Babadook understands what makes horror movies so appealing to watch.

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2017)

I like horror movies. I also like smart movies. Unfortunately, I find that 'horror' and 'smart' don't often go hand-in-hand when it comes to movies. Well, Babadook managed to close the gap and delivered a truly chilling, thought-provoking experience.
If you, like me, are a horror fan, at one point you've probably found yourself desensitized to all the jumpscares, gore and ugly faces, immune to the over-the-top but ultimately futile attempts to create a credibly creepy atmosphere and yawning at the predictable twists of "bland-horror-movie number 94841432". Babadook ain't it. Babadook is different. It understands that throwing monsters at the screen or killing characters that we all know are expendable isn't what makes a horror movie scary. It is whatever is lurking deep within the human psyche. Not only the primal instinct of survival, but also the things we value the most. Abstract things like love, compassion, trust, happiness, acceptance. What makes this movie terryfing is the ever-looming threat to those things that we hold sacred. The Babadook is merely a conduit in the grand scheme of things.