Directed by:
Jennifer KentScreenplay:
Jennifer KentCinematography:
Radosław ŁadczukComposer:
Jed KurzelCast:
Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Noah Wiseman, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, Carmel Johnson, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, Benjamin Winspear, Peta Shannon (more)Plots(1)
Six years after the death of her husband, Amelia struggles to discipline her "out-of-control" six-year-old Samuel – a son she finds difficult to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called "The Babadook" turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he's been dreaming about. And when Amelia begins to see glimpses of the creature herself, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may well be real. (Sundance Selects)
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Reviews (7)
This is definitely one of the most interesting horror films of the last few years, even in the way the various scary scenes are presented. It's not something that plays at having jump scares; it's different, new, and original in that sense. You feel like killing the kid the whole time, but he fits perfectly into the situation and story with his mother.
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In some ways it feels like a B-movie and minimalist genre original from the hands of Jennifer Kent, who, like in The Nightingale, may not have a spectacular budget and therefore no visual freedom, but she compensates for it with atmosphere and directorial skill. The Babadook is pure psychological hell and emotional decomposition of both the viewer and the main characters in a field of 90 minutes that manages to conjure up an unexpectedly dense atmosphere, induce goosebumps and evoke unprecedented levels of paranoia and fear. I like the play with the sound, where the Babadook's voice and some of the more intense scenes have a great backing and are creepy in headphones. I like the hidden symbolism of the whole "scarecrow" thing, and I like the overall work on the film, which manages to frighten, evoke deeper metaphorical thinking, and even cleverly hook and intrigue. The further the film gets, the more it tightens up in its explicitness, and although the finale is a little odd, it delivers its point coherently and in a way that is digestible to the viewer. Great.
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Honestly, I don't think the film was all that bad, but any chance of a higher rating from me was ruined by that spoiled brat with a stress-free upbringing. I kept my fingers crossed for Babadook the whole time, hoping that he had a slow and painful death prepared for Samuel. What surprised me was the therapeutic effect of the monster on the main character, she looked much more relaxed at the end :-)
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What initially looked like the scariest horror film of the year ends up being a solid psycho thriller reminding me of We Need to Talk About Kevin. Great acting, perfect cinematography and editing, solid soundtrack (the Babadook's voice is goosebump-inducing) and it's also decently psychedelic. Too bad the film isn't spiced up with some jump scares as well, then it could be considered a modern day nightmare. 75%
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It's very depressing, but unfortunately in the way that in the most intense moments what remains next to the viewer is not the protagonist, but the poor little boogeyman. Otherwise, a solidly intense tightening of the noose around two characters who can't free themselves from a difficult life situation where The Babadook is merely a symbol of receding rationality and a crumbling mother-child relationship. The scary scenes are really uncomfortable, but there are too few of them, and the story lacks a strong enough climax to exemplarily underscore and cement its shoddy psychological setup. Too gratuitous for art-horror and too long-winded and hard to grasp for the mainstream.
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