The Babadook

Meticulous drama/horror film which, despite recycling elements from classic ghost stories (creaking doors, exploding lamps, etc.) and particularly from possession movies, stands out in a positive way both for a story that’s extremely sensitive to the psychological dimension – the screenplay was also written by the director, making her feature-film debut here -, as well as for the dual protagonists’ convincing performances (a rather expressive sickly little boy plus a neurotic mother prone to psychosis).

The bizarre conclusion might leave viewers perplexed if they choose not to buy into the psychoanalytical message about the importance of portraying one’s demons in order to strip them of their power and restrain their destructive potential – besides, totally annihilating them would just be a pipe dream.

Film buffs will find plenty of on-target references, ranging from Georges Méliès to Mario Bava.