The Babadook

Rating: 6/10 (26 March 2018)

The Babadook
SPOILER ALERT
How far can the love between a mother and son go? In this film Amelia (Essie Davis) and Samuel (Noah Wiseman) must trust each other in order to banish this evil from their bodies.
The Babadook is a beautifully crafted film directed by Jennifer Kent, her use of a simple yet brilliant set makes the horror even more real. The film takes place mainly within the home of Amelia and Samuel making the horror more personal and more real. Their home reflects the grief that Amelia still feels for her husbands death. The gray scale of the walls as well as her locked basement containing her husbands belongings emphasizes her inability to move on. Kent's use of shadows and low-key lighting makes the audience anticipate what could be lurking in the shadows. This builds the suspense for the audience and feeds on everyones common fear of the dark.
Kent cleverly uses the "monster" or the Babadook as an allegory for Amelia's grief for her deceased husband. The Babadook feeds off of Amelia's internal conflict of both loving and blaming her son. This becomes apparent when the Babadook takes over her body, she is no longer a loving mother, she verbalizes her blame to Samuel. Amelia now must overcome her new urge to harm Samuel. Amelia's love for Samuel and Samuel's love for his mother is what saves them both and strengthens their bond with one another.