Netflix is fast becoming associated with quality original content and smart feature acquisitions, but when they pick up a film by a less-than-respected director from a studio that apparently weren’t too bothered about releasing it, alarm bells start ringing.
The official reason behind New Line Cinema handing over their upcoming The Babysitter was that they had too crowded a slate, and so sold it to the streaming giant for a whopping $10 million, according to Variety’s reports. It seems like a pretty sweet deal for New Line, who have covered the film’s production cost without having to bother with marketing, release strategy, etc.
The Babysitter is directed by McG (Terminator Salvation, Charlie’s Angels), and stars Samara Weaving (Ash vs. Evil Dead) as a babysitter who leads a horde of Satanic killers. Also starring are Bella Thorne (Scream: The TV Series), Robbie Amell (ARQ), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect) and Demolition’s Judah Lewis as the 12-year-old who stumbles across his babysitter’s sinister secret.
Cole is madly in love with his babysitter Bee. She’s hot, funny, and popular. One night, in a moment of defiance, Cole secretly stays up past his bedtime to discover she’s actually a cold-blooded killer who’s in league with the Devil. He now must spend his night evading Bee’s band of killers who will stop at nothing to prevent Cole from spilling their dark secret. It’s up to Cole to survive the night (and blow up a few people along the way).
The premise sounds fun, so perhaps there’s no need for cynicism. Maybe, just maybe, Netflix have made a smart move with this one.
Words: Kevan Farrow (@KevanX)
