Babysitter Wanted
Starring: Sarah Thompson, Matt Dallas, Kristen Dalton and Bruce Thomas
Directed By: Jonas Barnes and Michael Mannasseri
Starring: Sarah Thompson, Matt Dallas, Kristen Dalton and Bruce Thomas
Directed By: Jonas Barnes and Michael Mannasseri
Angie is a picture perfect teenage girl from a strict religious background. After moving to a new town for college, she lands a babysitting job at a remote farmhouse. Already feeling pursued by a stalker in the town, she begins receiving strange phone calls while at the farmhouse. After reaching the police and waiting for their arrival, the child wakes up for something to eat, then disappears somewhere in house. Angie searches room to room to no avail, and an intruder busts through the front door, forcing her to hide, still unknowing the whereabouts of the child.
Due to the title, I had this film pegged as just another weak “torture-porn” emulation, and the opening segment had me convinced my assumption was right. Thankfully, there is a swift change in atmosphere once the story kicks in, but 90% of it is a mixture of scenes similar to many beloved classics. Most of the time the film works, despite all of its rehash. There's a lot of tension and creepiness, throughout. However, there are moments that strongly falter. Sometimes the acting is just not up to par, and occasionally the film score provides a little too much during scenes where more subtly would go a long way. Then, there is the finale, which leaves me still undecided.
Don't get me wrong, the twist is brilliant, and I didn't see exactly what was coming. Though, it is disappointing that there are so many hints to a strange twist. You may not exactly figure out what's going to happen, but you are given opportunities to piece things together way too soon. Moreover, after the big reveal, I was confused whether the film was trying to be funny, or if the humor was unintentional. I am a fan of horror comedies and straight up fright fests the like, but in this case, the story just felt like it no longer knew what it wanted to be.
Babysitter Wanted has all kinds of references, to Halloween, When a Stranger Calls, and even Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It also has a plot insanely similar to House of the Devil, and I think I am low man on the totem pole when it comes to liking House more. Ti West's film is such a slow burner that it's uncomfortable, but that's what made the final moments feel truly evil and somehow realistic. It is every bit as supernatural as BW, but it stays serious in tone in its entirety, making the end solution stick with you long after viewing.
There's not really much of a gore element, until well after the halfway mark. The lot of the movie works off great suspense and eeriness; there is a moment after the twist that is pretty disgusting. Try to imagine a Rated X Motel Hell, and you'll be in the right ballpark. There's also a few nasty close-up scenes of animal-like food consumption and some brutal bludgeoning.
Kurt Oldman composes the film score, and overall, it plays a strong deciding factor in the film's chilling tone. A lot of the music bears resemblance to Harry Manfredini's work in early Friday the 13th films, and sometimes has a Fred Myrow/Malcolm Seagraves Phantasm feel to it. There is a few times where the score continues longer than it needs to and it almost feels accidental. I'm not really blaming the composer, but it definitely seems misplaced in times just shortly after an intense moment simmers down. But for the most part, there are some scary scenes born thanks to the music, and the intro theme is stellar.
I wasn't very pleased with Sarah Thompson's acting as the lead heroine, Angie. It's not that she overdoes her performance, or even that it's horribly bad; it's just kind of blah. Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Devil's Rejects) plays police Chief, Dinneli, but the character isn't big enough for the genre fave to work his magic. The part is too basic for his usual antics. The stand out performance comes from Bruce Thomas, who plays Jim, Father of the child Angie is babysitting. Jim is like a Farmer Vincent meets Evil Dead Ash type character (ironically, Thomas played a mini-Ash in Army of Darkness), like an almost sophisticated redneck. He really owns his scenes, but acting as a whole is a mixed bag, here.
Babysitter Wanted is not bad at all, just not anything too terribly new. Though, at least it feels like a whole bunch of movies, rather than just a copy of one in particular.
