Wow, great movie!

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2014)

This is a whopper of a horror film. The performances by Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman as the mother and son were so authentic I was pulled way into the plot within the first 10-15 minutes. Watching Davis' gradual descent into madness (or was it?) was very reminiscent of Polanski's "Repulsion," however I felt this film was much more effective. "The Babadook" goes into some taboo territories that I've never seen explored in a movie before, and at times it almost becomes unbearable to watch. There is an atmosphere of uneasiness throughout most of its running time. I really hope this gets a formal U.S. release, it's one of the most original as well as one of the creepiest films I've ever seen. Reading Jennifer Kent's filmography, it looks as though she hasn't done a lot of directing; hopefully after the success of this we'll see more of her work.