The Babadook

Australian motion pictures is mostly forgotten when people talk about films. I think that is a shame, because Australia have delivered some classic releases like Mad Max, Razorback, Wolf Creek and many more titles. Should i not mention Crocodile Dundee ? Sure, as a comedy it is a classic, but i prefer many other titles before this one. Have anyone of you seen Rogue ? Hopefully, if you have not i suggest you go out and rent it. Australia is known for making great horror films, i did mention Wolf Creek earlier. This film became one of my favourite horror releases in 2005, showing a different side of the australian landscape. The brutality and very disturbing footage from director Greg McLean, proved to work very well to the grindhouse feeling. There was a sequel released ( i have written a review on this one earlier this year ), Wolf Creek 2, and it was not as strong as the first film. I still enjoyed seeing butcher Mick back on screen. Have you ever been scared by a children´s book ? I can´t remember really if i ever was, i might have been, but have you read The Babadook ? This book may seem to be for children, but it is not. The story of the Babadook is a very dark tale, that is said to bring out the fear in all of us. When i found out that director Jennifer Kent ( mostly known as an actor ), was bringing this dark story into a feature film, i was actually really happy. She also wrote the story, so i was curious to see if she could bring this tale to life. Actress Essie Davis, known for her character in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, is the lead actor here, in a very different character than what we are used to see her do. Is this new australian horror film exactly what we needed in a genre that feels predictable, or is this something you should not waste your time on ?

Amelia ( Essie Davis ) is a single mother, living with her only son Samuel ( Noah Wiseman ). Her husband Oskar ( Benjamin Winspear ) died in a car accident, and ever since she lost her husband she is depressed. Samuel is a very demanding child, who want attention all the time. Amelia´s female friends does not like Samuel, and she can not be very social because of this. Samuel loves to learn magic tricks, so he practice everyday to learn to become a magician. Problems become quite obvious when Samuel´s school contact Amelia, since Samuel have used weapons in school, that could be very dangerous. Samuel does not understand what he have done wrong, so he continue to discover new ways to use his weapons. Amelia forbid him to use these weapons anymore, because he needs to learn to listen. One night when Amelia is reading a story for Samuel, she picks out a book called The Babadook. The story of a figure called The Babadook is very dark, and evil, and for each page it seems to become too much for Amelia to handle. She decide to leave this book alone, even if Samuel is very fascinated in the story. For some reason, strange things begin to happen ever since Amelia started to read this book, as if The Babadook is for real. Samuel seems to have seen him, but is he real, and if so, what does he want ?

Yes Yes Yes :D :D :D

The Babadook is such a powerful and emotional horror film, i simply find myself loving this story. The acting is really top quality, and i am so surprised how well made this is for a horror film, based on a children´s book, that is actually not for children. Director Jennifer Kent have made one of this years best horror films, she is such a talented horror director i am quite shocked how well she managed to make this story become a feature film. Lead actress Essie Davis is absolutely brilliant as the depressed mother Amelia, she is actually so good that everytime she have screen time, i felt her anger, her sadness, in such a powerful way i did not want to stop looking. To capture that feeling as an actor is not easy, and i really hope she will win an award for her performance. The little boy Samuel, played by young actor Noah Wiseman, is brilliant as the disturbed boy, who loves magic tricks, and is obsessed in the story of the babadook. You won´t see a lot of blood and gore, but the horror is so disturbed mentally, we don´t need the usual ingredients to make the story interesting. As you follow the mother and son on their personal journey with emotions, you are left to decide if the badabook really exist, or if there is something else going on. I love different twists and intelligent structure of a film, when you have absolutely no idea what will happen. The Badabook is definetely something you need to experience, if you love horror films with a disturbing view on the human mind. Last year i loved The Conjuring, this year i can honestly say The Badabook is the best horror film of 2014. Someone give Essie Davis an academy award for best female actor, she really deserves to win for this incredible performance. I recently heard someone saying that Mama is one of the best horror films ever made, this person needs therapy, right now. A really good horror film does not need special effects, a very strong plot can make all the difference.

Rating: DDDD