The other week while mindlessly scrolling through social media, I came across a post from Bella Thorne showcasing a snippet of a trailer for what seemed to be a sequel to “The Babysitter.” After doing some more digging, I found out there was indeed a second movie released on Netflix where the horrors that follow young Cole (Judah Lewis) continue. 

“The Babysitter: Killer Queen” accompanies the first movie, released in 2017, but this time with more comedic banter and overall better production value. It has the same actors from the first film, including Thorne, Lewis, Emily Alyn Lind as Melanie and Samara Weaving as Bee.

This time around, we discover that it’s been two years since the satanic murders took place at Cole’s home. Because no evidence was left, there is no reason to believe what Cole said happened was actually true, so the entire town is left to believe he made the whole thing up and is crazy. 

Cole’s relationships with both his parents and his childhood best friend, Melanie, have grown since then, which goes on to play a pretty big role at the film’s climax. After the idea of taking a trip to the lake invites plot twist after plot twist and the killers from the first movie are resurrected, the night takes a turn for the worst (and funniest). 

There are several enjoyable elements in this film, but there are also moments that aren’t as appealing, or elements that made me want to straight up turn the T.V. off. To start, a brand new character, Phoebe (Jenna Ortega), is introduced. When she makes her first appearance, you can tell the writing for her dialogue is basic. 

She comes in with a “bad girl” persona that is so cringe-worthy, I almost lost hope for the direction the screenplay was headed in. Sticking around was worth it though, because about halfway through watching I started to realize that the scandalous and cringy writing is purposeful. 

It seems like the writers were trying to  parody regular horror movies with over-the-top levels of gore and predictable outcomes. The characters were written to make dumb decisions.  

Overall, I prefer the sequel over the original. The sequel plays off of the first film well  in both character development and plot. It isn’t one of those sequels that feels completely unnecessary, but rather one that adds to the original storyline and skillfully grows into a bigger concept. 

There’s also another cliffhanger at the end, insinuating the possibility of a third movie and completing the trilogy. I honestly wouldn’t be upset with another sequel as long as producers know what they’re doing and are able to pull it off again. 

If you are interested in realistic gore in horror movies, but are also looking for a lighthearted laugh, I would 100% recommend “The Babysitter: Killer Queen.” The only downfall is that in order to watch it, you have to have already seen the first, or at least be willing to watch both. I also wouldn’t recommend watching right after eating (unless you have a strong stomach).