THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN Review – One Of The Best Horror Sequels In A Long Time
Starring Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Emily Alyn Lind, Samara Weaving
Directed by McG
Viewers were probably not expecting The Babysitter to have spawned a franchise when it landed on Netflix in 2017, but we can say with confidence that The Babysitter: Killer Queen is one of the best horror sequels we’ve seen in a long time. McG has clearly come a long way from directing music videos, because he’s now established himself as a credible horror filmmaker.
If you’ve already seen The Babysitter, you’ll probably find yourself in familiar territory with the sequel, although there’s a much stronger focus on supernatural elements this time. Taking place two years after its predecessor, the film once again focuses on Cole, as he struggles to adapt to being a normal high schooler after nobody believes his account of what happened in the first movie. To make matters worse, his parents are even considering having him institutionalised if he continues with his crazy ramblings about almost being murdered by a crazy babysitter and her peers. So, a weekend break with a girl he likes might just be the thing he needs. Although things do not go according to plan, as Cole finds out that his secret crush is a member of the satanic cult that tried to kill him the first time around, and that she is now determined to finish the job.
Judah Lewis is a highly talented young actor, and he was once again superb in the role of Cole. He perfectly embodied the personality of an awkward teenage boy struggling to move on from trauma while also desperately wanting to fit in and be accepted by his peers, which makes Cole a likeable character who viewers will sympathise with. Most of the other cast members, including Emily Alyn Lind as Melanie, Cole’s murderous crush, and Jenna Ortega, as Phoebe, his new love interest, were also on top form. And while Samara Weaving was brilliantly charismatic and sinister as Bee, the titular psychotic babysitter, she didn’t have a huge amount of screen time here.
Like the first movie, Killer Queen was also filled with plenty of outrageous gore effects, some of which are bound to have you roaring with laughter. We also need to give McG credit for trying to create genuine tension and suspense between the comedy elements instead of just relying on cheap jump scares, with one particularly nail-biting sequence involving Cole and Phoebe being trapped under a car with a poisonous snake while their pursuers linger just a few feet away being a strong standout.
While we would have preferred for Bee to have had a larger presence in the sequel, we still found The Babysitter: Killer Queen to be a worthy sequel with a decent amount of gore and suspense, in addition to great performances from its lead actors. Although it’s only September, we already think this might be one of our favourite horror films of the year.
Summary
With an intelligent script, great central performances, and plenty of outrageous gore effects, we found The Babysitter: Killer Queen to be one of our favourite horror movies of 2020 so far.
