The Babadook (2014) - Review
Originally published April 2015C is for Creepy, that's good enough for me.
After I finished watching The Babadook, I thought it was a smart movie, but I didn't really love it like I thought I would. There were plenty of things about the movie that I liked, but some hangups prevented me from wanting to watch it again. Here's a quick rundown of the movie:
The Babadook is a tasteful and intelligent horror film that tells the story of an exhausted mother and her wretched almost 7-year-old boy. She has to endure his tantrums, tirades, and transgressions on a regular basis. At the end of one particular day of unrest, they read a children's pop-up book called The Babadook. The little book with ominous dark drawings turns very malicious very quickly and has already infected the little brat's mind, and even the mother's, with some dark and scary thoughts. Reading the book seemed to invite a haunting from the titular creature, as is common in horror films. The mother does her best to deny its existence, but even after shredding and burning the horrific pop-up book, something seems to keep haunting the two in their depressing and lonely house. With plenty of evidence to suggest it might be psychological imagining, the film still makes this something of a supernatural thriller with smart storytelling and a creepy atmosphere.
Watching the Babadook, however, did two things for me that it perhaps didn't intend to do intentionally:
It reminded me why I dislike children and never want my own
It built up my expectations beyond the capacity of being able to meet them
I think The Babadook is a very competently made film that will likely scare the pants off many of its viewers. In some ways, I found the movie intriguing and creepy; similar to how I felt watching The Ring for the first time. The Babadook impressed me with the various movie-making and storytelling techniques that were used, however, I didn't come away loving the movie. I respect it for its craft, but I can't say I truly enjoyed it.
Before going into the details here, how about a list of pros and cons, followed by some spoiler-free talk about the film as a whole?
Pros
Some interesting camera angles and unique cinematography that grabbed my attention, even in the slow spots.
Convincing acting all around, including the kid, who is meant to be annoying on an obnoxious level.
The slow build-up of tension was tastefully done and what I enjoy out of good horror films. Something that is slowly but surely becoming more and more unsettling is almost always more interesting than the jump-scare slasher.
I deeply appreciated the inspired nods to the classic horror films of the 20s and silent era with creature and set designs obviously inspired by movies like Nosferatu,The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and images from London after Midnight; the grayscale house and Babadook itself practically screamed "Silent Horror!" (no pun intended).
Even some of the acting was reminiscent, at times, of stop motion or jumpy cuts between film that helped add to the unsettling mood.
The overall artistic design of the film is great.
I liked the psychological horror aspect of it, similar to how the 40's classic, The Wolfman, did it. Though, I wouldn't say I understood it by the end.
Cons
The build-up went on for a little too long for me and ended up wearing my attention and patience thin.
The ending was a little confusing as I wasn't sure what to make of it.
That kid was too annoying, even though I know what they were trying to accomplish with him.
The climax went on a little too long as well.
Nothing quite ruins the immersion of a horror film like when your monster uses stock pterodactyl sound effects. Perhaps that was intentional?
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the movie kept my attention, even if the child was grating on a level that I could barely tolerate. The child was meant to be annoying and a pain in the ass, so we could empathize with the poor mother having to deal with him on a regular basis. He was supposed to be so annoying that he was pushing her to the verge of a psychotic break by the time the Babadook first started haunting them.
I feel it necessary to point out, once again, the nods to classic black-and-white horror films as they were clearly an inspiration. For one reason: it certainly gave the movie a definitive style. For another big reason: it fit really well with the situation and actually helped the story, as opposed to how amateurish nods to classic movies tend to stick out like bad cliches and don't do anything other than putting a small gem on an ugly ring. It gave the movie a style that worked well with its initial presentation of the creature in a pop-up book.
I also want to mention that this style of horror is what I want out of the genre. The over-the-top gorefests and dumb slasher movies are fun to me for their simplicity, absurdity, and stupidity. However, my attention is held by films that manage to build the tension slowly, use less on the screen to draw out our imaginations, and use movie-making techniques in ways that make it more unsettling--my favorite horror movies are Alien and John Carpenter's The Thing, if you need examples. You see various versions of the Babadook throughout the movie, but what the creature really looks like is never quite clear. Much of the movie, it appears only as sounds or quick images and whatever else you conjure up in your mind that could represent this thing. Perhaps that is why the movie sticks with me so much.
The Babadook has a lot of things going for it that I like, but the hangups keep me from wanting to ever watch it again: The annoying child was too much for me to tolerate at times. The slow pace started to work against itself a bit by building my expectations too high and by making the movie go on a little too long. By the time the movie was over, I felt that I had seen everything I needed to see.
This is a stylish and creative film that has managed to make me want to talk about it more than want to watch it again. I think that any fan of the horror genre should give it a watch, even if they may not end up liking it, overall.