One evening the Collins find their maid Mrs. Murdock at the end of their steps: dead, neck broken. Obviously she had an accident. Consequently they need a new babysitter for an upcoming big party. The sensible Helen meets little Susan Collins at the discount market and likes her, so she offers to do the job. She doesn't know Susan's teenage brother Mark - technically skilled and good in school, but restive and cunning. As soon as the parents have left, he starts psychologically terrorizing Helen and his sister with electronic tricks.
Acting
Baby Christian Slater's unhinged debut—pure chaotic smirk energy.
Practical Effects
Janky 80s electronics repurposed as torture devices—absurdly inventive.
Direction
Holender squeezes maximum dread from suburban normalcy.
Director
Adam Holender
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Slater was 15 during filming; this predated his Heathers fame by four years and essentially invented his trademark chaotic energy.
The film captures peak 80s technophobia—before internet horror, Mark's wired-house terror felt plausibly futuristic and deeply uncanny.
US
