A Haunting and Brilliant Unconventional Horror Classic

Rating: 9/10 (28 June 2017)

So many modern scary movies follow the same patterns. They introduce a killer—sometimes a person, sometimes a supernatural being—then the killer proceeds to wreak havoc on the main characters. Most of the frightening content comes from jump scares and violence. It's all very procedural and drab.
The Babadook breaks all the standard conventions. It does so right from the open.
Typically in horror films, the opening sequence takes place a night, in an isolated location, with a lone female. She meanders about without a care in the world then boom! The killer strikes. Then the title flashes on screen.
The Babadook begins much the same (except the lone female is with her young son rather than being alone). But no killer strikes. A purposefully framed shot lingers on screen, clearly foreshadowing something. Exactly what is not certain. Then the title flashes on screen. Viewers are left furrowing their brows and wondering, "why that shot? I don't get it." That's the point. You aren't supposed to understand. Not yet.
Unlike most scary movies, it does not immediately make clear who or what the monster is. The monster isn't even introduced until nearly 30 minutes into the movie. It doesn't appear on screen until 20 minutes after that. By movie's end, it remains cloudy what exactly the monster is or if this monster is a real, tangible entity.
As an enthusiastic scary movie fan, I cannot express how refreshing it is to see one that respects the audience's intelligence. Nothing is clearly spelled out. The mysterious nature fosters an eerie vibe that builds throughout the story. This causes the viewers to think and wonder, which is a vastly underused technique in scary movies. One of our greatest fears as humans is that of the unknown. This movie plays on that fear.
This mysterious style, along with the creepy lifeless color scheme in the house, establish an unsettling tone. Some of the best scary movies ever made opt for tone as the main method of frights over the traditional jump scares. Setting and maintaining a tone takes far more effort and skill, which is why fewer movies choose that route. Appreciate this tactic. You won't often see it executed better.
One of my favorite ways to judge the effectiveness of a scary movie is by how it sticks with me after it ends. In this case, I felt as much unease in the two hours following the credits as I did in those preceding them. The Babadook has a haunting brilliance that sticks with you. That's the sign of horror classic.