Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this month’s episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron have the run of the place as they discuss Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.

Written by: Neil Landau and Tara Ison

Starring: Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, John Getz, Josh Charles, Keith Coogan, Concetta Tomei, David Duchovny, Kimmy Robertson, Jayne Brook, Robert Hy Gorman, Danielle Harris, Christopher Pettiet, and Eda Reiss Merin

Directed by: Stephen Herek

Trailer:

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Hitchcock comparisons:

• The Trouble with Harry

John Landis was the first choice to direct the film, but turned it down as the story didn’t interest him. John Hughes was also asked to direct, but turned it down because he only directed scripts that he wrote himself, as well as the fact that he was trying to distance himself from teen movies. Joe Dante, Richard Donner, Amy Heckerling, Chris Columbus, John Badham, and Joel Schumacher also turned it down.

According to writers Neil Landau and Tara Ison, the core idea for the film originated in the mid-1980s. Landau was inspired by the 1983 film Risky Business, in which a high-school protagonist is thrust into the adult world and manages to hold his own. 

The original title was The Real World. It was changed to avoid confusion with the new MTV reality series. The first draft was finished in 1987 and sold to 20th Century Fox, but was shelved. In 1989, the film was picked up by Outlaw Productions. Landau was initially unimpressed with the revised title but accepted it after seeing Johnny Carson make a pun about it.

The original script was written with Winona Ryder in mind for the role of Sue Ellen Crandell, but she turned it down as she was working on both Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Mermaids (1990). Justine Bateman was later cast as Sue Ellen but left the project. Christina Applegate was cast after her Married with Children (1987) costar Ed O’Neill, who was friends with a producer of the film, gave her the script.

Jennifer Love Hewitt was originally cast as Melissa, but had to back out because Disney Channel would not release her from a television show in which she had been starring.

In one of the earlier script drafts, the babysitter’s death was supposed to be a more elaborate storyline: the Crandell children were all suspects, and they all had reasons to kill her. Although certain scenes were scaled down, elements of their motives remain in the final cut of the film: Walter having to do a book report, Melissa forced to wear a dress, Zack losing Cynthia.

Keith Coogan originally auditioned for the role of Bryan because he was told he was too old to play 15-year-old Kenny. He was 20, which was 22 months older than his co-star Christina Applegate. He came back to the audition in “stoner apparel” and a wig, and got the part.

In June 2010, reports surfaced that a remake of the film would be produced by The Mark Gordon Company. Eventually, a remake would be produced by Tyra Banks and her company SMiZE Productions, for release on April 12, 2024. It was produced with the streaming service BET+, directed by Wade Allain-Marcus and starred Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie and June Squibb. Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, and Danielle Harris make cameos in the film.

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Next up, we’ll be discussing The Usual Suspects

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