Hope for the horror genre

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2014)

Thanks to the Paranormal Activity and Saw sequels, the horror genre has been left in an embarrassing state. We've been over-dosed on PG-13 ghost stories, that desperately rely on jump-scares, and torture-porn, filled with some of the most horrible acting to ever be put on-screen. Both so formulaic, they're predictable to the point of being boring. Then along comes a little indie film from Australia called The Babadook.
The Babadook is a children's book a young boy with an over-active imagination finds, mysteriously, on his bookshelf one night for his widowed, over-worked and sleep deprived mother to read to him. What is found in the book not only traumatizes the boy but also scares the mother. Soon the mother and son are being haunted by The Babadook, a monster that feeds off denial. Is the boy mentally disturbed and intentionally trying to drive his mother crazy or is the mother trying to give herself a reason to murder her son? Is The Babadook real or is the real monster a suppressed part of one of the characters?
The film begins and builds with excellence, masterfully directed by Jennifer Kent. It has a dash of influence from David Lynch and is somewhat reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro's earlier work. The first 75 minutes make for a truly intense and terrifying ride filled with spectacular visuals. Unfortunately, The Babadook suffers from too many missed opportunities within the story and the conclusion is more ridiculous than frightening. It makes it seem as if the filmmakers were uncertain as to whether they wanted to create a haunted house story, a monster movie or a psychological thriller. This causes more confusion than necessary, as the monster movie aspect undermines the reality and depth of the psychological thriller.
While it doesn't break any new ground, The Babadook is genuinely scary and unpredictable. Despite the ending, Jennifer Kent proves to be a powerful director we should keep an eye on.