4.5/5 The Babadook I thought James Wan’s 2013 hit The Conjuring was as good as a horror movie could hope to be in this age of dynamic jumps and cheap scares. That was before I witnessed first-time director Jennifer Kent’s terrifying The Babadook. When I say “terrifying,” I mean this movie rivals classics like The Exorcist. Nothing is going to prepare you for this monster of a film, but it is filmmaking of the upmost importance that demands your attention. Struggling, single mother Amelia (Essie Davis) is finding it harder and harder to care for her troublesome son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). The very sight of him brings her pain - her husband died on the day Samuel was born. If this was not enough, Samuel is a hellion of the first degree, at times shrieking uncontrollably as he builds makeshift weapons out of household items - the kid is actually pretty crafty. Suspended from school, all Amelia wants her son to do is sleep and the best way to do that is by reading to him. In comes the Babadook. One night, Samuel finds a creepy pop-up book titled ‘Mr. Babadook’ that he immediately regrets picking up. One read-through of the book, populated by a shadowy figure with talons and a top hat, is enough to fill Samuel, already afraid of the monsters under his bed, with pure terror. The Babadook initially seems like a figment of the boy’s imagination…until he isn’t. | Director: Jennifer Kent Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman Writer: Jennifer Kent |
Most fright flicks these days would take a deeply-creepy, well-designed character like Mr. Babadook, stick him in every scene, and immediately drain the life out of him with meaningless stop-and-start scares. Kent, proving herself a force to be reckoned with, focuses on the terror the title demon actually represents, as opposed to the actual being itself. The benefits of this wise narrative decision are almost instantaneously realized. Based on one viewing, I saw two fears represented in the Babadook:
The fear most apparent is that of a mother’s when she so desperately wants to protect her child, and yet there is nothing she can do. Plagued by Samuel’s constant dread of monsters and nightmares, Amelia can do nothing but reassure her son that his dreams are simply illusions. When it becomes apparent that the illusions are quite real, things shift for the worst pretty fast. How does Amelia protect her son who needs her desperately when she herself is tormented daily and nightly by both the Babadook and the reminder of her husband’s death?
The second primal fear present in the film may be the most frightening of them all: what drives a woman mad enough to want to kill her own children. We see these horrific stories in the news and we wonder what could push a mother to do such a thing. It is an intriguing subject ripe with possibilities, but no directors (horror or otherwise) are going there. I take that back; Jennifer Kent is. One section of the film finds Amelia taken over by the Babadook. The monster does not necessarily control Amelia’s actions. Instead, he keeps her up at night, feeding her poisonous thoughts and whispering evil into her ear. I will let you draw the parallels between Kent’s movie monster and the real-life horror stories of mothers who have done this.
Luckily for us, Kent is not alone in her ambition. Her two leading stars more than live up to the challenges she is proposing. Davis plays Amelia’s descent into desperation with conviction, heart, and power. Even with Amelia says and does horrible things to her impressionable son, you feel for her because of Davis’ heart-wrenching portrayal of a mother rode hard by life. Wiseman, playing Samuel with energy to spare, is a child terror if there ever was one. Wiseman never feels like he is being told what to do by directors; he fits into his role as natural as any of the experienced adults.
Whether or not The Babadook sticks its landing is up to you. I think there was a slight stumble across the finish line, but not enough to quibble over. When a chilling concept is handled this masterfully, it is hard to throw stones. You can quote me when I say I believe this is a new classic of the genre that has had so few chances to shine in the past decade. So seldom do I get to proclaim a horror movie one of the best pictures of the year; I relish this opportunity.
(Available on iTunes)
The fear most apparent is that of a mother’s when she so desperately wants to protect her child, and yet there is nothing she can do. Plagued by Samuel’s constant dread of monsters and nightmares, Amelia can do nothing but reassure her son that his dreams are simply illusions. When it becomes apparent that the illusions are quite real, things shift for the worst pretty fast. How does Amelia protect her son who needs her desperately when she herself is tormented daily and nightly by both the Babadook and the reminder of her husband’s death?
The second primal fear present in the film may be the most frightening of them all: what drives a woman mad enough to want to kill her own children. We see these horrific stories in the news and we wonder what could push a mother to do such a thing. It is an intriguing subject ripe with possibilities, but no directors (horror or otherwise) are going there. I take that back; Jennifer Kent is. One section of the film finds Amelia taken over by the Babadook. The monster does not necessarily control Amelia’s actions. Instead, he keeps her up at night, feeding her poisonous thoughts and whispering evil into her ear. I will let you draw the parallels between Kent’s movie monster and the real-life horror stories of mothers who have done this.
Luckily for us, Kent is not alone in her ambition. Her two leading stars more than live up to the challenges she is proposing. Davis plays Amelia’s descent into desperation with conviction, heart, and power. Even with Amelia says and does horrible things to her impressionable son, you feel for her because of Davis’ heart-wrenching portrayal of a mother rode hard by life. Wiseman, playing Samuel with energy to spare, is a child terror if there ever was one. Wiseman never feels like he is being told what to do by directors; he fits into his role as natural as any of the experienced adults.
Whether or not The Babadook sticks its landing is up to you. I think there was a slight stumble across the finish line, but not enough to quibble over. When a chilling concept is handled this masterfully, it is hard to throw stones. You can quote me when I say I believe this is a new classic of the genre that has had so few chances to shine in the past decade. So seldom do I get to proclaim a horror movie one of the best pictures of the year; I relish this opportunity.
(Available on iTunes)