The Babadook (2014) Movie Review

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2017)

Jennifer Kent's The Babadook (2014) is a contemporary horror film that follows the basic structure of a horror film (order, chaos, restoration) yet, it stands out as unique and "smart film" by critics. The elements that help the film deliver a unique and very real scare is the verisimilitude, cinematography, and sound within the film. The Babadook brings together the elements of grief, stress, and sleep deprivation our protagonist Amelia (Essie Davis) is going through and embodies them into an ominous entity presented and illustrated in a children's book titled "Mister Babadook." After another stressful day and after checking the routinized hiding places Amelia lets her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) choose a bedtime story and picks "Mister Babadook" from a variety. As the restless days and nights go by, the subtle nuances of Amelia's real state of mind begin to surface after personally encountering the Babadook. Each episode more and more noticeable.
With each scene in the film was carefully pieced together and in an interview with the director Jennifer Kent, David Ehrlich from "The Dissolve" Kent said "I did storyboard" the film "starts very centered, everything is framed very centered and composed," "and things start to become more discordant visually." The mise-en-scene in each shot alludes to Amelia's current state of mind and hints at future events. There are lamps placed near Amelia in certain scenes that portray her character. In the beginning of the film there are two lamps lighting the room up, but the lamp shade next Amelia is clouded compared to the lamp shade next to Samuel. Lastly, both sounds, within the story and part of the scenes, build the tension and create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Also, the ambient sounds, music, and the leitmotif when Amelia is experiencing high stress and anxiety also add another layer of uneasiness. In the scenes when Amelia is flipping through the torn pages of the same book (Mister Babadook) she disposed of herself a couple nights before, the leitmotif is playing throughout as she reads through new found horrors and illustrations of her murdering her son. The Babadook is a unique film that takes a step back from the basic structure of a horror movie and takes a step closer to a more living, contemporary sense of horror. The Babdook is definitely a well written and directed film and deserves more praise than simply being a "smart film."