The Babysitter (2017) – Movie Review

Ok, so Netflix is killing my workflow. They keep throwing out interesting movies and I keep holding down my couch watching them. This time the movie was The Babysitter (2017) and I have to say it was pretty fun to watch. So, how did the movie, The Babysitter, come to be? Well, back in December 2014 Brian Duffield’s script made it to the Black List, which is a list of the best-unproduced scripts in Hollywood. In November 2014, Duffield’s script for The Babysitter was bought by McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision. Then in December 2016, Netflix acquired distribution rights for The Babysitter from New Line Cinema and… that’s how Netflix found another way to keep me glued to my couch.

The Babysitter is a comedy/horror that was directed by McG and written by Brian Duffield. It has an eighty-five minute run time and is rated TV-MA for language and violence. As far as the story goes, here’s what you’re getting into with The Babysitter. Cole is a twelve-year-old boy that has some issues in life. He’s a bit of an odd kid and that makes him a target to get picked on by bullies. Luckily, Cole has Bee, his friend/babysitter, on his side. Bee sees Cole is different but thinks he’s cool just the way he is. Cole’s parents are going out for the night, and as usual call Bee to babysit him. After talking to a friend about what babysitters do after the kids go to bed, Cole decides he’s going to stay up and find out for himself, what really goes on. Tucked into bed, Cole waits and then sneaks out of his room to see what Bee has planned tonight. What Cole thought would be a fun adventure, turns out to be the most horrific night of his life.

The story was good and filled with a lot more humor than I expected. Through the course of the story, you watch as a scaredy cat Cole overcomes his fears and takes charge. Even in the most serious moments, they found a way to throw in a bit of humor, which helped keep the movie light and fun to watch. Something that I liked about the story was it was different and something that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Yeah, it’s a slasher kind of flick, but going the way they did with the babysitter and using a kid as the hero put a different spin on the story, which was nice to see.

As far as the playthrough goes, things start off a bit slow as they introduce the characters, but once things kick off the pace picks up and stays that way until the end. I was surprised with how much I was laughing through the movie. Now, as much as I liked everything that was going on, the story is seriously simple once you find out why everything is happening and it becomes a victim runs while the killers’ chase kind of movie with bits of comedy injected into it. So, this one falls into a no-brainer kind of movie where you can just sit back, watch and laugh, which works if you’re looking to kick back and relax with something.

Some of the cast is Judah Lewis (Demolition), Samara Weaving (Monster Trucks), Robbie Amell (ARQ), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect 2), Bella Thorne (Amityville: The Awakening), Andrew Bachelor (Where’s the Money), Emily Alyn Lind (J. Edgar), Miles J. Harvey (The Dinner), Leslie Bibb (Law Abiding Citizen), Ken Marion (We’re the Millers). I thought everyone in the cast did a great job, but Amell’s character was my favorite. Yeah, he’s a killer, but he’s totally ok with it, which is what made his character so funny. Marion is always worth a laugh in his comedy roles and Bibb has brought the laughs a few times, so I was looking forward to seeing what they would be doing in this one. Come to find out, they both play a really small part in the movie and you only see them for a few minutes here and there as they throw out a couple of quick jokes here and there.

The special effects looked good and I really liked that they went with practical effects for the most part and CGI when needed. As far as gore goes, things get seriously bloody for a few scenes and a guy gets stabbed in the head, which you get a solid view of. It’s not in every scene, but things do get very visual is spots.

Overall, I’ve watched The Babysitter a few times now and I still get a laugh out of it.