Calling All Horror Fans
What are some of the best horror films in cinematic history? Kubrick's The Shining? John Carpenter's The Thing? Any one of those terrifying Nicholas Spark adaptations? #chills. Now, when one thinks of the best horror films, they often have to think back to a time where horror wasn't found-footage, and the films actually had character. Here is a harder question: What are some of the best horror films in the last 10 years? Sure, one could conjure (wink wink) up some titles: Cabin in the Woods, [REC], Let the Right One In, etc; but still, when you think of quality, nothing seems to match up to classics like William Friedkin's Exorcist. Well, I'm happy to say The Babadook is that horror film horror fans have been waiting for all these years. From up-and-coming director Jennifer Kent, The Babadook follows a a woman, brilliantly played by Essie Davis, who is plagued by a bedtime story creature named The Babadook. "If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook." The marketing for this film is very interesting because it's terribly misleading. If one watches the trailer, the film seems to be portrayed as some sort of run-of-the-mill creature-feature, when in reality it's an intense and terrifying psychological thriller. The fear and terror doesn't come from loud noises or jump scares, not even from the actually monster itself. The true terror of this film comes from what the Babadook really represents. The ugly truth about us all that we like to keep from the world. After I watched this movie I was completely blown away. Essie Davis did an absolutely phenomenal job playing the stressed single mother with a burden she can't escape. The direction and cinematography was amazingly reminiscent of The Shining and other great slow-burn thrillers from that era. It hearkened back to a cinematic time where directors and studios didn't care about budget to profit ratios; they cared about telling a compelling and engaging story. If you go into the Babadook expecting what you get from Paranormal Activity, this is not the film for you. It doesn't use the cheap techniques and gimmicks that contemporary horror films use. It's a film that will stick with you and get under your skin. It's a film that should be admired and should be seen as a return to form for horror films. Final Rating- A
