Review: The Babysitter, Netflix new original flick, is surprisingly an exhilarating ' Home Alone ' of teen-slasher thriller. It revolves around a fateful night for a pubescent school guy, Cole (Judah Lewis), who secretly admires his teenage babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), who seems to have similar interest to classic films and pop culture. Cole's parents are out of town for a reconciling 'honeymoon', leaving him alone only with Bee. That's how the crazy night begins.
FYI, the whole gonzo is McG's new film and it comes like what McG films should be. It's sexy, adrenaline-charged, over-the-top and stylish; although often coming all over the place and, basically, bland. This time, McG adds some touch of gore and references to classic B-movie slashers in presenting his latest guilty-pleasure ride.
The Babysitter borrows most of the fun from combination of haphazard comedy timing and cliché parade from retro teen-slasher. Cole and Bee's chemistry starts it all (the cinematic spaceship crew talk has it first; and Billy Jack reenactment clinches it), before the Satanic cult trope (inclusive of teen-slasher's squad with Bella Thorne and Robbie Amell from McG's The DUFF, Abraham Bachelor, Hannah Mae Lee, and Doug Haley) takes over. While the whole satanic ritual plays huge (if not major) parts, it feels like unraveling the film's biggest twist only by discussing it (meanwhile, the trailer has already spoilt the fun by revealing almost everything fun in it).
Babysitter's quick pace helps elevating the film's goal as a funride. McG doesn't try to satirize anything; he only wants to have fun and that's what he holds dear in making this gory blast. While the plot is thin and the elements are scattered all over the place, The raucous Babysitter is able to wrap them as a blatant home entertainment with some healthy laugh before Halloween.
Lewis and Weaving's electric performance kick-starts the whole ride. While Weaving is practically absent in the film's mid-act, McG's confident direction steals the spotlight with series of invigorating death scenes. It's hard to take this seriously; but, you should probably start considering The Babysitter as McG's best work to date and that the director finally finds some kind of comfortable film to channel his directorial style.
The Babysitter (2017)
Comedy, Horror, Thriller Directed by: McG Written by: Brian Duffield Starred by: Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne Runtime: 85 mins
