The Babysitter: Killer Queen, the sequel to Netflix’s campy horror-comedy, The Babysitter, is more ridiculous than its predecessor. Not a bad thing at all, these films are not taking themselves that seriously. The over the top gore sequences are back, and so is the exposition based dialogue. The Babysitter: Killer Queen follows the same formula as the original, but there are unexpected twists this time around and a lot of unanswered questions from the first film are resolved.
Netflix’s coming of age horror-comedy certainly didn’t need a sequel, but the mid-credit scene from the previous film indicated there was room for more. What worked so well for the original was the heartwarming relationship between Bee and Cole. Also, Cole was an easy character to get behind, and all the actors made the most of the horrendous dialogue they were given to work with. Once again directed and co-written by McG, The Babysitter: Killer Queen stars Jenna Ortega, Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell, Emily Alyn Lind, and Judah Lewis. Set two years later, Cole (Lewis) is still haunted by the night he defeated a satanic cult lead by his babysitter, Bee. He’s considered crazy, but his next-door neighbor, Melanie (Lind) convinces him to attend a lake party and his old enemies return.
This film probably will upset fans of the original because actress Samara Weaving, who played Bee, will not be at the center like before. Despite that, The Babysitter: Killer Queen can stand on its own without the leader of this satanic cult. Overall, the dialogue is awful as expected, the plot is just as uninteresting, but watching everything unfold is what will keep viewers glued. Every single character is underdeveloped outside of Cole, and that’s fine for this film because there’s no point to it other than to give you a few laughs at just how absurd it is. Lewis rocks it as Cole and it’s great to see him back in this nerdy role, but more mature.
Cole doesn’t need a babysitter anymore, his interest in girls is heightened, and Lewis gives off the perfect shy and unexperienced vibes. Newcomer Ortega, who many will recognize as the little sister from YOU, enters this film with purpose and comes off as if she has always been here. She’s the new girl at school, Phoebe, and she has a shocking connection to Cole that many won’t see coming. Ortega has been making great impressions with her recent projects and her performance here is just another good showing. Again, despite how lacking the script is, these actors and actresses give it their all once again. McG delivers yet another fast-paced film and doesn’t turn back once Cole and his friends arrive at the lake.
Beat for beat like its predecessor, calm innocent setup that gets undone by an unexpected character decision. From there, we have over an hour’s worth of ridiculousness unfolding. McG provides a suspenseful ride that you’ll only care to see finish just because it’s so over the top. Of course, Cole being the only character you will have interest in makes the film watchable as well. The components that worked before work here, it really just comes down to the fact that this film has awful dialogue throughout, and it’s mixed with characters you don’t care about because they are throwaways. The score in the film matches the campy, coming of age narrative, so there are some redeeming qualities for this sequel.
The Babysitter: Killer Queen may or may not be another sleeper hit for Netflix, but it’s fine for what it is. Just another horror-comedy that adequately balances the genres, and gives you enough to at least sit-down and endure it. It is a decent follow-up to another subpar film, and fans of the genre will appreciate the redeeming qualities it possesses.
