THE BABADOOK review

THE BABADOOK (R)
Released by IFC Films
Review by Adam Mast

Let me start this review off with a bold proclamation:  THE BABADOOK is the scariest movie of the last decade. Writer/director Jennifer Kent has fashioned an old-school, spook alley horror film that relies on tone and brilliant sound design rather than shock value and gore; not that I have a problem with shock value or gore, but the best horror films are the ones that get under your skin. THE BABADOOK does just that.

This tale of a single mom (brilliantly played by Essie Davis) trying to mentally and emotionally recover from a gut-wrenching tragedy, all while attempting to raise a young son with behavioral problems, is creepy and intense. As the story unfolds, this woman and her troubled child (Noah Wiseman, in an effective performance that turns the “overtly creepy kid” role on its ear) are haunted by the pages of an unsettling pop-up book left on their doorstep. The character at the heart of the book is a dark figure known as The Babadook, and as you’d probably expect from a story of this nature, it isn’t long before this sinister boogeyman is raising all kinds of supernatural mischief.

But this flick isn’t just about things that go bump in the night. THE BABADOOK is rich with subtext, and while some audiences might question the ambiguity of the final act, it’s the open-to-interpretation nature of this picture that sets it apart.

At its center, this horror show is really about an exhausted  mother trying to move past the grief and anger that continues to consume her life. THE BABADOOK is refreshingly complex for a genre picture, and quite frankly, Kent doesn’t shy away from showing of the frustration that can sometimes come with the raising of a child with special needs.  Anyone who’s ever been the parent of a little one with a sickness or behavioral problems will most likely relate to this atmospheric Australian gem in a big way.

THE BABADOOK  might have shades of landmark thriller/horror works like THE SHINING, THE EXORCIST, CARRIE, JU-ON,  CREEPSHOW, REPULSION,  POLTERGEIST,  A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but it still manages to carve out an identity all its own thanks to Kent’s brilliant execution and an unforgettable turn by a sensational Davis.

IFC will roll  out THE BABADOOK  in a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on Nov. 29, but if you have DirecTV, you can watch it now! And given that today is Halloween, there’s absolutely no better day to watch it.