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Babadook, The (15)

Drama, Horror, Thriller

A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

More information on this production is available at www.discoverthebabadook.com.

The critical consensus

An atmospheric psychological thriller which unfolds like a postnatally depressed Repulsion.

***(*)(*)Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 19/10/2014

One of the strongest, most effective horror films of recent years — with awards-quality lead work from Essie Davis, and a brilliantly designed new monster who could well become the break-out spook archetype of the decade.

*****Kim Newman, Empire Online, 20/10/2014

A haunting tale with deep wells of howling grief at its centre, this is one bedtime story that will stay with you for weeks. Sleep tight...

*****Matt Glasby, Total Film, 20/10/2014

Eerie and unsettling, this is a promising debut from an exciting new talent.

Chris Blohm, Little White Lies, 23/10/2014

This slow-burning Australian chiller is well-acted and often quite stylish but it feels awfully familiar and surprisingly tame by the time it reaches an anti-climax of an ending.

**(*)(*)(*)Allan Hunter, The List, 20/10/2014

The Babadook leaves behind it a satisfyingly toxic residue of fear.

****(*)Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 23/10/2014

The Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent's bravura new horror pic combines subtlety and psychological depth with some very full-blooded shock tactics.

*****Geoffrey MacNab, The Independent, 24/10/2014

In a few years, The Babadook will be remembered as a cult horror classic of the modern age.

Douglas Greenwood, The Edinburgh Reporter,

The Babadook mistakes arty solemnity for creepy atmospherics, simultaneously relying on child-in-peril tropes and wilful dog cruelty while trying to pretend it’s not a shameless exploitation movie.

**(*)(*)(*)Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 25/10/2014

The Babadook is an impressively made, well acted Australian horror film that never quite delivers on the sense of dread it spends a great deal of time building up.

***(*)(*)Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express, 26/10/2014

Terrific central performances are the key to writer-director Jennifer Kent’s deeply chilling debut feature.

****(*)Mark Kermode, The Observer, 26/10/2014


Features about Babadook, The (15)

The Babadook: 'I wanted to talk about the need to face darkness in ourselves.'

Paul MacInnes, The Guardian, 18/10/2014

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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