Review #13: The Babadook (2014)


This review was originally written in October 2016.

Day 13: The Babadook

This movie received a lot of (well-earned) praise when it first released because it managed to be a scary modern horror movie without having to resort to cheap jump scares. And in this regard, it absolutely succeeds- it's genuinely creepy, there's a lot of tension and character development, and to this day there's plenty of debate as to what exactly is going on in the subtext (or even overt text) in this movie.

However, this was the second time I've seen this movie, and it was so hard to make it through the first half because the kid is SO INCREDIBLY ANNOYING. I can not stand any scene he's in because he's just so awful. I know that a big part of the resolution of this movie is about the mom learning to appreciate her son and not be bitter over the loss of her husband, but seriously, knowing that kids like this exist makes me glad I'm not going to have kids. Because holy crap, that kid is such a horrible brat and is the direct cause of most of the problems in his mother's life.

Anyway, great movie with a really annoying character.

Rating: 8/10 Creepy AF Children's Books

Book This Movie Should Have Been About: Billy's Adventures with the Manual Transmission

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