(PCM) IFC Midnight presents The Babadook, the Australian horror film from writer-director Jennifer Kent that has received heaps of critical praise after screening 2014’s Sundance Film Festival.
The Babadook is a psychological thriller in the tradition of Polanski’s classic domestic horrors (Rosemary’s Baby, The Tenant, Repulsion).
Using her award winning short horror Monster as a springboard, writer/director Jennifer Kent has developed the script at the Binger Lab in Amsterdam with assistance from Screen NSW, Waking Dream Productions and Screen Australia.
Produced by Causeway Films in association with Smoking Gun Productions, The Babadook premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 to rave reviews and international sales.
The film released theatrically in Australia on 22 May 2014 followed by an international release across the US, UK and Europe in Fall 2014.
Six years after the death of her husband, Amelia struggles to discipline her “out-of-control” six-year-old Samuel – a son she finds difficult to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both.
When a disturbing storybook called “The Babadook” turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent.
Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son’s behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.
The Babadook currently has a fresh fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 96% with the Critic Consensus being: “The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares — and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.”
Scott Foundas of Variety wrote that The Babadook “Manages to deliver real, seat-grabbing jolts while also touching on more serious themes of loss, grief and other demons that can not be so easily vanquished.”
Joshua Rothkopf writing for Time Out says “Who thinks up a film like The Babadook? Actress-turned-debuting-feature-director Jennifer Kent has the narrative chutzpah to show her entire hand in the pop-up story and then make us squirm as foretold events come true.”
The Babadook stars Essie Davis (The Matrix Revolutions, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole), Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall (The Snowtown Murders, Not Suitable for Children), Hayley McElhinney (Inhuman Resources, My Mother Frank), and Ben Winspear (Breeding in Captivity, Loveless).
Watch the unnerving trailer for The Babadook below and visit the official website and Facebook for more info and updates!
The Babadook starts its limited run in U.S. theaters November 28, 2014.
The post Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Babadook’ is Truly Terrifying also appeared on PCM Reviews.