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Babysitting is a perfect scenario for a horror story. After putting the kids to bed, the main character is pretty much alone in a house in the dark, which feels like a great setting for something terrifying to happen. They also have the added stress and fear of wanting to protect the little ones who they are looking after, which adds to the feeling of misery. Sometimes the child characters are also part of the action, especially if they have an evil babysitter or, in the case of one famous horror movie, they have a creepy doll that kills the person who is watching them for the evening.

From some more recent Netflix horror movies to a famous '70s film that has become a legendary part of the genre, there are several scary movies about babysitting that horror fans should check out.

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Fear Street: Part One: 1994 (2021)

Sam and Deena looking scared in Fear Street 1994

The Fear Street trilogy's romance between Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) and Deena (Kiana Madeira) is one reason why it was so popular, and the first movie set in 1994 also has a babysitting storyline.

Kate (Julia Rehwald) is babysitting siblings and wants them to sort some pills for her. This is a funny yet unnerving scene that also features a flawless pop culture reference as Kate says that she'll allow the kids to watch My So-Called Life. Although the rest of the movie has nothing to do with babysitting, this moment does feel memorable and it adds a light-hearted scene to what is otherwise a terrifying slasher film. The movie definitely wouldn't feel as fresh without it.

The Babysitter (1995)

Alicia Silverstone sitting with a young boy in The Babysitter

The Babysitter can be considered an underrated '90s horror movie and stars Alicia Silverstone as Jennifer. Once she begins babysitting for Harry's (J.T. Walsh) kids, the terror begins when Harry becomes obsessed with her.

While not the most unique or incredible movie in the horror/thriller genre, The Babysitter does show that when two worlds collide when someone begins looking after someone else's children, something terrifying can happen. This is a different kind of role for Silverstone as she's known for playing cheerful Cher in Clueless (and Kristy's mom Karen in Netflix's The Baby-Sitters Club) so it's at least interesting to watch Silverstone's performance.

The Babysitter (2017)

Bella Thorne wearing a yellow outfit in The Babysitter

With the same name as the '90s film but a totally different story, The Babysitter (2017) isn't a terrible Netflix horror movie but it's more cheesy fun than well-crafted film. When Bee (Samara Weaving) babysits Cole (Judah Lewis), it turns out that she's part of cult along with Bella Thorne's character Allison. The film definitely leans into the horror of the situation as it's hard to imagine something more terrifying than a babysitter who is actually evil.

The movie has a silly tone and the ending is hilarious as Cole has been so upset by the experience that he lets his mom and dad know that he would rather not have a babysitter from now on.

When A Stranger Calls (1979)

Carol Kane starring in When A Stranger Calls

One of the urban legends in the '90s horror movie is "The babysitter and the man upstairs," which is also the basis for the '70s horror film When A Stranger Calls. This is one of the most famous scary movies about babysitting and stars Carol Kane as Jill Johnson, a babysitter who gets a lot more than she bargained for. When the phone keeps ringing, Jill tries her best to forget about it, but then she discovers that Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley) has murdered the kids who she is looking after.

Horror fans should check out When A Stranger Calls (and ignore the awful 2006 remake) because it includes the infamous line "Have you checked the children?" When Jill is older and a married mother, someone calls her and asks this question, and Curt comes back to try to kill her. The movie is unnerving and also sets up Jill as a great horror movie final girl who wants to survive.

Child's Play (1988)

Andy and Chucky in Child's Play

While fans don't like Child's Play 3, the original 1988 movie is not only a stand out in the horror genre but it's also an interesting horror movie about babysitter. Maggie (Dinah Manoff) babysits Andy (Alex Vincent), which is when audiences realize how scary Chucky really is.

Chucky goes after Maggie once Andy goes to sleep and kills her in a brutal way, and even young Andy knows that this has happened. In the most horrifying scene from the movie, Andy explains to his mom Karen (Catherine Hicks) that Chucky was responsible for Maggie's murder. It's incredibly creepy to think that Andy is so young and yet he's already wise to the evilness that is Chucky. And of course, as fans of the Child's Play franchise know, this horror will follow him around into adulthood.

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