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The Babysitter (2017)

"Did you just blow up Sonya?"
I actually kind of forgot McG made movies. I mean... I can't remember the last time I saw one of his films. A quick look at IMDB reveals that the last movie I remember being a McG film was 2009's Terminator Salvation. It looks like he's done some features (that I've never heard of), some shorts (same) and a few episodes of TV since. McG was a thing, once. He made the Charlie's Angels movies. What happened to that dude?

I was curious, then, when the opening credits for 2017's The Babysitter started rolling, and I saw McG's name. As director. I added the movie to my Horror Movie play list because I remember reading fun things about it when it came out. The general consensus was that it was a fun horror/comedy. Upon seeing McG's name attached, I have to admit, I grew a little worried.

But, by then, the movie had started, and I could not go back.

Summary:

Cole (Judah Lewis) is the only kid he knows that still has a babysitter: he is a perennially frightened young nerd in a kind of arrested development. Bee (Samara Weaving), his babysitter, is drop dead gorgeous, digs sci-fi, and has a genuinely warm relationship with her ward. But, one night, when Cole stays up, on a dare, in order to see what Bee does after he goes to sleep, he finds much more than he ever could have imagined. It isn't an orgy (a word Cole has to look up)... it's a Satanic human sacrifice! Blood and hilarity ensue.

Pros:

Stylistic: I forgot how much fun a McG joint could be. He made his name on a kind of dynamic  and boisterous visual style and kitsch that is very much on show, here. Colors pop off the frame; the lighting is epic, often shot from directly above the actors, limning them in golden light; there are fun title cards, slow mo bits, time-lapse montages, and other bits of cinematic flare. The movie never pretends to be horror: it is a comedy from the get-go, that parodies horror tropes. McG knows how to throw a cinematic party: I had a lot of fun.

Charismatic Leads: Samara Weaving is great: she is Hollywood beautiful with the raw charisma to back it all up. Her relationship with Cole feels real and honest. Her heel turn is fun and allows her to stretch her wings a bit. Judah Lewis, for his part, makes Cole a relatable and cheer-for-able protagonist. He sells all of the horror and pain really well; his labored breathing, screaming, and mad-cap scrambling strike the perfect pitiable balance. It is fun to see Cole go on his Campbellian hero's journey, even if it is a stock story. Weaving appears to be having a blast playing The Big Bad, too: stalking Cole with a shotgun through an empty house with a cool malevolence that was genuinely thrilling. She tempers her performance, though, with some genuine concern for someone she actually cared for. Her final moment with Cole is sweet, and important for both characters.

Set Up and Pay Off: Good horror films set up elements in the first act, and pay them off when the shit hits the fan. The Babysitter sets up a lot of elements, and pays them all off in pretty satisfactory fashion. A sharply pointed glass sculpture? That's impaling someone; the cocksure neighbor's treasured muscle car? Oh, it's getting wrecked; all of Cole's myriad fears and phobias? We'll touch on those, too. I really admired the way McG, and screenwriter Brian Duffield, crowded the field with props and ideas and themes and gave them all attention throughout the film. As an audience member, it's like watching a chess board get set up: watching the pieces fall over the course of the game is incredibly satisfying.

Inspiration in the Strangest Place: During the second act, when things go all to hell, Cole is being chased by Robbie Amell's psychotic (shirtless) jock, Max, when his school bully shows up to egg the house. Max stops his murderous mission to stand, dumbfounded, while Cole lets the kid egg the house. In a fun reversal, Max insists that Cole go stand up for himself. Max ends up playing a pretty sadistic game of cat and mouse with Cole, but it is the game that finally forces Cole to step and and ascend his terrified holding pattern. Amell is having a lot of fun, and it made me laugh, heartily, to see how much, even while he was trying to kill Cole, that Max wanted the kid to stand up for himself.

Cartoonish Violence: The blood sprays like a leaking pipe on full blast; bodies go flying backwards from the force of gunshots; bones snap in horribly audible cracks; heads explode from buckshot. This movie doesn't exist in the real world. Its violence is ridiculous, which helps the audience not take it seriously. It encourages you to laugh at it.

A Quickie: At 85 minutes, this thing rockets along and won't waste your time. Horror films have become bloated in recent years: it is nice to see a return to a quick and dirty genre gem. Even if you don't like it, it won't have sucked up an inordinate amount of your busy schedule.

Cons:

Tries a Bit Too Hard: The script tries, at points, to be a bit too clever by half. Aided by some of McG's more audacious tendencies, the film rings a bit false, sometimes.

Nothing New, Here: In offering us some stock fun, the film's greatest sin is that it really has nothing new or novel to add to the genre. It looks gorgeous, it sprays its blood with reckless abandon, and it features a pair of strong performances, but it never breaks new ground.

In Conclusion:

I am incredibly picky when it comes to the horror films that I watch. I don't like to waste my time. I had a great time with this movie. It was light fare, and I was here for it.

Should You Watch It?

If you're a fan of horror, it's a fun comedy/horror hybrid, but I wouldn't call it absolutely necessary viewing. It is streaming on Netflix, and would make an excellent addition to any epic Halloween playlist, however.

Miscellany:

- The film was actually shot in 2015, and was intended for theatrical release, until Netflix bought the rights in 2016. It was released to stream on Friday, October 13th, in 2o17. 
- Duffield's script was a 2014 Blacklist script: the Blacklist is a list of the most popular unproduced screenplays for that year.

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