a few well conceived moments of tension and a spot of surprisingly gruesome gore, the film never fully capitalises on its rather bonkers mid-point revelation. If only the madness had escalated exponentially from that point on rather than just kicking up a gear and staying there, I'm sure we'd have had another bona fide horror classic on our hands—after all, nothing succeeds like excess!

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

To suggest that this is a "rip off" of "When A Stranger Calls is ridiculous. The only reason I can imagine for people to say such a silly thing is that they didn't actually watch the movie beyond the first half hour or so. It's akin to saying Cemetery Gates ripped off Delamorte Dellamore because they're both about cemeteries. Ludicrous! Babysitter Wanted bears no resemblance to WASC or to Black Christmas (the classic 1974 horror movie that 'inspired' WASC in the first place). In fact, its unlike any horror movie I've seen before.

This is a fresh, innovative and surprising movie with a plot you will not see coming. The direction, cinematography, acting, character development, pacing, story, mystery development, action, and final scenes are all top notch and again I find myself baffled by the ratings given to movies on IMDb. They seem to be particularly out of whack in the horror genre for some strange and frustrating reason.

Anyway - the only real fault I can think of here is the music was sometimes too intrusive - but that's probably more a style issue. To me the use of loud crescendos and repetitive loud beats actually detracted from the tension or shock or horror of what was on screen rather than enhancing it. That's not to say the musical score was all bad, some of it was great. It was just something I noticed during some crucial scenes.

This movie deserves a rating of at least 7 and given that they produced such a gem of a killer thriller with buckets of horror and awesome kill scenes etc on a minimal budget it should easily get an 8. One of the best I've seen that's been made in the past few years.

DO yourself a favour and get hold of this beauty! (not for the squeamish tho!!)

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.