The Babadook (2014)

"You can bring me the boy."

Don't you just love it when kids see evil monsters that are actually real...

While single mother Amelia copes with the violent death of her husband, her sons fear of monsters is realised as she discovers a menacing presence in the house.

'The Babadook' was a film that received extremely mixed reviews when it was released. I missed it in the cinema and regretted it because, generally, my rule of thumb with horrors is that mixed reviews are a good thing. Some of the best horror films out there have mixed reviews and, because the horror genre is so subjective, it's hard to judge what you'll find scary based on what others find scary. I'd heard that 'The Babadook' was one of the worst horror films in years but, at the same time, I'd also heard that it was one of the best.

I finally got round to watching 'The Babadook' after forgetting just about everything about it since the trailer was circulating in cinemas last year.

What I found unusual, straight from the start, is that both of the main characters are actually quite hard to like. This isn't because of their acting ability, Amelia, played by Essie Davis, and Samuel, played by the young Noah Wiseman, both do a stellar job in their roles. The film looks at the strained relationship between Amelia and Samuel and explores some deeply disturbing themes that I haven't seen before. The idea of a parent hating their own child is difficult to swallow and makes us dread what could potentially happen with the introduction of the Babadook monster. Amelia is so unlikable because of her relationship with her own son and Samuel is a difficult child for any parent to deal with which doesn't help matters. I sense a level of autism present in Samuel but it's not made clear.

This is where the tension of the film comes in. It's the gradual build up that makes us uncomfortable as time goes on. Most of the tension doesn't actually come from the horror which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case. It's the fear of the unknown and the danger of the mysterious Babadook that gives us the chills. The disturbing imagery helps a lot, especially with the old fashioned silent film clips that are mixed with a twisted, childlike soundtrack. The fact that he comes from the pages of a childrens storybook is a nice and twisted touch as storybooks tend to be to help children sleep.

It's always nice to see a horror film that goes back to the roots of what scares us rather than relying on some cheap jump scares and bucketloads of gore. It's more about getting under your skin and making you feel unsettled. Director Jennifer Kent does a solid job in achieving what appears to be a feature film based from a short she made in 2005. She hasn't done much work other than 'The Babadook' but I'd be excited to see where she could go in her next film with a bigger budget and more support behind her.

The Babadook creature is genuinely quite creepy but it's more about what you don't see that makes you squirm. We get glimpses of horror and flashes of the monsters true form but very rarely do we see it in it's full glory. This works to the films advantage and allows our imagination to do a lot of the heavy lifting. There's a lot of stop motion and dark shadows that makes his entrance and appearance feel like a nightmare or an old silent film.

Creepy stuff.

There's a real feeling of claustrophobia in the film which can be a little disorientating and breathless (in a good way). The fact that Amelia is experiencing insomnia means that the film starts to play with our perception of time and makes us question whether or not what we are seeing is real. The tight setting that Amelia and Samuel are forced to live in together becomes suffocating as the tension rises and the feeling of dread descends over the house.

Overall, 'The Babadook' is a horror that, admittedly, isn't that scary but it doesn't feel the need to be in this case. It delves into some serious, unusual and very real issues and delivers a tense and psychological film with a heart.

The film, for me, is a metaphor for post-natal depression which is a tough idea to explore. The Babadook creature embodies the depression and darkness of the condition which is an effective way of dealing with the theme.

This definitely isn't a film to turn on late at night with a group of friends to scare the pants off you but more one to absorb on your own. It'll leave you with a lot to think about and maybe leave you with a chill or two.