An extremely chilling film that shook me to the bone

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2017)

I love this film, mainly because of how i relate to the film and how much it terrified me. I saw a lot of myself in the child; I feel that I was like the child in this film. I would set traps for a monster I was convinced existed yet never did. However here it does and it's terrifying. Between this film and The Conjuring I am never owning a house with a basement.
This film uses excellent cinematography and sound design to make even the most humble and mundane shots seem terrifying. The constant shrieking of the main boy may annoy some people, or it may add to your level of terror. Either way it really got under my skin in the best way possible.
Essie Davis leads this film extremely well, while she does seem to freak out a bit too much in the first act, the rest of the film she is a captivating and terrifying character when she needs to be. She plays the grieving mother extremely well with a good sense that she is hurting and her sons bluntness and overwhelming fear of the Babadook really isn't helping.
The ending of the film is really the only part that bugs me. From now on there are major spoilers so be warned. The film ends with us knowing that they are basically caring for the Babadook in the basement. While this subverts expectations and pays off the extended metaphor that the Babadook is their grief, it left me feeling that the main conflict of the film still wasn't solved. The film is also inconsistent about when Amelia (the mother) can and can't see the Babadook, lessening the effects of some scenes.
Other than that, the film did an amazing job at terrifying me, and I feel that it showed the right amount of the Babadook. A lot of people disagree but I feel that the good looks we get in the second act really help to imagine what the beast would look like when it came to the climactic showdown between the family and the Babadook.
Overall, masterfully writing and directing, phenomenal sound editing and design along with beautiful cinematography lead me to give this film a 9/10. A better ending would have helped me love the film more but as it stands it's a terrifying horror film that I highly recommend checking out. It's out on DVD and Blu Ray, as well as on the UK Netflix and iTunes, and probably other streaming services.