The horrors of single parenthood meet the horrors of the supernatural

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2015)

Amelia (Essie Davis) is a single mother trying to raise her six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) alone after her husband was killed in an accident. The only problem is that Samuel is a nervous, skittish and impressionable little boy who's constantly testing the patience of Amelie and all his caretakers. And things continue to go downhill when a mysterious book appears in Samuel's room, telling about a creepy Mr. Babadook, who will come a-knocking, after which he will naturally devour your soul, feast upon your blood, all that good stuff.
Pretty much textbook as far monster horror movies go, but what gives The Babadook its strength is its way of telling its story and the things it chooses to focus upon. Because quite frankly Mr. Babadook is the least interesting thing in the film. The actual horror comes from the fraying relationship between the mother and the son, from the fact that they're both becoming so very scared of one another, and how you'll start to see their nerves building and building. It's a very poignant film about raising a child alone and being under so much pressure, stress and unreasonable expectations.
And that leads to the downside of the film. It is a monster horror film and when Mr. Babadook enters the picture, the film just isn't as interesting anymore. I enjoyed the first half, when it looked like Samuel had simple gone insane and was lashing out against his mother, far more than I enjoyed the second half, which was by no means bad as far as horror films go, but which just wasn't as innovative and unique as the first half.
Still, when the film works, it works amazingly well. Especially keeping in mind that this is director Jennifer Kent's debut film. Definitely worth a watch for all fans of psychological horror.