Things That Go Bump in the Night

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2014)

This film is recommended.
Mister Babadook is the bogeyman, that thing that goes bump in the night and ruins a child's sleep, the waking nightmare that disturbs young children and adults alike. In this case, he is found in a picture-book owned by Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a problem child if there ever was one. His mother, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at her wit's end, raising a child alone and still grieving over the death of her husband seven years ago. Both cannot get a good night's sleep. Amelia is lonely and angst-ridden. Sam is obsessed with this demon coming into their home and their dreams. But is the Babadook real or imaginary? In either case, both mother and child are acting far from normal.
The Babadook is a tense psychological horror film. It focuses on primal fear and rarely deviates from its course. Director Jennifer Kent also wrote the intriguing screenplay and she spends the first half of the film establishing the relationship between parent and child well before the first entrance of the title character. One begins to wonder when the horror will start. But start it does, and it never looks back.
While Kent's screenplay toys with the audience and build suspense at a slow pace, her direction is more focused and in total control. She implies the horror, never resorting to cheap scares, and in doing so, creates a haunting portrait of a family coming undone. Her approach is very theatrical and effective, using light and shadows to create the tension. She tries to keep the action in a logical sequence, even if she relies a bit too heavily on disconcerting montage effects. There is plenty of eerie foreboding imagery, foremost from the surreal pop-up book itself, with wonderful illustrations by Alexander Juhasz. The rooms in the house, ell photographed by Radek Ladczuk, have a claustrophobic atmosphere, with everything and everyone just slightly off kilter. (For example, why would a loving mother read her child scary bedtime stories if he has these nightly issues?)
The demanding key roles are so well played by the actors involved. Little Mr. Wiseman can be endearing or irritating as Samuel and the young actor shows a perfect range of emotions as this hellion. Australian actress Essie Davis is remarkable as Samuel's mother. Her character is physically and emotionally battered, almost damaged and beyond repair. Ms. Davis shows off the frustration, vulnerability, and terror to full advantage. This performance deserves to be seen and lauded.
As with all horror films, the set-up and payoff is important. The film poses three distinct reasons for the horror that seems to be occurring:
1. Sam may be a demon child with violent tendencies. 2. Mother is clinically depressed and on the verge of a breakdown. 3. The Babadook may actually be a supernatural being focused on harming the family.
By the film's end, only one of these possibilities is ruled out, leaving the moviegoer again faced with ambiguity. The film's multiple endings never really confirm the mysterious happenings in the household or the reasons behind them. So the pay-off is a tad less satisfying. But The Babadook remains a complex and fascinating horror thriller, one that lingers long after the film ends. Sleep well. GRADE: B
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