Tonight, while the world is asleep... an ancient evil is about to awaken.

The Guardian is a 1990 American horror film co-written and directed by William Friedkin, and stars Jenny Seagrove as a mysterious nanny who is hired by new parents, played by Dwier Brown and Carey Lowell, to care for their infant son; the couple soon discovers the nanny to be a Hamadryad whose previous clients' children went missing under her care. It is based upon the novel The Nanny by American novelist Dan Greenburg.
Director Sam Raimi was originally attached to the project before dropping out to direct Darkman instead.[1] Heavily marketed as director Friedkin's first foray into the horror genre since 1973's The Exorcist, the film had a troubled production, with the script undergoing numerous changes that continued well into the shooting process.
The film was released in the spring of 1990, and was met with generally unfavorable critical reception, later making Roger Ebert's "most hated films" list. A cable television version of the film was credited to "Alan Von Smithee", indicating that Friedkin wished to disassociate himself from its release. Although a critical and commercial failure, the film later found an audience as a cult film.[2]

Release Date: April 27, 1990

Domestic Total Gross: $17,037,887

Domestic Total Adj. Gross: $35,606,400