Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray is The Babadook, an intense psychological horror that stays with you
long after the credits have stopped rolling.
The film revolves around widowed mother Amelia (Essie Davis) and her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Samuel isn’t a “normal” child – he struggles to make friends due to his unusual behaviour and he becomes increasingly troublesome in school (bringing loaded crossbows with him certainly doesn’t help). And, as much as Amelia tries to be a good parent, you can tell she’s struggling after her husband’s death.
The film revolves around widowed mother Amelia (Essie Davis) and her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Samuel isn’t a “normal” child – he struggles to make friends due to his unusual behaviour and he becomes increasingly troublesome in school (bringing loaded crossbows with him certainly doesn’t help). And, as much as Amelia tries to be a good parent, you can tell she’s struggling after her husband’s death.
The spookiness begins when, one night, Samuel asks to be read a bedtime story. They find "The Babadook", an odd book that neither of them have seen before. As Amelia turns the pages, it becomes progressively scarier, to the point where Samuel is screaming and crying into her lap. From then on, the young boy is convinced that Mister Babadook, the mysterious entity from the book, has entered their house. And, as the story goes, once someone is made aware of his existence, you can't get rid of him.
A real page-turner: "The Babadook" book becomes far too sinister
At first, Amelia just puts it down to Samuel’s over-active imagination but strange goings-on soon begin to happen around their house. After many sleepless nights and several hallucinations, her mental health quickly deteriorates before a terrifying final showdown brings things to a shocking close.
Now for a confession - I really do not like horror films. Quite simply, it’s the most unoriginal genre out there, rife with copies and predictable plot twists, where a film can be deemed good after just a handful of tacky jump-scares. And I really don’t see the enjoyment in being scared silly either.
But The Babadook is in a class of its own. Never before has a horror film had such an effect on me, whereby, even days after viewing, it was still playing on my mind. I kept remembering little bits of the story that I didn’t notice at first, unlocking another piece of the jigsaw that entirely changed how I interpreted this complex piece of cinema.
For, you see, it’s not entirely clear what the film is actually about. Unlike other horror films where the plot is black and white, The Babadook is extremely clever. On the face of it, this is just another spooky supernatural tale – a monster enters the house, possesses some people and occasionally opens some doors by itself. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the meaning starts to become a hell of a lot more “real”. There are definite metaphors here that begin to manifest themselves, including (but not limited to) mental health issues and dealing with the loss of a loved one. These all merge together to become something that hangs over this household and, at times, the results are far scarier than a creepy-looking dude in a top hat and trench coat.
Mister Babadook: One of the scarier movie monsters
The film becomes even more of an incredible achievement when you look at the cast. There are no big names here (this is Wiseman’s first major role as young Samuel) but every single one of them contributes magnificently.
Wiseman, in particular, is outstanding. For the first half of the film, he is without a doubt the most annoying character I have ever had the experience of watching. His persistent screaming at just about everything and his constant promises to "smash the monster’s head in” nearly drove me crazy, never mind his poor mother. You feel genuinely sorry for the overwhelmed widow, especially after the tragic death of her husband. You can see that she’s trying her hardest but, unfortunately, everything seems to get the best of her.
The second half, however, sees a role-reversal straight out of the top drawer. After a rapid-fire series of events, I saw my allegiances begin to change. Samuel becomes our underdog hero and I found myself rooting for him and his homemade arsenal of weapons. Amelia, on the other hand, becomes cold and unloving, oppressive and abusive. It’s a brilliant combination of writing/directing/acting and I couldn’t help but feel that the film completely played me. My reaction was exactly what they were going for, especially as I didn’t even notice it happening until it was too late.
Ready for battle: Samuel becomes the hero
If you haven't already guessed by now, I loved The Babadook. Not only will it be one of the best releases of the year, it has also raised the bar to impossible heights for every horror film still to come. And, despite my staunch issues with the genre it belongs in, The Babadook will go down as one of my favourite films for a long, long time.
Seriously guys, you need to see it.
5 stars out of 5
