While modern studio horror films are all following the same formula these days, one often has to look at the indie world of scary movies or foreign filmmakers. Very often, movies that are genuinely well-crafted and truly scary are overlooked due to subtitles or bad marketing. So, let me be the first to tell you not to skip THE BABADOOK.
There has been a good deal of buzz surrounding the Australian horror movie since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and it currently holds a 100% positive rating on RottenTomatoes.com. It is now getting a release thanks to IFC Midnight, which means you should be able to watch it on demand in the near future.
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.
While that may sound like your typical formula setup for a horror movie, the trailer shows a very distinct visual presence from the movie thanks to director Jennifer Kent. What really got me is that the evil being himself is scary sounding and looking, but the movie truly looks like it is going to blur the line between whether the mother is somehow the real evil or possibly just psychologically traumatized. Either way, this looks damn good.
THE BABADOOK is playing several festivals through November, but stay tuned for an official release date in the near future.