Take one look and you can never get rid of the Babadook

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2015)

The reviews here are clearly divided into those who loved and those who hated it, mainly because this is not classic horror. The Babadook is actually more a psychological drama that uses it's monster as a metaphor for how we deal with our fears, our grief, our pain. For Amelia, a widowed mother with a young, difficult child, her suppressed trauma begins to manifest itself as a horrendous creature, first in her dreams, later in real life. As her mental state spirals downwards, her life and that of her son come in mortal danger. What makes the film so scary and touching is that we all can (at least partially) relate to those dark feelings that conjured up the apparition. A tour de force for Essie Davis who gives us a stellar performance as the troubled Amelia. The whole film is highly stylized, in some parts maybe a touch too much, when in becomes almost Tim-Burton-esque, but the atmosphere it creates does work perfectly.