Film

The Babysitter

Name: The Babysitter
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Released: 2017
Cast: Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne

Horror comedy

A candy-coloured slasher-comedy where an insomniac kid discovers his babysitter leads a murderous Satanic cult. It's *Home Alone* filtered through neon and gore, deliberately dumb in the best way: rapid-fire kills, video-game logic, and a tone that knows exactly how silly the premise is. Made for people who want horror that doesn't take itself seriously and comedy that doesn't soften the blood.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like horror comedy that plays its gore for laughs and its teen-movie mischief with a straight face, the kind where a kid's wild night turns into a gleefully escalating mess.

Skip it if you want horror that builds dread slowly or treats its violence seriously, since this one is loud, bloody and happiest when it is being silly about it.

What it asks of you: Run about eighty-five minutes and keep up with a quick, nonstop rhythm, with the jokes and the carnage arriving close together and little room to settle.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Happy Death Day2017

Same year, same energy: a slasher with a comedic backbone and a clever premise that justifies the mayhem. The loop structure keeps things moving and the violence lands because the movie refuses to wink too hard.

But The plot can feel slight if you're looking for real scares or real emotional weight. It's a machine designed to entertain, not enlighten.

Freaky2020

Body-swap slasher with genuine laughs, inventive kills, and Vince Vaughn clearly having the time of his life. Christopher Landon's direction has that same confidence in mixing gore and humour without letting either sabotage the other.

But It's longer and more ambitious than *The Babysitter*, which means it sometimes loses the thread. Pacing dips in the second act.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

Flips horror tropes by making the 'killers' sympathetic and the 'victims' the actual threat. The comedy lands because the filmmakers commit to the premise and the characters feel real despite the absurdity.

But Slower start than *The Babysitter*. It takes time to set up the dynamic, so instant-gratification gore fans might check out early.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Babysitter

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

One Cut of the Dead2017

Both treat genre mechanics as something to play with rather than obey. Both have that video-game logic where the rules are clear and breakable. Both are fundamentally about *watching* rather than believing.

A meta-horror about a crew making a zombie film that starts disastrous and becomes genius. The first 37 minutes are seemingly a mess, then it flips and justifies everything. Made for people who love the *why* as much as the what.

But The first act is deliberately ugly and hard to watch—shaky cam, bad acting, apparent incompetence. You have to trust the filmmaker, and if you don't, you'll bail.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse2015

Teenage boy-band energy meets zombie chaos, with setpieces that feel genuinely inventive. It's unpretentious and knows its audience: people who want to be entertained, not impressed.

But The humour is broad and sometimes juvenile. If you need wit in your comedy-horror, this will feel like it's talking down to you.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse poster

Housebound2014

A New Zealand haunted-house film that genuinely surprises with tone shifts. Starts as one thing and becomes another without losing its sense of fun or its commitment to both scares and laughs.

But The shift in direction might feel jarring rather than clever. It asks you to accept a tonal change that doesn't suit everyone's palate.

You're Next2013

Home-invasion thriller where the final girl is competent, creative, and genuinely fun to watch. The twist energises the second half instead of deflating it, which is harder than it sounds.

But It's grittier and less explicitly comedic than *The Babysitter*. If you're after that bright, pop-art gore style, this will feel more grounded and less fun.

A Dark Song2016

Treats the Satanic cult angle seriously—a grieving woman and an occultist perform a desperate ritual in an isolated house. The sound design is hypnotic and the emotional core sneaks up on you.

But It's quiet, patient, and genuinely unsettling. If you want your horror to be fun and kinetic, this will feel like a funeral.

The Slumber Party Massacre1982

Proto-*Babysitter*: teens, a killer, and a tone that's never entirely sure if it's terrifying you or making you laugh. A genuinely influential film that influenced everything that came after, including this.

But It's slower and less polished, shot on a shoestring in 1982. The kills aren't as stylised and the movie takes itself more seriously than its premise warrants.

The Final Girls2015

Both use the slasher's plasticity—its colors, its kills, its rules—as material for play. Both understand that horror fans know the formula and want to see it rearranged, not destroyed.

A girl enters a slasher film trying to save her mother. It's *Cabin in the Woods* for people who actually love slashers—wears its genre love openly, lands genuine emotion, and has real kill choreography that impresses.

But It leans more teen-drama than outright comedy. If you want consistent laughs, it'll feel sentimental in a way *The Babysitter* never does.

The Cabin in the Woods2012

Both are about the machinery of horror—how it works, why it works, what the rules actually are. Both refuse to be sincere about the genre while being completely sincere about why the genre matters.

Horror about horror: five teens in a cabin that's actually a control room for an ancient ritual. Whedon and Goddard built a love letter to slashers that's also a deconstruction. The final act drops pretense and goes nuclear.

But It's smarter than *The Babysitter* in a way that can feel exhausting. If you want to coast on entertainment, the constant meta-commentary can feel like homework.