If it’s in a word, or if it’s in a book, you can’t get rid of The Babadook!
Directed and written by Jennifer Kent, The Babadook brings us its own spin on the tale of parent and child in an old, dark house where things go bump in the night.
The Babadook takes place nearly seven years after the fatal car accident of expectant father Oskar (Benjamin Winspear), as he speed to get his pregnant wife Amelia (Esse Davis- The Matrix) to the delivery room. Amelia has never fully recovered from the loss of her husband, with her and son Samuel (Noah Wiseman), still very much living in the grip of that trauma. Amelia struggles to discipline her six-year-old Samuel who is highly-strung and emotionally volatile, with a penchant for building homemade weapons and acting out at school.
When a disturbing storybook called Mister Babadook turns up at their house, already prone to nightmares, Samuel is so alarmed by the bedtime story that Amelia abandons it halfway. But by that time it’s too late; they have already let the creature in, and Samuels dreams are plagued with thoughts that this monster is trying to kill him and his mother. As Amelia begins to see glimpses of the creature herself, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may well be real.
Writer-director Jennifer Kent scored a success at Sundance earlier this year with this minimalist but seemingly very effective horror film The Babadook, and I’ll definitely be checking this one out.
A U.S. trailer has been released by IFC in anticipation of the film’s limited theatrical and VOD release on November 28th. With hopes to complete the UK trailers very soon.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR THE BABADOOK
Director(s): Jennifer Kent
Writer(s): Jennifer Kent
Stars: Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight
Studio/ Production Co: Causeway Films, Smoking Gun Productions
Budget: $8,000,000 (estimated)
Language: English
Length: 93mins
Sub-Genre: Drama, Thriller
