Starts Out Dull, Ends with a Bang

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2014)

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 3.4/5 stars
What starts of as a real slow burner with the impression of literally going nowhere, really picks up steam two thirds of its way into the narrative. In this aspect alone, debutante Director, Jennifer Kent, does a swell job with this Australian horror film that derives its chills from a fictitious pop-up book.
The story deals with Amelia (Essie Davis), who's still at a loss six years after the violent death of her husband. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he's been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.
As much as it provides some genuine mystery and jolting scares, the movie also serves as an insight into depression and the depths of hell our personal demons can plunge us to. Though the screenplay takes longer than necessary to build and at times even appears dull, the Director manages to hold our interest till the ball really starts to roll, and then our wait is delightfully rewarded with some spine-chilling thrills and chills galore, without ever subjecting viewers to cheap, horror clichés. The performances from the two leads also hold the film together and they lend immense volume to the narrative turns over to the more intense portions.
"The Babadook" is one of those films where you realize that the wait was really worth it once you enter the final third act. In fact, the last 20 minutes or so of the film showcases some of the best supernatural, bone-chilling elements assemble on screen. The twist at the end is also something you'll never see coming. If only the movie picked up sooner, or if Director, Kent, exercised as astute a control over the first half of the film as she displays in the second, "The Babadook" would have easily found its way into the pantheon of horror classics. Nevertheless, it's more than a decent way to spend a night seeking a genuinely spooky tale shrouded in mystery and some spine-chilling thrills.