The Babadook - Print Topic

I wasn't holding my hopes high for this.

For a start, it's Australian. This isn't usually a good thing. While they've made some great films in last few decades, a few good horrors amongst them, most Australian films of late are not good. To put it mildly.

Happily, The Babadook bucks this trend. It is a fine film. It manages to pull you in and care about the characters. It has a constant sinister edge going on that gnaws at the nerves. Genuinely scary in parts and quite riveting. I won't say more, as I don't want to spoil the suprise(s).

Thoroughly enjoyable, with fine performances from all.

R

This was a simple movie that relied on atmosphere. It was nicely directed and it did have some fine performances, especially the main lead.

It's worth a look.

FIrst half of this film far outshined the second half in my opinion. I loved the atmoshpere it created. Mr. Babadook book itself was a nice chilling touch. I kept waiting for the rhymes in the book to mean something.. "If it's in a word or it's in a look... You can't get rid of the Babadook". I was interested to see how that was going to be the demise of this entity or a key to its essence.

The ending was an extreme dissapointment for me. What a let down. So many questions left unanswered. Nothing they set up in the first half meant anything in the second half. Rarely do I find myself thinking about a film after I've seen it and liking it less, but that's the case here. Terrible editing also. I know it's an indie film, but untimely cuts would just happen. Concerned coworker shows up, watches Samuel have a temper tandrum and then we go to another scene in the house and he's left with no explanation or reaction?

Not my bag. I also checked out the 2005 short film the director made that eventually spawned into this. It lacks a lot of the feature, the book and chilling rhymes, but pretty much sums it up in 10 minutes...

http://vimeo.com/39042148

James

Just saw the trailer too this, and have to check it out.

BLB

I thought it was dreadful.

Incredibly boring.

None of the scares worked. Each and every one flopped.

The acting was overwrought. The story non-existent. The effects laughable.

The whole thing felt like a student film.

At no point did it ever feel real...even the lighting and sets were dreadfully amateur.

The worst kind of horror...not bad enough to be funny, but no where near good enough to be scary in any way.

I'd say this is a definite avoid...but judging from the comments above some enjoyed it.

Would give it a 1 out of 10 for the art department's work on the book. Everything else was dire.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films

... I thought it was dreadful. Incredibly boring. ...

Wow, really, Rick?

I loved The Babadook. It scared the crap out of me!

Sometimes I think it depends on the mood you're in but also what preconceived ideas you have of something - how much you've heard, the hype etc.

I hadn't heard too much about this except for our local movie reviewers saying it was great but I don't usually hold too much stock in that cause they usually get behind the local product - Wolf Creek 2 being an exception - that still remains a mystery...

Getting back to this, it's been ages since a horror movie actually had me on the edge of my seat, and this did. Psychological horror rather than slasher so fans of gore will likely be disappointed but this film manages a level of tension and unease throughout incomparable to horror movies I've seen lately - took me instantly back to childhood imagining the monster about to leap from the wardrobe or from under the bed.

I thought the pacing was terrific - bit of a slow burn until the Babadook actually makes it presence felt but that was part of the effectiveness of the creepiness of this imh, and most of that was due to the terrific sound design.

A surprising amount of depth to the characterizations too. I was sure the kid was going to drive me up the wall - one of the reasons I did not see this in the cinema. I found myself switching allegiance from mother to son and back again. I think the deeper themes were quite powerful too - how much power you can give to something you're afraid of, whether that fear is real or imagined etc.

So much care was taken with the smaller details too - the actual pop-up book of The Babadook is so well done - really macabre, and when the Babadook finally makes his entrance he/it is suitably sinister - Tim Burton/Nosferatu inspired, and scary as hell - creeping over ceilings and around corners, ready to come and get you.

If there was one negative for me it was the ending - I found it bordering on cornball but I forgave it because of everything that came before it.

I just hope rumours of sequels are just that, rumours. The Babadook should stand alone and resist being part of a franchise imh, unless of course the script is really something, and somehow I doubt that... Still, you never know.

I didn't have any preconceived notions, I didn't even know what it was about

I watch a lot of horror films. This is one of the worst I've ever seen. It was a student version of the Orphanage without any of the plot, directing ability or basic filmmaking quality. Every horror cliche in the book but all so badly handled that it played out like a pisser.

Watching that duck bad guy dance about on the ceiling...got to be the nadir of cinema history right there.
Gobsmackingly bad. Worst film I've seen at the cinema.

I watched Rec 3 the other week. That was tripe, but this has supplanted it as worst film of the decade.

Fair enough. I don't agree...obviously, but we're all different.

Let me know if you come across a horror that's good. I saw Rec3 and wasn't impressed.

I really liked In Fear http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2165859/ except once again the ending was lacking - very little gore in this one as well, not that that's a dealbreaker.

And, I have mixed feelings about Oculus having seen it last night - an ending to typically spawn another three sequels, I think. ::)

Am really looking forward to seeing what Flannagan does with Gerald's Game (based on Stephen King's book).

Anyway, better get back on topic.
I don't know maybe we need a recommended 'Horror' thread, even if opinions differ. :)

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films

I watched Rec 3 the other week. That was tripe, but this has supplanted it as worst film of the decade.

Hardly. Have not seen the work of Uwe Boll?

R

Quoted from LC

I really liked In Fear http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2165859/ except once again the ending was lacking - very little gore in this one as well, not that that's a dealbreaker.

And, I have mixed feelings about Oculus having seen it last night - an ending to typically spawn another three sequels, I think. ::)

I rented IN FEAR but for some reason I never watched it :)

OCULUS on the other hand I did watch. I thought it was good. Wasn't great, but competent and interesting.

Quoted from rendevous

Hardly. Have not seen the work of Uwe Boll?

R

- I know he has the reputation of Ed Wood and I've only seen one of his films but I thought "Postal" had a lot of funny stuff in it. Pretty ballsy too, certainly no studio interference going on here that's for sure.

Quoted from rendevous

Hardly. Have not seen the work of Uwe Boll?

R

I saw rage...that was a thousand times better than this turkey. But yes, I accept there's a certain level of hyperbole to what I said. ;)

I really liked Babadook, first half in particular made a pleasant change from the usual jump/scare rubbish...

Rick, RT and IMDB views on it lead me to believe that perhaps you saw something else ;-)
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_babadook/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321549/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Anthony

Ok so this isn't really going to be a review ...because I am not good at doing reviews but I can say this...I am a super big fan of this movie. I saw it tonight and it's the best horror movie I've seen in years. If you are looking for blood and guts this isn't your movie. If you are looking for cheap scares or big set piece special effects...this is not your movie. It scares the bejesus out of you and the idea came from a pop up book!? WTF. Good stuff IMO. On Amazon and showing in limited theaters....

Watched the trailer and read Carson's review. I want to see this one!!!! Now I just need to find the time! :-/

Thanks for posting! :)

Maybe merge these two threads methinks, cause some huge fans and some not so huge fans got in before you gals.

Loved this movie, too Dena. It scared the crap outta me (in a good way) - see below.

http://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-movie/m-1415270058/s-new/

Great to hear you enjoyed it Dena. And Pia I hope you watch this not expecting toooooo much of a masterpiece otherwise it could lead to too high expectations, know what I mean?

I'll plug 'In fear' to both of you girls (being the horror fans you are) as well. Will be interested in what you think of it. I posted a link to it in The Babadook thread. :)

If this is the worst film you've seen in the past decade, then you must be watching some pretty stellar f ucking movies.

So this movie is getting a ton of hype. And honestly, it's to its detriment. This is a really great film that relies heavily on atmosphere. As someone else mentioned, the first half is way better than the second unfortunately. However, with some time and research, I've grown to appreciate the ending. It says a lot about grief and there are two very different ways to interpret the film (with strong arguments on both sides).

Something that eluded me on the first watch. The mom wrote children's books in her younger days. Thinking back, it all makes sense...

So yeah, check this one out. Not amazing. But really, really good. Best Australian horror flick since The Loved Ones (which wasn't THAT great either).

Quoted from LC

Maybe merge these two threads methinks, cause some huge fans and some not so huge fans got in before you gals.

http://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-movie/m-1415270058/s-new/

I agree. I just don't know how yet. Waiting for instructions. :B ;D

Quoted from AnthonyCawood

I know how hard it is to make films and how hard it is to atract investment, so I don't really want to jump on the film...but I'll be honest..I don't believe in the integrity of the reviews it's receiving.

The ratings amongst audiences are plummeting as more people see the film. I suspect shenanigans...and I shall leave it there.

"The Loved Ones" ROCKS!!! Great movie!!!

For those who do like The Babadook... you might be interested to know that they are releasing a special edition of the pop-up book next year.

Check out http://www.thebabadook.com for details... mine is ordered ;-)

Anthony

Quoted from AnthonyCawood

Ok, it's only a movie...
But I'm not sure I want a copy of that book in my house. ;D

P.S. Thanks for the link Anthony.

Quoted from Dreamscale

"The Loved Ones" ROCKS!!! Great movie!!!

I thought that movies was super lame. But... I'm noticing a pattern here. You seem to LOVE movies with nonexistent plots, vasts amount of gore and preferably some nudity. Interesting.

LC - know what you mean, but saying Candyman in the mirror seems to have done me no harm so far ;-)

Quoted from Demento

I'm noticing a pattern here. You seem to LOVE movies with nonexistent plots, vasts amount of gore and preferably some nudity. Interesting.

"vasts amount of gore" - or maybe "vast amounts of gore"?  If that's the case, then, yeah, I prefer my movies to contain gore and the like.

"referably some nudity"?  Hell yeah, why not?  IMO, any and all R rated movies might as well throw in some skin and sex...otherwise, why go out with an R rating, which limits ticket buyers?

"nonexisent plots"?  Really?  I wouldn't say that, but I guess the plots that interest me the most, are the ones that deal with a more "organic" plot, as opposed to some suppoedly high concept BS.

Survival horror may be a "nonexistent plot" to you, but to me, it's what works very well for what it intends to do.  Put a character or 8 in a situation where they need to survive, do it in an interesting way, theow in some graphic violence and some nudity and I'm there.

Quoted from Dreamscale

Survival horror may be a "nonexistent plot" to you, but to me, it's what works very well for what it intends to do. Put a character or 8 in a situation where they need to survive, do it in an interesting way, theow in some graphic violence and some nudity and I'm there.

Don't you find it's more of the same? People running around with "elaborate" set-ups to show off gore and nudity. That's fine if that's your thing, I only mention this because I'm semi-fascinated. I see you often criticize people's dialogue on here as too "on the nose", "not-believable" and so on. Yet, you have praised movies such as HOSTEL and WOLF CREEK 2, even hailed them as masterpieces. I also remember you had high praise for 300: Rise of an Empire and now The Loved Ones. Calling them GREAT. Yet, these movies have some pretty bad dialogue and for a lack of a better word are pretty "basic" in terms of story.

Just find it odd, that's all.

Is it much of the same?  Sure, but then again so is any other genre.   That's why very few movies are actually good or well done...IMO, that is, and that's why a few rise above the crap.

Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 are both very good movies in my eyes.  The Antag, Mick Taylor is a great character and John Jarratt's portrayal is excellent.  The original is also a very play for keeps, pull no punches, real portrayal of horror.  The sequel, although more mean spirited, isn't as real, but still a great ride, IMO.

The original Hostel was a genre defining film and on first viewing, without indepth knowledge of what's going on, extremely shocking and thrilling.  The sequel, IMO, was also excellent, but much like the Wolf Creek franchise, the 2nd flick wasn't as "real" and much more over the top, as most sequels try to be.

300 and its sequel are again, in my eyes, extremely well done movies that bring exactly what they set out to - entertainment on a grand scale with stunning visuals.  Both ramp up the graphic violence to 11 and Rise featured an awesome nude sex scene with a hot as shit Eva Green - what's not to enjoy?

And, you did hit it on the head, when you mentioned "elaborate set-ups", as IMO, every movie with any kind of action and adventure, and yes, that includes all horror movies, needs tent pole scenes, setpieces, and set-ups.  Sad that so few get this and pull it off successfully.

I watch movies to be entertained and escape reality for a couple hours. Or, I watch hidious movies and laugh my ass off at how pathetic they are, as that's true comedy in my eyes.

As I always say, different strokes...

Quoted from Dreamscale

I watch movies to be entertained and escape reality for a couple hours. Or, I watch hidious movies and laugh my ass off at how pathetic they are, as that's true comedy in my eyes.

As I always say, different strokes...

No, I 100% agree with the different strokes philosophy. I was just curious, because you analyze scripts in depth here, you present yourself as someone who is very critical, yet the movies you like/love are pretty simple in structure and in terms of story.

I really enjoyed this movie. The cgi was horrible, but just about everything else was fantastic. Really creepy movie.

~Zack~

Quoted from Demento

You're 100% correct...I love things that are simple, yet turned upside down or given some kind of unique twist, or just handled differently or handled well.

The sad truth is that so few scripts are well written or thought out and then the actual movies we get, again, so poorly written, thought out, and handled.  Pisses me off to no end.

So many movies that could have been good...could have been great, but in reality, aren't good, and usually downright SUCK.

Some peeps enjoy watching talking heads spouting dull-ass dialogue. Others love watching cliche love stories or sad-ass flicks where someone's sick, someone has something dreadfully wrong and they just eat it up.  NOt me, brother...definitely not me.

Me?  Give me cool visuals.  Give me REAL horror. Give me mean spirited, real violence, where nothing and no one is sacred.  Keep me guessing, and don't stick to the tried and true, dull-ass cliches I've seen over and over again.

Quoted from Dreamscale

Some peeps enjoy watching talking heads spouting dull-ass dialogue.

That's why you wrote Fade to White, ain't it? :P ;D

Quoted from dead by dawn

That's why you wrote Fade to White, ain't it? :P ;D

You're a funny guy, Steve.

Wait till you read my next script...nothing but a bunch of dingbats sitting in a pitch black cave reciting lines from famous novels. Every now and then, someone lights up a smoke, so we have some cig light. Should be amazing.

Quoted from Dreamscale

Didn't they do that already in Dead Poets Society?

R

Quoted from Dreamscale

Hahaha. Sounds pretty good. ;D

Given this post started with The Babadook, I thought I'd share this poll of the top Horror films of 2014...

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/81169/ranking-2014-horror-movies-dread-central-readers-choice/

Anthony

Quoted from AnthonyCawood

Looking at that list, seeing as I have seen almost all of the movies there. It wasn't a very good year for horror, IMO.

I liked Oculus the best, as it tried to be different. Babadook had a nice atmosphere and Housebound was the one that was constantly moving forward with twist after twist, if you are into that kind of thing.

Quoted from AnthonyCawood

I can't wait to get a popup book :)

SPOILERS

I thought this one was quite strong. Definitely wavered in the second half -- lots of unimpressive moments like the car crash and Mr. B on the ceiling -- but the strong attention to the core conflict kept me going. The jump from sympathizing with Mom to sympathizing with that awful kid was pretty well handled, although I think was a little hamstrung by the choice to stay with her perspective throughout -- I think we coulda handled seeing through the kid's eyes a bit and still staying attentive to Mom.

A very entertaining horror film, though, and a strong treatment of grief, and the anger that comes with it, for any genre. The choice to have a happy ending that was about control rather than expulsion was what set this one apart, I think.

Just saw this a second time. Enjoyed it even more. I don't think my initial complaints hold true. One of the best films of the year.

I re-watched it recently, you see/understand more second time round... great film.

Anthony

Just watched it last night on Netflix.

Is it a great film?  No, definitely not.

Is it a shitass bad film?  No, definitely not.

Is it a pretty good little creepy horror flick?  Yep, it is.

Like many horror films, there are obvious issues that aren't addressed that most peeps don't seem to care about, which always surprises me.

Like...what is The Babadook...or is it Mr. Babadook?  Why does it decide to torment Amelia and Samuel all of a sudden?  Has it done this to others before?  Doesn't seem like it.  Will it do this to others in the future?  Unlikely, considering it now lives in their basement and appears to be content on a bowl of worms each day.

It's well put together, well shot, and works in the ways in which it sets out to.  That in itself is much more than most horror movies can ever hope to say.

My biggest problem was that I really didn't find it enjoyable, because of how irritating Samuel was early on and how evil Amelia is in the 2nd half.  Almost like who am I rooting for here and do I really care of anyone actually survives.

I also thought alot of very poor decisions were made by both Amelia and Samuel, but that's obviously intentional to move the story along to the plot points the writer aimed for.

All in all, better than I expected and better than I'm used to, so that's a passing grade for me.  Actually, I'll give it a...

Grade - B-

Quoted from Dreamscale

Like many horror films, there are obvious issues that aren't addressed that most peeps don't seem to care about, which always surprises me.

Like...what is The Babadook...or is it Mr. Babadook? Why does it decide to torment Amelia and Samuel all of a sudden? Has it done this to others before? Doesn't seem like it. Will it do this to others in the future? Unlikely, considering it now lives in their basement and appears to be content on a bowl of worms each day.

I saw the movie 5-6 months ago, so I might be missing something. But from what I remember, it was made pretty clear that the movie was about... SPOILERS

....mental illness. There was no Babadook. The mother was crazy. The basement thing was to show that she was suppressing her illness for the sake of her kid, because she loved him. But that it could very well make a comeback.

That's what I got Demento, though can be read a little more literally if you are that way inclined...

I think a second viewing definitely cements the mental breakdown themes and it is more clear that many of the scenes are metaphors.

I also think that the mother's peformance and watching her disintegrate is utterly compelling, very clever to have a child who is that damaged/annoying too as you don;t automatially side with him or feel sorry for him.

Just a couple of months to wait for the pop-up now ;-)

Quoted from Demento

SPOILERS

....mental illness. There was no Babadook. The mother was crazy. The basement thing was to show that she was suppressing her illness for the sake of her kid, because she loved him. But that it could very well make a comeback.

That, and it was also about grief, and guilt about the way she feels toward her child.

The basement, where she stores her husband's things, was a metaphor for her subconscious, where she stores these other feelings -- a task she (apparently) masters by the end of the story. There are also several hints that the mother is the real author of the book -- every time.

I liked this film a great deal. It demands a bit of thought, but works on many, many levels all at once. My opinion, anyway.

BUT...there were numerous scenes in which supernatural things were happening to both Amelia and Samuel.

Are we to beleive that none of this actually happened? And if so, is this actually a horror movie or just metaphors being shown for the sake of scares and excitement?

If the latter is true, I'm not remotely happy, as what I watched was all really BS, and IMO, that never flies...but...based on word of mouth and the Tomato Meter, maybe I'm once again on my own little island, even though, over all, I did think this was a pretty good little scare flick.

So hard to make good horror these days... this was one I enjoyed.

Quoted from Dreamscale

BUT...there were numerous scenes in which supernatural things were happening to both Amelia and Samuel.

Are we to beleive that none of this actually happened?

There were no supernatural things. It was all in her head. She was cracking from the unresolved grief over her husband's death, pressures of work, having to raise an unstable, disobedient child without a father and so on. That was what the first part of the movie was about, and why the kid was shown to be so unlikeable, so the audience can have a understanding why she snapped. That, and the flashbacks of the car accident, which were there to show that she was struggling with a major traumatic experience. I don't remember that well, but I think she also had some kind of resentment toward her kid, because her husband died driving her to the hospital to give birth. So there could have been an angle that she lost the love of her life because of her kid. But, I don't really remember all that well.

She was the one doing all those things. She wrote the book, killed the dog, etc. When things were shown to be supernatural, it was just how she viewed them. In reality she was throwing her kid around, when it looked like it was a supernatural force. The kid was playing along, that the Babadook was his mother when she was "sick". In the end the kid telling her he loved her and the neighbor showing up, showed her that there was some kind of love in her life, which stopped her from spiralling further and allowed her to regain some control.

The Babadook kind of looked like a magician and the father, IMO. And the kid was into magic. In the end it was clearly shown that it was the mother that ate the worms and dirt. That she was the Babadook.

This is at least what I gathered watching the movie.

Good summation Demento and you remember correctly re the car accident, they were in the way to hospital to give birth... There's also a clever line about her being an artist/illustrator which is the clue to the fact that she's made the book.

This film was definitely not for me. What a complete snooze fest. I think from now on, I'll just stay away from all supernatural, ghost crap. I hated all Paranormal Activity films, The Conjuring and The Babadook. Yuck! :-/

Quoted from Grandma Bear

Yes, I thought the same.
It was so obvious what the issue was because the film concentrated on the woman so much. It kinda told you from the opening: She's the problem.

My brother made me sit through this, he liked it, but it was just not for me.
I didn't mind the Paranormal films, the first one is quite fun as a gimmick (Ghostwatch 1992 is probably far superior) but by part two and three it gets a little boring.

The Babadook was just boring, and annoying.
God, I wanted to kill that woman myself.

You're all nuts!

May a Babadook book find its way mysteriously under your beds one night. :o

On the plus side, Rick will be pleased he's not alone. ;D

Finally, some people with sense! ;)

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films

Finally, some people with sense! ;)

Touch�. ;D

Quoted from Scoob

Wow - I have to say... I agree. Caveat on the announcement: I didn't get past the first 15 minutes. But this one just didn't grab me. Which is a shame, because I've heard good things about it. :P