The Babadook
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
This is the import indie darling that came out last year and wound up on nearly every horror critics’ Best of 2014 list, and for good reason. This is smart, exceptionally well made horror that makes you think, a rare thing in this day and age of remakes, sequels, and lackluster “original” efforts like Ouija, The Lazarus Effect, Deliver us from Evil, etc. Now some people said they didn’t like this movie. They said it was boring or not even remotely scary. To them I can only shake my head and feel some pity, as this was such a damn good movie, I’d hate it if I didn’t get it. Well one group of people who certainly got The Babadook are the horror lovers over at Scream Factory who released it on a beautiful Blu-ray. That Blu-ray actually comes in two flavors: a standard edition and a cool special edition that comes with a popup book slipcase. So yeah, right from the start you know that I love this movie and that this is a cool release. If you want to save some time, just stop reading right now and go pick up this new Blu-ray. But, if you have some time to kill, stick with me and I’ll give you the nickel tour of the movie. Hey, it’s the least I can do.
In The Babadook, Amelia is a single mother with a young son named Samuel. The two have a strained relationship, to put it mildly, stemming from the fact that the husband/father of this family was killed in a vicious car crash rushing Amelia to the hospital so she could give birth to Samuel. So an overlying sadness permeates this movie right from the start, and actress Essie Davis as Ameila portrays that deep, dark depression wonderfully. By and large, The Babadook is a one woman show. Sure, there are supporting characters, and young Noah Wiseman is adequately annoying as the shrieking Samuel, but Essie Davis is a large reason this movie works. As for the other reason, well, we’ll get to that in a bit.
As the movie unfolds, it is clear there is unspoken rage simmering just below Amelia’s surface, and you might think you know where this movie is going from that, but soon an unknown element is introduced to muddy up the waters. One night the son discovers a strange book that neither he, nor his mother, remembers seeing before. Called “Mister Babadook” it is a one-of-a-kind looking child’s popup book about a mysterious and sinister character called the Babadook. This shadowy creeper starts to plague the mother and son from then on, and there seems to be no escaping it. But is everything really what it seems to be here?
Now for that other reason this movie is so stellar: the story written by, and direction of, Jennifer Kent. The Babadook is a movie with multiple layers, told and shot expertly, that can be experienced in many ways. While I read the story one way, there are others that see it in a different light. To be fair, it’s not all that ambiguous, as writer/director Kent does give you enough evidence sprinkled throughout the movie to make its meaning pretty clear. However you, the viewer, are never beaten over the head by those clues, and the film has enough faith that its audience can get it without having to hold their hands. As a mostly aware, somewhat thinking adult, I really appreciate that. If only all horror movies were made like this, the world would be a much better place.
On to the special features on this new Blu-ray from the always impressive Scream Factory. Now I am sad to say that there’s no commentary track here, and that’s a bummer, as I do like those. However, the rest of the extras are so plentiful that they go a long way to make up for that. Writer/director Jennifer Kent has her short black and white film, “Monster,” on here that was the basis for the feature film. There is a short featurette on the creation of the cool Babadook popup book, and another on the house sets where the majority of the movie takes place. A third featurette is on one of the few stunts in the movie, and a fourth one is on the stabbing scene. There is a short behind-the-scenes featurette and an hour-long collection of interviews with the cast and crew. Lastly, there is the ever-present trailer.
In all ways this new Blu-ray is a winner and a must have. The movie is amazing and the disc comes loaded with goodies. The Babadook is beyond highly recommended. Get it.
