IMDb RATING
5.4/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
Young married couple Phillip and Kate Sterling, who have a newborn son named Jake, don't realize that their new nanny Camilla is a magical Druid who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.Young married couple Phillip and Kate Sterling, who have a newborn son named Jake, don't realize that their new nanny Camilla is a magical Druid who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.Young married couple Phillip and Kate Sterling, who have a newborn son named Jake, don't realize that their new nanny Camilla is a magical Druid who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
Natalija Nogulich
- Molly Sheridan
- (as Natalia Nogulich)
Barry Herman
- Dr. at Birth
- (as Dr. Barry Herman)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJenny Seagrove was unhappy with the film's constant re-writes, and wanted to make a completely different film. She said to The Guardian in 2007: "It was about this druid nanny who became a tree. I begged Universal to make it about a real nanny who kidnaps babies. 'No, no, we can't do that,' they said, 'the thirty somethings in America won't come and see the film.' I said, 'I think you're completely wrong; this film is total fantasy, and it's just awful.' Two years later The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) was released, so I rang up my friend at Universal and he said, 'Don't. Don't even talk about it, you were right.' "
- GoofsAs the tree is being cut down, the movie keeps cutting back to Camilla, showing what damage it is doing to her. When the guy finishes cutting down the tree, there is a shot of Camilla and her left leg breaks off and she falls to the ground. The two shots immediately following, of the mother tackling her and then of Camilla being thrown out the window, both show her with her legs still intact.
- Quotes
Phil Sterling: You take your hands off my baby!
- Alternate versionsThere are two versions of "The Guardian": the theatrical cut, credited to William Friedkin, and a modified cut, credited to "Alan Smithee". The Alan Smithee cut has never been released on video but has been shown on cable. It includes new scenes including another scene in the hospital; different dream sequences; a scene of the nanny waking the wife up and alternate angles for other scenes. Also, the ending of the cable cut is different and omits much of the gore.
- SoundtracksPalau
Music by Not Drowning Waving (as Not Drowning, Waving)
Lyrics by David Bridie
Performed by Not Drowning Waving (as Not Drowning, Waving)
Courtesy of Mighty Boy Records
Featured review
To all those who gave this a 4 or less--you wouldn't know a good piece of film-making if it bit you in the ass.Granted,it's one of Friedkin's lesser efforts,but it blows away 95% percent of the horror films out there,in my opinion.There's some cornball stuff in it,but there's a well-executed kind of tension in the way it's filmed-great cinematography,a mood to some of the scenes that is creepy & effective.Also,I think the distributors made a mistake pumping the fact it was from "the director of the Exorcist".Big mistake.Anyhow,most people would think "The Hand that Rocks The Cradle" was a better movie(it scores a 6.2)than "The Guardian",but there's no accounting for taste,as the man said.
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,037,887
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,565,620
- Apr 29, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $17,037,887
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