The Babadook

Synopsis

Widowed Amelia is struggling to cope with the increasingly peculiar behavior of her young son Samuel, and his growing conviction that their house is being shared by a nightmarish monster from a mysterious children's book, The Babadook. Plagued by insomnia, Amelia becomes increasingly convinced of the monster's existence too in this hugely entertaining, genuinely unnerving psychological horror. Full of references to classic horror films, gothic-lore and fairy-tale myths this is a highly original take on the age old notions of the bogeyman and things that go bump in the night. While the tension is ratcheted up to unbearable levels, the relationship between mother and son remains the film's heart throughout.