The Babadook

NR 6.8
2014 1 hr 34 min Drama , Horror

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.

  • Cast:
    Essie Davis , Noah Wiseman , Hayley McElhinney , Daniel Henshall , Barbara West , Ben Winspear , Craig Behenna

Similar titles

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
A man named Farmer sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife and avenge the death of his son – two acts committed by the Krugs, a race of animal-warriors who are controlled by the evil Gallian.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale 2008
The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story
Mary and Joseph make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this retelling of the Nativity story. This meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in a quiet manger and Jesus is born.
The Nativity Story 2006
Monster Man
Monster Man
Two guys and a female hitchhiker are terrorized by a monstrous looking man driving a giant monster truck.
Monster Man 2003
Helen
Helen
On the outside, Helen has it all – a loving family and a successful career – but when her suppressed mental illness resurfaces, the world crumbles around her. Crippled by depression, Helen finds solace through her friendship with Mathilda, a kindred spirit struggling with bipolar disorder.
Helen 2009
The Next Best Thing
The Next Best Thing
A comedy-drama about best friends - one a straight woman, Abbie, the other a gay man, Robert - who decide to have a child together. Five years later, Abbie falls in love with a straight man and wants to move away with her and Robert's little boy Sam, and a nasty custody battle ensues.
The Next Best Thing 2000
Midsommar
Midsommar
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
Midsommar 2019
Whale Rider
Whale Rider
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
Whale Rider 2003

Reviews

Fairaher
2014/11/28

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

... more
Humaira Grant
2014/11/29

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

... more
Usamah Harvey
2014/11/30

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

... more
Nayan Gough
2014/12/01

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

... more
simon-cataudo
2014/12/02

Simply dreadful.Obviously a very limited budget, so well done on that score, but so disappointing.The story is poor. You don't have to have all the effects if the story's good, and you can create terror just as much from something unseen as you can from the visual, but this is way off the mark. It goes from one stupid scenario to the next, with a dour palette inside a house that is seemingly from the mid-eighties. If this is set in that timeline, it's not made clear, although in the ensemble's clothing and the protagonist's car it would seem that way. Nobody has a mobile phone, but the telephones seem modern.The cast is far too limited when the main characters are this weak, and I didn't find myself rooting for either the flaky mother or the annoying child. Aside from those points, this is meant to be a horror film, and there wasn't a second of it that was enough to make the hairs on my arms stand up. The clichés are all there: dull, creepy house, unstable parent, the knowing child, a concerned neighbor, incredulous police and of course a cellar. The 'Babadook' (what a ridiculous name!) is less scary than some of the costumed revellers I see walking the streets with buckets of sweets in hand at Halloween. Not that you really see it.The ending is so awful. And not in a good way.If you're easily scared, or a child under the age of 12, you may love this. If I'd seen this at the cinema, I'd have asked for a refund.

... more
aseem-awad
2014/12/03

It's really good to see a female director make a really good horror movie and a good movie in general. Great job!

... more
nordicsoul
2014/12/04

Major kudos to Aussie director Jennifer Kent, who managed to distill down all the pain and loneliness of being a working-class single mother, into one of the most frightening ghost stories I've seen. The Babadook represents everything good horror can and should be, with plenty of heart, humor and social commentary for good measure. Here's to female directors willing to explore issues all too often ignored in film.

... more
ryan5021
2014/12/05

Horrible movie! This shouldn't even be listed as a horror film!

... more