From breakthrough director Jennifer Kent comes the creepy psychological horror movie The Babadook that has received an explosion of acclaim following its world premiere at Sundance 2014. The film tells of a single mother, plagued by the death of her husband, who battles with her son’s night time fear of a shadowy monster. But soon, she discovers a sinister presence is lurking in the house.
With echoes of past and contemporary classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Tenant, The Exorcist, The Omen and Let the Right One In, the film is an immaculately crafted tale starring Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman. The supporting cast includes Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear. Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her ‘out of control’ 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love.
The Babadook is an Australian-Canadian psychological horror film, written and directed by Jennifer Kent at her directorial debut, in which a woman and her son are tormented by an evil entity. The film stars Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, while Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear appear in supporting roles.
About the Story
Amelia, a troubled widow, has raised her six-year-old son Samuel alone, after her husband Oskar died in an accident driving Amelia to the hospital to give birth. Sam begins displaying erratic behavior: he rarely sleeps through the night and is preoccupied with an imaginary monster, which he has built weapons to fight. Amelia is forced to take her son out of school due to his behavioral problems.
One night, Sam asks his mother to read from a mysterious pop-up storybook he finds on his shelf. The story, Mister Babadook, is about a supernatural entity: once someone is made aware of its existence, the monster torments that person. Amelia is disturbed by the book’s contents, while Sam becomes convinced that the Babadook is stalking them. Strange events begin occurring throughout the house: doors open and close on their own, Amelia finds glass in her food, and strange sounds are heard with no apparent source. Amelia attributes the events to Sam’s behavior, but he insists that the Babadook is responsible. Amelia rips up the Mister Babadook book and disposes of it.
At his cousin Ruby’s birthday party, Ruby bullies Sam for not having a father; as a result, Sam pushes her out of her tree house and breaks her nose. Amelia’s sister, Claire, admits she cannot bear to be around Sam, and suspects that Amelia feels the same way. On the drive home, Sam has another vision of the Babadook and suffers a febrile seizure. Amelia convinces a doctor to prescribe sedatives for Sam to help him sleep, hoping that she will also be able to get some sleep as well.
The following morning, Amelia finds the Mister Babadook storybook, reassembled, on the front step. New words inside the book taunt her, claiming that the more she denies the Babadook’s existence, the stronger the monster will get, growing inside her. It contains new pop-ups of Amelia killing her dog, Samuel, and herself. Terrified, Amelia tries to convince the police that she is being harassed by a stalker, but when they ask for the storybook as evidence, she admits that she burnt it. She realizes they can see chalk on her hands, implying she may have put the book back together herself. The Babadook then reveals itself to Amelia before possessing her.
The Babadook
Directed by: Jennifer Kent
Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, Cathy Adamek
Screenplay by: Jennifer Kent
Production Design by: Alex Holmes
Cinematography by: Radek Ladczuk
Film Editing by: Simon Njoo
Costume Design by: Heather Wallace
Set Decoration by: Jennifer Drake
Music by: Jed Kurzel
MPAA Rating: None.
Studio: IFC Films
Release Date: November 28, 2014
Visits: 71
