Iconic ’90s Comedy Gets R-Rated Remake
We’ve been hearing reports of a Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead remake for a couple of years now, and as the project enters the post-production phases, we’re finally getting some noteworthy updates. Not only will the film’s story be updated to feature a black family, but the MPA’s official listing confirms that it will also boast an ‘R’ rating. While the original 1991 dark teen comedy was not without a problematic premise, the updated version will depict teen drug use, sexual references, and some harsh language, making it more geared toward adults.
Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead Is A ’90s Cult Classic
For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of watching the 1991 version of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, it comes with strong recommendations that you check out the cult classic that still holds up to this day. Following the life of the Crandell family, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead centers on Christina Applegate’s Sue Ellen “Swell” Crandell, the oldest of five siblings. When the kid’s divorced mother leaves for an Australian vacation with her boyfriend, she recruits an elderly woman named Mrs. Sturak to watch over the kids in her absence. Seeming like a sweet old lady at first, it doesn’t take long for the Crandell kids to realize that she’s actually a tyrant who rules the household with an iron fist.
Unsupervised Summer Fun Awaits
Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), Mrs. Sturak passes away in her sleep, leaving the kids unsupervised. Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead quickly gets into Risky Business territory, as the kids can now have an unsupervised summer vacation. But when they drop Mrs. Sturak’s corpse off at the local mortuary, they realize, to their horror, that the spending money their mother left them was on her person.
Forced To Grow Up
Swell takes it upon herself to look for a job to provide for her family. The rest of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is a dark comedy of errors that involves Swell’s attempts to navigate through adult life as a 17-year-old by finding employment at General Apparel West as an executive assistant, forcing her to lie about her age and identity.
Updating The Classic For Modern Audiences
Reports of the R-rated Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead remake date back as early as 2020, when Deadline announced that Treehouse Pictures was developing the project. At the time, Treehouse President and founder Justin Nappi expressed the company’s intentions to offer a new interpretation of the iconic cult classic that is similarly outrageous but also updated for a modern audience.
Tyra Banks Attached To Remake
On the casting front, the only name currently attached to Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is Tyra Banks, who will take on the role of Rose Lindsey, the executive who hires Swell to be her assistant at General Apparel West.
But we may be surprised with a cameo, as Danielle Harris, who played Swell’s 12-year-old sister in the 1991 film recently told Comic Book that there is a big surprise in the works. Whether the surprise involves original cast members taking on new roles in the upcoming film, or something else entirely remains to be seen, however. As of this writing, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead doesn’t have a set release date, but Iconic Releasing has been announced as the distributor for the upcoming film.
