Director: Michael Thelin
Cast: Sarah Bolger, Joshua Rush, Carly Adams, Thomas Bair
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 80 minutes
Babysitting is the first foray into paid work for many teenagers. The task is simple – keep an eye on your parent’s / friend’s / neighbour’s kids whilst they disappear for a much needed date night. If you’re lucky you’ll be gifted with little angels who are either already asleep or put up no resistance to bedtime meaning the evening is spent watching TV, eating snacks, and easy money. If you’re not so lucky you’ll get a terror of a child, the one who insists that they have no bedtime and are allowed a bottle of coke before sleeping. These children make the job less fun, but what if it was the babysitter and not the child that was the problem? This is the question that new Frightfest Presents release Emelie raises.
After their usual sitter cancels on their anniversary a young couple agree to use a new sitter recommended by their usual one. The replacement isn’t quite what she appears to be, and sadly for our parents, Emelie is the epitome of the bad babysitter. Of course Emelie isn’t the planned replacement, that is Anna who we see getting bundled into a car during the opening moments. Don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler as the audience are in on this switch from the get-go, adding an unexpected layer of tension as we are privy to information that the parental unit isn’t.
Proceedings start out well with the younger siblings enraptured with Emelie whilst eleven-year-old, eldest sibling, Jacob sulks in his room. That changes when Emelie liberates his confiscated games console and the boy on the brink of puberty develops a slight crush. This doesn’t last long as events spiral into some dark and questionable territory. Usual babysitting activities include colouring, reading and watching TV, Emelie however prefers stealing, terrorising pets and watching the parent’s ‘special’ videotape. Jacob must do all he can to save himself and his younger brother and sister. Luckily he seems to have been raised on the Home Alone movies so he’s pretty resourceful for someone his age.
Emelie features some pretty twisted situations and the young cast handle it in a surprisingly mature manner. Usually children in films can be a little irritating, but these three are bearable. Granted the attention seeking, princess-obsessed daughter Sally is a little hard to stomach at the beginning, but you soon find yourself rooting for her as she gets put through the emotional wringer. Youngest family member Christopher is a comment on how easily malleable the very young can be. In him Emelie sees a kindred spirit, but is it a case of he’s too young to know better? Heading up the trio of siblings is Jacob, and Joshua Rush does a great job of being ‘the man’ of the house.
As well as the young cast, Sarah Bolger gives a fantastic turn as Emelie. During the film reasons are given for her actions and for once they’re entirely plausible, which make it all the more terrifying for any parents watching. Her character is also in stark contrast to her role as Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty, in ABC’s Once Upon a Time. The change takes a little getting used to, but the fact that Bolger pulls it off proves that she’s an actor with range and is one to keep an eye on.
At just eighty minutes long director Michael Thelin does all he can to ring as much tension from the story as possible. The action kicks off right from frame one with the aforementioned babysitter snatch and switch, and it doesn’t cease until the final credits.
Emelie is a stark warning to parents about the importance of knowing just who you’re leaving your children with.
Emelie is available to download on via Frightfest Presents from Monday 14th March, and will be available to buy on DVD from Monday 11th April.
Catch up with all our Frightfest Presents reviews here.
