The original script for McG's The Babysitter is much more brutal than the final cut of the movie. There are several lines and scenes cut out in order to alleviate some of the gore and brutality of the teen cult. Here's every change that was made to The Babysitter's original script explained.
The Babysitter stars Samara Weaving of Ready or Not fame as Bee, the movie's main villain, who assists a teen cult in making a deal with the devil. On a night she's scheduled to babysit Cole (Judah Lewis), she invites Sonya (Hana Mae Lee, Pitch Perfect), Max (Robbie Amell, Left for Dead), Allison (Bella Thorne), and John (Andrew Bachelor) to sacrifice Samuel (Doug Haley). When Cole witnesses the event take place, he is forced to fight for his life as well as avoid having his blood taken for their ritual. The horror comedy released in 2017 as a Netflix original and garnered so much critical acclaim for its inventive take on the sub-genre that it spawned a sequel approximately three years later titled The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
The Babysitter and its sequel are filled with iconic horror and sci-fi movie references that assist in its comedic take on devilish rituals, and serve as an indicator of Bee and Cole's bond. While Brian Duffield's (Underwater) final script showcases a loving relationship between the two, the original screenplay depicts a much more superficial one. In fact, it's very clear that Bee doesn't care at all for Cole and solely acts as his babysitter in order to get her own way. Despite the opportunity to make the horror comedy more brutal and terrifying, the alterations made to the original script were entirely necessary, especially considering the storyline of The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Here's what the original script contained, and how each point changed for The Babysitter's final version.
Bee's Original Ritual & Sacrifice
According to the original script, Bee was supposed to be far more sadistic than she ended up being in the theatrical version. In the scene where she takes Samuel's life, she was initially meant to lay a large blue tarp down in order to ensure that his blood didn't stain the floor. While a book of the dead was a mainstay from the original script to the final product, Bee also brought a demonic statue to hold Samuel and Cole's blood. It is theorized that the statue was of Baal, who has been recognized as being a demon people would make sacrifices to, especially if they were children. Bee was far more calculated in the original script. Everything was prepped and ready to make sure that all went as planned, but it came at a high price.
Had she been characterized in this way, the comedic effect of The Babysitter would've been lost to the sadistic and well-planned ritual Bee was meant to orchestrate in the script. It was ultimately altered in order to amplify humor over horror. There are several instances in the script where there are very little moments of comedic effect. When changes were made to aspects such as Bee's methodical behavior, it allowed for more opportunities to add bizarre and humorous interactions instead.
Bee's Characterization & Relationship With Cole
In The Babysitter, Bee cares a lot for Cole. Duffield's script depicts her as a person who doesn't truly care about anyone or anything. The iconic scene where she defends Cole against his bullies was actually meant to showcase her true intentions. When she whispers to them, the viewer isn't entirely aware of what she is saying. According to the script, she tells the main bully that she will cut his mother's throat and force feed him her spleen. It completely alters her characterization from a bubbly babysitter who sticks up for Cole into a threatening figure who doesn't care about the consequences of her actions. Had this been included, it's likely that Cole would've had a level of fear knowing that he'd be left alone with her whereas, in The Babysitter, he looks forward to seeing her when his parents leave for a night. Throughout the movie, they're depicted as close friends despite their age difference.
The Babysitter's ending features a heartbreaking moment between Bee and Cole where he confesses just how much he loves her. In the original script, this stays the same, but Bee's reaction is far from positive. Instead of tearing up to display that she feels genuine guilt and remorse for her actions, she laughs in his face. Bee even goes as far as to flat out say that she doesn't care that Cole loves her. Prior to the first movie's release, it's likely that McG was unaware of The Babysitter movie series' future, as the sequel wasn't announced until the summer of 2019. It is entirely plausible that this scene was adjusted in order to write Bee's character development with a second movie in mind, as she did receive a redemption arc when she made a surprise comeback in The Babysitter: Killer Queen. If she didn't care about Cole at all, the events of the sequel wouldn't have made any sense or would have had to be changed completely.
The Kills
The kills in the first movie are so iconic that they were referenced in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, but they were fairly different before they transformed from script to screen. Every character except for Bee and Cole die in both the final cut as well as the original script. In regard to The Babysitter's kills, the ways that Max, John, and Sonya die are entirely different. Allison's remains relatively the same, except her head does not explode. John's death in the movie is completely accidental. In the movie, he slips and impales himself on a pointed statue that slices into his neck. The original script features Cole smashing his head, but doesn't delve into too much detail, leaving his death entirely up to interpretation. Sonya's death is incredibly controversial in the script. While it stays the same in regards to the fireworks, it emphasizes Cole's use of bug spray more than explosives. As a result, Max makes an obscene and deeply upsetting joke about the Holocaust. Had this been included, it would've inevitably led to a lot of controversy.
In the script, Max dies after Cole trips him causing him to smash his face against a tree. The Babysitter features the character hanging from a tree after getting tied up in a rope swing. While most of the deaths remain the same from the original script to the final cut, they were all adjusted in order to better the overall presentation of comedy elements in The Babysitter. Overall, the cuts that were made feel necessary. Ultimately, The Babysitter's final cut improved the original script, which was far more brutal and controversial than it needed to be for a horror comedy movie that features both violence and laughter in a more balanced way.