“Please help me. There is something wrong with my son.”
When a horror film is scary, genuinely scary, it’s such a rare occurrence that it takes all the focus away from any substance. Normally, that’s fine because in the world of cinematic thrill rides, scary horror films are the fast, steep, twisty rollercoasters. However, that is not the world we enter with The Babadook. The story here focuses on the psychologically damaging relationship between a mother and her son. The husband/father is dead and each resents the other while pretending not to. The mother indulges her son too much. The son’s destructive tendencies are given too much room to roam. And that’s how the Babadook finds a way into their lives.
That may sound heavier, more uncomfortable and closer to the emotional bone than a typical horror film, and it is. Filmmaker Jennifer Kent chokes the audience in the unrelenting anxiety of this warped dynamic. So much so, that I wouldn’t be surprised if some people complain that the film’s heavy use of horror imagery and startling noise cheapens the domestic crisis. Those just looking for good scares, may simply find the film too depressing. It’s exceptionally well acted and at times it IS scary, but not in the same way as something like The Descent or The Conjuring. That’s going to be a blessing for some and a sore spot for others.
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