The Babadook

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The Babadook

2014

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

249 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible 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.

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Critics Consensus

The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares -- and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/01/2017

B+

Nestled deep within this teeny Australian thriller packs a simple yet profound message about what it often feels like to be a single parent, and even what it feels like to be the child of that parent.

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

10/05/2016

4/5

The Babadook's villains and victims are still running amok in my brain. I think they might be there for some time.

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Noel Murray

Nashville Scene

10/05/2016

What's most terrifying about The Babadook is that Kent grounds a bizarre supernatural premise in very real feelings of anxiety and depression.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 1

3.5/4

How’s this for an endorsement? William Friedkin, who directed the movie often called the scariest ever made (The Exorcist), stated that "I’ve never seen a more terrifying film than The Babadook." That’s a hell of a plug.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

10/10

This film is an obvious homage to the German expressionist silent films of the 20s that established the earliest foundations of the horror film genre. It is also a deeply modern exploration of grief, the stresses of parenthood, and mental health crises.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

10/11/2024

Kent’s film tapped into a lot of visceral fears I had at the time as a woman living alone

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Chris I

@bmx80s Jun 1

I think one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. A lot of the people giving this movie a negative review I think don't understand what a true psychological horror/thriller is. Maybe they were looking for cheap jump scares to get the heart racing? If that's your bag, this is NOT the movie for you. It's not that type of horror. But if you want that skin tingling, someone walking on your grave, 6th Sense type of feeling, oh boy will this get you there! Parents in particular... buckle up! Terrific character development, and Essie Davis smashes it out of the park as a struggling mum. No huge budgets, no reliance on special effects, it's basically filmed in a house. But you feel the characters, you sympathise with all of them. And if you're a parent, OMG. You'll be thinking of the Babadook for days and months afterwards :). No gore, no blood, no shock value, just pure concentrated tingly fear all bottled up & weaved into the pressures of parenting & mental health. Cult classic.

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Brendan K.

@Bkeller25 May 31

Fantastic story and central dynamic. Also packs in some thrills but was a bit tamer than I was expecting. Still absolutely worth a watch and remains a modern classic. The ending is pretty nuts but it's mostly a slower paced film.

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James I

@James66 May 5

this is one of the scariest movies i ever saw, it spooked me - i don't think i'll be able to sleep anymore, like forever. i will be so scared the babadook will come for me.

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Poppy R

@RT00779861 May 4

Honestly one of the shittest movies I have ever seen. Waste of an hour and a half. Would not recommend to anyone

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Apr 24

One of the scariest movies of the 21st century. Two brilliant performances and the look of the babadook still creeps me out. Tim Treakle

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Rommel C.

@Rommel_18 Apr 23

Not bad… Pero el final??? Pd: tremenda actriz la prota

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Jennifer Kent

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Essie Davis

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Synopsis

Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible 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.

Director: Jennifer Kent
Producer: Kristina Ceyton, Kristian Moliere
Screenwriter: Jennifer Kent
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Causeway Films, Entertainment One, Smoking Gun Productions
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 28, 2014, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $933.1K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital