The Babadook

If you’re looking for a horror movie that doesn’t rely on cheap scares, The Babadook hits that weird spot where psychological horror feels all too real. It starts out with a grieving mother, Amelia, and her troubled son Samuel, whose weird behavior is already unsettling before anything supernatural even shows up. You get the sense that this is as much about mental health as it is about monsters, and honestly, that’s where the film gets under your skin.

The tone is suffocatingly bleak from the start, and it never really lets up. Director Jennifer Kent uses the house almost as a character, with tight, claustrophobic shots that make the space feel smaller and more oppressive as things unravel. It’s visually striking, but not in a flashy way. Instead, everything looks a bit washed out and dreamlike, just enough to make you second-guess what's real.

Essie Davis, who plays Amelia, absolutely carries this movie. Watching her try to hold it together while her son spirals is both exhausting and mesmerizing. On another level, it’s impressive how you end up as disturbed by the family dynamic as you are by the monster itself. The kid, played by Noah Wiseman, does feel grating at times — but honestly, that almost works in the film's favor. The tension between them is raw and uncomfortable.

The pacing can be a bit uneven, though. The first half leans hard into the drama and slow buildup, so if you’re coming for big scares right away, you might get impatient. But when the film finally goes all in on the horror, it delivers. The Babadook itself is genuinely creepy without ever being over-explained, which I loved. The sound design — rattling doors, pounding on the walls — wriggles into your nerves.

My one real gripe is that some of the symbolism about grief and trauma is a little on the nose. There are moments where the metaphors feel like they’re poking you in the ribs, as if the director really wanted you to get the point. Sometimes, less is more, and I wish the movie trusted the audience a bit more to put the pieces together.

Still, this is a horror movie that sticks with you afterward, not because of gore or body count but because it makes you squirm about real-life fears. If you’re looking for a different kind of scare, this one leaves a weird, heavy feeling behind — and I mean that as a compliment.