3083. The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

Starring: Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Emily Alyn Lind

Director: McG

Running Time: 102 mins

The Babysitter: Killer Queen is an American film and the sequel to The Babysitter. Two years after Cole survived on that nightmarish night, he is caught up by the same blood cult once again.

I liked the first Babysitter movie a lot. It was a great horror-comedy with a fun premise, great performances and crowd-pleasing thrills, and I’m delighted to say that its sequel follows in the same wake. Impressively building on the story established last time out, Killer Queen is a surprise hit throughout, with the same fun factor as its predecessor, but a story that arguably outdoes the first movie.

On the whole, the first and second movies are largely similar, but the few differences that separate them do have an impact. On the one hand, it’s fair to say that this sequel doesn’t use its setting to a strong effect like the first movie, getting lost in a fairly soulless desert setting compared to the terrifying hellscape of Cole’s house being destroyed over one night.

What’s more, the film is missing Samara Weaving’s excellent performance, with Emily Alyn Lind brought into replace her, yet doing little to endear or entertain in quite the same devilishly exciting way.

However, although Killer Queen misses out on some of the strengths of its predecessor, it also builds on the first film in some very surprising ways. For one, the film takes place in the context of Cole struggling at high school, and broadens its scope to include other characters as well as a cleverly-plotted metaphor about losing your virginity.

The movie starts off like a fairly underwhelming high school comedy, but once we see its true nature come out in the second act, that first act starts to hit home differently, playing a part in what proves to be a hugely entertaining ride to the finish.

Also, this is one of the few sequels that wants to tell a story with a little bit of fantasy mumbo-jumbo, yet doesn’t expect you to take it entirely seriously. For instance, director McG knows that you don’t remember all the specifics from the first movie, and so inserts brief reminders in impressively effective fashion that really help you to enjoy the story this time around.

Meanwhile, the film’s final act is a particular treat, as it brings together all the weird fantasy lore that these two movies have unexpectedly built up and puts a clever and surprisingly touching twist on it. It’s not a work of genius, but it is a really satisfying ending to two thoroughly enjoyable movies, capping off the pair with a good sense of humour and imagination.

Overall, I really liked The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Once again, it’s a fun horror-comedy with entertaining action throughout and a good sense of humour. It’s not meant to be taken seriously, but it also manages to engage you in its story, lore and metaphors in a way that shows it’s much more than just a throwaway Netflix movie. So, that’s why I’m giving it a 7.5.