A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting
Ratings: 3/5
Duration: 01 Hr 38 Mins
Director: Rachel Talalay
Screenplay: Joe Ballarini
Producer: Ivan Reitman
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Release Date: 15th October 2020
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Star Cast: Tom Felton, Indya Moore, Oona Laurence, Tamara Smart, Cameron Bancroft, Momona Tamada, Crystal Balint, Eliza Faria, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson,
Ian Ho, Ty Consiglio, Anisa Harris, Alessio Scalzotto, Samantha Schimmer, Linden Porco, Ashton Arbab, Tamsen McDonough, Ben Cockell, Lynn Masako Cheng, Jude Wilson, Isabel Birch
Plot: ‘A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting’ is about a schoolgirl who gets hired by a babysitting secret society that has set itself the task of protecting special children from monsters on Halloween, who are after them. She reluctantly agrees to babysit a little boy, but when the child gets abducted by the monsters, she embarks on a mission to save the little boy, and gets into hair-raising adventures.
Review: The film is based on the youth book series of the same name written by Joe Ballarin, and 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 from the 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. Hence, ‘A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting’ has given the director her largest canvas in a while.
When this Netflix movie begins, both the score and title font might probably remind you of Harry Potter. 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.
Though the film feels more programmed than imagined, it is perfect for Halloween as it expounds a fable-like plot and is replete with fantasy elements – monsters, a secret agency of finding missing kids, a magical milieu, fascinating costumes, and enigmatic characters. In short, the film will charm you with vivid characters and their enthralling journey as they fight the monsters, and is definitely a fun ride!
When it comes to performances, Tom Felton is brilliant as the boogeyman. Virtually, all the creepy moments in this horror-fantasy are brought by him. Even Tamara Smart’s Kelly is a smashing protagonist for young audiences to root for. Therefore, it won't be wrong to say that the film has established the central characters well enough to make the simple story engaging, and has the benefit of a talented and diverse cast, who makes you care about its outcome.
Overall, ‘A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting’ is a pretty decent little horror-fantasy movie that has brought the first book in Joe Ballarini’s beloved series to life, with evident affection.
