THREE YEARS ago, we saw the teen horror-comedy “The Babysitter” on Netflix about a tween boy, Cole (Judah Lewis), who has a huge crush on his sexy blonde babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), but is horrified when he discovers she is actually a member of a ruthless demonic cult.
It was a big hit with viewers but, as maybe expected, torn to pieces by critics. Well, we agree it’s daft and quite incredible, but we honestly found it a guilty pleasure.
For one thing, you know you should not take this type of movie seriously as it’s not meant to join prestigious international film festivals or win awards.
It’s just an escapist divertion and Director McG knows how to keep things going at a very fast pace, complete with blood baths and gore galore. So viewers just looking for some fun liked it and now, whaddaya know, it even has a sequel: “The Babysitter: Killer Queen”.
Cole is now back, along with all the other dead characters in the first movie who somehow all spring back to life. He is now a teenager in high school, bullied by everyone.
No one believed him about his claims then that his satanic babysitter really tried to kill him. Even his parents doubt his sanity and now even want to take him to a psychiatric institution.
His friend Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), asks him to just join her and her boyfriend Jimmy (Max Acevedo), plus friends Boom Boom (Jenny Foster) and Diego (Julius Chavez), to go to party by the lake. At the lake, their outcast new classmate, Phoebe (Jenna Ortega), also arrives.
It turns out all of Melanie and her friends are now also members of the demonic cult and they just need Cole as the blood of an innocent boy for their sacrifice. The cult members who were killed in the first movie are now resurrected to participate in the ritual: the Asian Sonya (Hana Mae Lee), the bimbo cheer leader Allison (Bella Thorne), the shirtless hunk Max (Robbie Amell) and the black guy John (Andrew Bachelor).
They are about to skewer Cole but he manages to run away. Phoebe then suddenly pops up with her jetski and helps him escape. The cultists all then chase them.
But as maybe expected, Cole is once again able to turn the tables on them. He even succeeds in decapitating or ripping off their body through various gruesome means, like a surfboard and the propeller of a boat.
Phoebe takes Cole to their family’s old cabin to evade their pursuers. Phoebe then shares her sad back story to Cole. She feels guilty for having caused the death of both her parents in a car crash.
But all the dead guys are resurrected once again (a definite case of overkill), much to the amazement of Cole and Phoebe.
They all then have a final confrontation, along with Cole’s foolish dad who finally believes him that evil cultists are running after him.
But before the climax, as the film’s ultimate surprise, another character who we thought have died in the first movie is also resurrected, this time to help rescue Cole and Phoebe.
Of course, we won’t spoil it for you and you have to watch this movie yourself to find out who that is.
All the cultists seem to have died, but the final shot as the end credits is flashed shows that the devil’s book being used for reference by the bad guys has not been burned and lies in the sand. Looks like they’re hoping to have a Part 3.
Like what we’ve stated, the movie is not meant to gain critical acclaim, but Judah Lewis as Cole and Jenna Ortega as Phoebe both give charming performances as the awkward beleaguered heroes struggling through adolescence.
The first movie is all set inside the house of Cole. This time, they take the action into the lake where the whole story transpires.
The script is peppered with pop cultural references from old movies like “Indiana Jones” and “Good Will Hunting” to broadcast icons like Barbara Walters and Kelly Ripa. But you’d seriously wonder if the teen characters who mention them are really aware of what or who they are.
So, if you’re just looking for nonsensical juvenile fun, watch this cheap, silly movie. And if you want an intellectually uplifting film, then just wait for "Tenet" or “Nomadland” instead.
