Review of The Babadook

The Babadook (2014)
7/10
The movie was pretty good.
19 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
There was one aspect of the movie that stands above the rest and that was the sound. The way they used noises, tones and other such sounds was quite masterful. The movie to me didn't have to be too scary as the video coupled with the incredible audio made it a true gem. There is a huge mistake that most horror movies cover up with cheap make-up and over-produced fx. It takes skill and a good idea of creepy sounds to stimulate the most fear and in that respect, The Babadook, to me, was an incredible experience. It didn't depend on cheap jump-scares and it really knew what it was going for. I mean it didn't have me pis'n my pants, but it sure got me to hold my breath quite a few times as the interesting dreamy camera effects got my attention and the sounds grabbed a hold of my fear of the dark.

I think that every single horror movie maker should see this and pay very close attention on how to capitalize on the audiences fear using sound and not always just visual scares and Hollywood soundtracks. That's not to say that the movie was the best or that there wasn't more they could do, but the way they put the sounds together with the way they shot it deserves mention and imho a little praise. Because this is how you do creepy. Bravo.

Oh and I used headphones, best way to watch any movie, but with this one, it is a must in my book.

Now on to the actual movie/story review. I'm not sure how I myself would quicken the pace, but I feel like they could have done less day-to-day and more things going wrong. I nearly stopped about 45mins in because still nothing was happening and 'the boy' was just pissing me off. The building blocks were important to the over-all story but it felt like they were a bit short on ideas as to what to do with the first half of the movie.

All that being said, and for the incredible (what I felt like it was) experience, I think it was totally worth it. And I would recommend it if you've seen all the latest horrors and need something new. I don't think it should be skipped, but no need to take hostages in order to secure your own copy. Catch it when you can, but don't miss it.

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