A college student returns home and reluctantly agrees to cover her sick friend’s babysitting job. Meanwhile, the local sheriff receives a mysterious package containing a garage remote that belongs to the house where a teenage babysitter was brutally murdered. A film by Brandon Christensen, starring Jessica Clement, Summer H. Howell, Keegan Connor Tracy, Matty Finochio, Ben Cockell, Bryn Samuel, Savannah Miller, Sofie Kane, Max Christensen, and Ryan Robbins.
NIGHT of the REAPER
Brandon Christensen
(2025)
After putting Mark (Huxley Fisher) and Marina (Isla Spencer) to bed, teenage babysitter Emily (Summer H. Howell) relaxes by dancing to MTV while enjoying pizza and a soda. While browsing the bookshelf, she discovers a hollowed-out book containing a hidden pack of cigarettes.
Just as she lights one up, she hears the garage door opening. Assuming the parents have come home early, Emily quickly tidies the kitchen, shuts off the TV, and waits to greet Mr. and Mrs. Grey. But nobody enters the house. Puzzled, Emily checks the garage and finds it empty, though the door remains open. When she steps outside, she’s horrified to see a dead dog lying in the street.
Shaken, Emily hurries back inside and notices a teddy bear on the living room chair with a handwritten note. Figuring Marina is pulling a prank, she carries the bear to Mark’s room only to discover a toppled chair and an open closet door. After closing the closet and propping the chair back against it, she sets the teddy bear down at the same spot.
Emily heads to Marina’s room to scold her about the prank, but when she steps back into the hallway, picture frames are now arranged in a line across the floor. Convinced Mark is responsible, she returns to his room and finds him asleep with the teddy bear now on his bed, holding another note.
Panicking, Emily rushes to Marina’s room and finds her tied up with a third note. Rather than untying Marina, Emily bolts downstairs to call 911, only to discover the phone cord has been severed. Unknown to Emily, she is being filmed as a masked killer closes in and murders her.
Chad (Ben Cockell) and Willis (Bryn Samuel) are surprised when Deena (Jessica Clement) walks up to them, back in town from college. Deena explains she’s only visiting for the weekend before heading to the pharmacy to pick up her dad’s ACE inhibitors from Dr. Hall (Blair Young).
Meanwhile, Sheriff Rodney Arnold (Ryan Robbins) finds an unmarked box on his doorstep. Inside, he discovers a grey garage remote. Later, Rodney takes Officer Butch Cassidy (Matty Finochio) to the Grey house, which is now for sale following the tragic incident.
Butch asks why they’re here, complaining that the place creeps him out. Rodney hands over the grey remote and instructs him to press the button. When Butch does, the garage door opens. ince Paul Grey claimed the garage remote was missing when he came home the night Emily was killed, Rodney realizes that whoever returned the remote must be either the killer.
At the station, Dottie (Sofie Kane) gives Rodney a box she discovered on her porch that morning, addressed to the sheriff. Inside is a VHS tape labeled “NIGHT OF THE REAPER ‘THE CAMPER'”. The footage shows a young man attacked from behind by a skeleton-masked assailant and dragged off-screen.
Rodney identifies the victim as Connor Davis (Drake Seipert), whose body was discovered by a creek two years earlier. Though the death was ruled accidental, the tape proves it was murder. Rodney and Butch head to the creek where Connor’s body was found to investigate further. At the scene, they discover another package with a VHS tape labeled “NIGHT OF THE REAPER ‘THE BABYSITTER'” containing footage of Emily from the night of her murder.
Meanwhile, Deena visits her friend Haddie (Savannah Miller), who is thrilled to see her. When Haddie suggests they hit up Polly’s and get drunk, Deena thinks it’s a great idea and asks if she wants to go tonight. Haddie explains she’s babysitting the sheriff’s kid tonight and mentions she’s been doing it regularly since the sheriff’s wife passed away. Haddie then jokingly admits she has an ulterior motive: maybe she could step into the sheriff’s wife’s shoes, with Deena as her maid of honor.
Later, Haddie comes down with stomach flu and begs Deena to cover her babysitting job. Though Deena is hesitant since she promised to spend time with her parents, she eventually gives in when Haddie desperately pleads for help, worried she’ll lose the gig if she bails on the sheriff.
Chad Bolton is brought in for questioning after Rodney identifies a license plate from Chad’s van in the babysitter footage. Butch remains skeptical about Chad’s guilt, reminding Rodney that Chad was just a minor at the time. Rodney pressures Chad for a confession, but Chad stays defensive, insisting he didn’t do anything. While Rodney suspects Chad was involved in Emily Goulding’s murder, he lacks solid evidence to prove it.
While playing hide and seek with Max, Deena notices a mysterious hooded figure in the distance. Assuming it’s Max, she calls him on the walkie-talkie, but gets no immediate response. She’s startled and briefly takes her eyes off the figure when Max’s voice crackles through, confirming he’s not outside of the house and reminding her of her own rule to stay indoors. When Deena looks back, the figure is gone.
Directed by Canadian filmmaker Brandon Christensen from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ryan Christensen, NIGHT OF THE REAPER is a thriller film that delivers something fresh and exciting to the slasher genre.
Jessica Clement delivers a compelling performance as Deena, an unlucky babysitter who becomes the target of a twisted serial killer after being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The narrative remains engaging as the killer’s identity stays hidden throughout, creating unsettling moments for viewers attempting to piece together clues and identify the murderer among the cast. The most captivating element comes in the final act when an unexpected twist surprises both audiences and the killer by revealing how the protagonist escapes the deadly situation.
However, the film has its shortcomings. At times, the story over-explains and leaves little to the imagination. Despite this, I very much enjoy the film’s boldness and playful execution, particularly in the explosive moment that catches everyone off guard. I would award an extra half-star if this film were presented in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio.
NIGHT of the REAPER was released exclusively on Shudder in the United States on 19 September 2025.
