10 Scariest Haunted House Movies Ever Made
3. The Babadook (2014)
Australian horror has seen a real renaissance in recent years, mainly through the grotesque true crime stories of Wolf Creek and Snowtown. On the more subtle end of the scale comes The Babadook, from Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut. It's a haunted house movie that doubles as a sophisticated portrayal of the effect grief can have on a family unit.
Essie Davis is absolutely wonderful as the frazzled mother of an annoying young boy, whose dad died in a car accident while his mother was in labour. They find an unusual storybook one day, which seems to refer to the eponymous creature, who starts off cheery before taking a sinister turn and immediately begins to haunt their home. The monster is a physical manifestation of their grief, threatening to take over their lives.
The Babadook is a triumph of tone, with Kent casting an unsettling spell from the earliest scenes. It's also the film with the most compelling message of any on this list, exploring the way grief can be repelled and managed, but never truly disappears, in exactly the same way that "you can't get rid of The Babadook" in the story.