The Babadook

WONDERFUL. This was a very well done film and extra scary, (disclaimer: I don't usually watch many horror films). My 12-year-old daughter and I watched it together and even though I had misgivings about watching a film like that with her, the fact that it was so well done overrode some of the doubts I had. I remember that some of the scary movies I watched as a teen (Nightmare on Elm's St type) were pretty crappy films. This is more art house. That said, it was seriously spooky - if you think you've got a kid that might not want to sleep alone after a film like this, I'd pass until they're older. (My kid was okay).

Not your run-of-the-mill horror film.

People need to know that this movie is not gory but more extremely dark and does not have that many happy or heart warming scenes. There is no sexual content except one scene where a woman does a inappropriate thing. There’s not that much profanity there’s only like 2 F words and a few S words and nothing really else. There’s no alcohol except wine or beer there’s no drugs except maybe a few pills but nothing illegal. Overall this movie is not as gory or as sexual as other horror movies but it’s much more depressing and dark then others. I think this movie is fine for people ages 12 and up.

So surprised by the good reviews for this film. My kids were actually laughing at things we think were supposed to be scary??? The quality was aweful. Random vibrator scene that was completely out of place. Just strange, don’t bother.

This movie is scary while you are watching it, but nothing that will keep you up at night.

its pretty scary but probably okay for kids under 13. some sex but nothing serious. a few good messages about curiosity and stuff. anyways its an extremely good movie with skillful directing by jennifer kent and oscar worthy acting by essie davis. i recommend seeing it

Here's yet another movie that deserves far more than the micro-distribution that it actually received. Although I wouldn't necessarily call The Babadook a "scary" movie, but it definitely is a strongly atmospheric, chilling, and well-executed debut. It's very refreshing to see a horror movie that infinitely favors creepy lighting and moodiness over gore. It gets a little bit silly at times, but Essie Davis is great throughout. The movie itself initially shows some shades of We Need to Talk About Kevin, and that eventually transforms into something heavily influenced by The Shining. The Babadook doesn't really copy the characters from either films, but instead takes them in different directions, either in terms of internal struggles or interactions. It's more interested in its characters than most horror movies are, just like it's interested in tone than most horror movies are. It's also far more interested in subtext--the Babadook itself isn't meant to just be a supernatural monster. The main mother-son relationship subtly fuels what the titular villain really is, and Essie Davis's character has a sort of transformation that, at times, blurs the line between protagonist and antagonist. Overall, this isn't quite a "great" movie, but I would not hesitate to say that it is in fact very good. The movie's comparisons to The Shining to become a bit distracting, and there are maybe two scenes that feel silly and mildly out of place. Those two problems don't drag the movie down as much as they could have, though, as it's a very good debut feature and I'm interested to see what Jennifer Kent does next. 8.3/10, very good, one thumb up, above average, etc.

Having been very into horror from about age 12, I can certainly say this was a very good movie. A little on the nose at times but a fantastic allegory for grief and our experience of mortality through the eyes of both mother and child. I wouldn't say it's inappropriate for kids under 16, but I do think some of the nuances wouldn't quite hit right for most young to mid-teens. I'm currently researching for a piece focusing on explorations of grief and mortality in recent 21st-century horror and this is one of the films I'm considering including in the article. It manages to combine some classic scares with an unflinching look at the reality of losing a spouse/losing a parent as a young child. It doesn't always hit the mark, but when it does, it really does.

My other reviews have been kinda silly and about my son Jeremy Jeremy, but I actually liked this film enough for me to give an actual review it's a hear-tracing story the works most of the time. Once this movie came out I thought I knew it would have received a lot of criticism, but overall not bad you did something new. And for all you people who said it was not scary and I like trash movies like Truth or Dare YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO