Twitter: @OwlFeedAntawn
If this film has taught me anything, it is that kids could be truly evil. Sometimes more evil than the monster of the film. Sometimes it just makes you want to hit the little idiot (Disclaimer: Antawn Salinas does not condone child abuse or any abuse of any kind, this is just for a joke :)). Wait, what film am I talking about again? Oh yeah, The Babadook.
The Babadook is a foreign indie horror film directed and written by Jennifer Kent and was released in 2014. This film takes place years after a single mother (played by Essie Davis) got in a car accident on the way to the hospital. Having a ton of trouble raising her son (played by Noah Wiseman), who is kind of morbid and different than most kids.
One night, after a hard day, the mother goes to read her son a book, the son hands her a mysterious book called “Mister Babadook.” After they read it, well, I’ll just stop here with the synopsis. The mystery is a part of the fun.
A big thing I have to give this film is how it handles horror. There are zero jump-scares in the movie. All the scares come from the atmosphere, the imagery, and even the ideas that the film creates. Later on, the film just starts messing with the viewer by showing some strange imagery. The film always has you guessing on where it is heading.
Another thing I found interesting about the movie is that there isn’t really a musical score of any kind. There are many moments in the film where it is dead quiet. While the acting in the film is good, the real star of the show is the atmosphere. The cinematography even makes the daytime kind of eerie by always having it be gray and cloudy the whole time.
The acting in this is good. You really feel that the two main characters are either descending into madness or scared for their lives. But like I said earlier, kids can be evil. The main kid, at first, I hated him. He would not shut up. Then, later on I saw the kids that pick on the main kid, and they’re even more twisted. Which leads to my only complaint/nitpick of the film which is the questionable parenting of the adult characters.
While it’s not the scariest film I’ve seen, it’s still really creepy and will probably be even scarier for some. I really liked the third act and how the ending keeps you wondering. The big problem with many horror films is that they explain what is really going on. Here, they don’t give you all the answers, they keep you wondering of what might of actually happened. If you want to check it out, you can see the trailer here and check out the whole film on Netflix. Enjoy!
Here’s a review from some of the critics I get inspiration from:http://bit.ly/2lvBzKd