Courtney Howard // Film Critic
In the decades since DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD was released in 1991, it’s gained a massive following, fully earning its cult classic label from its fans. The beloved feature connected with audiences, playing as part-wish fulfillment fantasy and part familial strife, centering its story on a family, who, after their tyrannical babysitter unexpectedly dies, must learn to fend for themselves by working together. Smart, funny and slyly feminist, it became a treasured, iconic movie for many of a certain age.
Now, assuredly winning a new generation of hearts is director Wade Allain-Marcus’ remake – and the changes its made, capturing hilarity and hijinks through a Black family’s perspective, honors its predecessor while adding its own creative voice into the mix. At the film’s recent press day, we spoke with the affable filmmaker about how he and his collaborators were able to deliver a new classic while paying homage, starting with its use of the same home as the original.
DON’T TELL MOM THE BABYSITTER’S DEAD opens in theaters on April 12 (with sneak previews starting on April 11).
