The Babysitter

Ein Beispiel dafür, wie eine Kombination von einer raffinierten schwarzen Komödie und einem irrealen Splatter-Ausrutscher nicht aussehen sollte. McG mischt hier, ohne darüber groß nachzudenken, eine moderne visuelle Seite mit stereotypen Teenagern, nicht originellen Gore-Szenen, nicht funktionierenden Anspielungen an Kultfilme und mit einem steifen Humor. Das alles möchte er mit der Geschichte von einem 12-jährigen Jungen verbinden, welcher ein in der Schule gemobbter Outsider ist. In einem gewissen Rahmen könnte es funktionieren (wenn er z. B. am Ende aus einem bösen Traum erwachen würde), es dürfte aber nicht so dumm und so weit von der Realität sein. (16.10.2020)

It delivers pretty much what the trailer promises: sterile, wannabe cool entertainment with pretty people in front of the camera, a light script and a serving of gory deaths that teenage boys might wank to. Of proper horror there isn’t even a pinch, of course, but nobody was expecting that from McG. The comparison to the recent Better Watch Out is an affront to horror fans. The two stars do deliver at least some decent craftsmanship in my eyes. In short, a perishable seasonal product. (14.10.2017)

Hats off. McG created an enjoyable horror comedy which made me feel the same way I felt when I watched Shaun of the Dead many years ago. It had great atmosphere, awesome cuts but it still wasn’t enough for 5 stars. There is not enough music for my taste. It is stylish only at the end when there is Queen playing in the background. It would be a lot better if there was more music in it. On the other hand the premise is brilliant and I have to say that Samara Weaving is great at picking her roles. This really is a movie crazy trip that makes fun of every slasher with great zeal. (12.09.2020)

Another variation on Home Alone like the recent Better Watch Out, and it succeeded just as well. Better Watch Out focused more on story and twists, whereas The Babysitter focuses mainly on gore and humour, so both score points with me, although seeing them all together in one film would have been even more of a kick. The film is nicely shot, very sexy, decently suspenseful and above all very gory, the deaths are impressive and will please the eye of many a horror fan. Definitely one of the best horror comedies this year. 75% (14.10.2017)

Hugo Weaving's niece in a swimsuit, with a kitchen knife or a shotgun, take your pick. A horror take on Home Alone with a dash of Satanism. The opening with the nanny that every boy (and not just boys) dreams of having sets the right tone and then spills over into the bloody destruction of the beautiful blonde's evil plans. It's often overwrought and McG seems to have ditched consistency and drama, but I enjoyed it unexpectedly a lot. (03.01.2023)

Ein blutiger Spaß. Mit viel Stil (wenn ich darüber nachdenke, bin ich eigentlich ein Fan von McG, nur dass er nicht besonders gute Drehbücher bekommt) und einem extrem sympathischen jungen Helden. Erwarten Sie keine Horror-Schwüle, es ist vor allem eine Parodie. Mit Litern von falschem Blut und dem toll genutzten Song "We Are The Champions". (26.12.2018)

It may be an eclectic pariah of all manner of stylistic tropes and clichés, but it's also so irresistibly quirky, fun and creative that I ended up quite liking it. A few scenes are downright stupid, and the pursuit of style sometimes makes it a parody even in moments when we should be at least a little scared, but some of the formal games are amusing (the intertitles), and the script in the second "slasher-exploitation-home invasion" half makes good use of the motifs outlined in the introduction (while being funny by reversing the roles, when the bad guys are gradually murdered). If it were more verbally humorous and more creative in generating tension or in the murders, I'd actually be very satisfied, this way most of my memories of the film will move to the third male hemisphere between my legs and involve Samara Weaving, who, if I had her as a babysitter, I'd quickly change my mind about whether it's really best to spend my evenings at the pub. (26.12.2017)

The Babysitter kombiniert Elemente von Horror und schwarzer Komödie, und wenn der Zuschauer den MCG-Film nicht zu ernst nimmt, kann er ihn durchaus genießen. Der Film hat eine ideal kurze Laufzeit, nicht viele wtf-Momente und erinnert in mehr als einer Szene an Kevin - Allein zu Haus (mit einem R-Rating). Einige der Momente, ob blutig oder humorvoll, waren gut, andere weniger (was zum Beispiel in den Anspielungen auf Filme deutlich wurde), aber insgesamt war es sympathischer Blödsinn, den man eben nur einmal anschaut. (12.09.2023)

Ich wusste überhaupt nicht, was mich erwartet, ich habe den Inhalt nicht gelesen. Umso überraschter war ich bei der ersten Horrorszene. Weiter kam es mir dann schon wie eine wilde Horrorparodievariation auf Kevin - Allein zu Haus vor. Ich denke, der Zuschauer muss unter Stoff stehen oder total besoffen sein, damit ihm dies gefällt. Wenn ich also irgendwann einmal den zweiten Teil anschaue, dann nur, wenn meine Sinne durch irgendetwas abgestumpft werden. (04.10.2020)

I think this film can be perfectly summed up by the word crap. Why the distributor listed it as a horror film is simply beyond me. Is it because of that terrible book? Or because of Samara Weaving's smile, which would scare off even a fully-grown shark? For a cheap laugh, it came in handy on a gloomy afternoon. Its runtime was by no means exaggerated, and those whose lives matter were given roles which might warrant a few lawsuits, because stereotypes. 3*- (25.11.2020)

In its own way, The Babysitter is an entertaining bit of silliness that reflects on the present day in a sometimes hilarious way (the most tragic thing about dying is losing followers on Instagram!) and you can’t deny its inventiveness. But it's not scary enough for a horror film and not funny enough for a comedy, i.e. it's a kind of weird farce with a few passable gore moments. Samara Weaving is, of course, a hottie and she clearly pulls it off here. Because the rest of the ensemble are incredibly wooden. The dynamic direction is fine, but it perhaps stands out a little too ostentatiously above everything else in this film (except for Samara Weaving's acting). (25.09.2020)