This is going to be a short one, pals, because I straight up loved this movie. Dearest Netflix, this is the ambitious, entertaining, ballsy content that I signed up for. Well done.
From the opening scene, through every minute of its incredibly reasonable hour-and-a-half runtime, this film lives out its fullest potential. From the story, to the editing, to the grade-A performances, McG’s The Babysitter is by all counts a banger.
Cinematically, this film is passionately adventurous, with smooth tracking shots from inside of a crawl space to the creative use of the stairs in blocking some of the signature horror scenes.
Cole (Judah Lewis, or mini Zac Efron) delivers a fantastic and believable performance, and the same can be said for babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving). Cole’s parents — and each of the hopeful cultists — are spot-on stereotypical in the best of ways, and Cole’s best friend Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) has a strong third act.
I can’t call it a “horror comedy,” as that subtitle conjures up the Scary Movie franchise, and this really isn’t that. This is a film with deliciously bloody and fun gore, a slasher/chase-em-up mashup with brilliantly executed comedic lines and moments, a coming-of-age meets Goonies-style adventure tale packed with action.
And against all odds, folks, the scares were damn good, too. I still found the jumps and the gruesome deaths enough to pop me up and churn my stomach, albeit with a huge smile on my face.
All in all, this movie was a true delight, and I sincerely hope to see more of McG on Netflix in the future.
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