Netflix’s The Babysitter: Killer Queen – More Entertaining and Mindless Fun

In 2017, McG delivered with The Babysitter, a cult sleeper hit that blended together the genres of comedy and horror. Two years later, The Babysitter: Killer Queen continues to follow the life of Cole (Lewis) as he still struggles to come to terms with the events of the last film, leaving him as the sole survivor with no one believing his story. In an attempt to clear his mind and avoid his parents’ (Bibb, Marino) pressure for normalcy, Cole joins his friends at a nearby lake house for the weekend. But in what appears to be a weekend free of responsibilities quickly devolves back into the events of the past as the Blood Cult returns, this time with new members seeking the same promised fame.

Fans of the first film who connected with its perfect blend of comedy and gore will be satisfied with this unexpected follow-up. The Babysitter: Killer Queen is every bit as funny, if not more so than its predecessor. Meanwhile, McG does an excellent job of recapturing the magic that made the first film so unique and an overall fun experience. The majority of this can be attributed to its great cast, all of whom return for this sequel and lean ever further into their over-the-top characters which makes this ride so much fun. The premise, while similar, still manages to seem different enough to remain fresh. The film even takes advantage of Cole’s previous experience, resulting in his interactions with the Blood Cult being even more playful this time around.

The only issues that worked against The Babysitter: Killer Queen, albeit on a minor scale, are that the production value for the sequel seemed to regress to a degree compared to the original. This fact may have been excusable in the original because of its high entertainment value but it was noticeable here. This was especially the case in the film’s attempt to expand beyond Cole’s house and into a larger landscape containing more perils.

While this choice provided a nice change of pace, the diminished production value still felt somewhat limiting. But this quickly fades away as the film pushes forward. The pacing also slightly stumbles in the early minutes of the film though they are spent reminding the audience of the events of the previous film while establishing the foundation of this sequel before picking up and running along at a pace reminiscent of the original.

Ultimately, The Babysitter: Killer Queen is a worthy successor to its cult original. It’s every bit as funny and gory while offering several twists and surprises that build on The Babysitter while still expanding the existing world of Cole and the Blood Cult with a satisfying conclusion. It doesn’t have the luxury of being a surprise find as was the original film, however, its high entertainment value works the best when you one is not dissecting its plot structure or production value.

still courtesy of Netflix

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