My History With the Film:
You just gotta love Netflix. They’ll debut a trailer and then a movie a week later. That’s what happened with The Babysitter. The trailer hit the internet on October 3rd, 2017, and the movie hit Netflix on October 13th, 2017. Which was just enough time to get excited and keep The Babysitter on my “must watch” list.
I watched The Babysitter this past Sunday and really enjoyed it. It’s a horror-comedy that is more along the lines of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil than Shaun of the Dead. It also had some real heart to the film, which gave it that awesome 80’s Spielberg vibe which so many movies are missing nowadays. Being that McG directed the film, you know it had style and some quick edits, which worked well in the movie.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
A timid fourteen year old boy discovers his babysitter is part of a Satanic Cult that wants to kill him.
What I Liked About It:
-Horror and comedy can be a great mix, but usually are not. I find that directors with less talent tend to shove comedy into their horror movies because they know the effects or script cannot stand on its own. I hate parodies and I really hate bad horror-comedies. Luckily, this is one of the good ones. It’s well directed, has a great cast, and makes some fantastic nods to the genre.
-The cast is great with no real weak links to be found. The only performance that really stands out is that of Samara Weaving (Bee). She went over-the-top playing the cool, sexy babysitter and then the cool, sexy, evil queen. I also enjoyed Robbie Amell’s (Arrow) channeling of Jack Nicholson in The Shining and Bella Thorne’s (Amityville: The Awakening) Buffy the Vampire Slayer cheerleader character. It was also nice seeing Leslie Bibb (Trick R Treat) in something new.
-I enjoyed the nods and homages to other horror films and pop culture in general. I especially enjoyed the top five list Bee creates to answer Cole’s (Judah Lewis) question and how that wrapped together in the end.
-The chemistry between Cole and Bee is fantastic and it makes you wish you had a babysitter as cool as Bee is. It’s also heartwarming, which is strange in a movie like this, but does work.
What I Didn’t Liked About It:
-This might be nitpicky, but I really dislike the poster.
Additional Notes:
-Was featured on best unproduced screenplay lists in both 2014 and 2015.
-The Babysitter is Bella Thorne’s fourth horror film: Amityville: The Awakening, Forget Me Not, and Keep Watching.
Rating:
I’d describe The Babysitter as Tucker and Dale vs. Evil meets Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It’s slick and stylish, has heart, and is a lot of fun. It’s not going to win any awards and probably won’t be found on anyone’s top ten lists this year, but if you enjoy a good horror comedy then check The Babysitter out. Just don’t go in expecting The Exorcist.
I say The Babysitter is a three out of five and a rental.