The Babadook (4K Ultra-HD) [Blu-ray] [2022]

The Babadook is an exceptional horror film which has more going on under the surface than it at first appears. The set up is not unusual but the journey and eventual outcome of the story is expertly devised and brilliantly executed.Most horror films rely heavily on their monster. Often resorting in the end to full blown carnage to elicit one final scream from the audience. Not so here, this is a slow burning, creeping terror that may be closer to home than you would care to believe.Sam is a troubled boy. He is often violent and disobedient. His mother (Amelia) is sleep deprived and at the end of her tether. His father died in a car accident whilst taking Amelia to the hospital to give birth to Sam and the two of them have struggled on ever since with neither having the support system they need to survive.It is this relationship that forms the bones of this story. How crushing it must be to feel totally out of control. With tiredness aching every muscle and bone it takes all of Amelia’s might to hold it together for the sake of her sanity and her son’s upbringing. Only a kindly neighbour reminds her of the strength she has within her.The acting here is simply superb. Watching both characters as their world crumbles and as they question every facet of their lives is often quite uncomfortable. It’s not an easy ride but makes the ending even more heart breaking. Amelia’s struggle is raw and wonderfully portrayed. This is a human drama rather than a full blown monster movie and as such is all the scarier for it. The first half is a slow burn which tightens the screws and keeps things tense. By the time the ticking clock explodes the tension is palpable and because of this the last part is truly scary but for different reasons than you may expect.Watching this descent into madness is fascinating and superbly told. They are characters fully defined by tragic events in their lives and because of this they feel real. Amelia struggles to control or even like her son most of time as the association with her husband’s death is too much for her to bear. Throw in the upcoming birthday of her son and you have a pot about to boil over. The monster merely represents her oppressed feelings coming to the surface.The Babadook himself is a suitably scary apparition and in only shown in shadows and distances making your imagination work into over drive to create something infinitely more terrifying!This is a master craft in horror film making. Whilst the film lacks any real jumpy moments it has an atmosphere of unease throughout. The only small complaint would be a fleeting potential love interest that seems to pop up a couple of times before disappearing from all existence. Scary but not in the traditional sense but a thoroughly engrossing watch.

Beware this review contains slight spoilers and talks about the ending of the film.Now let me first say that this film is almost perfect. It restores my faith in the genre which has become too reliant on gross-out shocks in recent years. The Babadook is first and foremost a wonderful idea, but then it also has great acting, a great storyline, a genuinely tense atmosphere and is very well produced. It makes excellent use of psychological horror without resorting to guts and gore. The Babadook has something primal about it, something that taps into human beings' darkest and most basic fears, seated in childhood fears of monsters and ghosts - and also the fears that we carry as adults during the cold light of day. The plot is very well developed and serves as a driver for brilliant character development.So why only 4 stars? Put simply, it's because of the ending. The story holds very weak conclusion to a very good story, and is deeply unsatisfying as a result. This film overall has a masterful quality to it but the ending is not really an ending at all, and doesn't answer the most basic of questions posed by the story.If taken metaphorically, The Babadook makes more sense and is indeed wrapped up nicely at the end: It is a metaphor for the darkest agonies of human relationships that have been torn apart by two opposing forces: Birth and Death. The Babadook itself is never confirmed as 'real' during the story beyond the eyes of the two main characters and one could take it that it's a shared 'projection' of the problems faced by a tormented Mother and Son trying to cope with awful life situations.Having said that, I prefer the literal interpretation, The Babadook as a strange unknowable demonic presence that demands a sequel to explain it properly. But it really would need a sequel because the most basic of questions are left unanswered. What is it? Where did it come from? What does it want?Like all good films, it leaves you thinking.