Babysitter Wanted is a 2008 American horror film directed by Jonas Barnes & Michael Manasseri, written by Barnes, and starring Sarah Thompson, Bruce Thomas, Matt Dallas, Kristen Dalton, and Kai Caster. Angie (Thompson) is a 18-year-old young woman who is leaving her religious home in Bakersfield to attend college in Yreka. She meets Rick, a friendly young man at her college (Dallas), then she finds a notice for a babysitting job in rural Montague, taking care of young Sam Stanton (Caster) while his parents, Jim (Thomas) and Violet (Dalton) attend ranch meetings. Sam is more than a bit odd, always wearing his cowboy outfit and speaking little. During her babysitting job, Angie is menaced by a scarred man in dark clothing, and has to defend herself and her charge while waiting for help to arrive.
Except, things aren't entirely as they seem...
This film exhibits the following tropes:
- Affably Evil: Even after the reveal as Satanists, Jim and Violet are a loving couple who calmly discuss having to move again, and in the barn, Jim chats cheerfully with Angie about his background as a slaughterhouse worker's son and how the butchering process goes, assuring her repeatedly that he plans to kill her in a single blow before carving the meat off of her. They become decidedly less affably as Angie starts fighting back.
- Bittersweet Ending: Angie survives the night, as does Rick, but Sam escapes the farm, and is shown in the company of a couple who are posting another notice seeking babysitters...
- Christianity is Catholic: Angie and her mother are visibly Catholic, going to churches with statues of Mary and praying on the rosary.
- Creepy Child: Sam seldom speaks, other than to say that he's hungry, largely stares blankly, and constantly wears his cowboy outfit.
- Hollywood Satanism: Jim and Violet have a Satanic altar in one of their rooms, and believe that Sam is the son of the Devil.
- Horns of Villainy: Sam sports a set of short horns on the top of his head.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Sam will only consume female flesh, with a preference for women who have led a virtuous life.
- Picky People Eater: Not only must the girls be virtuous, but Sam particularly enjoys the latissimus dorsi, which Jim notes is a very small bit of the meat.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's a bit ambiguous as to whether Sam is actually the son of the Devil. He exhibits no explicit powers, and the horns on his head look like the natural phenomenon of Cutaneous Horns. On the other hand, Jim notes that "very little affects him", including drugs in the meat he eats, and he survives being beaten by a shovel by Angie with no visible injury.
- Meet Cute: Angie literally bumps into Rick initially, and then they keep running into each other, with him consistently being nice and helpful to her without being pushy.
- Protect This House: Angie has to protect herself and Sam at the remote farmhouse from a hulking intruder.
- Red Herring:
- A large figure is repeatedly shown seemingly stalking Angie. It seems entirely unrelated.
- A long lingering shot is made of the Chief's shoes, as if they will be a clue. They aren't.
- Roommate Drama: Angie's roommate is a drug-using sexually active young woman who neglected to mention that the bed in the advertisement had been stolen by the last roommate, forcing Angie to sleep on the couch.
