The Babysitter is a teen comedy horror directed by McG. 12-year-old Cole (Lewis) is a worrywart who’s afraid to take risks. Kids bully him, and his best friend at school is a girl that he is scared to find out if she’s interested in him. To make matters worse he is the only kid around that still has a babysitter. His babysitter, Bee (Weaving), is luckily the greatest a boy could ask for. Bee is perfect. Smart, funny and beautiful. She also happens to have a very dark secret. In one evening, everything takes a turn for the worst when Cole decides to stay past his bedtime to spy on his babysitter.
I can’t remember watching the trailer, but the poster looked reminiscent of 80’s horror movies. It turns out it has similar vibes. The premise and the script itself is fairly silly. That made the tone seem campy, which was great. A throwback to a lot of horror films that didn’t take themselves too serious. Unlike horror films today that seek for a more serious tone. Adults may find the humor and fright factor a bit tame, but this film is targeted at a younger audience. I enjoyed the direction they took along with a few twists here and there to horror movie clichés in the film. The two leads did a great job and had good chemistry. There are few negatives aside from the weak story that most horror films have. The music sometimes didn’t fit the tone of the film. The pacing felt off, too slow to begin then too fast toward the end. The film maybe could have opted to have been 10-15 minutes longer to setup more backstory for both main characters.
The Babysitter is another impressive movie being put out by Netflix. It does a better job than most horror films that get a theatrical release. It’s a fun campy horror film that is lacking in the genre today. If you can overlook the tameness of the comedy and horror you will find The Babysitter entertaining.
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Running time: 1 hr 25 min
Director: McG
Screenplay: Brian Duffield
Cast: Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell and Bella Thorne
Producers: McG, Mary Viola, and Zack Schiller
Music: Douglas Pipes
Cinematography: Shane Hurlbut