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MOVIE REVIEW: FTN reviews The Babadook

October 27th, 2014 by Irwin Fletcher 2 Comments

The Babadook (15)
Directed by: Jennifer Kent
Starring: Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall & Tiffany Lyndall-Knight
Running time: 93 min

A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

Its been almost seven years since the death of her husband and Amelia (Essie Davis) and her young son Samuel (Daniel Henshall) are still coming to terms with the tragedy. Young Samuel is convinced that he is seeing monsters, however Amelie thinks this is nothing more than just an over-active imagination.

But when a number of instances happen to both mother and son at the same time, Amelie starts to believe that there may indeed be something lurking in the shadows…

The Babadook is a low-budget horror film that relies more on thrill and tension than gore and indeed there are times when the tension is very tight. Both main actors perform very well and it’s a great achievement for the young Daniel Henshall to convincingly portray both happiness and fear at his young age.

That said, there are a number of glaringly obvious plot holes in this movie; SPOILERS the Babadook’s voice on the telephone, the magically restored book that the mother burned, and the final fate of the Babadook makes no sense whatsoever given the events that happened in the movie are just a few of the gaps… SPOILERS END

And there are a few unintentional comedic moments toward the end. Indeed, there is a scene where it’s simply a Halloween version of Home Alone that the viewer is watching!

Director Jennifer Kent has created a film that isn’t your run of the slaughter house mill horror film. There is virtually no gore, no scantily clad late teens/early tweneties something running around in the dark screaming her lungs out. Instead we have, at times, a fairly tight thriller/horror that will certainly keep you entertained for 90mins.

A great choice for Halloween viewing, but one that may have you scratching your head in bewilderment once the titles role.

3 out of 5 Nerds

 

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.