Villainess Review: Audra Simonetti (Babysitter's Nightmare)

Babysitter's Nightmare (aka Kill the Babysitter) was quite a memorable Lifetime film, mainly because of the villainess involved--as well as who was playing her. More on that later. After an opening scene that features a young woman being suffocated to death by a hooded figure, the scene quickly shifts to nurse Daphne Hart, who had been tending to (among other patients), a young boy named Mason; however, when Daphne's superior stepped away from Mason just for a brief moment, the young boy ended up taking a fatal turn for the worse.

Daphne was already heartbroken and guilt-ridden over Mason's death, with the latter feeling coming in spite of the clear fact that she was not at fault. Sadly, the hospital didn't feel that way, and Daphne ended up losing her job as a nurse. She would be saved by her best friend, Kaci Washington, who got her a babysitting job for the Andrews family, with the couple's young son, Toby, being Daphne's charge. As Daphne bonded with Toby, she also met the family's housekeeper, Audra Simonetti, who served as an ear for Daphne's emotional venting regarding the loss of her job.

Daphne had also lost her relationship with her boyfriend, Jeremy, who actually returned to Daphne at her job--basically pleading with Daphne to take him back. Daphne refuses, and as Jeremy frets in his car, he's suddenly strangled to death with a wire. The same killer enters the house and terrorizes not only Daphne and Toby, but Kaci as well, doing so in a cloaked disguise and wielding a knife. Kaci manages to distract and disarm the culprit, only for the hooded figure to smash a wine bottle in half and press Kaci's head on the bottom half, eliminating her as well. As for Daphne and Toby, they made it out of the house, though the former returned to get the latter's insulin. Toby's mother, Karen Andrews, called the house, with Daphne answering and telling Karen to call the police before she ends up face to face with the cloaked killer, who is revealed as none other than Audra.

Audra revealed her true last name as well: Monrose--a name that Daphne recognized, as Audra was actually Mason's mother. She blamed Daphne for Mason's death and wanted revenge, while also accusing her ex-husband (Mason's father) of taking their son as well. Regarding Audra's ex, the villainess revealed that he was cheating on her with a babysitter named Claire Carvan, who was revealed as the very woman who was murdered in the film's opening--a murder that was committed by Audra. She also revealed that after killing Claire, she attempted to poison her ex-husband, making her admission before continuing to pursue Daphne. The women's brawl ended with Daphne tossing Audra into the pool and striking her with a chair, but that wasn't enough to take down the vengeful madwoman. However, an injection of insulin would do it, as Daphne ended up sticking the needle right into Audra, who was trying to strangle Daphne. With that, Audra's murderous quest came to a permanent end.

Babysitter's Nightmare aired on Lifetime on August 12, 2018, and featured Arianne Zucker as the maniacal Audra Monrose (aka Audra Simonetti). I remember seeing the trailer to this a year beforehand, which revealed Audra as the villainess, so I was very excited to see Arianne Zucker as a Lifetime villainess. Zucker, of course, is best known for her long running role on Days of Our Lives as Nicole Walker, and the homework I did on that character did confirm what I figured: Nicole was quite a villainess for years on that show. As for Audra, she was deliciously evil, psychotic, and murderous; one of the best Lifetime villainesses I have ever seen. It was an absolute joy to watch such a wicked and fiendish madwoman on Lifetime, and it was an even bigger joy to watch Arianne Zucker in that role; she totally stole the entire film with her amazing performance, especially when it came to Audra's reveal and her insane demeanor.

Arianne Zucker has played Nicole Walker since the character's debut in 1998, and she also briefly played the role of another Days of Our Lives villainess--Kristen DiMera--in 2019. Zucker has appeared in eight Lifetime movies, with her most recent Lifetime film being The Nanny Murders, which aired on January 10, 2020. Babysitter's Nightmare was Zucker's only villainous appearance in a Lifetime movie. Here's hoping it's not her last; she can really shine again as a Lifetime villainess if she is given another chance to do so.

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Check out Audra Simonetti's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!