OllieSuave-007 This is a TV thriller where Liz Benedict (Patty Duke) hires 18 year-old Joanna Redwine (Stephanie Zimbalist) as her housekeeper and be a live-in companion to her daughter, Tara (Quinn Cummings). But, Joanna gradually manipulates everyone and attempts to break up the family. The plot has some suspenseful moments, including the parts where a doctor tries to dig up dirt on Joanna's past, but much of the movie is mired by bad acting, slow pacing, and lack of attention grabbing scenes. Patty Duke's character was extremely hopeless and annoying and William Shatner seemed disinterested in his role throughout the entire movie. Stephanie Zimbalist looks dazed throughout the story, while the most serviceable acting goes to Quinn Cummings. There's really nothing thrilling about this TV flick. OK to pass on it. Grade D

Wizard-8 The central idea of "The Babysitter" - a young woman worming her way into taking care of a family who doesn't know that she is deeply disturbed - is one that had been done a number of times in movies before this one, as well as afterwards. The basic familiarity of the plot didn't bother me. What did bother me, however, was how weakly produced this version was. Since it was made for TV, the movie stays strictly at a PG level, and that turns out to be the movie's downfall. There's no bite to the movie, certainly no sexual material, and the very limited violence comes across in a manner that is extremely casual. What this movie really needed was a harder edge to succeed, but as it is, it's too soft, as well as being drawn out to ridiculous levels. The only interesting things the movie has is its sometimes interesting musical score, as well as some picturesque location shooting in Washington state.

moonspinner55 Good acting by a solid cast makes this somewhat-familiar material worth slogging through, even though the issues it raises seem to get all fouled up. Patty Duke Astin plays a doctor's wife who has hired a mysterious young woman to care for her rather hapless daughter, which causes friction in their already-shaky household. Quinn Cummings, fresh off her stint on TV's "Family", has a few surprisingly strong scenes standing up to babysitter Stephanie Zimbalist, but Zimbalist's role is a wash-out. Her character isn't given the grand, juicy build-up that villains usually receive in television suspensers, but perhaps this time it was a mistake (director Peter Medak is so overly-cautious letting the pieces fall into place that he becomes unintentionally coy about the whole thing). The film is shrouded in murk; Medak, going for a low-key mood, doesn't allow the drama to take shape, and as a result the story and characters become lethargic blobs.

r_steele8287 Well, I bought this movie for the fact that Stephanie Zimbalist (Laura Holt of Remington Steele) played a leading role in it. Everything I had seen of hers was pretty good so far, and I'm a Remington addict, so I figured this would be good as well. I was mistaken. It wasn't exactly garbage. If written differently, it could've been a really good movie. The category in which it's categorized is all wrong as well. This is definitely not a suspense or horror film. There was no blood or gore, which is what I describe a horror film as to be. As far as suspenseful goes, it almost meets that category, as I said, if written better. My opinion, the writing stunk. The storyline could've been extremely better. It's definitely not a movie you'd view more than once, IMO.