Mix Equal parts REPULSION and EXORCIST....

Rating: 7/10 (17 January 2015)

An odd film deserves an odd review.
I don't want to minimize the achievement of writer/director Jennifer Kent (an achievement entirely outside of Assieland because, as everyone keeps reminding us, the film flopped in its native country) .... but I don't want to over-hype it either.
If you are looking an old-school horror film to get under your skin and grind your sensibilities, keep you up nights, you could do worse. Much worse.
If you are looking for something that makes sense, well, that's another story, another film, entirely.
First and foremost, the introduction of Mister Babadook, whose coming is foretold by a mysterious children's book that appears out of nowhere, with blank pages that mysteriously get filled in as we go ... is purely great. I have seen way too many shockers but that was a new one. Kudos. Very spooky. Very cool.
The special effects are also excellent. Mister B (as his fans like to call him) only appears for less than 3 minutes in the whole film but he is quite unforgettable nonetheless.
And finally Essie Davis gives a stunning performance, with pale skin and a pleasantly deranged demeanour that bring to mind the best of Sissy Spacek in Carrie.
The problem, for those who care, is the explanation. If there is one.
The film ends with the mother going into the basement to attend to the daily care and feeding of the monster, Mister B, seemingly trapped inside forever...? Aside from this odd daily ritual, the family is functional again and young Sam is becoming more normal by the day. A happy ending, sort of.
The other explanation, the one left for the critics and fans and chatgroups, is whether there was ever a monster at all? The audience gets two clues, and only two.
In the cockroach scene, the roaches disappear when strangers arrive.
So, there really were no roaches. See? And in an early part of the film, at a party, Essie's character, clearly a few fries short of a Happy Meal because of the death of her spouse on the day Sam was born, admits she "used to write children's books." Those are the puzzle pieces. YOU figure it out.