THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN Review
THE BABYSITTER, the brash and loud slasher from 2017 turned out to be one of the pleasant surprises in film that year. While the movie was certainly far from the moniker of “high art”, one could not deny the energy and vibrancy that spewed from its reels giving the viewer a shrill, but lovable contact high. What made THE BABYSITTER work, despite its love for the absurd and vulgar was that it also made time to tap into the pre-adolescent fears of its main character, the constantly anxious Cole (Judah Lewis), giving the film an endearing and lovable characteristic. Also, the villainous performance of one Samara Weaving as the titular babysitter of every young boy’s dreams and nightmares really helped the film navigate its abrupt tonal switches between the outrageous violence and warmhearted tale of growing up. So to get last minute word of a sequel was more than welcome to my ears, however this entry, THE BABYSITTER:KILLER QUEEN, decides to throw out all heart and bet the house on increased vulgarity resulting in diminishing returns.
Not that returning director McG and an army of writers (Dan Lagana, Brad Morris, Jimmy Warden and McG) don’t try to add some twists to this second installment. As it goes, this film picks up two years after Cole’s encounter with a pack of bloodthirsty, satanic-worshipping teens (Andrew Bachelor, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee and Samara Weaving) trying to sacrifice him for their own personal gains. Unsurprisingly, the now teenage Cole has even more anxieties on his mind, with constant dreams about the now dead teenagers coming back to finish the job. Aiding in his constant anxieties is the fact that our Cole is now in the throes of high school and all the terrors that come along with it, least of all the constant snickers and looks of concerns at the kid who supposedly was almost killed by hot Satan worshipping teens. Even so, when his only friend and potential crush Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) invites him to a night out on a party boat at a local lake, Cole decides the best way to get over satanic related trauma is to attend a high school boat party. However, this being a sequel to a movie about satanic blood cults, it doesn’t take long for Cole to find himself in a battle against foes old (as the previously dead teenagers have come back to life with Cole in their crosshairs) and new.
Even as THE BABYSITTER:KILLER QUEEN more than pulls through on delivering its fair share of gross out kills and pop culture references, one can’t but help to feel a sense of complacency within the movie. While there is definitely an aura of energy, it doesn’t feel as natural as the previous film (probably due to the film’s absence of the first installment’s writer Brian Duffield) as the dialogue seems eager to jump from one vulgar joke to the next with little room for naturalness out the window. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some vulgarity in my dialogue but there is an art to it, even at its most extreme but this installment simply finds the humor in the mere existence of a curse word or sexual reference which may get a chuckle here and there but ultimately fails to carry a 90+ minute film. This air of complacency is also found in the film’s story, which doesn’t necessarily elevate the sequel into any new territory moreso as it adds one admittedly surprising twist here or there (even though every single one hardly makes any sense) resulting in a film that feels like it got a new subtle tattoo on the same body. Surprisingly though, despite the moderate success the previous film had, it’s sad to see this installment look and feel cheaper than its predecessor as the special effects and settings give off a “made for TV” vibe as the effects lack polish and the sets feel cheap and empty. Indeed, the idea to bring back the previous villains from the first film feels like a bland rehash on the writers’ end despite the returning teens of hell putting in commendable and overall entertaining performances; however it’s a shame that even out of the depths of hell, the film fails to give any new looks or edge to its returning villains instead content to let them run around literally shooting or flamethrowing any poor saps who come across them.
Despite all of these issues, there are nuggets of gold to be found here. While the aforementioned humor is decidedly a step down from the previous film, the writers find moments of gleeful absurdity in a variety of situations ranging from a gleefully random disco intermission bringing together lovers and foes alike to the very (VERY) childish visual imagery of one’s loss of virginity. And yes, even the cheap vulgar jokes managed to get some chuckles out of me because I am in fact a child. Furthermore, the performers across the board all put in good work, most pleasant of all in relation to the younger performers who all get a chance to deliver stupid lines with energy and commitment. In a strange way, this film feels very “GROWN UPS 2” in the fact that it seems like everyone involved with the production appeared to have had a great time making a film they knew was absurd not at all concerned with any potential criticisms from their audience.
In a way, that’s admirable but as an audience member myself it’s disappointing to get a sequel to a pretty good horror flick that moves the franchise backwards in quality. The main thing is the lack of heart that was found in the previous film which genuinely blended in with the film’s forays into the vulgar and absurd. Make no mistake, THE BABYSITTER was a dumb movie, but a dumb movie with heart; THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN is just dumb and loud with occasional moments that hearken back to its past glory.
2.5/5
