While some may argue that the sequel wasn’t necessary, the climactic reveals at the end help to contextualise the events of the two films and ties a nice bow on the story. A series of flashbacks laced throughout the film reveal some surprising motives behind Bee’s behaviour in the original movies, whilst allowing Samara Weaving an opportunity to cameo. ![]() After being so invested in the characters in the first film, I was glad that the film managed to recapture that sincere bond between the two. While The Babysitter: Killer Queen does rehash a lot of what made the first movie so original and standout, it also manages to provide a sense of closure for Cole, Bee and their story. In a rather meta moment, Terminator 2 is referenced in dialogue as one of the few sequels that surpasses the original, and it’s almost as if the movie openly acknowledges that it isn’t reinventing the wheel here, but servicing fans with more of the same. There are plenty of references to in-jokes from the first movie, such as Bella Thorne’s unfortunate boob injury and Robbie Amell’s weird bromance with Cole, which further demonstrates how the film follows the path laid out by its predecessor. The rest of the returning actors slip back into their roles rather effortlessly, although they continue to play rather broad under-developed caricatures. While the absence of Samara Weaving as the main antagonist does cost the film some of its charm, Judah Lewis proves himself more than able to carry the movie as the leading man. The cultists from the original movie return from the dead in a rather matter-of-fact way and this time they have a new leader, although I won’t reveal their identity as it is part of the big twist midway through the film. Judah Lewis was a revelation in the first movie, and while he has clearly grown-up in the three years in-between the two films, he remains a charismatic young actor with real depth. It’s not quite as irreverent and slapstick as Scary Movie franchise, but it also doesn’t quite take itself seriously as a real horror franchise. There’s an anarchic millennial feel to this movie that pays homage to the classic horror movies of the 80s, but also modernises the genre with a punk teen vibe. McG’s directorial fingerprints remain visible on this movie through flourishes like on-screen text aimed the audience, quirky flashbacks that fill in the backstories of the original cult members and a rather trippy dance sequence. Continuing with that theme, The Babysitter: Killer Queen is very reminiscent of Home Alone II: Lost in New York, in that it remixes the successful format of the original with a change in location, but spends most of the film re-treading familiar story beats to give viewers more of what they liked the first time around. ![]() In my review for The Babysitter, I compared the film to Home Alone, in that it featured a young kid defending himself against intruders in his home. Whilst the logic was a bit iffy, it is a familiar horror movie trope and it allowed for some interesting character development to run alongside the usual gore and one-liners – the same juxtaposition of heartfelt earnestness and gross-out comedy that served the original well. It just seemed like a way to reset the status quo slightly, whilst giving Cole some more existential angst to work through in the movie. This element was the most frustrating part of the film for me as it didn’t quite make sense given that a) there were numerous corpses to back up his story and b) his parents had met Bee and knew she existed. ![]() Set two years after the original, The Babysitter: Killer Queen focuses on Cole in his Junior Year of High School as he struggles to come to terms with the traumatic events of the first movie and the fact that everyone thinks he made it up. Samara Weaving played her in the original, and after experiencing a sudden rise in popularity due to films such as: Ready or Not and Bill & Ted Face the Music, it appeared that she was unavailable for this sequel. I had low expectations going in, as horror movie sequels often have diminishing returns and after watching the trailer it looked like Bee, the titular Babysitter from the first movie, was not expected to appear. Released on Netflix in October 2017, The Babysitter was a guilty pleasure of mine when I reviewed it earlier this year so I was intrigued when it was announced that it was getting a sequel, especially considering most of the cast were returning despite being killed off in hideously gruesome ways in the original. And the demons from his past? Still making his life hell. Synopsis: Two years after Cole survived a satanic blood cult, he’s living another nightmare: high school. Starring: Judah Lewis, Emily Alyn Lind, Robbie Amell & Bella Thorne & Samara Weaving
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