Following the birth of their son, a yuppie couple hires a mysterious nanny to care for him only for a series of strange incidents around them eventually causes them to believe that she's sacrificing babies to a spirit being and must race to stop her before she finishes.This was an overall decent effort without too much to really like here. One of the film's few positives here is the way this manages to really make the cult she's a part of seem like a creepy, mysterious entity. The first half here mainly comes off like a series of strange incidents around the house that don't really amount to much, yet all come together to build up a rather chilling concept here of the sacrificial cult. From the constant needling of the breastfeeding onto others, the way she always manages to wind up in the baby's care whenever something happens around them that could endanger them and the slow-burn way it leads into the revelation of her actual identity, so although there's not a whole lot of action here these scenes build up his feeling rather nicely. As well, there are some solid action scenes here featuring the group of thugs encountering her out in the woods and being drawn back to the killer trees which pick them off in rapid succession, the wolves stalking the one witness back to his house and forcing him back through all the different rooms before trapping him in a thrilling sequence and the finale in the woods is a lot of fun with the wolves ambushing them leading into the battle at the tree that gives this one a really frantic and exciting finish. Alongside the great and somewhat gorier kills than expected here, these here are what make this one enjoyable over the film's few flaws. It's two main problems are quite easy to spot and go hand-in-hand with each other, the cheesiness and its sheer ridiculousness. The ridiculousness of it might be its worst offense. There's no way that any of this could happened and the ability to keep it straight-faced and serious is a bit of a stretch to believe. Once it gets to the tree attack late in the film, then it gets too far out there to really become plausible. It just seems so out-of-place in a film about a psychotic nanny. The fact that the mystery surrounding her backstory is quite hard to get into all around and lacks just about any sense of cohesion also doesn't help since the entire concept of the cult is never given here and the only thing we get is their inherent creepiness to sustain us which doesn't last all that long. Though there are some that could be put off by the slow pace as well, as this doesn't move at the fastest point possible as well, these here are the whole of the film's problems.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Language, a mild sex scene and children-in-jeopardy.

I remember being in high school my senior year and "The Guardian" was released to home video in 1990 but the year I saw it was 1992. I think also around that time "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" was also released after it's run in theaters. It was the usual weekend ritual, two movies and a Nintendo/Super Nintendo game from Movie Warehouse and nothing else to do but veg out.So I rented both "Guardian" and "Hand" as my movies for that "Evil Nanny" themed weekend and watched "The Guardian" first. I must say that the movie is one of the most underrated horror films ever made. Friedkin's first horror film since "Exorcist" 17 years after. At first the eerie score let's the viewer know it is a scary film with a brief story about druids worshiping trees and offering sacrifices to them, an obvious mutilation of the druid's customs of nature worship as the antagonists is rather a forest demon or possible succubus.Now, some what of a spoiler warning: We see what transpires at the beginning while a boy reads "Hansel & Gretel", giving the viewer an idea of the nanny's intentions after his parents leave him and his sister with her, as "Hansel & Gretel" is a classic Brothers Grimm story about children abandoned and taken in by a stranger with intentions of sacrifice.Jenny Seagrove's portrayal of Camilla shows that she keeps her maternal instincts to herself while caring for the child but hides her true intent and anyone who discovers her true form will not live long or be heard from again, let alone anyone who crosses her path like the witch in "Hansel & Gretel" (Of course, this is the classic horror concept of a witch and not modern day pagans or wiccans... or druids).This film is hated by the critics but loved by many a film nut. I like it but not enough for a full score because it moves kind of quickly. It wasn't a slasher or a big sfx filled film but it holds up because it is scary and at one point you are routing for Camilla and then routing for the parents.I can see one reason why the critics hated it, the story is easy to follow. And another reason they hate it is because Friedkin knew he couldn't give us another "Exorcist" and horror was not really his specialty when it came to previous works like "The French Connection", "Sorcerer" and "Crusing". It is still a movie I enjoy watching every now and then and I think you would like it too, but don't take my word for it as other users have their opinions.And I thought the Kite Eating tree in the peanuts comics gave me nightmares.

Great movie; an excellent follow up to "The Exorcist." If you're into horrors that are tense and not just about blood and guts (while still including it), this is the film for you-- if you can get your hands on it. It's been over four years since I first heard of this movie, and ever since I saw the climax scene featured on "Boogeymen: The Ultimate Killer Compilation," I have wanted to see it. So, I went down to rent it. Not available. I tried renting it online. Not available. I tried purchasing it, waiting for it to appear on television or On Demand… but no. I asked people if they've heard of it and only my father said he remembered it. And it was good. A couple days ago, I purchased and downloaded the digital copy online, and saw it.It was everything I expected, yet nothing I expected. Absolute brilliance is the only way to describe this film. Believe me, it has everything: a druid, rabid coyotes, sex, and a tree that harvests the souls of babies. I know what your thinking (Isn't that a Pink Floyd CD cover?), but this was a really great flick. Sure it wasn't as scary as "The Exorcist," or as dramatic as "The French Connection," or even as cringe-making as "Bug," but gosh darn it the film was enjoyable.I'm not sure if it's because 37 minutes and 12 seconds into the movie, the shadow of Phil's (Dwier Brown) chin looked like Jay Leno's or the subtle nuances that hinted Camilla's intentions for Baby Jake (He "slept like a log"), I nonetheless found myself smiling and thinking to myself that it was worth the wait.The scene where Ned (Brad Hall) got home after seeing Camilla's druid powers is quite possible the most suspenseful scene in film history. As he's dialing a number on the phone, you see the coyotes grouping by the window and thereby creating an eerie and effective dramatic irony. What I loved about this was that it didn't just try to have the animals trying to rip apart the house, director William Friedkin decided to play it slow. And boy did it pay off. Never could a death scene be so elegant while still containing blood splatter.However, this is a strong juxtaposition as to the previous death scene of the Punks (or, as I like to call them, the Potential Picnic Rapists). Gore went as much as it could without ruining the film… but, whose going to argue killing criminals like them in the most violent way possible? Essentially, the same goes with the climax, featuring beautiful visuals of the Bark Babies crying.My only criticism would be in the scene where Phil meets Molly Sheridan (Natalia Nogulich). The acting wasn't too convincing. The best performance in that scene just so happened to be the little kid.Get this movie. You will not be disappointed. Actually, you can even play: Guess that familiar actor! I bet you'll finding a familiar face in both this film and the television show "Nikita."

THE GUARDIAN seems like one of the more average achievements of master Friedkin–an urban Gothic tale, a grim fairy tale fostering the audiences' fear of the woods.Jenny Seagrove was a fine beauty and an average but interesting actress; here she gets to play 'Camilla', name of LeFanuesque resonance, and at least she offers something to glimpse at in her few nude scenes. The action keeps linear, the treatment will appear like quite unsubtle. A young and not very likable couple has a newborn son and hires a babysitter to look after him—the babysitter is Mrs. Seagrove. Very quickly Friedkin reveals that Jenny is a freak.