From Robert Scucci
| Published
I have a confession to make. After watching (and absolutely loving) The babysitterI held off watching the sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen, because its reviews overwhelmingly suggest that it pales in comparison to its predecessor. Here I have to admit that it was the wrong decision to let outside influence determine my own taste Killer Queen is a perfect sequel that shouldn’t be missed if you’re relying solely on Rotten Tomatoes’ score to choose your audience.
Past is prologue
2017s The babysitter is a teen slasher comedy with a simple premise that is executed flawlessly. The story revolves around Cole (Judah Lewis), a high school freshman and outcast who has a crush on his sweet, understanding, cool and disproportionately attractive babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving). As his parents leave town for the evening, Cole is excited that he will be spending the night at Bee’s.
Until Cole learns that Bee is the secret leader of a satanic death cult who needs the blood of a virgin to fulfill her deal with the devil and become the best version of herself. Each member of Bee’s cult represents your type Breakfast Club Character archetype as it would exist in a slasher comedy context. Cole is terrorized by these hyperbolic caricatures of goths, jocks, and cheerleaders, and it’s easy to compare The babysitter to films like Home alone in the sense that Cole is trying to hold his own and survive until help arrives.
With the help of his neighbor Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) and another fanatic from the cult, Cole systematically kills every cult member and survives The babysitterallow Killer Queen To explore new territory.
The sequel setup
The Babysitter: Killer Queen begins two years after Cole’s traumatic soirée with Bee’s satanic cult, and things aren’t exactly going well for him. His parents believe he is on the verge of a psychotic breakdown due to his nightmares, he is considered the odd kid at school, and even Melanie, who witnessed the events that occurred during this time The babysitterShe has doubts about the validity of his memory of that bloody night. In the meantime, we get to know Phoebe Atwell (Jenna Ortega), a new student at Cole’s school whose expressionless manner and antisocial tendencies hint at a troubled past in which her parents died under mysterious circumstances.
When Cole explains to Melanie that his parents want to send him to a school for mentally ill teenagers, she urges him to quit school instead and go to a party by the lake with her. Coincidentally, Phoebe herself has received an ominous warning (hidden ominously in the eyeball of her beloved childhood stuffed bunny) that says, “It ends tonight,” along with the key to her family’s estate, which sits right on the lake otherwise gathers . As it happens, every single cult member Cole killed The babysitter was revived killer queen, and they are ready to make the sacrifice that they were unable to redeem two years ago.
Don’t listen to the critics
At first I didn’t like the direction The Babysitter: Killer Queen lasted – the first film worked so well because it was claustrophobic and took place almost entirely within the confines of Cole’s home. I couldn’t have been more misleading in my assumptions about this film, because it’s so shamelessly self-aware that it wears its tropes proudly on its sleeve. Every single showdown in Killer Queen is gamified and at some points even has health bars floating above each character as they brutally disembowel each other, clearly communicating the score to the viewer.
The Babysitter: Killer Queen was written off by critics as a dumb sequel that tried to be too big but became dumber as a result, resulting in a 46 percent critical rating Rotten tomatoes. While I was initially doubtful about expanding the franchise, I wonder if anyone remembers how ridiculous the whole thing was The babysitter was primarily with his delivery.
A solid sequel
If you want one Slasher perhaps with a little more substance (and a lot less style). The Babysitter: Killer Queen is not the right film for you. But if you enjoyed the first film, I don’t think there’s any reason that would stop you from watching the sequel. Don’t make the same mistake I did, because now I’m beaming with anticipation for the third and final installment currently in development.
You can stream The Babysitter: Killer Queen on Netflix.
