In The Babysitter, bullied twelve-year-old Cole Johnson (Judah Lewis) bonds with his cool babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving), but their fun goes awry when he witnesses a Satanic sacrifice. Bee and her friends spend the evening trying to kill Cole, but most of them wind up dead instead. All except Bee, who vanishes without a trace. While consensus on the horror-comedy remains split, Weaving’s infectious presence has been a unanimous highlight of McG‘s movie. Could a sequel manage to capture the same level of charm without her? Well, sort of.

Like most horror sequels, The Babysitter: Killer Queen opts to go bigger and gorier. But mostly, it just gets dumber. And it’s really, really dumb.

Two years after the events of the first film, Cole’s still stuck on that fateful night. Aside from the trauma of it all, that Bee was never found leaves Cole trapped in a constant state of fear that she could return at any time. However, his parents think he’s lost his grip on reality and are desperate to find him psychiatric help. When neighbor Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) whisks him away on a weekend trip to the lake, old foes reappear, and Cole’s worst fears are realized.

Nearly everyone returns for this sequel. In addition to Lewis and Lind, with Lind’s role expanded this round, McG re-enters the director’s seat. Bee’s underlings Max (Robbie Amell), Sonya (Hana Mae Lee), Allison (Bella Thorne), and John (Andrew Bachelor) resume their attempts to murder Cole as if no time has passed. Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino, and Chris Wylde round out the recurring players as Cole and Melanie’s parental figures. The only real new, notable addition is Phoebe (Jenny Ortega), the new kid at school unafraid to march to her own drumbeat.

While the setup remains the same, in which Cole must survive the night against an onslaught of murderous Satanists, this sequel tries to carve out a separate identity through MTV-like irreverent, loud style. If you’ve ever stumbled upon a meme in which an AI bot penned a script after watching 1,000 hours of movies, well, Killer Queen feels a lot like that. Writer Dan Lagana packs in movie references in nearly every single line of dialogue. That’s not an exaggeration. Then there’s the comic book style texts that pop up on the screen, goofy interludes, and jokes that elicit groans over guffaws. After a point, the sequel feels like it’s trying way too hard to find the pulse of modern teen culture.

As obnoxious as the humor gets, there’s some fun to be had despite itself. Amell is a welcome return; jock Max is an affable villain that manages to endear with his supportive nature even during bloodthirsty moments. And Jenny Ortega steals the film right out from under Judah Lewis. Phoebe may start as an eccentric but quickly proves far more formidable, intelligent, and genuine. Then there’s the splattery fun; Killer Queen ups the body count and the explosive viscera along with it.

Overall, Killer Queen proves that this is a concept that works best when Weaving is on screen. Fans of the first film might find themselves entertained here, but it won’t win over anyone grated by this brand of puerile comedy. While there are a few triumphant surprises in store, this sequel tried to recreate its predecessor’s highlights while overstuffing it with pop culture references, high school tropes, and contrived shenanigans. There’s at least enough here to ensure you won’t be bored. In terms of mindless entertainment, that is.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen releases on Netflix on September 10, 2020.