| Down Will Come Baby | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gregory Goodell |
| Produced by | Paulette Breen Robert M. Rolsky Renée Valente |
| Written by | Gregory Goodell Novel Gloria Murphy |
| Starring | Meredith Baxter Tom Amandes Evan Rachel Wood Diana Scarwid Katie Booze-Mooney |
| Music by | Joseph Conlan |
| Editing by | Paul Dixon |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Release date | May 4, 1999 |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
Down Will Come Baby is a true story thriller drama based on a book by Gloria Murphy. It was released in 1999 on the CBS network.
Twelve-year-old Robin Garr witnessed her friend Amelia's death at summer camp. Robin cannot cope with the death and blames herself. Further, her parents are always fighting. Mrs. Garr has just changed her job and moves to another city, but visits on the weekends; it's a big chance for her and she thinks the change will be good for the family. Robin is frustrated with this turn of events.
One day Robin meets a pleasant woman named Dorothy, who turns out to be a new neighbor. They soon become friends, but the closer they get, the more uncomfortable Robin feels. Dorothy begins to become obsessed with Robin; it is eventually revealed that she is really the mother of Amelia, the girl who died at summer camp. Dorothy cannot cope with the loss of her daughter and is trying to replace her by getting close to Robin. One day Dorothy helps Robin clean up and clandestinely places a walkie-talkie in her room. Each night, when her parents are putting her to bed, Dorothy listens in on their conversations. Mrs. Garr notices how weirdly close Dorothy has become to Robin, and is not comfortable with it; she realizes that Robin is also uncomfortable.
One night, Mr. Garr asks Dorothy to stay with Robin while he is gone. When Robin is disobedient to Dorothy, Dorothy hits her. Mr. Garr comes home to find both Dorothy and his daughter gone, and he sees a bit of blood on the doorframe. He calls his wife, and she comes home. They call the police and set out to find their little girl.
Meanwhile, Dorothy is trying to brainwash Robin. She has taken Robin to her home and begun to call her Amelia. When Robin refuses to obey the woman, Dorothy locks her in Amelia's old room.
Robin's parents come across Amelia's file at camp and track down her address, despite being told to wait at home. When Robin tries to escape from Dorothy (whose real name is Gretchen), she tries to hurt Robin by burning her arm. Finally, when Robin's parents arrive, Mr. Garr breaks down the window and the door to the bedroom. Gretchen insists that Robin is really her daughter Amelia. The detectives and police arrive shortly thereafter, removing Robin from Gretchen's care and giving her back to her parents.
While being arrested, the clearly mentally ill Gretchen says things like, "Amelia... want to play hide and seek? Yes, yes, I'll find you..." She continues to act this way as they take her away and place her in the police car. Robin and her parents then return home. Mrs. Garr decides to quit her job, deciding that she doesn't need it as much as she needs her family.