The Babadook (2014)

***NOTE: The following analysis/review may contain MILD SPOILERS regarding some detail in the film, but not to the extent of making the film viewing experience any lesser.***

The horror genre has gone very stale of late. On one hand, there are violent slasher flicks that offer nothing interesting in terms of substance other than gory visuals. And then there are those done-to-death plots of haunted houses, demonic possessions, unhappy spirits, exorcisms, and of course, the very common, oft-used plot device of little children seeing apparitions, but their parents denying their claim until the very end. Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent offers an interesting spin on that last mentioned premise in her debut flick, "The Babadook" (2014). Despite borrowing from the age-old device, she steers clear of most other cliches associated with the plot and introduces a fresh, compelling psychological twist to the proceedings.

Amelia (Essie Davis) is a single mother still coping with the traumatic loss of her husband who was killed whilst driving her to the hospital to have her only son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Amelia loves her son, but the incident has clearly had a huge impact on her psyche as a person and hence is affecting her role as a parent. 

Under such circumstances, in Samuel's bedtime stories collection, out of nowhere, appears a pop-up book of the menacing "Mister Babadook" a creepy looking hat-clad monster in black. The book has certain ominous messages, and appears to be genuinely scary and inappropriate for kids. Very soon, Samuel, who is already obsessed with violence and killing monsters, begins to see the Babadook all around him and rigs up weapons to kill the monster and protect his mum!

Things start to spiral out of control, when Samuel's behaviour gets increasingly aggressive and delusional. Very soon, it all begins to have an effect on Amelia, as paranoia and fear grip her. Following some strange occurrences, she begins to feel the presence of a sinister being around her, and is convinced that they are being stalked.

Unlike other films of the genre that disregard the characters, Kent's film serves as an intimate character study of Amelia, a grief-stricken single mother dealing with her loss and struggling to raise a problem child. Despite making the claims, she clearly hasn't gotten over the loss of her husband. She continues to have dreams of falling and recalls the accident in a half-broken sleep. She longs for a companion. While Amelia loves Samuel and does what she can to raise him all by herself, she can never erase the fact that Samuel was born the day her husband died. Despite a great concern for Samuel, there are moments of unmistakable rejection for the boy.

A thankless elderly care job, and the pressures of raising her son take a visible toll on her, deriving her of sleep, making her all haggard with fatigue. She mostly lacks any social life, but for a friendly male co-worker and her sister Claire. With a dreary life of this sort, it is not surprising that there are pent up emotions owing to loneliness and restrained freedom, a frustration built over the years, being released in the form of hostility and irritation in response to Samuel's annoying behaviour. With the entry of the Babadook, this behaviour seems to be amplified with Amelia's demeanour getting progressively volatile, and bordering on violent psychosis.

Toward the latter half of the film, the madness reaches extreme proportions in some hair-raising moments. Certain jaw-dropping sequences bring to mind the David Lynch brand of psychological thrillers with hallucinating central characters having a questionable mental state, who are unable to distinguish between reality and imagination. The cheap jump-scare tactics are kept at bay, relying instead on intense, shocking sequences that implore you to sit up and pay attention. Adding to it is an atmosphere of dread that literally gets under your skin, with some nightmarish imagery, recurring dialog and a constant sensation of an invisible presence lurking around the corner.

Another fresh touch is how the Babadook isn't pigeonholed with a label of a supernatural entity, which is usually the case. So indeed, it isn't spelled out if it's a ghost, an evil spirit, a demon, a psychopath, or even a figment of imagination. All that is apparent is that it's an antagonistic presence of some sort. In fact the Babadook is seen only in the shadows or split-second illusory images, the kind that make one think that the mind is playing tricks and there's really nothing there!

There are hints to suggest that the Babadook is in fact a dark, malevolent manifestation of the negative energy that stems from a stagnation that comes from being stuck in time; the inability to move on from a tragedy. Could it be a symbol of grief, an unpleasant memory, a can of worms that needs to be fed and maintained with more bowls of worms for it can never be totally erased from the heart and mind? And therefore, thanks to the rich subtext surrounding the titular entity, there is no room for convulsive displays of possession, no religious rituals to rid ghosts, or any of that stuff which has become so boring lately.

Instead, what we have is some solid psychological horror, an ode of sorts to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980), that focuses on insanity gradually engulfing a parent, who thereby turns into a predator from a protector. One particular scene in which a mentally deteriorated Amelia mocks and imitates a whining Samuel, directly references a similar sequence in the Kubrick film when Jack Nicholson's character completely loses his marbles and derides Shelley Duvall's pleas of taking their son to the doctor.

It was essential to have a solid performer to pull off the Jack Nicholson kind of over the top dementia and Essie Davis rivals that act with a fantastic performance. She displays a wide range of emotions, from a sobbing, vulnerable mother to a hysterical and dangerous, psychotic maniac. Noah Wiseman appears to annoy quite a bit for a while, but it only goes to show how effective the little actor is in his display of an irritating kid who manages to irk the hell out of his mother.

Don't let the plot synopses online, the title or the poster design fool you like it did me. This is not the kind of run-of-the-mill bogeyman horror cum unintentional comedy that you might think it to be. It's a solid work of modern psychological horror that will surprise you. Check it out now!


Score: 8/10

Alexandra's Project (2003)

The camera moves across a tranquil, dulcet suburban neighbourhood, replete with lush green lawns, amidst soothing ambient sounds, and stops in front of a house, the indoors of which  are to be the location of most of the film that follows. We are introduced to an almost happy family of four, two kids Emma and Sam, and the protagonists, the lead characters, Steve (Gary Sweet) and Alexandra (Helen Buday). Steve is a perpetually pepped up happy man, and is a successful employee with a successful company. He loves his family very much and takes utmost care of all their needs. The kids look more than happy too.

What sticks out as unusual in this happy frame is Alexandra. There is a distinct sadness in her eyes. Those forlorn glances and the short mirror monologue in which she spits and snaps "never be sorry" makes it more than clear that Alexandra has something bottled up. An eerie, suspenseful background score accompanying Alexandra’s mysterious, empty stares hints at a sense of foreboding. 

It’s Steve’s birthday, and after having a blithely chirpy time with the kids at home that morning, he is given a surprise party and a promotion at work that makes him jump with joyous excitement and he just can’t wait to go home and celebrate the double occasion with his family. Upon returning home that evening though, Steve gets the surprise of his life! The house is all deserted and dark; no Alexandra, no kids, just a gift-wrapped video tape that says "Play me". Steve, going along with this surprise, plugs in the tape that is recorded by Alexandra herself. The video initially begins as a family home film wherein the members wish Steve a very happy birthday in their respective ways. An amused Steve watches with amazement as he ponders about the unusual nature of the surprise. Soon the amazement turns into shock and disgust as the tape progresses and turns into a punishing exercise in grueling visual torture that leaves Steve aghast and humiliated! 

That is as much as one can say about what ensues, without giving away too much, for this film is all about the detail trapped in that little video tape. Throughout the film, we, the viewers, become unsuspecting spectators to a surprise in hell, and just like Steve we are forced to watch Alexandra’s twisted little project that is a literal cringe fest, especially for any married man. But what are the motivations of Alexandra behind making that tape? Where are Alexandra and the kids now?

All of these questions are gradually answered via the contents of the tape and therein lies the crux of this sordid story called "Alexandra’s Project" (2003). Writer-director Rolf De Heer unleashes a psychological assault on his audiences with his twisted imagination. He makes the atmosphere considerably unsettling with the minimal, creepy score that complements the claustrophobic, dark interiors of the house the film is shot in. The use of lighting is especially noteworthy in this regard; the contrast between light and dark giving an odd, grim beauty to each frame. There are a couple of interesting twists and turns within the narrative, enough to nail the viewer to his seat. A good amount of tension is built right up to the part the video reaches its turning point and keeps the viewer guessing about the culmination of the terrifying situation Steve might have landed himself in. The execution is spot on, and it takes a fair amount of finesse to build an engaging product out of nothing but a room and a single character watching a video tape.

Where the film disappoints is in the central premise itself. All said and done it seems a little too farfetched for a woman to resort to such a ghastly surprise, whatever the motivation. Moreover how much of it is justified, we never really know, for there are no back stories. Everything has to be taken at face value and what is summarized in Alexandra’s video. That doesn’t prevent us from choosing who to root for, though. If Alexandra had a point, one wonders if that was the only way to put it across. Whatever happened to good old heart to heart one-on-ones? Steve seems to be a pretty accommodating guy, at least from whatever is shown to us!

Also off-putting are some of the things shown on the tape. It is one thing for a film to be provocative and effective in a powerful way as to have a strong impact on the viewer. But Rolf De Heer gets a little too carried away and almost veers towards borderline pornography rendering some events in the film far too gratuitous, and existing only for the sake of delivering cheap, voyeuristic thrills. The proceedings seem all the more contrived, given Alexandra’s actual grouse that is revealed later. It makes the eventual presentation in her project seem rather unconvincing, and hence, whatever message there is, gets diluted!

Rolf De Heer’s film gains some success only as a gripping, superbly acted, well executed psychological thriller. The two leads deliver powerful performances. While Gary Sweet hits bulls-eye with his extremely convincing portrayal of an unsuspecting husband who gets the shock of life, Helen Buday is equally impressive with her brave, unabashed performance of the troubled wife. Excuse the motivations and the accompanying contrivances, and you will find yourself enjoying "Alexandra’s Project" as a sadistic psychological thriller reminiscent of a certain Michael Haneke film.

"Alexandra’s Project" is a potent, uncompromising film that’s disturbing as hell, and while it may be thematically flawed, it is the kind of film that won't be able to let go of your mind for a long while. Venture only if you must.

Score: 7/10