I'm rating this movie a 5. I want to give it higher. I really do, because I enjoyed it. It was a good movie. However, there was truthfully so much unrealized potential here, and I think that's what bothered me the most about it. I wanted it to be better. I wanted it to be more. I wanted it to be longer. I wanted the babysitter to kick more butt. I wanted her to be this unstoppable force. Maybe they will make a sequel, and maybe it will be everything that I wanted this movie to be.
26 Reviews
Pretty generic stuff here...
paul_haakonsen4 July 2021
Initially I was lured in to watching the 2020 movie "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" given the movie's cover, and the fact that this was a movie that I hadn't already seen.
First of all, let me just say that the movie's cover is actually not really a suitable representation of the actual movie or its contents. I was expecting more of a horror comedy from this cover, but the movie was a straight thriller, for better or worse.
The storyline told in "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" was actually adequately written, and writers Julie Auerbach, Kohl Glass and Kevin Tavolaro were definitely on to something here. But at the same time, then "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" just ultimately ended up as another run-of-the-mill-trapped-in-the-house-alone-against-multiple-homicidal-psychopaths. So effectively then "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" didn't really manage to stand out on its own.
The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the genre and the script. There weren't any particular stellar performances here though, in my opinion. That being said, don't mistake it for me saying that the actors and actresses weren't doing good jobs, because they were. But they just had the script and the characters working against their performances.
There wasn't much of any particular thrills or excitement to be had in "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter", and everything seemed to be running on auto-pilot with director Kohl Glass just leaning back in the director's seat for the ride.
While I managed to sit through the entire course of the movie, I was only mildly entertained by what transpired on the screen. "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" was not an outstanding or memorable movie.
I am rating "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" a mediocre five out of ten stars.
First of all, let me just say that the movie's cover is actually not really a suitable representation of the actual movie or its contents. I was expecting more of a horror comedy from this cover, but the movie was a straight thriller, for better or worse.
The storyline told in "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" was actually adequately written, and writers Julie Auerbach, Kohl Glass and Kevin Tavolaro were definitely on to something here. But at the same time, then "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" just ultimately ended up as another run-of-the-mill-trapped-in-the-house-alone-against-multiple-homicidal-psychopaths. So effectively then "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" didn't really manage to stand out on its own.
The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the genre and the script. There weren't any particular stellar performances here though, in my opinion. That being said, don't mistake it for me saying that the actors and actresses weren't doing good jobs, because they were. But they just had the script and the characters working against their performances.
There wasn't much of any particular thrills or excitement to be had in "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter", and everything seemed to be running on auto-pilot with director Kohl Glass just leaning back in the director's seat for the ride.
While I managed to sit through the entire course of the movie, I was only mildly entertained by what transpired on the screen. "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" was not an outstanding or memorable movie.
I am rating "Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter" a mediocre five out of ten stars.
It's a silly movie so watch it with that expectation
inexplicable00724 November 2021
While this is a pretty play by numbers movie there are enough scenes and weird random ridiculous things going on then you can get a good smart or even laugh out of watching this. The premise of the babysitter using her earned merit badge skills and talents against the bad guys was interesting and the bad guys and their lines was comical, the lady villain in all black took her role super seriously and kept you engaged. The script was pretty bad but I wasn't expecting too notch dialogue anyway. Like I said initially, this is a "Friday Night just put something on already" bad movie that once you know that going in just relax and kill some time.
Really?
Foutainoflife24 June 2021
Look, this might have been able to get 4 stars from me had the "babysitter" been 12 or 13 years old. However, watching a 20 year old running around in pig tails, talking about summer camp and merritt badges got real lame, real fast.
I say pass.
I say pass.
A missed opportunity. It could have been fantastic.
Jester22211 March 2023
I really wanted to like this film and give it a higher rating but I feel like it had a chance to be so much more.
The script felt like a first draft and lots more needed to be added to have made it a reao finished version. The home alone type trap was far too brief and I and iM sure many others would have loved to have seen more cultists meet their end by her ingenuity. It needed to be put into use for sure and theyd have been onto a winner. Her skills were used in a cheeseball way and the humour was only slightly hinted at , they needed to have had it real dark humour and also the whole film needed to be more gory. It really felt quite tame.
There needed to be more of the cultists so could have had more traps and kills and had the babysitter be more badass.....they tried to make her that way but it really wasn't convincing at all.
It's watchable and not terrible but it could have been fantastic.
The script felt like a first draft and lots more needed to be added to have made it a reao finished version. The home alone type trap was far too brief and I and iM sure many others would have loved to have seen more cultists meet their end by her ingenuity. It needed to be put into use for sure and theyd have been onto a winner. Her skills were used in a cheeseball way and the humour was only slightly hinted at , they needed to have had it real dark humour and also the whole film needed to be more gory. It really felt quite tame.
There needed to be more of the cultists so could have had more traps and kills and had the babysitter be more badass.....they tried to make her that way but it really wasn't convincing at all.
It's watchable and not terrible but it could have been fantastic.
Slower than a drunk snail
sketchpoetjon29 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie had the most excruciatingly slowest burn in movie history.
It was so slow that i was exhausted after watching it.
Everything happened in the last 10 mins.
Some funny one liners though. I will give it that.
Watch it if you're bored but have your phone handy for scrolling FB.
It was so slow that i was exhausted after watching it.
Everything happened in the last 10 mins.
Some funny one liners though. I will give it that.
Watch it if you're bored but have your phone handy for scrolling FB.
my new favorite final girl
portoppp1 September 2021
Im a sucker for a babysitter horror movie so this was right up my alley. Thought the villains and horror aspect were nothing new but thought the main character was a blast. Riley Scott playing Josie Jane made this movie worth watching and brought something new to a final girl. Her humor was great and I still believed that she could be taking down each villain. The Girl Scout and badge aspect was fun. Scott made the transition from the Girl Scout to final girl super believable too. Was hoping she'd get an even bigger fight in the end to show off more skills because her potential seems endless. Set up for a sequel so definitely hoping it gets made and that Josie gets to go HAM.
You need to get out more.
nogodnomasters8 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Josie (Riley Scott) is babysitting Sophie (Scarlett Hazen) the daughter of Rick (Robert Scott Smith) and Jen Steele (Kristen Marie Jensen) who are music moguls. They come home early. While Josie is on the floor looking for her phone the bad guys break in. They are part of a cult looking for a box with black masks hidden in a secret room. The masks have spikes and must be pressed onto the victims which is why they are keeping them alive. The babysitter has other ideas.
Josie went every year to camp and became a counselor. She earned merit badges in various arts that she wears on her belt. This badges are flashed every time she uses one of them. The first one being parkour as she hurdles over a sofa. You can imagine the rest as she fends off the folks in black.
The babysitter turned a run of the mill home break-in into a fun romp.
Guide: No swearing, sex or nudity.
Josie went every year to camp and became a counselor. She earned merit badges in various arts that she wears on her belt. This badges are flashed every time she uses one of them. The first one being parkour as she hurdles over a sofa. You can imagine the rest as she fends off the folks in black.
The babysitter turned a run of the mill home break-in into a fun romp.
Guide: No swearing, sex or nudity.
Left me wanting more, but in a good way
adamkraemerla9 November 2021
Honestly, a little too much unexplained and a little too short - I think the invaders could have been toyed with a bit more in their search for Josie - but mostly just hoping for a sequel that will help flesh out the backstory further. A lot of the dialogue hints at something bigger.
Tip: Don't watch this crap.
sophimatar-8190123 June 2021
The stupidity of this movie cannot be described.. There is no story, plot, acting, directing, or even modest montage.
A babysitter looks like she's at least 40?! Are you serious?!!!
The girl's parents returned early from the New Year's eve party.. There is no excuse for the babysitter to stay at home with the return of the parents, why didn't she leave?!!! Well, she did ask if she should leave now, no one answered her, so she decided to stay!! Oh, really?!
It is impossible to deny the dullness of this film.
A babysitter looks like she's at least 40?! Are you serious?!!!
The girl's parents returned early from the New Year's eve party.. There is no excuse for the babysitter to stay at home with the return of the parents, why didn't she leave?!!! Well, she did ask if she should leave now, no one answered her, so she decided to stay!! Oh, really?!
It is impossible to deny the dullness of this film.
I guess this was my cure for insomnia
tiefirst30 November 2021
I came to a crossroads the other night. Do I head to bed, or do I find a short run time movie? In hindsight, I should have went to bed. Instead I watched The Babysitter Must Die.....well mostly. It was free and only ran for 76 minutes. If we're completely honest, I did sleep through a chunk of this. I got enough from what I saw to formulate an opinion on this movie....and actually, I probably knew before I selected this flick what I was in for.
The Babysitter Must Die has a few major problems. The first is that the creators missed their mark on the tone of this movie. I don't mind that the movie uses the tone that it did, but it really wasn't set up for the audience that way. The title throws us off first. Then the character build of the babysitter misleads us again. Yet again, we're misdirected by some freeze frame exposition about the babysitter's skillset. This is set up to be a movie, perhaps in the vein of Scott Pilgrim or Kill Bill. You know, a movie with some tongue in cheek dialogue and maybe some dark comedy. It doesn't do this.....at all.
Another problem is the cultits, if you can really call them that. They bring no sense of dread to the movie. Sure they kill of few people in cold blood, but they come off more like regular people we might encounter at the supermarket than they do as servants of the devil. There's a movie called You're Next that I think this movie wanted to be. The antagonists in You're Next were just hired thugs in animal masks, but masks or not, they brought a sense of dread upon first arrival. The cultists in TBMD never hit the mark with this major characteristic.
Another smaller problem is with the lead actress. She really didn't have the charisma to get the audience on board. She was clearly too old to be playing this role, but she also just didn't have the "it" factor. She didn't need to be a stone cold fox for this to work....she wasn't. But something just felt off with her. Really, the only character that did work in this movie was the little girl being babysat.
The Babysitter Must Die is just another movie in a long list of bad movies that is part of a bigger problem of the oversaturation of the streaming industry that we are experiencing right now. These streaming platforms either fill their libraries with B and C level garbage or worse yet, they promote their "original content". I'm not sure which catagory TBMD lands in, but either way it is a cut rate movie that will be seen by more people than it deserves. There are too many ways for movies to be made or picked up for production or to be broadcast to a wide audience. And coupled with the amount of people in the world now who have ready access and time to view these vacuous libraries, more and more of this second and third tier product will be made.
Netflix hit the jackpot with Stranger Things. That was a pretty early on "original content" win. Then Netflix went back for more....and more. Then the other platforms jumped into the game. Pretty much all of it failing horribly, but people watch this stuff, so everyone thinks these are high quality productions. These platforms need to learn their place. They aren't creators. They're messengers. Bring the content, don't make it. You're no good at it.
The Babysitter Must Die has a few major problems. The first is that the creators missed their mark on the tone of this movie. I don't mind that the movie uses the tone that it did, but it really wasn't set up for the audience that way. The title throws us off first. Then the character build of the babysitter misleads us again. Yet again, we're misdirected by some freeze frame exposition about the babysitter's skillset. This is set up to be a movie, perhaps in the vein of Scott Pilgrim or Kill Bill. You know, a movie with some tongue in cheek dialogue and maybe some dark comedy. It doesn't do this.....at all.
Another problem is the cultits, if you can really call them that. They bring no sense of dread to the movie. Sure they kill of few people in cold blood, but they come off more like regular people we might encounter at the supermarket than they do as servants of the devil. There's a movie called You're Next that I think this movie wanted to be. The antagonists in You're Next were just hired thugs in animal masks, but masks or not, they brought a sense of dread upon first arrival. The cultists in TBMD never hit the mark with this major characteristic.
Another smaller problem is with the lead actress. She really didn't have the charisma to get the audience on board. She was clearly too old to be playing this role, but she also just didn't have the "it" factor. She didn't need to be a stone cold fox for this to work....she wasn't. But something just felt off with her. Really, the only character that did work in this movie was the little girl being babysat.
The Babysitter Must Die is just another movie in a long list of bad movies that is part of a bigger problem of the oversaturation of the streaming industry that we are experiencing right now. These streaming platforms either fill their libraries with B and C level garbage or worse yet, they promote their "original content". I'm not sure which catagory TBMD lands in, but either way it is a cut rate movie that will be seen by more people than it deserves. There are too many ways for movies to be made or picked up for production or to be broadcast to a wide audience. And coupled with the amount of people in the world now who have ready access and time to view these vacuous libraries, more and more of this second and third tier product will be made.
Netflix hit the jackpot with Stranger Things. That was a pretty early on "original content" win. Then Netflix went back for more....and more. Then the other platforms jumped into the game. Pretty much all of it failing horribly, but people watch this stuff, so everyone thinks these are high quality productions. These platforms need to learn their place. They aren't creators. They're messengers. Bring the content, don't make it. You're no good at it.
WTF?
perfectkiss-1230815 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is literally the worst Movie that I have ever seen. The plot was lame. The acting was terrible. The screenplay was atrocious. It was cheesy. The characters were pathetic.
There was a guy that fell to his death. It should have been 1.5 seconds before the thud. It was more like 6 seconds. It was awful!
There was a guy that fell to his death. It should have been 1.5 seconds before the thud. It was more like 6 seconds. It was awful!
How bad can a movie be? Watch THIS ONE!
garcinder-221391 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
If you watch THIS movie, perhaps you'll reach some form of a conclusion, in such regard.
It's really BARELY EVEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR JUST WASTING TIME! If you find you're bored out of your skull, with absolutely nothing else to do. Even "speed watching" (i.e. "fast forwarding") isn't much help in getting through this mess.
Conclusion: It's a "same ol' same ol'" plotline we've all seen over and over again.
I wonder if any of the "actors" in this POC moved on and did anything of further consequence in the movie industry, or for that matter, Hollywood in general.
Hopefully many of them decided "acting" wasn't in their futures.
It's really BARELY EVEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR JUST WASTING TIME! If you find you're bored out of your skull, with absolutely nothing else to do. Even "speed watching" (i.e. "fast forwarding") isn't much help in getting through this mess.
Conclusion: It's a "same ol' same ol'" plotline we've all seen over and over again.
I wonder if any of the "actors" in this POC moved on and did anything of further consequence in the movie industry, or for that matter, Hollywood in general.
Hopefully many of them decided "acting" wasn't in their futures.
What And Why?
slapdog328 January 2022
I Just Watched It To The End To See If It Could Get Any Dumber And YES, It Most Certainly Did And Whoever Paid To Get This Made Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves, I Guess The Script Sounded Good On Paper, Mmm, Nah That Couldn't Be It And I Feel Sorry For The Little Girl Who Played In This Monstrosity, She Has To Have This Mess On Here Resum'e!
One of the worst movies I have ever watched
hamadamohamed-3131425 June 2021
This is the worst movies I have ever watched, you better don't waste your time watching this because it's really sad to hear that I wasted an hour and half watching this nasty movie, the movie was really bad but in each scene I was just curious about what's happening next to this family and not because the movie is attractive.
Die Hard and the Mountains of Madness...
eoffermann23 November 2021
Characterization needed a lot of massaging - it's not enough to say "cultists" and make them weird crazy people when we have to watch them for the next hour. There's only three of them so I should know why every one of them is willing to die for this cult or why they want out. If we don't need to know them that well, we also don't need them onscreen for 75% of the film.
Riley Scott and the character Josie are terrific: Scott has the cocky humor when it's in the script so she should get more of an opportunity to use it. There's enough of an underdog hero aesthetic and an amusing basis for her to have a near-superpower set of abilities but ultimately, she's underutilized. The setup is basically a Lovecraftian take on Die Hard so we kinda needed a lot more of that. It's cultists and a rich guy's house not Nakatomi Plaza, so we could have totally been treated to some really brutal "Home Alone" shenanigans but ultimately there just wasn't enough to work with.
Fight scenes are pretty good, the acting was decent - would have probably been a lot better if there was more to work with on the page. The premise is solid but it felt like they rushed the script.
I'd watch a sequel if they wanted to really go with it. More numerous cultists, or really eff a handful of them up by the end, Harry and Marv style, and play it for laughs. This felt too timid to be as good as it could have been. Funnier, bloodier, creepier... something.
Riley Scott and the character Josie are terrific: Scott has the cocky humor when it's in the script so she should get more of an opportunity to use it. There's enough of an underdog hero aesthetic and an amusing basis for her to have a near-superpower set of abilities but ultimately, she's underutilized. The setup is basically a Lovecraftian take on Die Hard so we kinda needed a lot more of that. It's cultists and a rich guy's house not Nakatomi Plaza, so we could have totally been treated to some really brutal "Home Alone" shenanigans but ultimately there just wasn't enough to work with.
Fight scenes are pretty good, the acting was decent - would have probably been a lot better if there was more to work with on the page. The premise is solid but it felt like they rushed the script.
I'd watch a sequel if they wanted to really go with it. More numerous cultists, or really eff a handful of them up by the end, Harry and Marv style, and play it for laughs. This felt too timid to be as good as it could have been. Funnier, bloodier, creepier... something.
I was rooting against the babysitter
harryatasker18 November 2021
Really liked the premise and main character
jtober-5245528 June 2021
Movie was super close to being awesome. Thought the main character was really kickass and loved the actress that played her. She was funny too. The premise was super cool, like home alone almost but with a Girl Scout leader. Just wish the script was better and a little longer. Here's hoping for a sequel with that better script!
The babysitter.
morrison-dylan-fan25 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Taking a look at the titles streaming on FrightFest,I became curious about this film due to being unable to find any info for the flick online! This led to me going to meet the babysitter.
View on the film:
Mentioned in a post-screening interview by co-producer Gary Auerbach that this is the first of several Horror projects he has planned, editor/co-writer(with Julie Auerbach and Kevin Tavolaro)/ director Kohl Glass & cinematographer Neil Fernandez kick this first project off with a fabulous bruising opening, bringing a false sense of security to the opening dolly shots mapping out the silent house.
Shattering the silence,Glass storms the family home with rapid-fire whip-pans crashing into blood-drench slo-mo close-ups on the attackers launching into their home invasion. Dodging each attempted hit, Glass scatters cartoon icons over the screen and coiled panning shots towards Jane fighting back.
Keeping the family tied up to the chairs, the screenplay by Glass, Auerbach and Tavolaro bring enticing new rope to tie round this Horror sub-genre,via the unnamed gang wearing demonic eye patches, and the centre of the house a brightly lit,bellowing box of evil.
Rolling to Jane's (played with a plucky,Pop-Rock fizzy burst by Riley Scott) snappy take-downs, the writers sadly leave the set-up that the family may not be as innocent as they appear with one of them clearly having placed the evil box within the household,to wither,as the babysitter must die.
View on the film:
Mentioned in a post-screening interview by co-producer Gary Auerbach that this is the first of several Horror projects he has planned, editor/co-writer(with Julie Auerbach and Kevin Tavolaro)/ director Kohl Glass & cinematographer Neil Fernandez kick this first project off with a fabulous bruising opening, bringing a false sense of security to the opening dolly shots mapping out the silent house.
Shattering the silence,Glass storms the family home with rapid-fire whip-pans crashing into blood-drench slo-mo close-ups on the attackers launching into their home invasion. Dodging each attempted hit, Glass scatters cartoon icons over the screen and coiled panning shots towards Jane fighting back.
Keeping the family tied up to the chairs, the screenplay by Glass, Auerbach and Tavolaro bring enticing new rope to tie round this Horror sub-genre,via the unnamed gang wearing demonic eye patches, and the centre of the house a brightly lit,bellowing box of evil.
Rolling to Jane's (played with a plucky,Pop-Rock fizzy burst by Riley Scott) snappy take-downs, the writers sadly leave the set-up that the family may not be as innocent as they appear with one of them clearly having placed the evil box within the household,to wither,as the babysitter must die.
I have seen worse...
vickiekunst13 December 2021
This was great
calicut1106 June 2022
I'd give it a 6
marthagillespie-376395 December 2021
I gave it a 10 for what it could've been. It deserves a higher rating. The script is just bad. I would actually rate it at a 6. It really could've been great. The actors did great. I really liked the main character. It's just the script that's bad. I loved the badges too. Very cool detail.
See also
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