Don't Let It In

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2017)

An experience that each one of us can relate to is loss. Jennifer Kent's, The Babadook, forces us to engage in the challenging aftermath after losing a husband and a father years after the accident. The exhausting toll this tragedy has on a widowed, single mother and the isolating development of a hyperactive child in a single parent home creates an immediate, empathetic relationship that has the audience feeling desperately sad and vulnerable. The dark and dull mise-en- scene brings to life the gloomy, melancholy demeanor of Sam and Amelia's home that leave the two characters plagued off from the people who love them most. The draping and dramatic shadows that cover every inch of the house encloses the monster lurking inside, patiently waiting for the right time to attack. I applaud Jennifer Kent for creating such a possessive, haunting, and original type of monster that feeds off our deepest fears. I also want to acknowledge Essie Davis' undeniably brilliant portrayal of Amelia's character development from beginning to end. This psychoanalytical horror divides the audience's perception of what we want to see and what we actually see. The Babadook is not a film filled with gore that will leave you petrified and gasping for air, but the compelling suspense and creepy atmosphere will leave you evaluating what scares you more: the monsters under your bed or the monsters in your head.