So, take a familiar genre (babysitter being threatened from outside) and flip it on its head. We already did one babysitter movie, that was more focused on the trope of the young boy in love with his blonde elder, and this continues on that line. 12 year old Luke is in love with his gorgeous, blonde babysitter Ashley. He ruminates with his awkward best friend Garret about how best to win her heart. And then they are dragged into a drama as stalkers keep them inside the house, threatening harm if they leave.
But something doesn't sit right. And Ashley figures it out pretty quickly; the guys had thought fabricating an attack would send her right into the lusty arms of her charge. They are 12, after all. Ashley is pretty pissed about it, and then Luke's real personality is turned on -- as he smashers her in the face, sending her tumbling down the stairs.
From then on, the movie just rolls along. Levi Miller (Pan) really jumps into the role of Luke, a far-beyond-precocious dickhead who obviously needs therapy. Since his first plan, to woo her heart, is dashed after he assaulted and tied her up, his next plan is to eliminate everyone and pin the murders on her ex-boyfriends. He dives into it with bipolar joy & rage.
But Ashley is not stupid. This was the best bit about the movie, that Ashley doesn't devolve into a crying, screaming blonde teenager. She holds her own against Luke.
The weirdest bit is that this is an Australian movie shot as if it was in the US. Not sure why, but it became obvious when all the doorknobs in the house were up really high. Who knew that older Australian homes had their doorknobs higher than the average American home. But I guess they thought the idea of a no-snow movie set at Xmas would be too jarring for American audiences.
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