Review of The Babadook (2014) by Jason G — 06 Jun 2015

If the first thirty-five minutes of this film have a moral, it must be thus: "Some children deserve punches to the face." And that's a horrible thing to say, but the director and screenwriter must believe it, as there is no other reason why they would insist on writing and casting a child character somehow five times as annoying as Anakin Skywalker. When the main character's sister says that she doesn't visit because she "can't stand being around" the lead's son, and then the lead's niece says to the son, "No one wants you," I couldn't help but agree.

After the first thirty-five minutes have passed, the mother finally gives her son tranquilizers and starts yelling at him whenever he pisses her off, and as a result, the film becomes tolerable and actually a bit creepy. But those first thirty-five minutes were so unforgivably irritating that I cannot possibly give this film a good rating.