I love
horror movies as much as the next guy, who apparently just happens to be a “scaredy
cat” so that says a lot about me then doesn’t it. I’ve always enjoyed select
horror films, be it the classics that made Freddy and Jason famous or the
modern classics like Scream along with the occasional film such as The Blair
Witch Project that was different and made news. While the basis of any horror
film remains the same, and the genre is huge with films being categorized from gory
and cannibalistic to zombie apocalypse to character driven horror fests, every
now and then something different comes along that changes the perception of the
audience, like Cabin in the Woods did a couple of years back. The Babadook isn’t
a genre changing film, but it is still frightening enough, in an unconventional
way, to stand out.
The
film follows a single mother as she barely manages to run her life having lost
her husband in an accident on the day their son was born. The son, having
psychological issues of his own, makes thinks harder for her, and slowly we see
her anxiety and desperation rise just as a “spirit” called The Babadook enters
their life through a children’s book.
Mind bending
and not your predictable horror film, The Babadook is multifarious in its
execution making is more of a psychological thriller with scares that are few
and far between but an ever rising tension and suspense that keeps the audience
ready to jump when need be. The film is however reminiscent of classics like
The Shining and The Exorcist at times, but by no means does it do so blatantly,
only giving as a familiar feel of the elements that made the two classics so
successful.
Essie
Davis as Amelia, the mother on the verge of a breakdown and Daniel Henshall as
her son Robbie give brilliant performances. Daniel especially deserves a
special mention for portraying a role that alternates between that of a normal
kid to one with issues to a boy who is also experiencing the presence of the
Babadook and the subsequent change in nature of his mom. While the idea of
having a supernatural force that cannot be seen, but only experienced is much
more frightening, the Babadook is made visible at times to Amelia and Robbie,
but the audience is still kept in the dark mostly with only brief quick cuts
that showcase him. While this works most of the time, after a while I expected
to see the monster in its full glory but was deprived of this. But, it is also
this lack of a more physical Babadook that gives the film its complexity
leaving it to the audience to decipher the end, which mind you does leave
space for a sequel.
The
Babadook takes the horror genre and makes is more horrendous by placing a distressed
mother and son duo in the middle of it all wherein the audience can’t help but sympathize
with their desperation. In addition, it gives us a new villain that is more
emotionally and mentally challenging with no apparent fixed goals making his
presence all the more suspicious and frightening. As is the case with most
horror films, watching it at night adds more thrills and shrills to the experience.
Rating
3.5/5