The Babadook

While horror and the supernatural is perhaps my favorite fictional literary genre, I can’t say that horror and the supernatural are my favorite film genres. Perhaps it is because in literature cheap shocks, like a sudden noise or the appearance of a monster, cannot “jump” out of a page, so writers have to take greater care in creating an imaginative atmosphere of dread and fear. One of the great horror stories, Oliver Onions’ “The Beckoning Fair One,” may bore those who like their shocks “cheap,” but for those with the patience, its slow, inexorable grind to a conclusion that challenges readers to make their own determination of what is or isn’t “reality” is well worth the journey. The Babadook is one of those rare films that understands that true horror straddles the line between madness and reality, upending assumptions and keeping its cards close to the vest until the atmosphere of terror is sufficiently developed to show it to maximum effect. Currently the Babadook has received a 98 percent “fresh” rating out of 219 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, testifying to its excellence. Yet “only” 72 percent of viewers “liked” it. I do not understand the discrepancy, save perhaps for the fact that many people go to horror movies these days with a certain “expectation,” and a lazy one at that. Perhaps you have to have an appreciation of both literature and classic film to “like” films like this.The Babadook opens with an apparent nightmare that the mother, Amelia (Essie Davis), has concerning a car accident in which her husband was killed. Her six-year-old son Sam (Noah Wiseman) also has nightmares about a monster called the “Babadook,” which Amelia repeatedly attempts to convince him does not exist. Sam persists in his belief that Babadook is real, but because his terror seems the product of some psychological abnormality, his increasingly bizarre behavior eventually drives his mother to the brink, especially when he constructs weapons to “combat” the supposedly nonexistent apparition.The appearance of a picture book called “Mister Babadook” that contains frightening pop-up imagery seems to be the source of Sam’s belief in the monster, and Amelia attempts to get rid of it, hoping that everything will return to “normal,” which with the help of tranquilizers she convinces a reluctant doctor to prescribe to her son seems to bring some calm to the house. But not for long; the book reappears, this time with new pages which warn that the Babadook will never go away, and will only get stronger the more you disbelieve in him. Not only that, he will inhabit your body and cause you to do unspeakable things. Amelia burns the book, now “hoping” that it is just some sinister prowler lurking about. She goes to the police, but since she cannot provide any credible information they only look upon her story as the product of some disturbed woman. Meanwhile, Sam insists that the monster is real and will “never” go away.Up to this point the viewer is led along believing that Sam may be the “monster” driving his mother crazy, but at the midpoint there begins a clear and dramatic shift in that dynamic after Amelia catches a brief glimpse of what appears to be the monster from the book through the window of the neighbor’s house. Sam now appears to be the “sane” one, because he had always believed in the existence of the Babadook and was prepared to do battle with it and eventually conduct the “rite” of exorcism himself; his hiding of a tranquilizer that his mother forced on him is done because he knows he must be awake when it is time to help his mother. Sam knows that it was his mother’s refusal to accept the existence of the monster and protect him from it that has allowed it “in” and become stronger, and it is now threatening both of their lives. Unlike other films of this sort, there is no “outside” savior; mother and son are fighting alone, because everyone else (save perhaps the old woman who lives next door), assumes that they have a “problem” of their own creation.While this film has received near universal acclaim and deservedly so, reviews rationalizing why this is so have been all over the map, especially those taking a gender politics view of the proceedings, mainly choosing to base their opinion from the first half of the film when the mother seems to be the “victim” of a crazed male child. But for other reviewers there are a wide range of question marks leading to different conclusions. For example, is the Babadook real or some nightmarish invention born of a refusal to come to terms with the death of the father, while he was driving Amelia to the hospital on the very day Sam was born? The appearances of the monster are always brief and shrouded in darkness, so the question of reality is always present. Where did the book come from? Amelia had once been a writer; could she have composed it herself, from some dark place in her imagination that blamed her son for the death of her husband? Was Amelia “possessed” by the monster, or was she acting out on repressed feelings of anger toward her son? A few reviewers found the tacked-on ending problematic, suggesting that the Babadook was “real,” but more a simple creature which had taken “human” form (or at least the garments of one) to appear more frightening; if the film had ended with an “open-ended” possibility of the reality of the monster, it might have been a more effective finish. But that is only the minutest of quibbles. This is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, because it knows what true fright is, the kind that you lay in bed covering your eyes with a blanket hoping that whatever it is in that dark corner isn’t “real” and goes away. First-time writer/director Jennifer Kent can’t be credited highly enough for conceiving this film, but reviewers fail to mention the contribution of Polish cinematographer Radoslaw Ludczuk, who is so unknown in the U.S. that The Babadook is his only credit on IMDB. As the “behind the scenes” extra on the video release shows, it is clear that his special expertise was invaluable to the “look” and “feel” of this film.

Grief is such a powerful thing, it can be crippling, maddening and terrifying all in one. I have first had experience after loosing my father at a young age, I still fight with the sadness and have to work to keep the grief in check. THE BABADOOK plays with that concept, to such astonishing results.Amelia is a still grieving wife, a woman lost in the sadness of the violent lose of her husband; and left to care for the child that she feels took him from her in some way. Sam was born the same day as her husbands death, and even though not spoken; she feels he is somewhat to blame; and over the 7 years since that horrible day a rift has grown between mother and child. Amelia lives in a state of both denial but deep grief, and Sam is desperate for love and attention, and has his own underlining fears. Fear of an unseen monster and fear of the lose of his mother. That is where we pick up the story, both are struggling through life together. Amelia in a daze, and Sam in a constant state of fight or flight; a fear that causes him to lash out and go above and beyond with protecting himself and his mother. Then one night, when it's time for bed, Sam picks out a book for mom to read and "Mister Babadook" opens up a spiraling nightmare that circles the two closing in on them and trying to drive them both mad.Many people seem to not get the film, I've read so many reviews where people don't find the film scary, and fuss about lack of scares. But, this isn't that type of film on the whole. While there are some truly disturbing moments that deal with the dark presence that is The Babadook; the underlining fear of the film is lose of ones self from fear, grief and ultimately madness. The ending is the perfect place to observe this, instead of taking the easy "we defeated the monster" approach, creator and director Jennifer Kent uses the entire film and the ending as a metaphor. The Babadook, is literally the embodiment of Amelia's grief, fear and despair. A living thing created by her inability to deal with her pain, and in accepting the pain and acknowledging it she, she beats it; BUT you can't rid yourself of grief, pain and despair; you can merely alleviate it and learn to live with it. Hence the films ending.The acting in the film is stellar; with Essie Davis giving a tour de force performance as Amelia; and young Noah Wiseman is crazy good as her young son Samuel. They so wonderfully portray a dysfunctional family, and pull off the love/hate relationship that comes from their grief and fear. The creation of The Babadook itself is stellar, with the use of Nosferatu and the father's clothes making a truly creepy entity. The bedroom sequence midway through the film is a thing of nightmares. The film is beautiful to watch, the colors are dark and crisp and the film seems to grow grayer and more dim as the threat of The Babadook grows. The film as a whole is by far one of the best horror films I've seen in years, and the intelligence of it helps strengthen that aspect. This is definitely a thinking man's film.The bluray comes with a plethora of special features; something that fans of SCREAM FACTORY have become use to. With a few mini features, several deleted scenes and almost an hour and a half of cast and crew interviews to watch, the supplemental package is amazing. The bluray also comes with a fantastic collectible slip cover modeled after the creepy "Mister Babadook" pop up book from the film; and the inward art work is reversible with both a black slip and a white cover on the reverse side. It's definitely another stellar release from SCREAM FACTORY.I say if you love a good psychological thriller that focuses more on real life horror than on supernatural horror, you will love this film. It does have its share of truly frightening "horror" moments, but if your expecting SAW, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY then your watching the wrong film. Highly recommended.

This movie is scary!A widow mother and her son fight a creepy monster from a book.

El Blu Ray viene en una presentación sencilla, es decir, la película incluye algunos extras interesantes pero no muy extensos, como entrevistas a los realizadores, cápsulas detrás de cámaras de un par de escenas con efectos especiales y trailers. La calidad de audio e imagen es impecable.Aunque lamentablemente no vino con "slip cover", me agradó mucho que tiene portada reversible, el diseño con la silueta del Babadook luce genial.

Envoi rapide excellent film envoi rapide

Excelente filme de terror australiano , vale a pena ser visto e revisto sempre .

Buena peli de terror. Diferente a las típicas. Recomendable.La regalé por un cumpleaños y gustó mucho. Si te gustan las películas de terror y suspense, seguro que esta también.La película llegó en perfecto estado y muy rápido.