TV MovieThrillerDrama

The Babysitter

- She drove the mother mad. She seduced the father. Now, what's going to happen to little Tara?

Overprotective mother Liz Benedict meets 18-year-old orphan Joanna Redwine and hires her as house help and live-in companion to rambunctious daughter Tara. Liz's husband Jeff isn't too thrilled with the arrangement, and his fears soon prove justified when Joanna begins to manipulate everyone and to slowly destroy the family. Meanwhile, next-door neighbor Dr. Linquist investigates and discovers Joanna has a disturbing past.

Release Date : 1980-11-28

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Filmways TelevisionMoonlight ProductionsABC

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Liz Benedict

Original Name : Patty Duke

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Jeff Benedict

Original Name : William Shatner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tara Benedict

Original Name : Quinn Cummings

Gender : Female

Character Name : Joanna Redwine

Original Name : Stephanie Zimbalist

Gender : Female

Character Name : Scotty

Original Name : David Wallace

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom Montgomery

Original Name : Kenneth Tigar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Welford

Original Name : Virginia Kiser

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Lindquist

Original Name : John Houseman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barbara

Original Name : Hildy Brooks

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Farragut

Original Name : Frank Birney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minister

Original Name : Ty Haller

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2022-03-13

**_One of the first lethal Lolita flicks_** A wealthy couple and their daughter (William Shatner, Patty Duke & Quinn Cummings) move to Bainbridge Island across from Seattle wherein they enlist the services of an 18 year-old who has befriended their daughter (Stephanie Zimbalist). Big mistake. John Houseman is on hand. "The Babysitter" (1980) is a drama/mystery with a bit o’ thriller/horror that influenced future movies like “Summer Girl” (1983), “Poison Ivy” (1992) and "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (1992). Patty Duke was 33 during shooting while Zimbalist was 23. Anyone who’s enamored by the latter will like this flick more than me (I think she needed to eat some cheeseburgers). It’s well done for a television production and has a sense of artistry (like “Poison Ivy,” just less so), but there’s also some tedious drama. I appreciated the fact that at least one boating outing was shot in the rain, which is apropos for the region. The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in Burnaby and Deer Park, British Columbia, with some 2nd unit shots of Puget Sound around Bainbridge Island and Seattle. GRADE: B-