The Babadook (2014)

We’re back for the final Mubi Monday in October. The trend for the month has been a woman-directed horror movie and this week is no different. It’s wild to think that this movie is ten years old now, or that I hadn’t seen it before now. Come along as we take a look, it’s in a book, The Babadook (2014).

Title: The Babadook

Director: Jennifer Kent

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Released: January 17, 2014 (Sundance Film Festival), May 22, 2014 (Australia)

Available to stream on: Mubi, Shudder, Netflix, Criterion Channel, and/or Kanopy

Amelia (Essie Davis) is a widowed single parent, just trying her best to keep her six-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), out of trouble. We quickly learn that Amelia’s husband was tragically killed in a car accident while driving her to the hospital to give birth to Samuel, a trauma that haunts their lives even now.

As a result, growing up without a father figure has taken a toll on Samuel. He’s been acting up in class, causing issues with and between family members and neighbors, and most recently, he’s fixated on an imaginary monster that he’s training to defeat.

One night, Samuel picks a new book for his mother to read to him at bedtime, a pop-up book titled Mister Babadook. Although Amelia is initially uncertain of this new book that seems to have appeared out of nowhere, she agrees to read it. While reading, the disturbing content makes Amelia even more uncertain about this new book. Meanwhile, Samuel becomes absolutely convinced that the Babadook is real.

After reading the book, strange events begin to unfold. Amelia blames Samuel while Samuel insists that it’s the Babadook’s doing. Frustrated, Amelia throws the book away, only to find it reappearing on her doorstep. As Samuel’s outbursts grow more intense, she turns to a doctor for sedatives to calm him.

But as the line between Samuel’s imagination and reality blurs, Amelia finds herself questioning who is truly unraveling: her son, or herself.

My biggest issue with The Babadook is Samuel’s character. He’s intended to be unruly and challenging, but the portrayal sometimes goes overboard. His behavior becomes so exaggerated that it risks pushing the audience’s empathy away, to the point where you might find yourself half-wishing he’d be the Babadook’s next victim.

Another significant issue is the film’s structure, which feels divided into two distinct halves. In the first, the tension builds with genuinely eerie scenes, amplified by excellent sound design and cinematography that create a palpable sense of dread. However, the second half loses momentum, taking a more meandering path to the conclusion. At just over ninety minutes, the film could have benefitted from tighter pacing. Somewhere around seventy-five to eighty minutes might have maintained the tension more effectively.

That said, I still enjoyed the experience overall. The Babadook (2014) relies on psychological tension and uncertainty, rarely revealing the “monster” fully. This ambiguity forces both the audience and characters to grapple with reality and perception. Is Samuel truly responsible for the chaos, or is Amelia’s mental state deteriorating? The film keeps you guessing, leaving open the question of where the truth really lies.

Ultimately, the reveal of what the Babadook symbolizes underscores Jennifer Kent’s success in crafting a smart, layered horror film. Through The Babadook, she captures the struggle of processing trauma and grief, emotions that don’t simply disappear but must be acknowledged to avoid becoming all-consuming.

If you haven’t yet seen The Babadook (2014), consider this a strong recommendation. It’s a unique horror experience that resonates with emotional depth as well as plenty of chills.

Seen The Babadook (2014)? Now it’s your turn!

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