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THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

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THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Old 01-23-14, 08:59 AM
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THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/szaLnKNWC-U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321549/
Old 01-28-14, 02:46 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Looks pretty creepy. Unfortunately no one I know that went to Sundance saw it. So I haven't heard any first-hand reports.
Old 01-29-14, 01:17 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

looks right up my alley. Count me in.
Old 08-17-14, 09:31 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Anyone seen this yet? Word on the street is pretty stellar.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_babadook/
Old 08-17-14, 09:37 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

I've been hearing it's excellent.

I saw the short film it's based on a while back. If the feature length version follows that story line, then you should be able to see what's ultimately going to happen from about a mile away.

I'm still very much looking forward to seeing it, though I'm bummed we have to wait until November.
Old 11-05-14, 08:50 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Looks like this is supposed to come out at the end of the month/early December. Has a 96% on RT (43 out of 45 positive). 90 on Metacritic.
Old 11-05-14, 08:58 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Kind of funny the only decent horror movies this year came from New Zealand (Housebound, tho more horror-comedy, same with What We Do In the Shadows) and Australia.

Last edited by RichC2; 12-03-14 at 10:54 AM.
Old 11-05-14, 09:11 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

It's available for pre order on Amazon. No BD, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Babadook/dp/B0...words=babadook
Old 11-05-14, 09:49 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Babadook was a enjoyable little flick. Really liked it. Really creepy, extremely well edited and atmospheric.

The acting duo of Essie Davis and Daniel Henshaw worked well together. Believable mother/son combo.

Reminded me how so many Hollywood flicks all seem so familiar. Babadook didn't immediately remind me of any other horror film.
Old 11-20-14, 09:03 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

I really wanted to enjoy this film, but THAT KID.

I get it, her son was written to be a boisterous, grating, loudmouth bratty bastard. But, holy fuck, is he ever hell to watch. And hear. I felt like I was cracking under the endless screaming.

That aside, I still found it to be a mediocre haunting flic. Nothing terribly special. Again, I could have liked it had that kid not been written and acted as he was. It was intolerable to a fault.
Old 11-21-14, 09:33 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

If anyone is interested in the book there's a kickstarter type campaign to get it made. The price is sort of steep but I am considering it. There's a link for the pre order on the bottom of the page.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/...-babadook-book
Old 12-01-14, 07:25 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by islandclaws
I really wanted to enjoy this film, but THAT KID.

I get it, her son was written to be a boisterous, grating, loudmouth bratty bastard. But, holy fuck, is he ever hell to watch. And hear. I felt like I was cracking under the endless screaming.

That aside, I still found it to be a mediocre haunting flic. Nothing terribly special. Again, I could have liked it had that kid not been written and acted as he was. It was intolerable to a fault.
Agreed. I was ready for the fucking Babadook to take him away after 20 minutes.
Old 12-03-14, 10:51 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Man, I really, really wanted to love this movie. It had a lot of potential. The atmosphere was great, and the acting was great. (Yes, the kid was grating, but that was very much on purpose; I cannot fault his acting.) There were a few good chills. I loved the design of the book.

Possible spoilers concerning my thoughts on the movie:

Spoiler:
But overall, my reaction was "meh." One of the things that frustrates me about haunting movies such as this is the lack of rules. What can/can't stop the Babadook? What does he want, and why doesn't he just up and do it immediately rather than revealing himself in small doses? And the ending resolution doesn't really build or play on anything established earlier in the movie.


I dunno. Like I said, I really wanted to like it. But it's definitely not as good as is being hyped.
Old 12-05-14, 10:03 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Maybe it's a function of my bad mood, but I didn't care for it despite its being well-made and well-acted. I usually have no patience for horror films that involve histrionics and noise passing for scares, ceaselessly screeching kids, or fairy tale characters that come to life.
Old 12-06-14, 08:34 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by islandclaws
I really wanted to enjoy this film, but THAT KID.

I get it, her son was written to be a boisterous, grating, loudmouth bratty bastard. But, holy fuck, is he ever hell to watch. And hear. I felt like I was cracking under the endless screaming.

That aside, I still found it to be a mediocre haunting flic. Nothing terribly special. Again, I could have liked it had that kid not been written and acted as he was. It was intolerable to a fault.
The first 30 minutes with that kid was rough. It almost ruined the entire experience of the film for me. I fully understand why he was written that way, but I agree it was a bit much.

As beautifully as the film is shot, as great as the atmosphere is and as much as I enjoyed Essie Davis' role, I also felt the film was a bit lackluster.
Old 12-07-14, 07:06 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by Mr. Flix
Possible spoilers concerning my thoughts on the movie:

Spoiler:
But overall, my reaction was "meh." One of the things that frustrates me about haunting movies such as this is the lack of rules. What can/can't stop the Babadook? What does he want, and why doesn't he just up and do it immediately rather than revealing himself in small doses? And the ending resolution doesn't really build or play on anything established earlier in the movie.
You get that:

Spoiler:
The Babadook represented the grief over the loss of her husband that was consuming her, and was likely all in her head right? I'd have to watch it again to confirm that, but I'm pretty sure that's what they were going for. She was a childrens book author, she likely wrote the book herself. I even think they made the kid so annoying in the first half to contrast with the second half where the mother was obviously the whack job. In the end she was able to contain her grief in the basement, but she still feeds it.
Right?
Old 12-07-14, 08:43 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by Strafe
You get that:

Spoiler:
The Babadook represented the grief over the loss of her husband that was consuming her, and was likely all in her head right? I'd have to watch it again to confirm that, but I'm pretty sure that's what they were going for. She was a childrens book author, she likely wrote the book herself. I even think they made the kid so annoying in the first half to contrast with the second half where the mother was obviously the whack job. In the end she was able to contain her grief in the basement, but she still feeds it.
Right?
Yeah, I get that. It's just...

Spoiler:
My initial impression is that the movie wanted to be more ambiguous than that, as in, "Was she crazy?" or "Was the Babadook real?" Upon second viewing, I started to realize that it probably isn't and either/or situation at all. The Babadook isn't real. Once I realized that, I actually enjoyed the movie a LOT more and found it even more chilling.


So, I revisited the movie a second time, and wow, did it ever impress me much, much more. Not sure if it was my frame of mind the first time through (I was sick with a fever) or just needing to let the movie's subtleties come more to light with a second viewing. But yeah, I now feel that this movie very much deserves the praise that it's getting.

I do have one more question though, for those who've seen it...

Spoiler:
So, if the Babadook is a manifestation of the mother's grief over the loss of her husband channeled into hatred toward her son, is the movie a representation of what the mother actually believes that she is seeing (i.e., she's really crazy and believes she's seeing everything we see in the movie) or is the movie simply metaphorical when it comes to the "appearances" of the Babadook?
Old 12-07-14, 10:52 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by Mr. Flix
Spoiler:
So, if the Babadook is a manifestation of the mother's grief over the loss of her husband channeled into hatred toward her son, is the movie a representation of what the mother actually believes that she is seeing (i.e., she's really crazy and believes she's seeing everything we see in the movie) or is the movie simply metaphorical when it comes to the "appearances" of the Babadook?
Spoiler:
But the kid is the first one who sees it, so I'm not buying that it's a manifestation of the mother's mental instability. I think it's just a semi-lame monster movie trying to grapple with deeper themes.
Old 12-07-14, 01:38 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by Norm de Plume
Spoiler:
But the kid is the first one who sees it, so I'm not buying that it's a manifestation of the mother's mental instability. I think it's just a semi-lame monster movie trying to grapple with deeper themes.
Spoiler:
I'm not so sure the kid ever did really see it. I have a feeling there's a 'Sixth Sense' thing going on, but I'd have to watch it again to be sure. There's also an 'unreliable narrator' thing happening.
Old 12-07-14, 02:29 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

This is playing locally this weekend so I will try to catch it.
Old 12-07-14, 07:27 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Originally Posted by Strafe
Spoiler:
I'm not so sure the kid ever did really see it. I have a feeling there's a 'Sixth Sense' thing going on, but I'd have to watch it again to be sure. There's also an 'unreliable narrator' thing happening.
Spoiler:
Well, it could be that the mother is projecting onto the son, so that everything we see is actually what she is seeing, imagining, and thinking.
Old 12-08-14, 11:07 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Really impressed by this. Very frightening and creepy first half, thought-provoking second half.
Old 12-15-14, 11:03 AM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

Watched this last night and it stuck with me because there are many ways to interpret it. Haven't enjoyed a horror movie this much in a long time.
Spoiler:
The Babadook could have been a supernatural being that fed on grief, or it could have been the result of mental illness and ignored grief and resentment. She could have solved her problem by acknowledging her grief, or she could have murdered her son as predicted in the news story where her greatest fear was illustrated.

I loved the book--halfway want to order one, but not for 80 bucks. The words to it were so perfect for her grief--especially since once she saw under the skin of the Babadook, she probably did find death enticing (he was pretty much seducing her into murder). Also loved that Babadook is an anagram for "A bad book." I do think the mom wrote it.

And that magic trick at the end left me wondering what really happened. It's all so perfect now--no way that kid could really produce a dove. Mom appeared to be doing better by feeding worms to her grief (or the Babadook). Is she better though? Are they still alive, or was that flash of the kid dead one of the only real images from the last bit of the movie?
Old 12-26-14, 07:48 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

I watched this today and it was great. One of the best horror flicks I've seen this year. I remember reading that William Friedkin gave it a very enthusiastic recommendation.

They completed the crowdfunded bit a while ago but they're still taking pre-orders on the official website.

http://thebabadook.com/

Yes, it's still steep but it will probably ship from Australia. I'm gonna order one.

Last edited by Why So Blu?; 12-26-14 at 09:12 PM.
Old 12-26-14, 09:00 PM
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Re: THE BABADOOK (2013) (dir. Jennifer Kent) (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

This is playing at the same theater that The Interview is also playing The Interview. I think there is enough time between movies to make it a double-feature. When I get tickets, I will ask if I can make both showings without missing anything but credits.

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