Day 2: The Babadook
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2014
Synopsis: A troubled widow (Essie Davis) discovers that her son is telling the truth about a monster that entered their home through the pages of a children's book.
SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.
Netflix kept insisting I watch this, as did several friends. I wanted to see what the hype was all aboooot, so I made it a point to watch this for my "31 Days of 31 Horror Movies".
So, let's dive in. Also, The Power Rangers make an appearance.
Ok, so already it's been less than a minute and the narrative of the film is dark, depressing and real.
There is an accident/dream sequence that takes place at the very start that may or may not end up being real later. We are introduced to a single mother (Amelia) who is clearly tired and disheveled from taking care of her rambunctious son (Sam). He seems to have a great imagination and lots of energy, which for the most part, seems to annoy his mother. However, there are several times that we see Amelia backing off from her child's displays of affection. Why so cold, mama? I guess we'll find out.
So we find out that 7 years ago, Amelia and her husband were on their way to the hospital because Amelia was in labor. That night, there was a big rain storm which caused the terrible conditions for an automobile accident that killed the father but not Amelia or unborn Sam. The accident scene sets the tone for the doomed relationship between mother and son. Amelia is a good mother; she takes care of Sam but does not go out of her way to show much affection towards the child. Sam, meanwhile is overbearing with affection but is a troubled boy. He gets into a good amount of trouble at school and seems wired all the time. Tension seems to build throughout this introduction to the main characters and we get a peek of The Babadook. As Sam gets suspended from school for bringing a weapon, we see the repercussions of his actions affecting his mother to the point of madness and exhaustion. To make matters worse, both start taking medication to relax and sleep.
Meanwhile, we see that Sam has an obsession with having to hear his favorite book (The Babadook) read. Even though it clearly upsets him. Ok, just a quit rant about the book itself. The craftsmanship and artwork of the book seen in the film, is amazing. Subtle and creepy with a limited color palette. The handmade aspect really gives the book a life of its own, which I believe helps sell the idea that this may be haunted or have an evil nature. All is well throughout the first half. Sound effects, cinematography, acting, editing, mood setting, writing; all of it, solid. Amelia reminds me of Carrie through her demeanor and overall look.
Essie Davis (Amelia) and Noah Wiseman (Sam), are phenomenal. You really feel the tension between a woman who feels guilty for wishing her son was dead and a child who just wants to protect and love his mother unconditionally. They suck you in with their subtle gestures and facial expressions while their tone of voice and mood illustrate a deep undertone of sadness, confusion and despair.
This movie was really amazing until The Babadook "entered" Amelia. After a chaotic uphill and warnings from Sam about The Babadook, we finally get to see hints of it and its dark nature. Here, is where the mood changes. It's almost as if the director wanted to do the first half of the film European-style, and the second half, like an American horror flick. By that I mean that the second half seemed lazy and cheesy. The acting went from subtle and rich, to obnoxious and over the top. Granted, she's supposed to be possessed or whatever, but it was too much. Amelia seemed to scream like a banshee every time she got the chance and her creepy laugh needed practice; it seemed forced. Not to mention the sound effects used were even horrific, and not in the good, spooky way. The Babadook's growls sound like some amateur, death metal singer trying to do a pig squeal. In addition, there is nothing more annoying to me than lazy sound engineers. I was deep into the movie, but once I heard The Babadook's scream, I immediately turned my brain into humor mode and the scare factor was gone.
The following is why my brain turned to humor:
The exact moment we see Amelia's eye open wide after The Babadook enters her body, we hear the screech that was made famous by none other than the Dragonzord from The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Go ahead, take a listen from the Youtube video. CHEESE!
Even if they had used a different sound here, the plot falls short and ends like a typical American horror film. It turns into a lackluster yet quick sprint to the end. The film spent so much time creating this somber atmosphere but it did the exact opposite to finish out the story. We don't find out exactly why The Babadook enters the mother, we don't know where the book came from, or its origins, we don't really have closure since Amelia is seen feeding worms to The Babadook. (Why it eats worms, I have no idea). Plus, at the end of the day, The Babadook isn't even scary looking. Everything wraps up into a nice, neat, little package with The Babadook looking like an ill-tempered pet ghost.
For an evil being, this thing is mighty whipped. Now watch me WHIP, watcha me...oh wait, sorry.
The obvious: The film is beautiful. Shots and edits really set the mood and the color palette throughout is used wisely to enhance the scenes. I already mentioned how much I loved the craftsmanship of the book and the first half's plot and acting.
The bad: Falls short of even an "OK" ending.
As much as I enjoyed part of it, I would not re-watch this.
So we find out that 7 years ago, Amelia and her husband were on their way to the hospital because Amelia was in labor. That night, there was a big rain storm which caused the terrible conditions for an automobile accident that killed the father but not Amelia or unborn Sam. The accident scene sets the tone for the doomed relationship between mother and son. Amelia is a good mother; she takes care of Sam but does not go out of her way to show much affection towards the child. Sam, meanwhile is overbearing with affection but is a troubled boy. He gets into a good amount of trouble at school and seems wired all the time. Tension seems to build throughout this introduction to the main characters and we get a peek of The Babadook. As Sam gets suspended from school for bringing a weapon, we see the repercussions of his actions affecting his mother to the point of madness and exhaustion. To make matters worse, both start taking medication to relax and sleep.
Meanwhile, we see that Sam has an obsession with having to hear his favorite book (The Babadook) read. Even though it clearly upsets him. Ok, just a quit rant about the book itself. The craftsmanship and artwork of the book seen in the film, is amazing. Subtle and creepy with a limited color palette. The handmade aspect really gives the book a life of its own, which I believe helps sell the idea that this may be haunted or have an evil nature. All is well throughout the first half. Sound effects, cinematography, acting, editing, mood setting, writing; all of it, solid. Amelia reminds me of Carrie through her demeanor and overall look.
Essie Davis (Amelia) and Noah Wiseman (Sam), are phenomenal. You really feel the tension between a woman who feels guilty for wishing her son was dead and a child who just wants to protect and love his mother unconditionally. They suck you in with their subtle gestures and facial expressions while their tone of voice and mood illustrate a deep undertone of sadness, confusion and despair.
This movie was really amazing until The Babadook "entered" Amelia. After a chaotic uphill and warnings from Sam about The Babadook, we finally get to see hints of it and its dark nature. Here, is where the mood changes. It's almost as if the director wanted to do the first half of the film European-style, and the second half, like an American horror flick. By that I mean that the second half seemed lazy and cheesy. The acting went from subtle and rich, to obnoxious and over the top. Granted, she's supposed to be possessed or whatever, but it was too much. Amelia seemed to scream like a banshee every time she got the chance and her creepy laugh needed practice; it seemed forced. Not to mention the sound effects used were even horrific, and not in the good, spooky way. The Babadook's growls sound like some amateur, death metal singer trying to do a pig squeal. In addition, there is nothing more annoying to me than lazy sound engineers. I was deep into the movie, but once I heard The Babadook's scream, I immediately turned my brain into humor mode and the scare factor was gone.
The following is why my brain turned to humor:
The exact moment we see Amelia's eye open wide after The Babadook enters her body, we hear the screech that was made famous by none other than the Dragonzord from The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Go ahead, take a listen from the Youtube video. CHEESE!
Even if they had used a different sound here, the plot falls short and ends like a typical American horror film. It turns into a lackluster yet quick sprint to the end. The film spent so much time creating this somber atmosphere but it did the exact opposite to finish out the story. We don't find out exactly why The Babadook enters the mother, we don't know where the book came from, or its origins, we don't really have closure since Amelia is seen feeding worms to The Babadook. (Why it eats worms, I have no idea). Plus, at the end of the day, The Babadook isn't even scary looking. Everything wraps up into a nice, neat, little package with The Babadook looking like an ill-tempered pet ghost.
For an evil being, this thing is mighty whipped. Now watch me WHIP, watcha me...oh wait, sorry.
The obvious: The film is beautiful. Shots and edits really set the mood and the color palette throughout is used wisely to enhance the scenes. I already mentioned how much I loved the craftsmanship of the book and the first half's plot and acting.
The bad: Falls short of even an "OK" ending.
As much as I enjoyed part of it, I would not re-watch this.
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