The Babysitter (1980)

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The Babysitter is sweet-faced Stephanie Zimbalist, who is hired as housekeeper by married couple Patty Duke Astin and William Shatner. As she takes care of the couple's daughter (Quinn Cummings), Zimbalist slowly, subtly poisons the child's mind against her parents. She then sets about to seduce… More The Babysitter is sweet-faced Stephanie Zimbalist, who is hired as housekeeper by married couple Patty Duke Astin and William Shatner. As she takes care of the couple's daughter (Quinn Cummings), Zimbalist slowly, subtly poisons the child's mind against her parents. She then sets about to seduce Shatner, fully intending to ruin his relationship with Astin. While not as horrific as the similar theatrical feature The Hand That Rock the Cradle (1992), The Babysitter is unsettling enough to give married viewers pause before hiring their own nannies. John Houseman does a "special guest star" stint in this made-for-TV melodrama, which first aired November 28, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi