Netflix delivers the treats this Halloween season with The Babysitter, a refreshingly fun and bloody horror comedy with the makings of a new cult classic.
Netflix has been carving a nice niche for themselves, not only bringing subscribers their favorite movies and broadcast TV shows, but absolutely killing it with their Netflix Originals brand.
It seems every day something new and buzz-worthy is premiering on the streaming service. News of a price increase has not deterred people in any way, as all eyes are on October 27th for the 2nd season of the juggernaut that is STRANGER THINGS (I need it in front of my eyeballs like 2 days ago).
The company is determined to keep us entertained during this Halloween season with tons of horror shows and movies, like their latest offering, THE BABYSITTER.
The film centers on a preteen boy named Cole (played by Judah Lewis) who is the only kid his age that still has a babysitter when his parents need a night out. In fact, Cole is actually a nerdy kid that gets bullied. He only has two friends, his neighbor Melanie (played by Emily Alyn Lind) and his attractive babysitter Bee (played by Hugo Weaver’s niece, Samara Weaver).
While heading home from school, Cole is bullied by Jeremy and his crew of flunkies, until Bee comes in to save the day. After dropping him off, they make plans for the following night since she will be babysitting him while his parents have an overnight date.
The next day on the bus, Melanie convinces Cole to stay up and see what Bee does while he’s asleep. She tells him that she probably has a guy come over and has sex or even has orgies.
Cole’s parents (played by Ken Marino and Leslie Bibb) leave for the overnight hotel date. What follows is a montage of Cole and Bee having a great time. Night falls, and its almost Cole’s bedtime. A slight protest occurs, and Bee decides to give him a shot to help him sleep. Cole asks her to do a shot with him. As she goes to get it, he dumps the shot in a plant. Bee tucks him in. Since he can’t sleep, he FaceTimes Melanie, who reminds Cole to go spy on Bee.
He sneaks to the landing and sees a group of people playing Spin The Bottle in his house. What follows next changes the game for Cole, as he witnesses Bee kill a nerdy guy while her friends pour his blood into gold chalices. Bee is the head of a Satanic cult that needs a sacrifice and the blood of an innocent…Cole being the innocent.
Will Cole survive the night? Will Bee finish her Satanic ritual? Will Cole face his fears and finally stand up for himself?
To find out the answers to these questions, you absolutely need to see THE BABYSITTER. Point blank…I fucking loved this movie! It knows exactly what it is and it never tries to be anything more that. It is one of the most entertaining horror comedies to come out in a while, more so than the flat CULT OF CHUCKY. McG does a great job of keeping the pace fast and breezy, while still developing his 2 lead characters.
The film’s two tones of horror and comedy are properly represented, while it keeps its tongue planted firmly in cheek.
Gorehounds rejoice as the movie also brings the gruesome goodies just as much as it brings the funny. There are a few scenes that rely heavily on CGI (which is a major complaint about McG’s other films), and it does take the bite out of those scenes— but it doesn’t hurt the movie.
Lewis and Weaver carry the film and are helped by a strong supporting cast that give the usual horror stereotypes a fresh coat of paint.
I would highly suggest this film to anyone, as I was expecting nothing from it. But it was such a surprise that I’m looking forward to hanging out with Bee and Cole again and again. Oh, and be sure to stick around for the mid-credits scene. Netflix has another winner on their hands that will become a sure fire cult classic based on word of mouth.
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