The Babysitter: Killer Queen is a Fun Time but Doesn’t Live up to the Original
Warning: This review contains spoilers.
The Babysitter: Killer Queen is about what you expect, a fun horror movie that delivers on some laughs and gruesome deaths. It’s nothing more than that, and it falls a little flat compared to the first movie, The Babysitter.
No one comes into a horror movie like this expecting a masterpiece, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen does deliver on the entertainment factor. It’s a lot of fun, and the directing choices really maximize the silly-ness and are amusing. Personally, I could have done with a bit more horror and suspense, but it is still enjoyable.
Checking back in with Cole and our favorite (now ghost) tormentors is great. I’d forgotten how much I love their weird, murderous history.
Bee’s return is spectacular, and it reminds us how much we were missing her throughout the entire movie. Seriously, this movie could have benefitted from a lot more Bee.
One of the main issues with The Babysitter: Killer Queen is that Melanie and her lame group of cronies aren’t as entertaining as the originals. Melanie is too Bee-esque in terms of appearance and her friendship with Cole, but she’s nowhere close to the original.
It would have benefitted the film to make Melanie completely different than Bee because it’s hard not to compare the two and see how far Melanie falls short. She fails to be menacing, and we are just supposed to roll with the fact that she’s now the ringleader of the newer version of the blood cult.
Cole: I watched your skull explode!
Allison: Luckily, the devil gives good head.
And then Melanie’s goons are barely there, but for some reason, Max, Sonya, and Allison get killed off before the newbies do. They are far more entertaining than Jimmy and Diego.
I would’ve loved to see the originals stick around more; it would have been more enjoyable if the newbies were the first to go. I had forgotten about Max’s strange friendship with Cole; Robbie Amell scores a lot of laughs during the film, especially in the flashback where he’s wearing a nametag but no shirt.
John brings up how Cole isn’t a kid anymore; he’s an adult who is pretty good at holding his own and staying alive.
It’s a valid point, and while it makes sense that Cole’s slightly more prepared — how could you not be after surviving round one with the blood cult — it also means that there’s a bit less fear. Sure, Cole is freaked out, but it never really looks bad for him, like he won’t survive the night.
Despite there being even more bad guys than before, Cole’s not the underdog here. He and Phoebe pick them off pretty quickly, which is great for them but not as enjoyable for us. Is it bad that I basically wish we saw more of Cole being in danger and almost getting killed?
We get a couple of grisly deaths out of the film, but not that many actual frights — for a frame of reference, jump scares are about my level of horror, and I was really wanting a couple more of those.
After Max dies, the film drags a bit, not really picking back up until Bee returns and the lack of innocence twist is revealed. It’s amazing that Cole getting laid saved him and doomed the others. It’s nice twist on the horror trope of having the virgin being the last one standing.
No one is more proud of Cole than Max, which is adorable. I feel like Max might consider Cole to be one of his best friends.
Bee’s connection to Phoebe is unexpected. Phoebe gives off a lot more dangerous, potentially also in some kind of blood cult, vibes, and so the twist that everything involving her is a lot more innocent is a relief.
Then there’s the added bonus that Phoebe’s past reveals a lot about Bee’s character.
Bee being a part of Phoebe’s past allows us not only to see how Bee became involved in this blood cult, but it also gave a good reason to show fun flashbacks to how Bee recruited everyone else. They are silly little moments, but they are fun, and help give a touch more backstory on everyone else involved. They are great little character moments.
All in all, you won’t regret tuning into The Babysitter: Killer Queen. It’ll provide some laughs and a couple look away moments (mainly Allison’s head being slowly detached from her body), but it won’t go down in history as one of the bests in this genre.
What did you think of The Babysitter: Killer Queen? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Babysitter: Killer Queen is now available on Netflix.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).