The film dies at the hour mark and gets sillier and sillier

Rating: 4/10 (18 December 2014)

The Babadook is a well crafted film that manages to ratchet up some decent suspense, mystery and even some scares, until the thin narrative runs out of steam. The last half hour devolves into a cheap horror show that produces unintentional laughs, as the story disintegrates on screen. The Babadook just doesn't sustain as a feature length film. Essie Davis is excellent as the lead and she commits herself to this material and her fantastic performance keeps the film watchable. Child actor Noah Wiseman isn't as successful, as the boy can be competent in some scenes and so grating in others, you'll need the mute button handy. His performance could have been shaped slightly better and certainly less irritating through editing, but as cruel as it sounds, it's an annoying kid performance. Even with all of its shortcomings, The Babadook is a nice showcase of talent for a first time director and I look forward to her next project.