LOUISA: 
LOUISA SAYS:
Juvenile horror films can be wildly fun (see “Hell Baby,” “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”), but “The Babysitter” feels like a wannabe outsider that’s desperately trying so hard to be kitschy and edgy that it becomes a lame vehicle whose sole purpose is to outdo other (and far better) movies in the horror-comedy genre. The film longs to be satirical and relevant but instead scales the heights of immaturity so much so that the entire thing feels like it’s the result of the imagination of two horny sixteen year old boys who’ve downed a case of Red Bull.
This blood splattered coming of age story follows Cole (Judah Lewis), a nerdy kid who is madly in love with his foxy high school babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving). Bee is super cool and super awesome and the duo have a special bond. When his parents head out for a romantic weekend, everything seems normal — until Cole watches as Bee and her friends (Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee) perform a satanic ritual in his living room.
What follows is a near-slapstick violence and gorefest of bloody kill after kill in an apparent send up of modern genre horror classics as Cole resorts to deadly traps to escape his house (think of it as a grisly version of “Home Alone”). Director McG packs on repeated irritating attempts at stylized splatter spoofs, but it quickly comes across as something more silly and geeky than sincere. And that’s okay: not everything has to have a deeper meaning.
This wild romp is outrageously absurd, but should be enjoyed by horror fans looking to shut off their brain for a couple of hours.
“The Babysitter” is an original film now exclusively streaming on Netflix.
Screen Zealots 