Gabe Reviews Horror

This review was originally written in 2022. Gabe's 100 Bucket List Horror Films Review #55: The Babadook (2014) I would be lying if I said The Babadook was a bad  movie. Because it really isn't. It was super popular on the internet back when it came out, and rightfully so. It's got a freaking 98% on Rotten Tomatoes for crying out loud (at least, that's what its Tomatometer rating is, I don't know how Rotten Tomatoes works) so obviously it's a good movie. It's creepy, it's tense, there's a strong sense of dread pervading the entire film- but while I would be lying if I said it was a bad movie, I would also be lying if I said I was ever excited about watching again. The Babadook follows an Australian widow and her monster-obsessed child, and the plethora of difficulties the two of them face on a daily basis. This all gets exacerbated when they discover a horrific children's book in their home that seems to attract the attention of some kind of unse...

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 ...