Netflix: 5 Things To Love About The Babysitter: Killer Queen (& 5 Things That Didn’t Work)

Cole may have beaten a Satanic blood cult led by his old baby sitter, but that doesn’t mean his life is easy now. A sequel to Netflix’s campy horror-comedy directed by McG, The Babysitter: Killer Queen continues Cole’s story two years after the first movie’s climactic end. High school may be rough, but at least nobody is trying to murder him…or are they?

Though the first film scored decently with fans and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel has not fared as well since its September 10th release. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to appreciate about the franchise’s second homage to ’80s teen slashers.

10 Worked: The Campy Humor

One of the best things about The Babysitter was that it understood what it was and fully embraced its B-movie campy humor. Though some of the sequel’s jokes just don’t land, the comedic vibe of Killer Queen is similar to the first. The absurdly over-the-top death scenes, the scares, and the ridiculous humor of Cole’s therapy sessions with the school nurse/guidance counselor work in the film’s favor.

9 Didn’t Work: The Dated References

The Babysitter made repeated reference to ’80s and ’90s classics, but they were charming and made sense in context. Killer Queen relied heavily on dated, awkward references that felt out of place.

Whether it was Forrest Gump impressions or an undead cult member singing “867-5309/Jenny” while attempting murder, many of the references fell flat. Even the title of the movie and the use of the classic Queen song felt forced. Don’t even ask about the “Ice Ice Baby” cop.

8 Worked: A New Primary Antagonist

The plots of The Babysitter and Killer Queen are so similar in structure that the sequel would have been very boring if the writers had cast Samara Weaving as the main antagonist again. Though the story revolves around the same Satanic cult, the twist of using friend and long-time crush, Melanie, as the “villain” of the story when she was already established as good from the first movie, was a decent choice.

7 Didn’t Work: Melanie’s Dad

Cole’s parents were integrated into the plots of both films and were an amusing and necessary piece of the story. Melanie’s dad, on the other hand, had very little reason to exist other than for jokes that just didn’t work. His overall character was a cheesy caricature – and not in the fun way – and he really didn’t advance the plot. The story would have been nearly exactly the same without him in it.

6 Worked: Bringing The Original Cult Back

It’s almost always the best decision to bring back the original cast for a sequel. Recasting or writing a movie about an entirely new group of characters can be both disappointing and jarring to the audience.

The return of Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Andrew Bachelor, and Hana Mae Lee bridged the gap between the two films and make it feel like a cohesive continuation of the story. They were also some of the funniest parts of the movie.

5 Didn’t Work: The Video Game Fight Scene

After Phoebe turns down Melanie’s offer to join the cult and turn against Cole, the teenage girls face off in an exaggerated fight scene that looks like it’s something out of Scott Pilgrim. The classic Street Fighter “fight” logo flashes on the screen as the girls proceed to battle complete with ridiculous acrobatics. Since video game references were not a running joke, the sequence just didn’t work.

4 Worked: Cole And Phoebe Teaming Up

Melanie was Colt’s friend from the first movie, but since Melanie officially joined the dark side, Cole needed someone new to help him fight back against the cult. This came in the form of Phoebe, a troubled juvenile delinquent, played by Jenna Ortega.

Unlike Melanie’s father, Phoebe consistently furthered the plot and made the film more interesting than it would be to watch than Cole running around a desert alone from a group of undead cultists.

3 Didn’t Work: The Dance Number

While hiding in a cabin basement, Cole and Phoebe decide to take their relationship to the next level. The scene cuts to a strange dance number interwoven with shots of suggestive b-roll such as a rocket launching, a flower blooming, and a hot dog being inserted into a bun. Rather than a funny way to avoid showing teenagers getting it on, it just comes off as awkward and unnecessary.

2 Worked: The Baby Sitter Being Good

The return of Samara Weaving and the reveal that Bee was not as evil as she once appeared was unexpected. The first movie was built on the idea that Cole truly loved Bee because she was such an amazing baby sitter. It was nice to see that she had cared all along, and that all of this only happened because Bee made a pact with the devil to save another kid. It may retcon the audience’s original understanding of the villain and seem a little bit too easy of an answer, but it was surprisingly sweet.

1 Didn’t Work: The Virgin Sacrifice Trope

Yes, the movie is meant to be a trope-filled tribute to cheesy horror, but that doesn’t mean that every twist in the plot should be overdone and predictable. Using the classic “virgin sacrifice that doesn’t work because the virgin got laid” trope often used in cult-related horror-comedies just took away any surprise from one of the final plot twists.

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