The Babadook movie review

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2015)

I recently watched the film The Babadook and overall I would consider the movie a success. The film isn't breaking new ground in horror cinema but what it does, it does extremely well. The story is your typical haunted house while the child is the only one that sees the ghost. They add a little depth to the characters which is good. For me what set this apart in a good way from any of your generic haunted house movies that you would find at Redbox was the acting.
Essie Davis plays the widowed single mother raising a rambunctious and imaginative child. Much of this film you see her struggling with work and raising this disruptive child that puts a strain on her relationships. I could really feel how exhausted this mother was by Essie's acting. You feel her frustration, her fatigue, and exhaustion throughout the film and that really kept me engaged. Towards the end of the film her acting really sells the horror that is involved in this film.
Her son, played by Noah Wiseman, did a great job too. I have a pet peeve about bad child actors. I know there just kids but if a child in a movie sounds like there reading there lines or are saying things that I feel no 8 year old would ever say it throws me entirely out of the movie. Luckily in The Babadook there was none of this. Noah Wiseman was one of the best things about this movie. He seemed like a realistic ADHD kid mixed with a little MacGyver. The kid totally sold me on all his emotions and had me cracking up a few times. He reminded of an English version of Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone that has played way too much Call of Duty and just consumed a Red Bull. I loved this child actor and expect to see great things from him in the future.
Visually this film does a few things that I found really effective. There's a lot in this film about insomnia and I felt the director did a few visual tricks that really shows that struggle that the lack of sleep can have on the human body. He also did some good shots that show how glorious a good night's rest can feel. The film isn't your standard horror film where there is a handful of dead bodies at the end of the film. It's a relatively nonviolent film but relies on suspense to keep you engaged. Even though there is a lack of typical "scares" and "kills" that I see in most horror films I was still engaged throughout the film.
I found the designs of the ghost to be interesting but nothing ground breaking. The acting by the two leads are what really sold me on the terror rather than the actual ghost. The only really complaints I have with this film is the ending. I felt the actions by the characters were a little strange and unrealistic but it didn't ruin the movie for me by any means.
If you feel like watching a typical haunted house movie that is done extremely well with superb acting then I would highly recommend The Babadook.