"The Three Mothers Go Babysitting"
That, plus the credit 'A Film by Roller Disco Massacre' (aka writers-directors Abiel Bruhn and John Rocco) should give you an idea of the tone of THE NIGHT SITTER, the latest VOD release from Signature on their Frightfest Presents label.
Amber (Elyse DuFour) arrives at the house of psychic investigator Ted Hooper (Joe Walz) to babysit his reclusive artist son Kevin (Jack Champion) and Ted's girlfriend's boy, Eric Cartman wannabe Ronnie (Bailey Campbell). Ted's study is locked and holds the promise of numerous artefacts he's collected for a possible TV show.
Amber is not her real name, however, and she isn't there for the artefacts, but for the money and valuables in the house, which she intends to steal with the aid of Rod (Jermaine Rivers) and his truck. While she's busy organising crime, the boys are busy picking the lock to the study and unleashing the spirits of three witches who proceed to cause gory havoc throughout the building.
THE NIGHT SITTER is drenched in Bava-esque lighting (all fuchsias and mint greens) and fans of classic Italian horror films will have fun spotting the numerous homages to certain shots (my particular favourite riffed on Lucio Fulci's HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY).
The film is very much a horror comedy, but after a promising start it does rather start to go off the rails by the final act, becomingly increasingly hysterical, gory and silly. That said, it's by no means a terrible film and as an undemanding piece of dayglo-coloured horror fun you could do far worse. The acting is fine and funny, the love of classic Italian horror is extremely endearing, and there's a good bubbling 1980s-style synthesiser score from Rob Himebaugh. In the end it's more Peter Jackson's BRAIN DEAD than Bava, but if gore comedies are for you then this one is worth a look.
THE NIGHT SITTER is out on VOD from Signature as part of their Frightfest Presents series on Monday 17th June 2019
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