Parents undoubtedly love their children, but every now and then, they want some time off. That’s where a babysitter or nanny comes in. If everything goes to plan, these domestic godsends can be in and out in a few hours with some extra money in hand, as well as the satisfaction of knowing they helped ease a parent’s stress for a short while.
However, not every one of these caregivers (or their charges) gets off scot-free; the ones in horror count themselves lucky if they can go home after their excruciating ordeals.
And as these five dreadful episodes from TV anthology series demonstrate, childcare can be downright scary…
Tales from the Darkside (1983-1988)
Hush
Tales from the Darkside was not exactly a straightforward anthology. So often this iconic creepshow was vague, existential, and sometimes artsy. The episodes fans tend to remember most are the ones where the threat has a physical form; this includes “Halloween Candy”, “Inside the Closet” and “Seasons of Belief”. The majority of the series is far more abstract and minimal.
By the fourth season, the final installment before the series’ successor Monsters premiered, Darkside had largely ditched the overt horrors it occasionally demonstrated. However, there are the exceptions that don’t get talked about nearly as much as earlier offerings. One of which is the babysitter terror tale “Hush“.
Based on a story by Zenna Henderson, “Hush” begins in true fashion; a stressed-out mother (Bonnie Gallup) is on her way out as the babysitter, Jennifer (Nile Lanning), shows up to look after Buddy (Eric Jason). The mother, who is being incredibly shifty about her plans that evening, then leaves under the belief that everything will be all right now that Jennifer’s here. Of course she has no idea of what’s to come for the sitter and the boy whose invention has gone haywire. Throughout the night, Buddy’s homemade vacuum comes alive and goes on a rampage. It even takes a life before the night is over.
As the title might suggest, “Hush” is about sound. The killer vacuum goes after every noise in the house. There’s not a lot going on in this mid-tier Darkside episode that can be considered innovative, but it’s refreshing to see a more corporeal antagonist again before the show finally ended.
Scene of the Crime (1984-1985)
The Babysitter
This obscure and short-lived anthology originally aired on NBC in the mid-eighties. Three episodes of Scene of the Crime were also released on VHS. On the back of the box, the description reads: “Orson Welles hosts this mystery lover’s delight, a trio of intricate and spine-tingling cases, each presenting a rogues’ gallery of celebrity suspects and asking you to discover whodunit.”
Those fortunate enough to catch the show when it aired live distinctly remember one segment called “The Babysitter“. What seems to have been lost to time is now available again, and it’s understandable why this story stayed with viewers after all these years. Welles normally encouraged the audience to help solve the crime being depicted, yet here he asks them to put away their detective hats, and to simply relax and enjoy the story. He then adds, “… if you can.”
In “The Babysitter”, young Tricia (Priscilla Weems) receives a gift — a figurine resembling a magician —from the clown (Robert Donner) at her recent birthday party. Later, as her parents are set to leave for the night, Tricia becomes visibly terrified. Kids her age would be scared of the dark or monsters in the closet, but Tricia’s fear comes from an unexpected source.
“The Babysitter” is teeming with anxiety as Tricia succumbs to her tormentor’s (Isabelle Walker) bad behavior and cruel tricks. While this story has already subverted expectations once, it does it again at the end when Tricia finally stands up for herself.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002)
Red Eyed Creature
Some sitters don’t go home only because they live with their employers. This is the case for Maggie (Maree Cheatham), the nanny for the family in “Red Eyed Creature“. The Sterlings soon find themselves the victims of an unexplainable evil in this disquieting Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction story.
The problem eventually surfaces after the Sterlings move into their new home along with Maggie, who lives in the maid’s quarters. All seems well enough at first; the home is beautiful and spacious, and Billy (Colton James) is growing up in a healthy and nurturing environment. A perfect life slowly comes undone once the son sees something uncanny and frightening.
Billy is the first to see the titular monster; a late-night snack turns into a run for survival as the boy spots the pair of glowing and disembodied red eyes in the kitchen. His mother is the next to see them, though her husband is still unconvinced. Especially when the red “eyes” appear to be nothing more than two red lights on the security system box. The parents ponder sending Billy to a therapist before this all gets out of hand, but Maggie says she’ll have a talk with him instead. This is when it’s revealed the red-eyed creature is none other than Maggie herself.
This eerie segment is said to be based on fact — yet host Jonathan Frakes provides no actual evidence. However, it was typical for this anthology to gloss over the details. As for why Maggie would be terrorizing her employers and loved ones, there’s always the theory she was doing so because she wanted to feel needed. She wanted the boy to be scared so he’d cling to her rather than grow apart as he matures.
The Twilight Zone (2002-2003)
The Collection
Some babysitters go that extra mile when learning how to care for children. This is what Jessica Simpson‘s Twilight Zone character Miranda does when she comes to take care of Danielle (Ashley Edner). Immediately Miranda witnesses over-parenting; Danielle’s mother has a thoroughly indexed binder ready for the sitter, one entailing the girl’s allergies, phobias, and what she’s allowed to eat and what she can watch on TV. With everything laid out so clearly, it would seem Miranda has an easy night ahead of her.
The pot starts to boil as Miranda meets Danielle’s extensive and lifelike doll collection. From there the girl starts to act out, pretending the dolls are alive and out to hurt her. The sitter turns to her textbook to psychoanalyze Danielle and understand her increasingly strange behavior. In any other situation, this would just be a child using fantasy to deal with reality. Of course there’s more to the story than what’s been said or shown.
Soon enough, Danielle’s outbursts become more and more intense, and the dolls mysteriously disappearing from their cases doesn’t help matters, either. Watching the dolls then crop up all over the house is unnerving, not to mention indicative of where “The Collection” is heading. The episode’s big twist isn’t exactly shocking once it hits the floor with a thud, but it’s a satisfactory upheaval of traditional roles in these kinds of stories.
The stunt casting of popstar Jessica Simpson never overshadows the episode itself, and despite some dubious dialogue and chintzy dolls, “The Collection” stands out in the 2000s revival. It’s equal parts harrowing and amusing. This show leaned heavily into the macabre side of The Twilight Zone canon rather than being too concerned with social experiments or moral messages, and compared to other episodes, this one eagerly seizes the horror element.
Room 104 (2017-2020)
Ralphie
As one of the more diverse anthology shows in recent years, Room 104 touched on horror from time to time. And based on the premiere episode, that’s what audiences expected but rarely received. Even so, “Ralphie” is a fantastic start in this unique and oddball series.
Melonie Diaz plays Meg, who’s hired to babysit a boy in a motel room (also the series’ one and only setting). While the father (Ross Partridge) is out for the night, Ralph (Ethan Kent, Gavin Kent) opens up to his sitter about Ralphie. Meg naturally thinks this is standard kid behavior; the boy makes up an imaginary friend to cope with his life. The more she talks to Ralph, though, the more Meg realizes something is off about him and this entire situation.
Throughout the episode, the bathroom becomes a source of dread for the audience first, then later Meg. One minute Ralph’s talking to Meg, the next Ralphie is charging out of the bathroom so he can attack the babysitter. The story goes from casual to chaotic before finally delivering a shocking outcome.
This anthology goes in numerous directions, many of which are totally off the wall. “Ralphie”, as the show’s first outing, is a tough act to follow. It gets screwy at the end, and that ambiguous conclusion is still being debated to this day.
Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.
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