The Babysitter (2017)

I may take issue with Samara Weaving, but a fun movie's a fun movie. End of story. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Robbie Amell in this, who in the past has always disappointed me. Those small praises aside, _The Babysitter_ is not exactly groundbreaking cinema, and while I certainly enjoyed having it on in the background to a certain degree, I didn't get enough from it to say it's outright worth your time.

_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

The Babysitter is a fun, over-the-top horror/comedy, which will have very polarizing opinions, depending on the viewer.

I'm quite sure The Babysitter has some deep flaws. There are certainly some issues with the logic, probably anyway. Maybe the characters are a little one-note. The thing is, I was having way too much fun to care.

From the comic-book text overlays to the major twists and turns to the child-engineering-prodigy trope to the humor-gore, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

The tone started off as a comedy/coming-of-age story, but when it decided to delve into horror, it really delved into horror. It kept some of the comedic and coming-of-age elements, but from the first instance of horror on, it was without a doubt a horror movie, just a dang fun one.

I'd imagine this is a rather polarizing film. Either people will love some of the wackiness, or they'll feel it gets in the way of what The Babysitter could be. From some people, there will be eye-rolling and snickering, and from others, there will be belly laughs and big smiles.

I highly recommend checking it out, but don't go in expecting a serious movie, or you'll be rather disappointed.

Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend.

This is surprisingly gruesome and self-aware, and is just filled with odd, but entertaining moments throughout the movie.

They do an excellent job of building atmosphere throughout the movie, mostly intensity of whichever situation is happening.

There is plenty of humor mixed in, and a great story.

The ending is admittedly a little iffy, but they clearly have some sort of plan in mind.

The plot seemed great, the concept seemed like a lot of fun. It seemed like the perfect throw away guilty pleasure Halloween movie.

Even some of the lines were awesome in a way that fit perfectly into the Halloween throw away guilty pleasure fair.

But still, it left a horrible taste in my mouth. It was positively awful.

And then I saw it, the director, McG.

It all made sense, it was a movie that went too far and not in the great wonderful pushing the limits kind of way, but in the too friendly afraid to take a serious turn, afraid to take a comedic turn, so rather its best to charge head-long into the realm of mediocrity kind of way.

Every point that the story could turn into something great, every little part where a a spurt of blood could be real gore, every place where it could have been hysterical...it seems like the director backed off.

He took a turn out of fear and the result was...meh. Only "MEH" in all caps.

Its a shame, it could have been a great fun Halloween Guilty Pleasure. It could have been a cheap Scream, an expensive Evil Dead. Instead its just...meh.

And what is worse, its Meh for lack of will.

The Babysitter is a fun, bloody, and stylish horror-comedy that kicks off with a great setup. The camera work in the opening scenes is clever, subtly switching perspectives to bring us closer to Cole’s world, which adds a nice touch to the storytelling. The character buildup for Cole is solid and gives the movie a strong foundation. However, I felt the decision to focus almost entirely on Cole and not dive deeper into Bee’s character was a missed opportunity. For a movie named after her, Bee deserved more backstory or emotional depth to balance out the story.

The pacing picks up nicely in the second act, delivering a mix of absurd deaths, fast-paced action, and quirky humor that feels both chaotic and entertaining. The climax does its job in tying up Cole’s arc, but it’s hard to ignore the plot holes that pop up along the way. Still, the ending lands well enough to leave you feeling satisfied. The direction is decent, and the cinematography stands out with its vibrant visuals and sharp editing. The music is a highlight, perfectly matching the tone, though I couldn’t help but feel that having a proper score would’ve added more impact in certain moments.

Overall, the movie is a campy, lighthearted watch with a lot of energy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which works in its favor, but it’s far from perfect. If you can overlook the occasional lack of logic and embrace its over-the-top nature, you’ll have a good time. It’s a fun ride but could’ve been even better with a bit more depth and polish.