One of the most off-beat, self-aware original horror comedies on Netflix is 2017's The Babysitter, helmed by McG, which is a clear love letter to '80s slasher movies. McG and the main cast return for the sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, a film that doubles-down on its consciously over-the-top premise in a flurry of teen comedy, romance and, of course, plenty of gruesomely gory kills. With its increased scope, Killer Queen is bloodier, stranger and, at the end of the day, a lot more fun than its predecessor, especially as the creative team is given more freedom to wear their eclectic influences on their sleeves in all their grindhouse glory.
Set two years after the events of the original film, high schooler Cole Johnson (Judah Lewis) discovers that nobody believes his claim he narrowly survived a satanic cult, led by his former babysitter, which used the blood of innocents to fuel their unholy abilities. As he grows closer to classmate and literal girl next door Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), Cole is invited to a remote party on a boat only to discover that the cult has risen from the grave and is out for bloody revenge, leaving the ostracized teen to do everything he can to survive the night.
Killer Queen is a direct continuation to the first movie, and like the original film, it wastes no time getting down to business after reintroducing the premise and main cast. The cast is just as game as ever, with lead Lewis making Cole a much more active protagonist this time around. Meanwhile, McG has woven an even wider range of pop-culture influences into the film, from musical cues to references well outside the conventional bounds of the horror genre, defying typical tonal constraints. If the first film didn't take itself too seriously, this approach is especially apparent in the sequel, which emphasizes the comedy amidst all of the blood and guts even more.
And there is blood and guts aplenty this time around; if there's any single visible metric that demonstrates Killer Queen has upped the ante from its predecessor, it's in the movie's level of gore and general mayhem. If you're not a fan of slasher movies and the graphic violence that goes with them, chances are you're not going to be a fan of this movie either. However, the violence is almost always played for laughs; it's purposefully meant to be as outrageous and deliriously gory as possible, but it's never overly unsavory or realistic.
A freewheeling love letter not just to '80s slasher movies but to an entire era of pop-culture history, The Babysitter: Killer Queen is even more fun than its predecessor, largely because it takes bigger, more self-aware chances and manages to stick the landing more often than not. This is a movie that knows exactly what it is and embraces it with gruesome glee, resulting in another bloody rollercoaster ride that rises above conventional genre constraints for a cinematic cocktail that is sure to thrill fans of '80s cinema.
Directed, produced and co-written by McG, The Babysitter: Killer Queen stars Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Emily Alyn Lind, Andrew Bachelor, Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino and Jenna Ortega. The film is available to stream now on Netflix.