A drama about depression and bereavement with horror elements

Rating: 5/10 (10 October 2014)

I attended the UK premiere last night. It was a double feature and the Babadook was screened after The Evil Dead 2 which may have influenced the audience's reaction to the film.
The main theme of the story is coping with depression and bereavement.This film felt more like a drama with minor horror elements than a full horror film.
There is a slow build over the first 30-40 minutes before The Babadook actually appears on screen. During this time quite a few members of the audience broke out into conversations. It struggled to hold the audiences attention. When The Babadook does appear, the horror scenes are a disappointment. The Babadook looks almost identical to the Hitcher from The Mighty Boosh comedy series. I didn't find it frightening in the least.
The film attempts 1 or 2 "jump scares" that didn't really land with the audience at my screening. It followed a very formulaic beat. It certainly is not Sinister or Insidious in that regard.
I thought all the characters in the film were unlikeable. Every single Character is shown at some point to say spiteful things to other characters. The young boy in the film is portrayed as the character you should root for but the child actor is so annoying it makes it difficult to care for him. He's a child so annoying that his mother and auntie can't even stand him. He screams and shouts almost all of his dialogue and his voice will annoy you by the mid way point of the film. By the end of the film I really didn't care who died and who lived.
The positives: The film does try to be intelligent and carries a message. The metaphor for depression and bereavement are great ideas but are so unsubtle I felt like I was being hit over the head with it by the director shouting "do you get it?? the monster is depression!!" The cinematography and lighting is fantastic. There are some beautiful shots in the film and the way the house transforms at night is really enjoyable to see.
I would not recommend this film to cinema goers looking for a fun popcorn horror movie. There is no comic relief at all in this film. I left feeling as tired and depressed as the characters on screen. The depressing themes and slow build make this film a chore to get through. The first act does build tension and the set up with the childs storybook is a great idea. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver upon that set up in act 2 and 3.