The horror movie scene just isn’t as much fun these days. Sure, viewers get a “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” or “The Final Girls” every now and then, but films like those are few and far between. Even though the film industry has thankfully moved on from the post-“Saw” gore flicks of the early 2000s, the majority of horror films released in theaters still take themselves too seriously, evidenced by the completely dour ghost movie of the month audiences are usually subjected to. Leave it to film industry pariah Netflix to offer something fun this Halloween season in its latest original film, “The Babysitter,” which mixes horror and comedy to varying degrees of success but remains somewhat enjoyable.
The film’s protagonist is Cole (Judah Lewis), a dweeby middle-schooler who is constantly coddled by his parents and is afraid of pretty much everything. His only friend is his neighbor and babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving), who protects him from the local bully, Jeremy (Miles J. Harvey), and keeps him company. When his parents decide to go on vacation, Bee is left in charge of Cole for the weekend. What starts as a weekend of fun and games quickly turns dark when Cole stays up past his bedtime and discovers Bee’s secret: She’s a Satan-worshipping murderer. Now Cole must try to escape Bee and her Satanist friends before they kill him for witnessing their dark deed.
With such a silly premise, being able to transition and balance tone is absolutely crucial. While the first 20 or so minutes feel like a simple buddy comedy between Bee and Cole, the shift that occurs once Bee kills is jarring. But that’s not to say that that change throws the film off. It actually works in the film's favor, reflecting the radical shift in Cole’s view of Bee and how serious the situation has become at the drop of a hat. The scene in which he learns Bee’s dark secret is one of the only scenes of actual horror in the film. The rest of the film goes full on absurdist comedy, mixing slapstick and snarky dialogue to counter the dark proceedings of the actual story. It’s not reinventing the horror comedy paradigm, but the film follows the beats well enough.
While the story progression is relatively standard, the actors elevate the material. Weaving knocks it out of the park as Bee, with a terrifying gaze that feels like it’s burning a hole in your soul. She is adept at quickly transitioning between playing the role dramatically and comedically, preventing the film from ever feeling like it’s being too meta. Lewis gives a solid enough performance for a child actor as the archetypal underdog protagonist in a horror film. His turn from nebbish to impromptu man of the house feels a bit sudden and not entirely earned, but it fits the theme of the film and is par for the course. Bella Thorne shows up playing the vapid cheerleader Allison and does it so well that I’m not entirely sure she’s acting. Robbie Amell is also entertaining as the equally innocuous star quarterback Max, and the film takes an interesting turn with his character’s motivations and personality that I didn’t expect, so props there.
The biggest thing holding the film back is the choice of direction. Director Joseph McGinty Nichol, known professionally as McG (“Charlie’s Angels,” “This Means War”), isn’t exactly known for churning out high-brow fare, and his direction in the film doesn't always fit. During some of the more tense chase sequences, he uses wonky point-of-view shots that look like they’re filmed with a GoPro, yet rather than making it add to a feeling of tension, it comes across as distracting and unnecessary. There’s also an overuse of on-screen title cards that’s reminiscent of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” but feels woefully out of place in a movie where the characters are all ordinary people. Part of the joke might be to contrast it with their normalcy, and in some cases mediocrity, but it didn’t work for me.
While most of the comedy works, the referential humor largely doesn’t. The script is too keen to dip into the pop culture well for jokey references, shouting out everything from “E.T.” to “Aliens.” I get that viewers are supposed to buy Cole as a geek, but it’s too forced and becomes annoying rather quickly. Referential humor can work, but it has to be subtler and more embedded within the dialogue, and “The Babysitter” doesn’t quite hit that mark.
On the surface, “The Babysitter” feels right at home with your average “Goosebumps” episode, reminiscent of something eerie that you may have rented from the video store to watch with your friends when you were younger. However, its inclusion of violence and sexuality makes the film an interesting hybrid of a PG premise guised under an R-rated aesthetic. It’s an interesting experiment in style that I have to commend. There’s just enough entertainment to be found in “The Babysitter” to justify adding it to your Netflix list this Halloween season.
Grade: B-
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