Absolutely amazing and both emotionaly and terrifying!

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2015)

I don't want to come off like a horror movie snob but I've watched so many horror films in my young life that I have a hard time finding something that actually scares me or even gives me the creeps. If I were to throw out an estimate, I would say that 1 out of every 20 horror films actually spook me in any way. That's not good averages, in my opinion. However, I've always found that the best, and most original, horror films always exists outside the United States and, over the years, I've found that foreign made scary flicks scare me greater than any cheap "found footage" film ever has. "The Babadook" is just another one to add to that list
This Australian film doesn't bother relying on gimmicks that are extremely popular in American horror film media and also doesn't bother with the cheap, and easy, jump scare. Instead, this film crafts an unsettling and bleak atmosphere and has it dance with shadows, creepy imagery, and sounds that result in stronger scares than all the horror films released in the last ten years. However, aside from the very amazing horror work, the film also tells a captivating and emotional story that centers on a single mother trying to bury her grief after losing her husband and deal with being a single parent. This mixes amazing well with the horror and crafts deep symbolism that just isn't seen in most fluff that is produced in this genre.
Overall, "The Babadook" is one of the strongest horror films I've seen in a long time. Even more impressive was the fact it was the feature length directorial debut of Jennifer Kent (who also wrote it) but it shows no signs of an individual's first outing in the director's chair making a feature. The film feels like it was made by a seasoned pro that has an eerie understand about horror and pure, uncut psychological terror. I am excited to see more tales of terror from Kent.