Back in the early ’90s, a little-known film called Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead hit theaters . It boasted a stellar cast of up-and-coming young actors and was a commercial success at the box office.
Even though critics decried the film’s black comedy roots , its since gone on to achieve a cult-like status among fans. So as a way to pay homage to a forgotten ’90s classic, here are 15 facts that fans of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead didn’t know.
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‘Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead’ wasn’t the film’s original title.
In the first draft of the script, the movie was simply called The Real World . However, it was changed in order to avoid confusion with the brand new MTV series of the same name.
The role of Sue Ellen Crandell was originally written with another young actress in mind.
Winona Ryder was the first choice to play Sue Ellen, but she turned it down due to her conflicting work schedule. At the time, she was working on Edward Scissorhands as well as Mermaids.
The film has a cult-like following, despite its abysmal reviews.
Critics had a difficult time wrapping their heads around the film’s rather dark title. It has a meager Tomatometer Score of 36%, with an Audience Score of only 57% .
Keith Coogan was determined to get the part of Kenny Crandall.
When Keith first went in to audition, he was told that he was too old to play the part. He returned dressed as an incognito stoner and wound up inking the deal.
The role of Melissa was originally intended for Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Jennifer was cast as Melissa but was forced to drop out of the production. The producers on Kids Incorporated were unwilling to let her out of her contract .
Christina Applegate had to gain weight for the role of Sue Ellen Crandall.
Christina wound up packing on an extra 10 lbs for the role . As soon as filming had wrapped, she then had to quickly lose all the weight in order to return to her role as Kelly Bundy on Married…With Children.
The movie almost didn’t get finished.
This is due to the fact that Christopher Pettiet’s (Zach Crandall) real-life drug addiction was getting out of hand. Pettiet died at the age of 24 , due to an accidental drug overdose.
Keith Coogan comes from a very famous family.
Keith’s uncle was Jackie Coogan, the beloved child actor turned bonified movie star. Over the course of his career, Jackie Coogan was best-known for playing Uncle Fester in the TV version of The Addams Family .
The film boasts music from one of England’s loudest bands.
During the scene where Swell opens the box of cash, the song “Gimme Some Money” by Spinal Tap can be heard playing in the background. This is the only film, other than This Is Spinal Tap , wherein that music can be heard.
Christina Applegate might never have got the role, were it not for Ed O’Neill.
Christina and Ed were co-stars at the time, working on the cult sitcom Married…With Children. Ed happened to be friends with one of the film’s producers and passed the script along to Christina.
Edward Furlong almost played Kenny.
Edward Furlong is perhaps best known f or playing John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day . Ironically enough, it was that exact film that prevented him from starring in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.
‘Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead’ was Christina Applegate’s breakout film role.
Prior to starring as Sue Ellen Crandall, the only other film credit to Christina’s name was Streets — the story of a runaway living on the streets of Venice Beach, being stalked by a serial-killer police officer.
Danielle Harris (Melissa Crandall) has a soft spot for the film.
Back in 2020, Danielle revealed that of all the films she’s made over the course of her career, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is the only one she’ll actually watch if she sees it on TV.
Stephen Herek wasn’t the studio’s first choice of director.
Originally, John Landis was tapped to direct but he turned the project down due to a lack of interest. John Hughes was also considered, but he also passed since he hadn’t written the screenplay himself .
Mrs. Stuark was a case of art imitating life.
In the film, the babysitter Mrs. Stuark reveals that she is, in fact, a widow. Eda Reiss Merin, the actress who played her, was also a widow in real life .
