'The Babysitter: Killer Queen' Review: 'Alice in Wonderland' meets 'Scream' in Netflix's wild, twisted sequel
It's rather tough to recover from a traumatic past, especially if it involves your hot babysitter turning into a psychopathic murderer who belongs to a satanic cult. Sigh. 'The Babysitter' captured the pre-teenage fantasy that was mixed with slasher gore, and it's sequel sees new horrors on the rise. 'The Babysitter: Killer Queen' is the next horror comedy film that follows the travails of Cole (Judah Lewis), who is no longer a hormonal pre-teen but has evolved into a hormonal, but shy teenager. He is still reeling from the horrors of the past, that involves head explosions, blood spattering etc, you know the normal stuff that has to do be done when you kill a crazed babysitter.
He is in high school now, and that's another terrifying trip till he realizes it's nothing compared to what's coming. No one believes Cole's story of Bee, his babysitter played by Samara Weaving. Everyone thinks he is crazy and delusional and the one witness who was with him during the grueling night prefers to keep the details hushed. He has a major crush on Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) and is summoning all the courage to make a move on her. One day, he gets his opportunity, and the two ride off. Well, not into the sunset, but to a beach party and that's when a bloodied series of events begin to unfold.
Unfortunately, past horrors don't let go that easily, and Melanie isn't who he thinks she is. In the process of trying to save his life, he befriends a cynical Phoebe (Jenna Ortega), who is one of those I-don't-want-to-let-anyone-in-because-I-get-hurt sorts, and breaks down her walls. There is no need to delve into much of the story, except for the fact that there are numerous twists and turns in this bizarre and twisted horror-comedy. Stereotypes are aplenty and most of the time, the jokes land. Kudos to Robbie Amell playing the shirtless hero and inducing some laughs, while Bella Thorne, just remains sexualized as ever because why use her for anything else? Lynd's acting is rather bleak in comparison to her horror companions and at times she seems to be wondering why she's in the film as well.
Films like 'The Babysitter: Killer Queen' aren't meant to be taken seriously, and are just meant for the laughs. However, many of the time, the jokes don't land properly and are messier than the bloodied spatterings of human beings shown in the film. There are some off-color jokes on mental health and medication that honestly come across as rather insensitive. The plot is a little too entangled and messy, and you almost miss Samara Weaving's performance in the film. Nevertheless, it's a chaotic and bloody ride. 'The Babysitter: Killer Queen' is that rebooted 'Scary Movie' crossover of Mean Girls in 'Alice's Wonderland' with the killer-like elements from 'Scream'.
Have fun, folks but don't have a crush on your babysitter. The film is streaming on Netflix.