The Babadook (2014)

A widowed 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.

Director:

Jennifer Kent

Writer:

Jennifer Kent

Stars:

Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall

56 wins & 61 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Essie Davis	...	Amelia
Noah Wiseman	...	Samuel
Hayley McElhinney	...	Claire
Daniel Henshall	...	Robbie
Barbara West	...	Mrs. Roach
Benjamin Winspear	...	Oskar (as Ben Winspear)
Chloe Hurn	...	Ruby
Jacquy Phillips	...	Beverly (as Jacqy Phillips)
Bridget Walters	...	Norma
Annie Batten	...	Old Woman in Corridor
Tony Mack	...	Principal
Carmel Johnson	...	Teacher
Tiffany Lyndall-Knight	...	Supermarket Mum (as Tiffany Lyndall Knight)
Lucy Hong	...	Supermarket Little Girl
Sophie Riggs	...	Checkout Chick

Storyline

Amelia, who lost her husband in a car crash on the way to give birth to Samuel, their only child, struggles to cope with her fate as a single mom. Samuel's constant fear of monsters and violent reaction to overcome the fear doesn't help her cause either, which makes her friends become distant. When things can not get any worse, they read a strange book in their house about the 'Babadook' monster that hides in the dark areas of their house. Even Amelia seems to feel the effect of Babadook and desperately tries in vain to destroy the book. The nightmarish experiences the two encounter form the rest of the story.

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Plot Keywords:

book | single mother | mother son relationship | monster | fear | 

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Taglines:

Don't let it in.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Causeway Films - Festivals & Awards Causeway Films [Australia]

Country:

Australia Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Babadook

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,007, 28 November 2014

Gross USA:

$924,279

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Australia, Causeway Films, The South Australian Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (5.1 surround)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jennifer Kent mentioned (at 0:31:18 in the DVD featurette "Cast and Crew Interviews") that they auditioned eight and nine-year-olds for the part of Samuel, but there was a knowing quality that crept into their performances that precluded the innocence the filmmakers were seeking. She also mentioned that Noah Wiseman was six years old both when he auditioned for the role of Samuel and when the film was shot.

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Goofs

When Amelia gets the ripped up book back and looks at the new pages, the last page says (Line 3): the more you deny the (Line 4): stronger I get. Yet when the camera pans over the words on the page, the second 'the' has been cut out from the end of line three and moved to the fourth line making it (Line 4): the stronger I get.

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Quotes

Amelia: [Amelia is driving Sam home from his aunt's house] Where did you get those firecrackers?
Samuel: You got them for me on the internet!
Amelia: [livid] Well, that's the end of the internet.

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Connections

Featured in Projector: Nightcrawler/The Babadook (2014)

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Soundtracks

Summer Breeze
Written by Pete Dunn and Mike Robkin
Courtesy of EMI Production Music

User Reviews

Overrated with Disappointing Conclusion

The widow Amelia (Essie Davis) lost her husband in a car accident while driving her to the hospital to give birth to their son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). She has quited writing books for children and presently works at a nursing home to raise Samuel alone. However the boy is problematic and outcast by his friends and even by his aunt Claire (Hayley McElhinney) and his cousin Ruby (Chloe Hurn). Amelia usually reads books for Samuel before sleeping and one night he gives the mysterious book Mister Babadook that he has found in his room. Amelia and Samuel are disturbed by the book that tells the story of a supernatural entity that torments people and Samuel tells that Babadook is haunting him during the night. Amelia rips up the book and throws it in the garbage, but soon they are haunted by Babadook. Amelia uses pills and Samuel and she are able to sleep during the night. When the book Mister Babadook appears mended in her front door, weird events happen in the house. Does Mr. Babadook really exist?

"The Babadook" is a creepy horror movie about a woman that has been grieving the loss of her husband for many years and her son that fears monsters and has a strange behavior. When they become aware of the supernatural Babadook, they are tormented by the being and the woman is possessed by Babadook. Why Amelia does not immediately move to another house with her son after the supernatural events? The story has a promising beginning and development that recalls "The Shinning" with the possession of Amelia. However the conclusion is very disappointing and if the intention of the writer and director Jennifer Kent is a metaphor, she did not succeeded since it is not clear. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available