L'empreinte du passé

This wasn't too bad a movie about a psychotic babysitter who moves in with a family to infiltrate herself with bad intentions. If you have seen other similar movies, you can probably figure out the plot and what will happen along the way, though the performances are good, especially the leads. It delivers some good laughs and shocks but overall wasn't too impressive.

** out of ****

If you have plenty of time to waste ... it's OK. It moves at a good pace but to pull this movie off it would need to be a little longer with a little more background on the sitter.

The acting is OK. Mariana Klaveno as the sitter does the best job and is the most believable.

William R. Moses played a pretty good part as the husband.

Gail O'Grady, as the wife, had a weak part and the reasons for her going back to work were not developed.

The ending is sort of silly. Like most of these sitter movies ... there are parts that are interesting ... but overall it leaves you wondering why you spent the time.

Here's an amusingly derivative psycho-thriller that acts as if all the other psychological thrillers in this genre don't exist. The template for this one, surprise surprise, is THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, but it doesn't even manage to be the first film about a psychotic babysitter – THE SITTER was already made at the beginning of the sub-genre, back in 1991, and Alicia Silverstone had a stab as a babysitter/temptress later in that decade.

This turns out to be completely predictable and routine, although it is more watchable than some dogs the genre throws up. Russell Mulcahy, once one of Hollywood's hottest directors after HIGHLANDER, invests this with a little more style than the usual journeyman types and the pacing is pretty much spot on. Horror fans are advised to ignore the routine script and enjoy the silly murder sequences, which are quite strong for a television movie. Garden murders, bathtub murders, a staircase set-piece inspired by THE OMEN and a decent wheelchair stunt; it's all present here, as well as the over-the-top climax complete with pulled-out phone cords, duct-taped victims, carving knives and the like.

None of the characters elicit much sympathy, particularly in the case of Gail O'Grady who comes across as a bit of a bimbo as the mother. It's incredible how nobody ever suspects the angelic babysitter and becomes a bit irritating. William Moses, once the young upstanding hero of PERRY MASON, is bland as the nice-guy father. The sitter herself, Mariana Klaveno, is hopeless when she tries to do menacing, so the filmmakers wisely focus on her sexuality instead and I found her fairly effective as the teenage temptress. Still, this definitely falls into the so-bad-it's-good category, so only fans of bad movies need bother applying.

The film received negative reviews, saying it was derivative of other psychological thrillers of the 90s femme fatale, with many comparing it to the wonderful "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". Despite this, Mariana Klaveno's performance as the psychopath Abby received praise. That said, as I love these B movies of predictable and simple suspense, they capture my attention deeply, instigate and enchant, even though they are abominably horrible, with some many holes, and so, I love it. Imperfect and adorable...

A family hires a nanny who seems to be perfect to take care of their children: young, beautiful, a good cook, careful with cleaning and, mainly, with the children. The nanny ends up becoming part of the family and gets closer every day. What the parents don't even suspect is that she was a problematic child and that she seeks some kind of revenge.

THE SITTER/WHILE THE CHILDREN SLEEP (TV Movie 2007)

BASIC PLOT: Meghan Eastman (Gail O'Grady) is going back to work, and needs a nanny for her two children. Her husband, Carter Eastman (William R. Moses), also works full time as a lawyer, and they both need someone to help out. At first, Abby Reed (Mariana Klaveno) seems like a godsend, but for unknown reasons, everyone around the Eastman's become suspicious of her. Abby is someone to be feared, can the Eastman's figure out why, before it's too late?

WHAT WORKS: *The husband, Carter Eastman (William R. Moses), is a bit of a spoiled jackass. His career comes first, and he expects his wife to drop her clients, to celebrate his professional victories. He's always a bit peeved, because his wife is busy with work. In his mind, she's not attentive to his needs, and the children, because she's too focused on her career. Nevermind the fact, he's just as busy with his own. This is a believable storyline, that plays out in households across the USA every day.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *No one in this movie is likable. There's not one character you care or sympathize with. The husband is a misogynistic tool, the wife is petulant and selfish, even the kids are brats. The ancillary characters are horrible too. The neighbor Mel, is a shrew, her son Tom is a peeper, Carter's friend Tate is a sexual predator, someone please nuke this neighborhood!

*The family take to Abby (Mariana Klaveno) way to quickly. There's no awkward transition as everyone adjusts, and there always is one.

*Why is a college graduate working as a nanny, and not using her degree? Why don't the parents ask this question? Did they even check her references?

*Why does Shawna (Stacy Haiduk), Meghan's friend, suddenly become suspicious of Abby, when the movie is 2/3's over? Nothing new has happened to make her suspicious. Characters need motivations to make their actions believable. Abby doesn't do anything to make anyone wary of her, but out of the blue, no one trusts her anymore. Why?

*Why does the neighbor, Mel Olson (Joanne Baron) not trust Abby from day one? The only thing that should give Mel pause is her peeping Tom son (Thomas Curtis), spying on Abby as she undresses at night. That's not Abby's fault, so why is Mel so suspicious? She's basically obsessed with this girl, and there's no real reason given.

*The husband is too clueless. This nanny is throwing herself at him, and he's blind to it. No one is that stupid.

*The orphanage Abby grew up in gives out personal information to Shawna. This is not just improbable, but illegal.

*The reason Abby is obsessed with this family is some kind of stalker syndrome, it is never explained properly. It doesn't make sense, and Abby's motivations remain unclear.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I cannot recommend this movie. It has a quality cast, but the script makes it unwatchable. It's a terrible remake of 1La main sur le berceau (1992)" It's not bad because it's a remake, low budget, or because it's a made-for-tv movie. It's bad because the writing never develops any of the characters, or their motivations. I didn't think it would be possible to make Gail O'Gradyunlikable, but this movie somehow achieves it.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.