A nice try but no cigar...

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2014)

"The Babadook"- This Australian Horror film concerning a single mother and her little boy being terrorized by a sinister presence oozes with atmospheric creepiness but the dramatic content is a bit too familiar and presented in a harrowing/suffocating manner. The narrative is derivative to a fault, filled with tired horror film clichés that desensitize a seasoned viewer in rapid fashion; "afflicted" person pulling their own tooth out for no good reason, every secondary character's flippant dismissal of the central character's plight, a mysterious crack in the wall oozing insects, deeply troubled child, cute but doomed pet, etc.,- it goes on and on and on. The majority of this is decidedly unpleasant (as opposed to entertaining) material. Perhaps my biggest issue with the film is the shrieking, ridiculously over-the-top "performance" of young Noah Wiseman- the child is an insufferable little heathen and does wonders for working against the film. "Troubled" here equates to "extremely annoying to the point of wanting to strangle the little bastard".
There's artistic merit and legitimate atmosphere on display, though to harp on how this film is "smart" or novel in some way is completely ridiculous. Yes, "The Babadook" is far better than most of what's currently being dumped on Horror movie fans, but in a cinematic year that's included such truly awful horror genre films as "Ouija", "Annabelle" and "Deliver Us From Evil", that's not saying much at all. "The Babadook" is a nice try from Writer/Director Jennifer Kent, though I find myself more looking forward to what she's doing next as opposed to fondly reminiscing over what I had just got finished watching. Ultimately I don't care if I see it again, though I can't call it a bad film- the throwback feel (there's very little CGI to speak of) is commendable, Essie Davis (the Mother) is very good and it's filmed exceptionally well.
"The Babadook" is essentially an analogy for mental illness- think a lesser-budgeted, pale imitation of Kubrick's "The Shining" mixed in with shades of "The Machinist" and "Session 9" (all films I believe are vastly superior). One of the more wildly overpraised and overrated films in recent memory, it looks like I'm going to get through 2014 without truly appreciating a single Horror film released during the year... 7.0 out of 10