The Official "The Babadook" Thread

[hex]

@DarrenSlim I know you mean well but chill posting torrent links in the thread, you trying to get us all jammed up?

If you've been doing this a while there's ways to talk about it without OH shyt SON HERE'S THE TORRENT.

C'mon now. If it was up to me but the cats that run the site will ban you quick fast.

Fred.

 

[DaveyDave]

this shyt is Australian but i haven't seen an ad for it all year, this is my first time hearing about it. dumb b*stards here usually do a shyt job of promoting movies tho unless it's got a well known actors in it like Animal Kingdom

 

[BXKingPin82]

@DarrenSlim I know you mean well but chill posting torrent links in the thread, you trying to get us all jammed up?

If you've been doing this a while there's ways to talk about it without OH shyt SON HERE'S THE TORRENT.

C'mon now. If it was up to me but the cats that run the site will ban you quick fast.

Fred.

Foreal

Muthafukkas in here wildin

 

[TheGodling]

Just watched it and I enjoyed it. I didn't think it was particularly scary, outside of two or three moments, but the atmosphere was well-done and the build-up great. Where the movie faltered was that the build-up didn't lead to a strong enough pay-off. The thing is the Babadook isn't just a 'monster' (to spoil as little as possible), and because of this the movie's tone shifts in a direction where the titular monster plays a completely different role than the build-up makes him out to be.

Spoiler: major ass spoilers here

The Babadook very clearly represents mental illness/grief in both Samuel and Amelia, but I thought the first half hour built up the Babadook so strongly as an actual monster that the point where it becomes clear he's just an allegory, the movie loses a legitimate threat. The resulting movie starts to move towards Sam Raimi-esque fukkery with the whole super-possessed mom and the kid getting his Home Alone on, but because it tries to tell a serious story it doesn't quite commit to the craziness as much as it should either. It does work for what it tries to be, but what that is, is no longer a horror movie.

Regardless of that, it is a well-made picture with very strong performances (both the mom and the kid are great at convincing you they're driving each other crazy) and it's inspired enough that even if the movie can't keep the tone consistent (or precisely because of that) it never becomes dull. So yeah, it's not really scary, but it's entertaining and certainly leaves a more lasting impression than Interchangeable Jump Scare Ghost 4.

Also...

Spoiler: random plot spoiler

I liked how the (female) writer/director put in that implication that she just needed to get dikked down real good. It is the most underrated cure to feeling sad after all.

 

[blackestofpanthers]

Just watched it and I enjoyed it. I didn't think it was particularly scary, outside of two or three moments, but the atmosphere was well-done and the build-up great. Where the movie faltered was that the build-up didn't lead to a strong enough pay-off. The thing is the Babadook isn't just a 'monster' (to spoil as little as possible), and because of this the movie's tone shifts in a direction where the titular monster plays a completely different role than the build-up makes him out to be.

Spoiler: major ass spoilers here

The Babadook very clearly represents mental illness/grief in both Samuel and Amelia, but I thought the first half hour built up the Babadook so strongly as an actual monster that the point where it becomes clear he's just an allegory, the movie loses a legitimate threat. The resulting movie starts to move towards Sam Raimi-esque fukkery with the whole super-possessed mom and the kid getting his Home Alone on, but because it tries to tell a serious story it doesn't quite commit to the craziness as much as it should either. It does work for what it tries to be, but what that is, is no longer a horror movie.

Regardless of that, it is a well-made picture with very strong performances (both the mom and the kid are great at convincing you they're driving each other crazy) and it's inspired enough that even if the movie can't keep the tone consistent (or precisely because of that) it never becomes dull. So yeah, it's not really scary, but it's entertaining and certainly leaves a more lasting impression than Interchangeable Jump Scare Ghost 4.

Also...

Spoiler: random plot spoiler

I liked how the (female) writer/director put in that implication that she just needed to get dikked down real good. It is the most underrated cure to feeling sad after all.

Good review. I'll check this out eventually but i know for a fact it won't live up to the hype. These type of indie/low budget movies never live up to the hype and are only really 9/10s if you are one of the first people to see it. I feel as though movies like this are actually hurt by the hype because people go into it with high expectations instead of a blank slate. Just my opinion. I really hope it's as good as people say since i love horror.

 

[Grand Conde]

Saw it over here a month ago in the cinema. The acting and direction make it superior to most horrors, even though it has a lot of familiar tropes.

 

[JahFocus CS]

It's up on Solarmovie brehs!

'bout to this Halloween night

 

[The Rainmaker]

Just done watching. Awesome atmosphere, great acting. Not just horror elements, but an ode to depression and coping with loss. Check it out if you can.

 

[hex]

Just got done with it. It wasn't perfect but I'd recommend it. Spoiler free review below.

The acting was top notch. The directing/cinematography was fantastic. Jennifer Kent is someone to watch out for, she's an extremely talented director.

The main beef I have is tonally the movie has a weird shift in the final 20 minutes or so, mostly due to Kent creating a great monster, and seemingly not knowing what to do with it. The last 5 minutes or so especially is
But over all she did create a new genuinely creepy creature so that alone gets a

Fred.

 

[Jx2]

Just got done with it. It wasn't perfect but I'd recommend it. Spoiler free review below.

The acting was top notch. The directing/cinematography was fantastic. Jennifer Kent is someone to watch out for, she's an extremely talented director.

The main beef I have is tonally the movie has a weird shift in the final 20 minutes or so, mostly due to Kent creating a great monster, and seemingly not knowing what to do with it. The last 5 minutes or so especially is
But over all she did create a new genuinely creepy creature so that alone gets a

Fred.

Totally agree with you. Ending felt similar to the way Midnight Meat Train ended but way less rewarding. Overall really good creepy flick though. Honestly the most tense moment for me was her reading the book. She kept turning those pages with me sitting here like

 

[hex]

Totally agree with you. Ending felt similar to the way Midnight Meat Train ended but way less rewarding. Overall really good creepy flick though. Honestly the most tense moment for me was her reading the book. She kept turning those pages with me sitting here like

Well, the funny thing is "The Midnight Meat Train" is very close to the original 1985 short story besides a few minor changes. It just didn't translate as well into a movie, because if something is 2 hours you expect the tone to stay the same. It's basically a slasher flick until they go underground and then it turns into some Lovecraft shyt. Works in the story, not so well in the movie.

Fred.

 

[HowardHughes]

this shyt is Australian but i haven't seen an ad for it all year, this is my first time hearing about it. dumb b*stards here usually do a shyt job of promoting movies tho unless it's got a well known actors in it like Animal Kingdom

animal kingdom is in my top 5

 

[JahFocus CS]

This kid by himself is kinda creepy...

 

[JahFocus CS]

It was an all right movie. Probably a notch below or on par with something like The Conjuring in terms of overall quality.

I don't know... all these horror movies have me disappointed Haven't been almost fully satisfied with a horror flick since Insidious 1.

 

[TheGodling]

Well, the funny thing is "The Midnight Meat Train" is very close to the original 1985 short story besides a few minor changes. It just didn't translate as well into a movie, because if something is 2 hours you expect the tone to stay the same. It's basically a slasher flick until they go underground and then it turns into some Lovecraft shyt. Works in the story, not so well in the movie.

Fred.

I think what hurt Midnight Meat Train is that they just didn't put enough effort in selling the ending. The short story does a better job of making sense of it all and explaining that the subway butcher is only a small aspect of a greater horror. One of the few times I thought a movie could've used more exposition to explain what was happening.

Just got done with it. It wasn't perfect but I'd recommend it. Spoiler free review below.

The acting was top notch. The directing/cinematography was fantastic. Jennifer Kent is someone to watch out for, she's an extremely talented director.

The main beef I have is tonally the movie has a weird shift in the final 20 minutes or so, mostly due to Kent creating a great monster, and seemingly not knowing what to do with it. The last 5 minutes or so especially is
But over all she did create a new genuinely creepy creature so that alone gets a

Fred.

While I agree with that, the thing about the ending is:

Spoiler: ending spoilers

since the Babadook is a manifestation of her mental illness/grief, it puts the monster in a different light. The ending basically represents that while she has moved on, mental illness is not something that just disappears. It will always be with her, but she can suppress it through medication (represented by the Babadook being kept in the basement like a pet and fed worms) and like she tells her son when he asks how he was, there are good days and bad days.

So in terms of the story the movie tries to tell, it makes perfect sense, but as you've said (and I did in my post above), it's so different from how the Babadook is introduced and built up that it's kinda disappointing we didn't see more of the Babadook as a straight forward horror monster.