The terrifying, psychological horror nightmares are made of

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2017)

The Babadook came as a surprise upon viewing it for the first time. Expectations were low considering what footage was available. At a glance, this film can appear low-budget and uninteresting. Perhaps these low expectations can serve the audience well and allow some more enjoyment from this chilling psychological horror.
The film centers on a single mother raising her son alone while being haunted by a storybook she reads called Mister Babadook. As the premonitions become more intense, the line between reality and illusion is blurred and confused. The darker and deeper elements of the film involve terrifying representations of mental illness and insanity. As the story progresses, darkness deepens as the character's dark and tragic past is revealed as well as it's horrifying future of murder. In fact, when the mother's terrible forecast of her insane acts are known, it's hard to keep that jaw from dropping.
Technically, The Babadook is completely competent and doesn't disappoint with any obvious continuity errors. At times some lighting seems a little too apparent but it's not frequent enough to present any serious issues. Sound effects and editing are woven perfectly into the story to give the viewer a sense of terror and disorientation.
Performances were very solid all across the board, particularly from the lead actress whose performance is quite outstanding. Even the boy who plays her son delivers some memorable scenes of scare and terror as he describes his visions of this creature. The imagery of this Babadook creature itself is one that'll stick in the viewer's nightmares.
Although the film is genuinely unsettling and skin crawling, some pacing issues keep the frightening concepts at baby possibly too long which can result in more waiting than watching. However, when the guitar strings of tension so to speak to indeed snap, the snap makes all that waiting worth it. Especially during the final thirty minutes when the mother's utter spiral into insanity becomes nauseating.
For any fan of psychological horror this film comes highly recommended. It may not be the best horror ever seen but it does rank high in a genre that finds difficulty in effectively delivering deeper scares. It's scary and should shake the core of any viewer. Strong horror like The Babadook is one that definitely shouldn't be missed.