The Babysitter

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Benedict..William Shatner (Star Trek-TV, </B></div> <div> <B>Tara...........Quinn Cummings (Family-TV, The Goodbye Girl)</B></div> <div> <B>Scotty.........David Wallace (Humongous, Mazes and Monsters)</B></div> <div> <B>Dentist........Kenneth Tigar (The Gypsy Warriors)</B></div> <div> <B>Foster Mother..Virginia Kiser</B></div> <div> <B>Dr. Lindquist..John Houseman (The Fog, Ghost Story, The Paper Chase)</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Critique: The Benedict's troubled marriage receives unwanted irritation when they hire a babysitter, who, due to fear of abandonement, has a history of manipulation and psychopathic murder in the form of pre-emptive anti abandonement strikes. This decent thriller poses the age old question: "How can a drunk housewife pushing middle age ever let a beautiful eighteen year old governess into her house and not expect problems?" Although there is no clear reason to mistrust Joanne in the beginning, director Peter Medak creates an air of trouble in all of the film's personal relationships, and the tension builds steadily with the mistrust in the family serving as a plausible vehicle for Joanne's shenanigans. When Joanne viciously clubs a fish to death, at least the viewer gets a good taste of the madness we had suspected. Every time we see neighbor hunk Jeff, or anyone else, with Liz, we are practically yelling at him to get away from her. Patty Duke Astin makes a horrifying drunk, perhaps the biggest scare in the movie other than the memorably creepy and neat display of dead bodies at Joanne's foster home. Once again a superior cast and director triumphs over mediocre material and resources. William Shatner and Patty Duke Astin offer a fine portrayal of a crumbling marriage, while nice Stephanie Zimbalist is surprisingly chilling as the psychopathic housekeeper/homewrecker. A scarier movie would be a documentary about Shatner if he had to really live with such a drunk Patty Duke.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>* Blood * Not Particularly Violent * No Strong Language * No Nudity * * No Sexual Situations * Not Gory *</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Plot Summary: "Please don't leave me behind. He doesn't even know I'm alive." pleads little Tara, doll in her hand. Dr. Leavitt says Tara, aged 12, needs to take lots of pills, which she hides rather than takes. She would rather visit Dr. Lindquist who lives next door. Daddy, Jeff, a dentist in Seattle insists the house is too large for mother to handle and that they need domestic help. Mother is frustrated by Tara who doesn't listen to her while father undermines her alcoholic efforts with a more hands off approach. Overprotective, drunk mother insists Tara stay in and not answer the door. But Tara stays home to meet the attractive neighbor girl Joanna who is 18. The two girls visit Scotty the neighbor on his sailboat and get a tour of his grandfather Dr. Linder's yacht. Joanna helps Tara trick her mother and then stands in the road, causing drunk Mrs. Benedict to crash. Joanna is only too helpful during mother's convalescence. Joanne had been staying with a family for the last two years, but they "moved". She's looking for a babysitting job on the island. Mother (Liz) offers her a job but she's reluctant. Dr. Benedict is a bit concerned that they don't know anything about her, but when he sees her, in true Shatner-style he finds her simply bewitching. Joanne bids adieu presumably to her dead parents and then moves in with the Benedicts. Dr. Benedict begins to wonder why she never goes out. Shatneresque, he notes that she's not exactly homely. The overly protective mother is not quite so pleased when she pushes Tara at swimming to the point where she can barely make it to the dock. The doctor observed this event and seems concerned about Joanne. He also notes that she seems to be telling different people different stories about her past. The expected tensions between husband and wife start to arise. However, surprisingly, Joanne and Liz begin to form a bond. Liz begins confiding in her about her personal problems. Joanne urges her that alcohol is not her problem, and that she should feel free to drink. Joanne has started telling Liz that friends have canceled tennis dates when it wasn't true. Liz has become isolated and alcoholic. Jeff is not impressed. He puts his foot down and wants Joanne out but the women insist that she stay. Pretty soon Liz is stumbling around at the next party at the doctor's house. Doctor Lindquist admits to her that he doesn't like her but finds her manipulations fascinating. When Jeff leaves the party without her, he finds Joanne in his room in his wife's nightclothes. She is pretty seductive but that Shatner/Jeff will of steel keeps her at a distance. The next morning, Joanne tells Liz that Jeff came to her after the party. Doctor Lindquist goes to the hall of records to get information about Joanne Redwine. He sneaks away information about her foster parents. The woman claims Joanne killed her child, but the police couldn't prove anything. Lindquist goes to the Benedicts. Liz dismisses his finding out of hand, and even Jeff seems dubious. Jeff, Joanne and Tara go out on a boat ride and she keeps the pressure up on him. They haul in a fish and Joanne clubs it to death with discomfiting relish, as they watch appalled. While the parents are away at a party, Joanne arranges a party in which Tara drinks wine. The Benedicts return to a pretty trashed house, however, when Jeff tries to throw Joanne out, Liz threatens "she goes, I go". Joanne convinces Liz to leave Jeff. Tara is now pretty clear about how evil Joanne is. Joanne gets to work on Jeff. Joanne, Tara and Scotty go out for some sailing. By now, one would think that one would avoid being with her. After Scotty's  funeral, Joanne appears to be crying, but she just laughs. Mother's back but her hangover is killing her. Doc Lindquist speaks to the police about finding out more about Joanne. Joanne comes to Doc Lindquist and tries to con him, but he continues trying to find out about her past. Joanne has Liz on drugs that she says Lindquist prescribed - an abysmal sight. Joanne goes back to the house she had bid adieu to earlier. She talks to herself, seeming to think non-existent people are there. Who's house is that and why does she keep returning to it? The phone is ringing. Perhaps it is Lindquist trying to call the previous foster family. Joanne seems to be unclear on who she's talking to, calling Jeff "David". Looking at the wreckage around him, Jeff finally tells Joanne she has to leave in the morning. We thought that seemed a little long to wait. He soon thinks so as well.</B></div> <bR> <div>  <IMG SRC="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/serve?bfmid=2181&sourceid=39400659&categoryid=dvd_scifihor2" BORDER="0" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" NOSAVE > <A HREF="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=39400659&categoryid=dvd_scifihor2" TARGET="_top"><IMG SRC="http://a1204.g.akamai.net/f/1204/1181/24h/www.affiliate.net/affnet/images/vid_dvd468X60C.gif" BORDER="0" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="60" ALT="Check Out Our Horror Collection"></A>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>