"Mister
Babadooka...You'll
see
him
if
you
look...Baba
dook
dook
dook!"
Who
would
consider
that
these
innocuous
rhyming
words
in
an
insignificant
cutout
picture
book
to
take
a
spooky
turn?
But
indeed,
a
simple
bed-time
story,
which
a
mother
reads
to
her
young
son,
turns
into
a
hauntingly
nightmarish
experience
for
the
duo.
Packed
with
swinging
moods,
"The
Babadook" is
an
exceptionally
well-crafted
film
that
pigeon
holes
into
a
psychological
horror
thriller.
It's
a
simple
story
of
a
socially
isolated
nuclear
family
consisting
of
a
mother
and
her
son.
It's
their
bonding
tale,
which
is
laced
with
horror
tropes.
The
Babadook
recently
won
Best
First
Feature
which
went
to
Jennifer
Kent
at
New
York
Film
Critics
Awards.
Samuel,
the
young
boy,
is
a
vibrant,
energetic
and
an
over-enthusiastic
child,
who
due
to
his
anxiety
issues,
becomes
aggressive
and
is
hence
considered
antisocial
and
abnormal.
On
the
other
hand,
Amelia,
his
loving
and
caring
mom,
is
a
young
and
selfless
widow
who
lost
her
husband
the
day
her
son
was
born.
She
has
to
match
up
with
her
son's
pace
single-handedly
and
this,
coupled
with
her
personal
stress,
leads
to
a
psychosomatic
disorder.
How
the
two
cope
with
their
lives
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.
In
addition,
the
red
pop-up
book
with
funky
charcoal
scribble
and
the
black
cutout
eponymous
character
lurking
within
its
pages,
comes
to
life
to
terrorise
them.
That
becomes
the
pivot
of
the
narration.
Writer-director
Jennifer
Kent's
script
is
well
structured,
tight
and
intelligently
well
woven.
The
social
isolation
and
the
mundane
stress
form
the
perfect
setting
for
this
film.
She
gives
us
all
the
bad-dream
horror
scenarios
which
you
might
have
often
seen
tactfully
and
she
does
not
waver
to
give
a
brilliant
twist.
She
knows
her
craft
and
through
the
narration,
you
would
appreciate
her
skill.
With
well
rounded
characters
and
brilliant
life-like
performances,
you
feel
for
the
characters.
Essie
Davis
as
Amelia
and
Noah
Wiseman
as
Samuel
are
outstanding.
Their
on
screen
energy
is
plain
and
clear.
Essie's
transition
from
a
brooding
mother
to
a
possessed
one
is
palpable.
Similarly,
Noah's
gusto
and
eagerness
coupled
with
his
innocence
makes
him
adorable
as
well
as
monstrous
at
the
same
time.
It's
touching
to
hear
a
never-stay-still
Noah
tell
his
mother,
"I
promise
to
protect
you
if
you
promise
to
protect
me."
On
the
production
front,
credit
has
to
be
given
to
the
production
designer,
cinematographer,
editor
and
the
sound
designer.
Together,
they
have
helped
to
craft
a
masterpiece
that
would
haunt
its
audience
much
after
they
leave
the
theatres.
A
must
watch
for
a
subtly
unique
experience.