![]() ![]() As a caregiver at an assisted living facility, Amelia frequently wears the light pink smock of a nurse’s uniform. Shadows flit across unmoving frames showing the incessant passage of time in a hopeless environment where nothing ever changes. With closed windows and a narrow front yard, the house seems more like a confining bubble of darkness and despair than the vibrant home of a growing child. The walls of the home she shares with Samuel are all colored a dark blue or institutional gray. ![]() In addition to this unique bogeyman, Kent masterfully uses color and shadow to illustrate the pervasive nature of Amelia’s depression. Seeming to emerge from the shadows themselves, this startling creature lurks in the background whenever Amelia tries to ask for help further isolating her from the world and driving her ever deeper into the clutches of the beast. The Babadook and its old-fashioned monster have a distinctly low-fi feel that proves to be a feature rather than a bug. Kent studied the work of French actor, director, and magician Georges Méliès to design the in-camera effects that bring this eerie world to life. His guttural growls sound more like an ancient jaw unhinging itself as a malevolent entity tries to approximate human speech. This inky, black phantom invades Amelia’s home with the jerky and cartoonish movements of a pop-up book. Though unsettling on the page, Mister Babadook is arguably more frightening in human form. Along with his costume, he wears a mask with a fixed expression, a misguided approximation of what it thinks a man is.” Viewer response was so great that Juhasz collaborated with paper engineer Simon Arizpe on a limited release of Mister Babadook, an expanded version of the fascinating prop. Describing his creation, Jahusz explained, “Mister Babadook is a monster playing at being human. Inspired by Lon Chaney’s unnerving Man in the Beaver Hat from Tod Browning’s 1927 silent film London After Midnight, Kent collaborated with artist Alex Juhasz to design this nightmarish book. Spiky black hair frames a pale face with wide, bulging eyes and a perpetually screaming mouth lined with dirty teeth. Essentially colorless, this sinister gentleman appears dressed in a long, black cape and crumpled top-hat with spindly, black spikes emerging from his sleeves in the place of fingers. Part of the film’s success can undoubtedly be laid at the feet of Kent’s fantastic creature design. As the horrifying illustrations come to life, Amelia learns that the story’s warning is true: “you can’t get rid of the Babadook.” ![]() The untenable situation spirals out of control when a mysterious children’s book called Mister Babadook unleashes a dangerous presence in the house. Complicating matters, her energetic boy demonstrates serious behavior problems that keep Amelia from accessing reliable childcare. Six years later, she’s struggling to cope with this unplanned reality and the painful memories that resurface every time Samuel’s birthday rolls around. The film opens with an ill-fated drive to the hospital as Amelia’s husband Oskar ( Ben Winspear) dies in a car crash on the same day she gives birth to their son. This stylish Australian indie follows Amelia ( Essie Davis), a single mother struggling to raise her young son Samuel ( Noah Wiseman) while suffering from severe mental illness. In the ten years since The Babadook premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Jennifer Kent’s debut feature has become known for its ability to blend horror with mental health and bring to life the complex emotions of motherhood that often go unspoken. Despite the extremity of my reaction, I would wager that I’m not alone. One scene in particular, monstrous clothing reigning down as the frightened heroine crawls across the floor, was so affecting that I paused the movie and cried for a good ten minutes. Needless to say, the story of a mother pushed to the edge of sanity resonated with me deeply. My husband, a CPA, was deep in the throes of tax season, leaving me alone for long stretches of time with our one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter who was going through a screaming phase. The first time I watched The Babadook, I nearly had a nervous breakdown. Warning: The following contains major spoilers for The Babadook. ![]()
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