Director: Bruce McDonald
Running Time: 98 mins
Certificate: PG
Release Date: June 25th, 2012
If Wizards Of Waverly Place was kids TV’s answer to Harry Potter, My Babysitter’s A Vampire’s is the same for Twilight (let’s ignore CBBC’s rather dismal Young Dracula). In fact it’s a rather self-knowingly comic attempt to capitalise in the interest in all thing vampiric, as it even includes a Twilight-esque movie-within-a-movie called Dusk.
My Babysitter’s A Vampire actually hails from Canada, but the TV series has found success on the Disney Channel in both the US and UK. This is the film that spawned the TV series and gives a bit of an origin tale for fans of the show. Ethan (Matthew Knight) is a geeky high school student who’s horrified when his parents demand they bring in a babysitter. It’s his own fault though, as Ethan’s attempt to look after his little sister ended up with her outside the house at night by herself.
However he thinks that maybe a babysitter isn’t so bad when the beautiful Sarah (Vanessa Morgan) turns up at the door. However Sarah has a problem, her ex-boyfriend is a vampire and he’s recently bitten her, making her a fledgling. Soon Sarah, Ethan and his best friend Benny (Atticus Mitchell) are up to their necks in supernatural shenanigans as a vampire coven that’s been brooding in the town for centuries wants to take over. It all seems a bit hopeless, until Ethan and Benny discover they may have powers of their own.
It’s all very silly, but My Babysitter’s A Vampire knows it and just sets out to have fun and make jokes – including a light-hearted ribbing of Twilight-fanaticism – as teens take on a vampire hoard, while also dealing with the usual issues of young life. There’s actually a nicely subversive edge to the humour, although it’s largely about good-natured, family fun. There’s certainly a good time to be had here.
I have to admit I haven’t seen much of the TV series this film led to, although thanks to the special features on the DVD, I have seen the first episode. To be honest, I didn’t like it as much as the film, as while it’s equally anarchic, the humour isn’t as sharp and it feels as if it’s trying a bit too hard. However My Babysitter’s A Vampire: The Movie is very amusing and kids on the younger end of the Twihard spectrum should enjoy it a lot.
Overall Verdict: A little bit silly but a lot of fun, My Babysitter’s A Vampire: The Movie should amuse the youngsters this summer, especially if they enjoy the show on TV.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
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