The Babadook was released earlier this year to a flood of excellent reviews across the board, calling it one of the most frightening films in recent years and praising it as an instant classic. These reviews were definitely not wrong, and part of this is due to the fear derived from its eponymous monster, the Babadook. In the film, Essie Davis stars as Amelia, a widowed single-mom who is struggling to raise her 10-year-old son, Sam (Noah Wiseman), alone. The boy has behavioral problems that isolate her from friends and family, but his new obsession about monsters invading their home is pushing Amelia to the brink. Things go from bad to insufferable when Sam discovers a pop-up book, "Mister Babadook," that unleashes an unrelenting and evil creature only Sam can see. Whats immediately striking about this film is its persistence on ambiguity. As a horror film it is as frightening as it is confusing. When Mister Babadook finally reveals himself (or itself?) to Amelia at the end of the film it is so horrifically epic in its execution that you wont know what to think. Though, the scariest part of it all is the fact that the Babadook exists outside of a physical monster. As the film states, if its in a word, or in a look, you cant get rid of the Babadook.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
