The Babysitter

The Babysitter combines elements of horror and black comedy and if you don't take McG's film too seriously, you can enjoy it quite a bit. The film has an ideally short running time, more than a few WTF moments and in more than one scene is reminiscent of Home Alone (with an R-rating). Some of the moments, whether bloody or humorous, were effective, some less so (as was evident in the movie references, for example), but on the whole it was a likeable romp for just one viewing. (12/09/2023)

I think this film can be perfectly summed up by the word crap. Why the distributor listed it as a horror film is simply beyond me. Is it because of that terrible book? Or because of Samara Weaving's smile, which would scare off even a fully-grown shark? For a cheap laugh, it came in handy on a gloomy afternoon. Its runtime was by no means exaggerated, and those whose lives matter were given roles which might warrant a few lawsuits, because stereotypes. 3*- (25/11/2020)

The Babysitter is a conspicuously mishandled combination of subtle black comedy and fantastical splatter. McG completely mindlessly mixes modern visuals with the most stereotypical teen characters, unoriginal gore scenes, ineffective allusions to cult films and stiff humour, and tries to string it all together in the story of a 12-year-old boy, another outsider who gets bullied at school. It could have worked within certain boundaries (if he woke up from a bad dream at the end, for example), but it shouldn’t have been so moronic and divorced from reality. (17/10/2020)

It delivers pretty much what the trailer promises: sterile, wannabe cool entertainment with pretty people in front of the camera, a light script and a serving of gory deaths that teenage boys might wank to. Of proper horror there isn’t even a pinch, of course, but nobody was expecting that from McG. The comparison to the recent Better Watch Out is an affront to horror fans. The two stars do deliver at least some decent craftsmanship in my eyes. In short, a perishable seasonal product. (14/10/2017)

Another variation on Home Alone like the recent Better Watch Out, and it succeeded just as well. Better Watch Out focused more on story and twists, whereas The Babysitter focuses mainly on gore and humour, so both score points with me, although seeing them all together in one film would have been even more of a kick. The film is nicely shot, very sexy, decently suspenseful and above all very gory, the deaths are impressive and will please the eye of many a horror fan. Definitely one of the best horror comedies this year. 75% (15/10/2017)