I randomly heard of this film a few months ago when I saw a billboard for it on Sunset Blvd while walking home. What caught my attention was McG directed it. I’ve been a fan of his since the first Charlie’s Angels film, so I knew at the very least, I would be visually entertained.

I can’t explain why it took me so long to finally get around to it (though it took less time than Deadpool.) I’m glad I finally did. It was insane, it was witty and I loved every moment of it.

I remember researching who McG was after watching the first Charlie’s Angels film, that film was probably my favorite film as a pre-teen. I loved everything about it. From what I remember, as I did this research almost 20 years ago, he came from a background of music videos, and I think that’s why I like his style so much. It is quick, bright and exciting. (I suddenly wonder what he thinks of films like Sucker Punch and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.)

The film, in a nutshell, is about a boy who is basically afraid of everything. He is picked on and he is kinda weird. He has this bombshell of a babysitter and one night he decided to stay up to see what she does when he sleeps… only to discover she and her friends are part of this satanic cult. Very interesting premise.

It gave me a little bit of a Jennifer’s Body tease (and I don’t care what anyone says, that film was before it’s time and I will fight you if you say otherwise.) and, being a Joss Whedon fan, I can’t help but adore a film that has quirky dialogue.

I do wish some things had been explained more, like, the how’s and why’s the cult came to be (it’s briefly touched on, but I wanted more), but other than that, it was a very fun ride and from what I’ve seen, it has been doing well with critics and viewers alike.

I also read that McG bought this script after discovering it on the 2014 Black List of unproduced scripts. The Black List is a list of “most liked” scripts for the year. From my understanding, development executives rate the scripts and they are ranked based on how many likes they get.

A dream of mine would be for McG to buy a script of mine, as his directing style would  suit my writing style.

Watching the film, along with other series of recent events, made me realize if I compare myself to the great writers, I’ll never get any writing done. When I was younger, I didn’t think about winning awards or anything like that, I just loved writing stories, and I can tell in films like The Babysitter, there is love and passion for the story.

A problem I have in all aspects of my life is not being able to let go and let loose. My writing was the one place I was free. I think the more I learned about screenwriting, the more I wanted my writing to be prestigious, and maybe that is why I’ve been losing my passion for writing? It’s slowly coming back to me as I remember how to let go again, at least when it comes to writing.

This film made me so happy, not just because it was a fun ride, but because it reminded me that there is space in the industry for everyone to write/produce/direct what they love, and they right people who love it too will find it. It makes me excited about my future writing endeavors.