The Babadook

johnny_ultimate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5WQZzDRVtw

Out today.

Caught it at the Horrorthon today and I was mighty impressed, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it's the rare horror film that is as concerned with themes and characterisation as scares (although it favours and succeeds in building an unsettling atmosphere over cheaper horror tactics). The Babadook is as much about the grieving process, the challenges of single parenthood, and even an exploration of mental illness as it is about a creepy monster with claws. These are not foreign subjects for the genre, but they're handled deftly here by writer/director Jennifer Kent.

It is helped by audio-visual design that powerfully complements the themes and tone. The mostly muted colour palette - drenched in greys and other subdued hues, with more vibrant colours reserved for details of particular note - is a perfect match for the dominant moods of the characters. The sound, too, is well-judged and demanding of a cinema screen or surround system. While naturally there are some powerful sound effects reserved for building dread and establishing the 'dook itself, the sound is almost at its best elsewhere. The lead character Amelia is effectively driven insane by her crippling insomnia and demanding child, and the discomforting, often relentless sound work pulls the viewer into her fragile state of mind eloquently. Silence, too, is powerfully utilised. In a way, for several of the reasons mentioned above, I was reminded of Eraserhead of all films.

It's a two-person show more-or-less, and Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman capably face up to what are often quite challenging characters to portray. As for the Babadook, there's a silent-film / expressionist touch to the design, which is actually explicitly referenced in one sequence that repurposes archive footage with good effect.

A subplot that evaporates into nothingness and an ending that IMO didn't nail the delivery are nitpicks in what is mostly a fresh, intelligent take on a genre where those two adjectives are oft in short supply. It is a film that makes the viewer squirm in a way that isn't tied to violence or gore, and happily builds the film around the allegorical potential of its core idea. Well worth a go this Halloween-week.

Liam McPoyle

Thanks for that J_U.

Ive had reservations about this one but may now have to go see it.

paulieeye

Saw this last night also. Knew nothing of it and was very impressed, despite having to sit in the front row!

I agree with the use of sound throughout creating a disturbing edge. Added to by little things like the main characters constant toothache and bleakness of their house.

It showed well the gradual mental breakdown of a woman to the point where it was uncomfortable to watch. Up until the point where

the kid gets pulled up the stairs, it could of been a story about just that and not about anything supernatural. Or was this also in her head? With the ending showing her locking her grief away in the basement?? Maybe I'm looking too much into it!

pixelburp

Intriguing, I've been keeping an eye on this to see how it might pan out as the trailers have made it look pretty spooky; I'm broadly disinterested by the production line of jump-scare films Hollywood is churning out - Annabelle and the like - but a properly dread laden movie would have my attention.

Zombienosh

Seen this last night, It's definitely not a run of the mill jump scare film, So if you're looking for something different you may like this.

I personally admire the fact it tried to be different but I felt the ending let it down, it lost the run of itself and it felt like it wasn't sure how it wanted to end.

Some of the best scenes IMO were

when the mum is "possesed/sleep deprived and being a mad cnut

jaykhunter

Really happy to hear it. Next time I get the opportunity I'll see it

Decuc500

I’m always a bit suspicious when a horror movie gets very good reviews from critics. I’m always wondering what the hook is that attracts critics who usually look down on such films.
I felt that The Babadook was a very well made but heavy handed allegory about the grieving process and loss of a loved one.
The director was firstly making a movie about grief that just happened to inhabit the horror movie universe.
As a horror film I felt that it just wasn’t quite effective enough although it did contain some unsettling scenes.

There were some creepy moments and it had a well sustained feeling of dread running through it and the ending was certainly different.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a genre film exploring important themes, it can be quite refreshing, but I just felt that the subtext was too obvious here and that kind of removed me from the whole experience.

cloud493

Well now I kinda wanna see it. Damn you Johnny *shakes fist*

Raminahobbin

I'm not gonna read about this film too much as I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm actually pretty excited about seeing it definitely has a lot of potential and the few bits I've heard have been positive so far! Will try catch it next week if I can.

Fysh

I'm happy to hear that on top of some good (though for me not always reliable) feedback from Frightfest, there are good responses from folks around here. The review in The Irish Times helps too.

I suspect this is exactly the sort of horror film I want to see.

Johnny, would you say it's a similar sort of film to Absentia? That's the feeling I get from your post.

safetyboy

Been looking forward to this for ages. going to go see it tonight.

fryup

nevermind scary, i found it utterly utterly depressing....that poor woman and her plight:(

put me in a sad mood, not a spooked mood

johnny_ultimate

Decuc500 wrote: »

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a genre film exploring important themes, it can be quite refreshing, but I just felt that the subtext was too obvious here and that kind of removed me from the whole experience.

I partially agree, in that there were a few scenes which I felt hammered home the (sub)text in an over-blatant manner (the party, for example). Overall, however, I felt it suited the film to draw attention to its allegory as much as it did. It's sort of a dark, del Toro-esque fairly tale as well as a horror film, and working within those 'genres' - neither of which are known for their subtlety - Kent IMO wisely opted to embrace the none-too-subtle but nevertheless effective themes at the story's core. There was also just enough room for audience interpretation - both in what constituted the actual 'reality' of the story, and some of the final developments - that not everything was explicitly emphasised.

Fysh wrote: »

Johnny, would you say it's a similar sort of film to Absentia? That's the feeling I get from your post.

I haven't see it or heard much about it, to be honest, so couldn't tell you!

Fysh

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I haven't see it or heard much about it, to be honest, so couldn't tell you!

From what you've said about Babadook, I suspect you'd find a lot to enjoy in Absentia. It's very much a theme & character piece, with the focus being how people deal with loss and the disappearance/death of a loved one. It's on US & Canadian Netflix according to Moreflicks if you fancy taking a look at it.

Myrddin

Great op Johnny, will keep an eye out for this. It looks pretty good

abstrakt82

gonna go see this tomorrow, can't wait

Banjaxed82

As mentioned, it was a very refreshing take on the conventional demon/spirit/creepy kid/house horror films of late.

Lots of depth in character....BUT it just wasn't scary enough for me. VERY well made, and a brilliant central performance couldn't compensate for it's lack in thrills and suspense. There were moments, but they were sparse.

Definitely worth a watch, but not the type of 5 star horror film I was expecting based on reviews. More of a critic 5 star opposed to an audience 5 star.

Manchegan

Loved this. Reminded me a lot of Jacob's Ladder - not only the body horror it pioneered, but also the way the subtext is handled in the same way as the Meister Eckhart theme in Parker's film - in that regard I had no problem with the ending at all. I'd recommend watching it in the cinema for the full experience.

razorblunt

Decent. Knew it wouldn't live up to the hype and kind of feel I've been mis sold the movie too.

Brilliant performances and really well made but just not for me really.

pixelburp

A bit of a rambling post because it's being written not long after seeing this but ... I liked it, I really did. Many great horror films often pull a simple but clever tactic by subverting / playing on very real fears and issues that exist deep within our psyche, with the monsters simply a physical manifestation of the neurosis (case in point, the arguable correlation between fear of male rape and Alien). In The Babadooks case, it confronted the notion about how it might be to hate your child, to wish it was never born, turning it into a dark, brooding, unrelenting horror movie where the monster wasn't just the (frankly unsettling) creature stalking this poor mother and child.

The acting was super, with the mother and child: to the point where I wondered how on earth they got such a raw, unhinged performance from both of them, particularly the boy.

God the atmosphere was nerve-shredding at times; sometimes you don't need the creature to jump out and go 'ooga booga', sometimes it's enough to simply make the viewer fear every dark corner, every unseen part of the screen where terror might lurk. What I thought was funny was how before the picture started, two of the trailers were for utterly by-the-numbers Hollywood horrors: that repetitious, boring formulae of what Mark Kermode refers to as 'quiet quiet quiet - BANG!'. Good looking teens getting stalked by a violent non-entity. The Babadook didn't need this, even if its soundscape was commendable and haunting anyway, using both quiet and noise to great effect. There was perhaps one jump scare, with the rest of the movie being an uncomfortable turning of the screw, where the very house these characters lived in felt oppressive, wrong. The Babadook barely moved for most of the film. Sometimes it just ... stood there. That's scarier imo.

This is not a film about a CGI ghoul jumping out and ripping your guts out, this is a classic haunted house flick that makes you check underneath your bed, and fear the dark corners of your home and your mind.

abstrakt82

razorblunt wrote: »

Decent. Knew it wouldn't live up to the hype and kind of feel I've been mis sold the movie too.

Brilliant performances and really well made but just not for me really.

agreed with this, not as god as the hype suggests, but still a good and very enjoyable movie. and a great halloween costume

TwoShedsJackson

This was excellent, first time I'd been in a cinema in about two years. Despite the excellence of the film itself, the teenagers who wouldn't shut the **** up and the fools who laugh at inappropriate moments throughout remind me why I'm happy waiting to download everything.

As for the title, put the second through fifth letters in front of the first...

candy-gal1

Saw this yesterday too, I liked it and it definitly had its scary moments and did kinda get into your head - so job done there so :eek::rolleyes::p - but probably wouldnt put it down as a must see to me or something to watch over and over on Halloween etc


It is good, just not really what I was expecting, still a good watch though especially for the week thats in it

vidor

Seems like I'm alone here but this was all a bit silly for me and not in the least bit unsettling. You know it's definitely not for you if you're beginning to laugh at what's happening

when she answers the phone and all you hear is "it's the babadook", I couldn't buy in to it

. Just a chore to watch tbh.

Telecaster58

I thought it was quite good. It maintains a sense of dread which is so lacking in current "horror" films. The current batch are "cattle prod" films and are predictable and annoying, and so often relying on gore and revulsion for effect

run_Forrest_run

I enjoyed this one. As already mentioned here, the use of bass and other haunting tones really demands a good cinema sound system.

wp_rathead

Kinda like "The Shining" meets "We Need To Talk About Kevin"

I "think" i get the ending-but

Samuel going "will i get to see him" did kind of throw me off. Unless "feeding him" means like seeing the reminders that the mother keeps in the basement. But dont get the worms.

Very glad I saw this in cinema though- some scenea very intense

Phat Cat

I went to see this last night and to be honest it wasn't what I was expecting. I didn't watch any trailers or read any synopsis so thought that I would be a straight up monster horror instead of the psychological thriller that it turned out to be. I did see these posters online before I went that probably made me believe the former, no wonder they were most like scrapped as they are very misleading.

It was a good movie to be fair, I was just expecting something completely different, but maybe that's probably the beauty of The Babadook, it's complete different then most horror movies.

Fysh

I caught this earlier in the week and really liked it, particularly the use of sound to convey subconscious cues about state of mind - things like the unsettling background noises when Amelia walks down the stairs which stop whenever she pauses and looks back over her shoulder, or the hypnotic humming as she struggles with insomnia really helped sell the oppressive atmosphere of the film. It reminded me a lot of Berberian Sound Studio in that sense (also because it's a psychological thriller about someone potentially losing their mind).

Not a conventional horror, but judging by the trailers for some godawful dreck that I saw advertised as being released this week that's almost certainly a good thing. Mind you, I'm optimistic about Horns and I honestly can't remember the last time there were two promising horror films in the cinema at Halloween...

BobbyPropane

Went to see this without really knowing anything. Thought it was bad, really bad in fact. The acting was horrendous and the whole story was just boring and had no tension whatsoever. I really just did not give 2 sh**s about any of the characters or the setting. Really disappointed.

Honestly thought it was a parody half way through it was that bad, not creepy, not scary, just boring

Please don't hate

pixelburp

BobbyPropane wrote: »

Went to see this without really knowing anything. Thought it was bad, really bad in fact. The acting was horrendous [...]

Fair enough if you didn't enjoy it, everyone has their preference, but this part I can't agree with at all; I thought the acting from both leads to be fairly convincing, if not outright exceptional; both Essie Davis for her portrayal of the stressed-out, exhausted mother, utterly on the edge of her tether and full of unspoken loathing for her child, and Noah Wiseman was just creepy and weird, coming across as genuinely deranged. 'Horrendous' seems a bit far.

BobbyPropane

pixelburp wrote: »

Fair enough if you didn't enjoy it, everyone has their preference, but this part I can't agree with at all; I thought the acting from both leads to be fairly convincing, if not outright exceptional; both Essie Davis for her portrayal of the stressed-out, exhausted mother, utterly on the edge of her tether and full of unspoken loathing for her child, and Noah Wiseman was just creepy and weird, coming across as genuinely deranged. 'Horrendous' seems a bit far.

The child's acting was really bad even for a child imo. I just think overall there was some serious problems with the directing and writing of this movie, the mother didn't creep me out at all, I've seen the "possesed middle aged mother" cliche too many times for her acting to stand out.

pixelburp

BobbyPropane wrote: »

The child's acting was really bad even for a child imo. I just think overall there was some serious problems with the directing and writing of this movie, the mother didn't creep me out at all, I've seen the "possesed middle aged mother" cliche too many times for her acting to stand out.

I didn't get the impression the mother was meant to creep tbh, not before the final act really: for most of the film she was merely(!) harassed, beleaguered and insomniac, still utterly wracked with grief and exhaustion, and barely containing her hatred for her son. Yeah she went a bit cuckoo near the end and I won't deny it was a tiny bit silly, but up to that point it was a fairly natural performance in my eyes. But hey ho, such are the margins of opinion.

solomafioso

It's a decent film. Mother coping on her own whilst dealing with a difficult child theme, with some genuinely spooky / horror thrown in.

The basement representing the repression of, or her coping mechanism from her tragic past.

(I think?). Why is it always the basement or attic? :pac:

Did anyone else notice a striking resemblance to the RE Intro dogs sound? (at around 3:00 in to the vid).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUtaxyA6W2o

Also, just realised *facepalm* that the mother may have made the book. I'm referring to the scene when she reports it to the police and she tries to hide her hand after telling them she burned it. Didn't she burn it on a bbq? The smudges on her hand (just the one), look an awful lot like charcoal...like the book was done in. dun dun DUUUUUUNNNN! Again, could be completely wrong.

razorblunt

solomafioso wrote: »

It's a decent film. Mother coping on her own whilst dealing with a difficult child theme, with some genuinely spooky / horror thrown in.

The basement representing the repression of, or her coping mechanism from her tragic past.

(I think?). Why is it always the basement or attic? :pac:

Did anyone else notice a striking resemblance to the RE Intro dogs sound? (at around 3:00 in to the vid).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUtaxyA6W2o

Also, just realised *facepalm* that the mother may have made the book. I'm referring to the scene when she reports it to the police and she tries to hide her hand after telling them she burned it. Didn't she burn it on a bbq? The smudges on her hand (just the one), look an awful lot like charcoal...like the book was done in. dun dun DUUUUUUNNNN! Again, could be completely wrong.

You're right, the birthday party scene pretty much cemented my opinion she was the author of the book, it was handled pretty clumsily really

jimmythedivil

Saw this last night and it was impressive. Definitely more unsettling than scary. But I don't think it will go down as a great horror movie by any means.

I did think it veered into parody at some points. The dog-strangling/neck breaking scene was particularly unnecessary and the sort of thing you would expect to see in a third rate slasher. What did the dog do to deserve that?!

TwoShedsJackson

jimmythedivil wrote: »

The dog-strangling/neck breaking scene was particularly unnecessary and the sort of thing you would expect to see in a third rate slasher. What did the dog do to deserve that?!

Nothing whatsoever. But she'd lost her mind, it was the dog or the kid.

Hagar7

2007 film,nice horror film,The girl next door.
I'll say no more.

BobbyPropane

The more I think about it, I suppose it was a bad idea to go into this movie without really knowing anything apart from it having good ratings. I suppose I was mainly disappointed at the fact that it turned into

another possessed woman movie when from the early parts I thought it was just going to be a monster (I understand the story but this is what I was thinking while watching), I'm just sick of possessions !

faceman

Film was ok. It just felt though that it was t sure if it wanted to be a psychological drama or a horror and that became irritating.

The performances were excellent but the supporting cast had no purpose whatsoever.

The ending was a cop out and a mess. Shame really. Anyone who has seen her short that the movie is based on will know how awful that story was.

weadick

faceman wrote: »

Film was ok. It just felt though that it was t sure if it wanted to be a psychological drama or a horror and that became irritating.

The performances were excellent but the supporting cast had no purpose whatsoever.

The ending was a cop out and a mess. Shame really. Anyone who has seen her short that the movie is based on will know how awful that story was.

Is it available to view online somewhere?

BobbyPropane

weadick wrote: »

Is it available to view online somewhere?

Think this is it http://vimeo.com/39042148

Manchegan

I don't think it was ever the writer/director's intention to make a horror movie, but to use the vocabulary of horror cinema to dramatize the psychology of grief, loneliness and guilt. The original short makes this unambiguously clear. And anyway, unless you actually believe in the supernatural, purgatory and the like, the straight-up horror genre will inevitably disappoint. Like when Kubrick had King admit he believed in God, and said "I knew it". The Shining movie is not a horror movie, even though the book is.

In other news, Where the Wild Things are is not a wildlife documentary.

we'llallhavetea

We watched this Halloween night. While I thought it was a great movie and the acting by the two leads were phenomenal IMO, I can't say I "enjoyed" it. :P I was fairly distraught at some points and was full on convinced we would see

her kill the son

so was really wound up and felt like turning it off!
To me it was not supernatural AT ALL

i presume that the babadook was a manifestation of her grief and that she was just losing her mind. I also feel that the son was trying to fight off her monsters (ie; her) from the get go. Not sure if all was rosy at the end, I just felt that maybe this was a yearly occurrence, every anniversary of the husbands death? Maybe not though! Hate that she killed the fcuking dog

GHOST MGG

One word..BABA****E reviewed in one word. can i have that 90 mins of my life back plz.

Chris_Heilong

Good art-house style movie, marketed as a generic horror to sell tickets so I can see how some would not like it. The acting was very good and realistic, the film left a lot out which is a good thing in my opinion as it leaves somethings to our imagination to figure out, the ending

we sometimes have to learn to live with our monsters

I would recommend it.

johnny_ultimate

GHOST MGG wrote: »

One word..BABA****E reviewed in one word. can i have that 90 mins of my life back plz.

Oh come on now.
Surely Babadookie would be more apt.

jimmythedivil

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

We watched this Halloween night. While I thought it was a great movie and the acting by the two leads were phenomenal IMO, I can't say I "enjoyed" it. :P I was fairly distraught at some points and was full on convinced we would see

her kill the son

so was really wound up and felt like turning it off!
To me it was not supernatural AT ALL

i presume that the babadook was a manifestation of her grief and that she was just losing her mind. I also feel that the son was trying to fight off her monsters (ie; her) from the get go. Not sure if all was rosy at the end, I just felt that maybe this was a yearly occurrence, every anniversary of the husbands death? Maybe not though! Hate that she killed the fcuking dog

I can still hear his little fluffy neck crunching. So unfair

RedemptionZ

Can I just ask anyone who's seen it why

they think that the mother was the author of the book? Is it because she said she used to be a writer?

I enjoyed the movie, though I'd second those who say it's not really a horror movie. There's creepy undertones and a very tense atmosphere but I didn't find anything scary bar the odd jump, but I mean I'm fairly sure I got a jump in a Harry Potter movie too.

willmunny1990

Its different which is a good thing, it definitely isn't a horror though but more of a psychological drama about a woman desperately struggling with grief, depression and isolation, along with trying to raise her troubled son as a single parent.

I got the impression the monsters the son was constantly fighting were her personal demons.

The acting was superb too, the mother and son were pretty much flawless imo, so real and full of pain, she portrayed a fragile woman under extreme stress incredibly well and she really gave the viewer the impression she that she could snap at the drop of a hat.

Weird ending though,

maybe the fact the bday/husbands death date were finally passing she was able to lock her demons away for a time which would explain the whole basement thing, which was the hub where she stored all her grief and memories of her husband

.

Anyway, its open to interpretation.

I do think a lot casual movie goers going to see a horror will be disappointed as its very much billed as a horror, which its not.

Tasden

I thought they ruined something that was going really well for the first half of the movie. I think they should have forget about making it a horror and went with more a psychological thriller. Once certain "demons" or whatever were actually shown I lost interest, it became unbelievable imo. But i have a pet peeve for horrors that show supernatural/demons, much prefer those that play on real fears/could be.

I would have preferred it to remain realistic and that the mother became so sinister as a result of the insomnia/lack of sleep/misery of life. Possessed by her own mind almost.

Think they really could have also played up the disconnect between the mam and kid, him wanting to protect her from monsters while she constantly denied its existence but in reality was terrified. The ending ruined it by

the kid and her fighting against an actual physical monster. I'd preferred if she became monster like/possessed by her own tiredness and the dreams of the babadook. At one stage when they showed her twitching in the chair while dreaming of the babadook I really thought it was going to go down the road of the mother not being able to differentiate between being awake and nightmares and then somehow ending up killing the child and dog as shown in the book as a result

.

I thought the acting of the mother was brilliant but the actual storyline just kind of undid all the brilliant and realistic portrayal up to that point.