Summer Girl

Dare-devil, she-devil, printer's-devil, evil

A couple (Barry Bostwick & Kim Darby) and their two kids enjoy a summer at a beach house, but the girl they hired as a nanny (Diane Franklin) is sultrier than expected and, worse, has diabolical intentions.

"Summer Girl" (1983) is a television movie cut from the same cloth as “The Babysitter” (1980), both of which influenced future films like “Poison Ivy” (1992). It’s actually better than “The Babysitter” because Diane Franklin is (surprisingly) superior to Stephanie Zimbalist in what is basically the same role, not to mention it’s hard to beat the beach house locations.

These kinds of flicks emphasize how a blossoming young woman has power and more so depending on her beauty and the ability to use it to her advantage. This ‘power’ can lead to calamity if the girl is mentally ill or a she-devil (which often go hand-in-hand).

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Hawaii.

GRADE: B