10 Great Horrors with TERRIBLE Premises
3. The Babadook
In Jennifer Kent's directorial debut, Amelia is a single mother who finds her life turned upside-down after reading a pop-up storybook called Mister Babadook to her son, Samuel. After several disturbing incidents occur, Samuel blames Mister Babadook, compelling Amelia to tear up the so-called children's story. When she finds the book reassembled shortly after, Amelia suspects Mister Babadook might be real.
In the realm of horror, books can be pretty scary. (Just look at The Evil Dead.) However, that doesn't seem to be the case with Mister Babadook. After all, the wicked paperback doesn't summon zombies or open a portal to hell. It just tells a creepy kids story (at least, at first).
But thanks to the eerie art, phenomenal performances, and masterful direction, watching Amelia turning the pages of the book is spine-tingling.
More importantly, The Babadook never descends into a schlock monster movie. It's a deeply psychological and atmospheric thriller, devoid of jump-scares or cheap gore.
Much like the Mister Babadook story, once you've seen the movie, it's sure to stay with you for a very long time.