Teaser Tales: What Does the Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Trailer Promise?

The trailer for the remake of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead has dropped. The film is a modern reimagining of the 1991 cult classic of the same name, which starred Christina Applegate and Concetta Tomei in pivotal roles.

It is about to hit the theatres in spring and will be anchored by Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie, and June Squibb. The supporting cast comprises performers such as Jermaine Fowler, comic Ms.

Pat, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, as well as newbies Donielle Tremaine Hansley, Miles Fowler, Iantha Richardson and Tyriq Withers. Spoiler Alert:

What is the story of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead?

The motion picture introduces us to the 17-year-old girl Tanya Crandell (Jones), who plans to travel to Europe with her best mates before heading to college in the fall. However, the girl is forced to cancel her summer plans when her mother makes an abrupt plan to go to a wellness retreat in Thailand.

Needless to mention, she is forced to stay home with her siblings. Now, the drama takes an interesting turn when their elderly babysitter (Squibb) unexpectedly passes. Tanya has no option left but to take up a job working for an ambitious and confident woman named Rose (Ritchie).

As the circumstances push her to get a tad responsible, she starts to balance her work, family, and complicated romantic life. Sooner than later, we catch the gradually maturing girl navigating adulthood at the cost of her last summer of freedom.

The crew of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead

The film is directed by Wade Allain-Marcus and the screenplay has been penned by Chuck Hayward. While the former is credited with helming French Dirty, the latter served as one of the writers on acclaimed projects such as Ted Lasso and WandaVision.

Tyra Banks joins the list of crew members as an executive producer. The 1991 original was a PG-13 full-length feature that derived its strength from its dark sense of humour.

Sure, it opened to mixed reviews back then, but it went on to amass a niche following in years to follow. A major part of the credit must go to Christina Applegate’s standout performance.

Needless to mention, Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie, and June Squibb have big shoes to fill with their respective roles in the reboot of the cult comedy. Now that the BET+ Original Film is set to open exclusively in theatres nationwide starting April 12, we can’t wait to see what it has in store for us.

What does the Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead trailer promise?

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead trailer looks like a sharp reimagining of the original motion picture released at the beginning of the ’90s. The trailer for the same has been released and, thankfully, plays better than the very short teaser.

While June Squibb looks hilarious and up for a challenge, the rest of the cast seems to be following a formula trademarked by most teen flicks. We have a humungous house party feature peppered with all the typical, cheesy kids-go-wild shenanigans you’d want to watch time and again.

Sure, there will be a section of avid cine-goers who will consider the film to be trite and predictable, but it is tough to deny that the genre does enjoy a following of its own even today.

How well was the original Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead received?

The original film starred Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy and Josh Carles in the lead and was well-received by the viewers. Helmed for the silver screen by Stephen Herek and written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, it fared moderately at the ticket windows.

Mounted on a budget of $10 million, it went on to amass over $25 million at the box office. While its box office may not look impressive, the original Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead has gone on to cement its place as a cult comedy in the following decades.

What may have primarily worked for the film was the fact that it felt like one of those eighties high-concept comedies that worked irrespective of the many creative liberties taken to tell its story.

Soon after the beginning of the tale, the screenplay starts to thin. However, the giggles continue to come and strive to keep the film afloat for the better part of its runtime.

What to expect from the new Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead?

Brace yourselves to catch Sturak, played by June Squibb, stepping into the shoes of the babysitter who meets her unfortunate and rather unexpected demise soon after taking over the titular role.

Expectedly, the aim of the kids to have a party takes a backseat following her death. Therefore, Tanya is forced to take matters into her own hands and starts to look after her family responsibly.

In the process, an employment opportunity provided by Rose Lindsey, played by Nicole Richie, ends up instilling her with confidence. Suffice it to say that this 21st-century makeover that no one probably asked for might turn out to be better than expected.

Add to that the fact that the film explores themes of independence, family, and the many challenges of growing up. Indeed, this comedy injected with a fair dose of drama should connect with its target audience.

One of the reasons the first one got watched even as much as it did was that it starred Christina Applegate from Married with Children. That being said, we are expecting the remake to resonate with the masses even more this time around.

However, only time will tell whether or not that happens.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead Cast

Based on Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead by Neil Lanau and Tara Ison, the film features a cast including Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie, Donielle Hansley Jr., Ayaamii Sledge, Carter Young, Miles Fowler, Gus Kenworthy, and Tyriq Withers.

Simone Joy Jones

Actress, singer, dancer, and producer Simone Joy Jones stars as Tanya Crandell in the new Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. She is also known to have portrayed Lisa Wilkes on Peacock’s modern-day reinterpretation, Bel-Air.

The award-winning Carnegie Mellon graduate has served as the featured vocalist for Presidential Inaugural Balls held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC. Another reason for her being selected to play the leading role in the remake could be the fact that she’s the 2021 recipient of the Carnegie Mellon “John Arthur Kennedy Award” for Excellence in Acting or Music Theater.

Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie is a television personality, fashion designer, and actress who first grabbed eyeballs after having appeared in the reality television series The Simple Life. On it, she was seen featuring with her childhood friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton.

Thanks to her appearance in the aforementioned show, she was also seen appearing as one of the three judges on the reality competition series Fashion Star. In Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, she perhaps gets to utter the most famous line.

Well, let’s wait for the film to release to find out.

Tyra Banks

Born in Inglewood, California, Tyra Banks is a model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress who began her career as a model at the age of 15. Reportedly the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, she remains one of the only Black models to achieve supermodel status.

One of the world’s top-earning models in her prime, she will also be seen playing a major role in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.

Donielle Hansley Jr.

Donielle Hansley Jr., who replaced Terrell Ransom, Jr. as the voice of Darwin Watterson in season 5 of For The Amazing World of Gumball, also plays a role in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.

Ayaamii Sledge

Ayaamii Sledge took an incredibly important jump in her film career when she starred as the young Reva Sevander in the 2022 television series Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was perhaps her screen presence in the aforementioned project that gave her a chance to feature in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.