Why would anyone open the cover of a children’s book with only a red exterior? The Babadook is a terrifying and chilling film about a luckless parent and child. It boasts probably the best scares of the year, making it the perfect way to scare an unexpected friend.
The Babadook is the name of a “children’s” book that Amelia (Essie Davis) reads to her young child Samuel (Noah Wiseman) to make him go to sleep. These nights have become commonplace for Amelia: Samuel believes in magic, ghouls, and demons and acts out in school, getting into trouble constantly. Amelia also has a traumatic event she is trying to cope with that interferes with her relationship with her son and others. The Babadook is a dark being that enters their life after they read the book; the creature adds terror onto grief and exhaustion to threaten the struggling family during already desolate days.
The Babadook is the movie equivalent of watching a train wreck in slow motion. Writer/director Jennifer Kent sets the pieces early on: poor Amelia has to deal with her pain in the ass son (she pushes this button a bit too hard) during exhaustive shifts and endless nights. The children’s book predicts exactly how the end will come, and slowly but surely dread builds. Mom has a car accident. Police are unhelpful. Family and friends turn on Samuel and Amelia’s plight. Social workers ask too many questions. The dog keeps barking. The suspense builds and builds to a rousing and terrifying climax during one of those endless nights, where the psychological toll and paranoia allow for quick editing and cutting to disorient and scare the viewer. The film also doesn’t cheat out of what The Babadook actually is and gives a very strong thematic resolution to the movie. Kent’s script and direction imbue The Babadook with paranoia tinged with a hint of desolation: the kind where you cover your eyes but peek just to catch a glimpse.
The Babadook works because terrific acting matches the strong script. Essie Davis is asked to do a lot here. You FEEL her world weariness, and sympathize with her snaps at her annoying son. The Babadook triggers a surfacing of some deep desire inside her being that causes a slow transformation necessary for the third act to be suspenseful, and Davis finds little moments to push the fear/anger/paranoia deeper and deeper into the abyss. Noah Wiseman flirts with “Ugh!!” status as the ADD’ed up Samuel. Kent smartly writes him as a good hearted open book: yes he is a pain, but he clearly loves his family and wants to protect it. Davis sells the crazy and the humanity in a weird little package to the point where I saw a few wet eyes because of him during the film’s darker moments.
The Babadook will go down as the scariest film of 2014. Kent is a filmmaker to be watched, and Essie Davis needs more acting jobs. Seriously though, if someone knocks on your door and no one is there when you answer, but then the knocking happens again, just call the police. Sure, you might be paranoid, but at least no demonic shapeshifters will end up in your house.