A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting – Netflix Review (3/5)

A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING is the new Netflix horror-fantasy movie for the whole family. Or actually, it’s definitely mostly for the kids. It does, however, have some pretty scary elements. Read our A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting movie review here!

A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING is the new Netflix horror-fantasy movie from Walden Media. Yes, the same Walden Media that brought us The Chronicles of Narnia. In other words, this is a movie made for the whole family to watch, but I would expect kids (around 10 to 14 years old) to enjoy it the most.

I am definitely not the target demographic for this movie. However, I can imagine that I would have been as a kid. Also, adults (or older teens) should watch this with the kids. It’s just over an hour and a half, so everyone should be able to do this for the future generation of horror fans.

Continue reading our A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting movie review below.

Tom Felton is brilliant as the boogeyman

Virtually all the creepy moments in this Netflix horror-fantasy movie are brought by a brilliant Tom Felton. He plays the character of “The Grand Guignol” which is essentially the boogeyman. In every way, Tom Felton brings moments of delicious horror to an otherwise very kid-friendly movie.

The main protagonist is played by Tamara Smart. The character is Kelly Ferguson and she’s roped into babysitting on Halloween. The young boy she’s babysitting is Jacob Zellman, who is terrified of going to sleep because he has terrible nightmares. Jacob is portrayed by Ian Ho, who you’ll recognize from A Simple Favor or maybe The Handmaid’s Tale.

Meanwhile, the girl helping Kelly (Tamara Smart) fight the monsters, is portrayed by Oona Laurence who’s previously been in both The Beguiled and the Netflix movie Lost Girls.

Finally, I have to mention Indya Moore who plays a rather small role. Still, much like Tom Felton, she plays a character that transcends the very child-focused style that is otherwise prevalent. Indya Moore is probably best known for her role in the FX series Pose (2018-2021). However, horror fans will also be seeing her in Escape Room 2 (2021).

Will there be A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting 2?

As this movie comes to a close, you will begin to feel like this might not be the end. This, of course, leads to the inevitable question: Will there be A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting 2 anytime soon?

Well, it might not be soon, but the ending of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting definitely makes it seem like there is a plan for a sequel. There’s almost a cliffhanger at the end of this movie, which seems obvious to use for a sequel.

If this movie is a success (and how can a family horror-fantasy not be a success at Halloween?), then Netflix will no doubt be quick to confirm that there will be a sequel to this movie.

Watch A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting on Netflix now!

A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting is directed by Rachel Talalay. Her very first feature film as a director was Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare from 1991. As the title indicates, this was (of course!) a movie in the Nightmare on Elm Street horror franchise. In 1995, she went on to direct Tank Girl which has become iconic in its own right.

Since then, Rachel Talalay has been directing mostly episodes of TV series. Everything from Ally McBeal and Doctor Who to The Dead Zone, Doom Patrol, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix. The script is written by Joe Ballarini who also wrote the book series this Netflix movie is based on. He also wrote the 2008 zombie horror-comedy Dance of the Dead.

When this Netflix movie begins, both the score and title font will probably remind you of Harry Potter (and the font is also somewhat similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas). However, don’t let this fool you into thinking this horror-fantasy is dark and gritty. For the most part, it is clearly made for the younger members of the family.

If you keep this in mind – and maybe watch it with kids – it’s a pretty decent little horror-fantasy movie that should entertain its target demographic just fine.

A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting is out on Netflix from October 15, 2020.

Details

Director: Rachel Talalay
Writers: Joe Ballarini
Stars: Tamara Smart, Tom Felton, Ian Ho, Tamsen McDonough, Indya Moore, Oona Laurence, Cameron Bancroft