10 Most Memorable Movie Babysitters, Ranked

For whatever reason, babysitters, caretakers, and nannies often get a bad rap in movies. At the very least, they are put in unenviable positions where they are either stalked and slashed by a psychopathic killer or driven so insane by their immature charges that they wish they suffered such a grueling fate. With a few exceptions, the annals of cinema haven’t been too kind to babysitters.

With that being said, there have been many memorable caretakers going back to the 1960s, some more professional than others far more unconventional. From teen comedies and classic musicals to cult-horror classics, here’s the best of the lot.

10 Bruno – Spider Baby (1967)

With all due respect to Jonah Hill in The Sitter, Lon Chaney Jr.’s bizarre role in the obscure ’60s cult-horror-comedy Spider Baby is much more memorable.

Written and directed by Jack Hill, Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told follows Bruno (Chaney Jr.), a caretaker for three deranged orphans living in a moldering old mansion in the country. The children have an unknown disorder in which their mental capacity reverses with age and Bruno must protect them from estranged relatives conspiring to take away their home.

9 Sue Ellen Crandle – Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

While she’s technically an older sister who steps into the caretaker role after the real babysitter croaks, Sue Ellen Crandle (Christina Applegate) still ranks as one of the coolest and most fashionable babysitters of all.

With summer in L.A. to look forward to, Swell’s plans come crashing down when her mother tells her a babysitter will watch over her five children while she’s away on vacation. When the old babysitter dies as soon as she arrives, Swell steps in and learns the harsh lesson of adult responsibility.

8 Buck Russell – Uncle Buck (1989)

Despite his boozing, gambling, womanizing ways, Uncle Buck (John Candy) is the most lovable loser to look after little ones on this list. And yet, his evolved maturation as the story progresses makes him an ultimate winner.

Written and directed by John Hughes, the plot picks up when Bob and Cindy Russell have to rush out of town for a medical emergency. In a pinch, Bob asks his lowlife brother Buck to watch his three children while they’re gone. Chaotic hijinks ensue, including Buck using the microwave to dry his socks.

7 Bee – The Babysitter (2017)

Despite its underwhelming sequel, McG’s 2017 horror-comedy The Babysitter became a surprise fan favorite as soon as it dropped on Netflix. Samara Weaving gives a magnetic turn as Bee, a cheery and chipper babysitter with a deep dark secret.

With a pitch-perfect tone of horror and humor, Bee babysits Cole (Judah Lewis), a lonely teenager who has a crush on her. After winning his trust, Cole witnesses Bee and her friends partake in a gory satanic sacrifice that sets off a wild chain of hilarious and horrifying events.

6 Nanny McPhee – Nanny McPhee (2005)

Based on the Nurse Matilda book series by Christianna Brand, Emma Thompson is the perfect choice to play the titular Nanny McPhee, a magical harridan with her own tricks of the trade.

When Simon Brown’s (Colin Firth) seven unruly children scare away their latest nanny, he hires the Governess Nanny McPhee to tackle the task. Armed with magic spells and a grotesque disguise, Nanny uses her tricks to rid the children of their menacing and misbehaving ways.

5 Chris Parker – Adventures In Babysitting (1987)

Although she broke out three years earlier as Ali Mills in The Karate Kid, Elisabeth Shue will always be associated with the ’80s classic cult-comedy Adventures in Babysitting.

Directed by Christopher Columbus, the film finds teenager Chris Parker (Shue) stuck inside babysitting three kids after her boyfriend breaks their plans. When Chris’s friend calls in desperate need of being picked up from a bus station in Chicago, Chris takes the three kids on an unforgettable series of misadventures through The Windy City.

4 Maria – The Sound Of Music (1965)

Julie Andrews earned an Oscar nod for her iconic role as Maria in The Sound of Music, the singing, dancing, ever-smiling nanny of the seven rambunctious Von Trapp children.

After failing as a nun in 1930s Austria, Maria leaves the convent to take a governess job for George Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). While met with hostility at first, Maria ingratiates herself to the children over time and wins their respect, love, and admiration after injecting the family with a much-needed sense of happiness.

3 Laurie Strode – Halloween (1978)

As far as horror films are concerned, the single-most memorable babysitter will forever be Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the definitive final girl and iconic scream queen from John Carpenter’s seminal slasher film.

Halloween traces the gory revenge plotted by Michael Myers (Tony Moran), a psycho-killer who escapes a mental ward with the express desire to murder Laurie Strode. While Strode remains alive and well more than 40 years later, the film inspired countless imitators and several babysitter horror movies.

2 Daniel Hillard – Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

The late great Robin Williams brought immeasurable joy to moviegoers across the world with his sidesplitting performance as Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993.

Also directed by Chris Columbus, the mega-popular comedy follows Daniel Hillard, an actor and recent divorcee who concocts a wild scheme to spend more time with his children. That is, he poses as a British female housemaid named Mrs. Doubtfire and becomes a disguised nanny to his own children. Williams won a Golden Globe for his indelible performance.

1 Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins (1964)

By assuming two of the top four spots, Julie Andrews has staked her claim as the all-time greatest cinematic caretaker. One year before she played Maria in The Sound of Music, Andrews won an Oscar for her leading role as Mary Poppins.

The five-time Oscar winner revolves around the adventurous nanny, who uses magical quirks and musical tricks to tame her two young charges, Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber), and help them re-establish a meaningful bond with their father.