Hollywood should be ashamed. With less than 1/100th budget yet 50 times better than any American horror film

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2015)

The Babadook is an Australian horror movie both written and directed by first time director Jennifer Kent. It is a horror movie the likes of which you have never seen before. It delves deep into psychological trauma and the grief that can be led on by the death of a loved one.
Let me start off by saying this movie was, fantastic. It isn't often you see a horror movie that isn't just relatable to certain people, but to the human race as a collective. At one point or another everyone has a feeling of guilt, repression or grief etc. It is also one of the very few horror movies that isn't rife with ridiculous clichés. Maybe one or two but you can't avoid them all.
What makes this movie scary? Most, or pretty much ALL horror movies these day rely on jump scares or gore to frighten the viewers. This movie has none of that. They rely on special effects and CGI to make the monster look scary, because they focus too much on that, they lose whats really important. At first sight this is a monster movie, but when you get further into the story you realize that it isn't hat you first though. The Babadook isn't just some monster. Monster movies don't scare, because the people watching them know they're not real. But the Babadook IS real. It's about a persons shadow self taking over your conscience mind. The shadow self is a persons negative feelings, all their fears and regrets that is put into your unconscious and out of mind. The Babadook isn't just some random monster. It is real. and it exists in all of us.
Even William Friedkin director of the Exorcist, which I would consider the scariest movie of all time, said "Iv'e never seen a more terrifying film than 'The Babadook'" coming from a man who knows what makes a good horror film. He knows that what is scary about this movie isn't just whats on the surface. It's what lies within. Grab a pen and notepad Hollywood, because THIS, is how you make a horror film.
8.6/10