My Babysitter's a Vampire (4 Stars)

This is the sixth film in my high school marathon. My last film, "Can't hardly wait", was at the upper end of high school, i.e. graduation day, the final day of high school. "My Babysitter's a Vampire" is at the other extreme. It's the first day of high school for Ethan and Benny. It's an exciting time, and they want to show everyone how cool they are. First impressions are important. The trouble is that their dorky best friend Rory is showing them up. They try to distance themselves from him, with know success.

Then comes the babysitter. Usually Ethan looks after his eight-year-old sister when their parents are away, but the week before high school starts Ethan allowed Jane to wander outside. As a result, his parents have booked a babysitter to look after them. Worse still, it's Erica, an older girl at high school.

When Benny hears about the babysitting he's excited. Erica is one of the hottest girls in school. Benny insists of coming round to see her. Please, Benny, she's three years older than you. What do you expect to achieve?

But things don't turn out as expected. Erica is invited to a party, so her best friend Sarah steps in as babysitter. As far as looks go, Sarah's a close second. But when Ethan sees that Sarah doesn't have a reflection in the mirror he realises she's a vampire. She tells the boys that she's a fledgling vampire. Yes, "fledgling" is the word she uses. In the film's newly invented vampire mythology, a person doesn't become a full vampire until he drinks human blood. Sarah is delaying the change by drinking rat blood. Yeuk! She can't do it indefinitely, because if a fledgling doesn't drink human blood within 28 days he'll die.

Erica is at a party being thrown by vampires. Sarah wants to rescue her before she's bitten. Ethan and Benny accompany her, which is gallant, but they can't help her. They just get in her way. The party is at the home of Sarah's ex-boyfriend Jesse, the one who made Sarah a vampire. Rory is also at the party, meaning a bigger rescue effort is necessary.

Just one last spoiler. Sarah and the boys arrive at the party too late. Erica and Rory become vampires.

This lays the groundwork for a big vampire showdown, and it also paves the way for a spin-off TV series with the same name. It's a very good series, which I've watched once and want to watch again. Don't be put off by the silly title.

Be honest. Wouldn't you let Erica bite you?

The film is now out of print, but you might be able to pick up a copy on Ebay if you're lucky. It was also on Netflix for a while, but it's now been removed. That's sad. It's not a film that deserves to be forgotten.