Review of The Babadook (2014) by Spangle — 26 Apr 2015

Those calling this one overrated didn't understand the sheer brilliance of this film. This one has some killer direction, acting, sound effects, cinematography, and writing. The director, Jennifer Kent, did a fantastic job setting the mood of this one and knocked it out of the ballpark direction wise.

For the aforementioned sound effects, they are truly what cause the scares. Much like in Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Psycho, the sound elicits a major reaction out of the viewer and really sets the tone for the scenes in which that sound is used.

Brilliant. Honestly, this one of the most well-executed uses of metaphor of symbolism I have seen in a while, The Babadook is a brilliant film wrongly placed in the "horror" genre. Truly terrifying, The Babadook is more than just a horror film.

It is a meditation on life and dealing with loss. It also made me screech like a high school girl being asked to prom by her crush in the way it used that symbolism and hit a home run with it (ahhhh flower symbolism ahhhh).

While some scenes are classic horror in the way they elicit a response, the true terror is to be found underneath the skin and the way in which it hits home and brings a feeling to true terrifying life.

Ultimately, I recognize this type of film is not for everyone, but The Babadook is a film that let's everyone know how grief feels and brings that feeling to life because ultimately, "If it's a word or it's a look, you can't get rid of The Babadook".

Possibly the best film of 2014, this one is not a film you easily get over.