The Scene staff
If you ever had a babysitter growing up, it was like playing the lottery.
On one hand, you could be lucky and score a cool babysitter who becomes part of the family and helps you make fun memories. On the other hand, you could have bad luck and get a no-nonsense, straight-out-of boot-camp Super Nannie who gets triggered if you don’t use the right fork.
A third super-unlucky possibility is a babysitter who seems nice at first but is ready to rip your heart and other organs out for her own gain.
The 2017 movie “The Babysitter” is a gore-filled horror-comedy that follows Cole Johnson, a soft-spoken nerdy young teenager who gets picked on daily and has a phobia about needles.
His only two companions are his next-door neighbor, Melanie, and his tough but caring babysitter, Bee, who acknowledges Cole as her equal.
Everything is fine until Cole discovers that Bee is the leader of a satanic cult. After seeing her in action, he realizes she needs his blood to make wishes come true.
The movie begins with Cole (played by Judah Lewis) screaming and pleading with the school nurse, Mr. Daily (Carl McDowell), to allow him to skip out on getting his flu vaccine.
Mr. Daily is annoyed but able to calm Cole down enough to give him his shot, which is followed by an ear-shattering screech.
Cole talks to Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), his best friend at school and neighbor, before walking home, where he is bullied by Jeremy (Miles J. Harvey) and his crew on bikes.
After Cole gets pushed to the ground, Bee (Samara Weaving) swoops to his rescue, puncturing the tire of the boy who pushed him and chasing the bullies off. Back at home, his parents try to give him words of encouragement.
The next day, Bee shows up to Cole’s house, and his parents give the two of them a mind-numbing list of rules before leaving them to their shenanigans.
Bee’s behavior turns seductive as they dance to the Foghat song, “I Just Want to Make Love to You.” When the day is over, she offers Cole a shot of questionable alcohol, which he dumps into a plant before he goes to bed.
Bee’s friends arrive and begin the night with a kinky game of truth-or-dare, and Bee is tasked with kissing everyone. There’s a sobering make-out with Allison (Bella Thorne) before she reaches shy Samuel (Doug Halley).
Bee cheers him up with a passionate kiss before pulling two knives from mid-air and plunging them into his skull, the first of many shocking and gory acts. The other four catch his blood in goblets to use in their Satanic ceremony.
Cole, secretly watching, hears them say his “innocent” blood is also needed. He returns to his bedroom and quickly calls the police.
The group goes upstairs to collect Cole’s blood, drawing it from his arm as he fakes sleep. He then ties bedsheets together for an escape, but Bee realizes he’s awake, so she and her friends take him downstairs.
They tie Cole’s hands and question him about what he knows. The police arrive and burst through the door with guns drawn.
Max (Robbie Amell) throws a fire poker through a policeman’s eye. Another policeman shoots Allison in the chest before Bee slashes his throat.
While everyone is distracted, Cole breaks free and makes a run for his room. John (Andrew Bachelor) chases him upstairs, but Cole gets the upper hand and pushes John over the railing, causing him to get impaled in the neck by a crystal trophy.
Cole eventually takes on the rest of the group, one by one, for a series of dramatic and gory scenes, including some helpful coaching from Max about facing his bullies.
Finally, Cole confronts Bee by driving his neighbor’s car into to the living room, crushing and killing her. His parents come home to find him calm and in control of the situation.
When this movie first came out, I was very impressed with the combination of comedy, drama and gore. Now rewatching it, I focus more attention on Cole’s journey from zero to hero. We see a wimpy character get a fast upgrade.
But it’s not until the sequel, “The Baby Killer Queen,” that Cole fully develops and cements his confidence. That movie is more comedy and lore than horror.
One issue I had with “The Babysitter” is when everyone was downplaying Cole. The only time he got a glimmer of respect was at the end.
The movie has a total kill count of eight, with each taking place in his or her own dramatic fashion. My favorite kills were Sonya (Hana Mae Lee) and Samuel because they occurred unexpectedly.
Overall, these are two good movies for Halloween, but they can be watched all season long. They’re both worth the hour and a half.