The Babadook

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The Babadook

2014

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

250 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.

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Critics Consensus

The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares -- and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/01/2017

B+

Nestled deep within this teeny Australian thriller packs a simple yet profound message about what it often feels like to be a single parent, and even what it feels like to be the child of that parent.

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

10/05/2016

4/5

The Babadook's villains and victims are still running amok in my brain. I think they might be there for some time.

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Noel Murray

Nashville Scene

10/05/2016

What's most terrifying about The Babadook is that Kent grounds a bizarre supernatural premise in very real feelings of anxiety and depression.

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Lexi Amoriello

Movie Recs by Lex

Jul 10

Kent knows how to create a compelling story that is both frightening and poignant. The mother-son relationship depicted in the film is heartbreaking and tumultuous.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 1

3.5/4

How’s this for an endorsement? William Friedkin, who directed the movie often called the scariest ever made (The Exorcist), stated that "I’ve never seen a more terrifying film than The Babadook." That’s a hell of a plug.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

10/10

This film is an obvious homage to the German expressionist silent films of the 20s that established the earliest foundations of the horror film genre. It is also a deeply modern exploration of grief, the stresses of parenthood, and mental health crises.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

8.5/10 Monster, Slow, Creepy, Isolate, Lore Woman's son sees this monster, Book gets left at her house. Creepiest creature, weird lore, disturbing book Good supernatural haunting type movie. Australian

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Spooky M

@spooktober Jul 14

This is my favorite horror movie because the performance of Essie Davis is so captivating

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Benny R

@Benny925 Jul 11

An exact example to lead by if someone were to create a perfect horror film.

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Will L

@Will05 Jul 11

The message was bland and obvious. Also just not scary, but actually oftentimes unintentionally corny. Craziest 98% I've ever seen

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Fantazynerd 1

@RT48179632 Jul 4

A reason why I don't want kids

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Joe U

@ACSolarski Jul 4

A really good scare but that was the most annoying kid I’ve ever seen or heard.

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Jennifer Kent

Director

Essie Davis

Amelia

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Noah Wiseman

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Synopsis

Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.

Director: Jennifer Kent
Producer: Kristina Ceyton, Kristian Moliere
Screenwriter: Jennifer Kent
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Causeway Films, Entertainment One, Smoking Gun Productions
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 28, 2014, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $933.1K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital