The Babadook

2014 • 93 minutes

About this movie

Where there is imagination, there is darkness and from within that darkness lurks a being of unfathomable terror close to home. Amelia (AFI Award winner Essie Davis, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Slap) is a single mother plagued by the violent death of her husband. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at her house she is forced to battle with her son's deep seated fear of a monster. Soon she discovers a sinister presence all around her. A chilling tale of the unseen and otherworldly in the haunting tradition of The Conjuring and The Orphanage, Jennifer Kent's visceral journey into the heart of fear itself is as terrifying as it is believable. 2013 Causeway Films

Ratings and reviews

This was a mildly enjoyable film, but nothing I would tell people to watch. There was some interesting art direction in the movie and I applaud the result considering the low budget. But who cares about that unless you are handing out gold stars. As a movie watcher though, it missed the mark. This was full of anticipated set-ups and forced 'evil' moments that didn't gel so much with the mood set by the visuals. The idea was there, but it was not fully realised in the acting.

This would have to be one the WORST films I have ever had the misfortune of wasting several dollars on. There was not one thing 'horror' about this movie. Slow, uninteresting, clichéd with nothing frightening or scary or edge-of-your seat about it. The characters were frustratingly transparent and exceedingly annoying, the acting substandard and the plot predictable. It was painful and contrived and completely missed the mark for my likings.

There are a few great moments where you think the movie is going to go to the next level, it just never got there. It's not bad, but could have been so much more.