It’s been a while since a horror film has created a terrifying new monster, but “The Babadook” looks to have done just that. The Australian horror film has amassed quite a following in its native country, and taken the world by storm at various film festivals, including Sundance.
With a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, the film’s trailer certainly does an effective job of earning all that praise. It’s taut and terrifying, and filled with moments of genuine fear.
Also read: Sundance: IFC Midnight Grabs U.S. and Latin American Rights to ‘The Babadook’
It’s the story of young mother Amelia, played by Essie Davis, and her six-year-old son, haunted by bad dreams. The monster in his dreams may be the same monster revealed in the pages of “Mister Babadook,” a mysterious pop-up book that appears at their home.
Is the monster real, or is Amelia buying into the dark imaginings of her child? The trailer offers no clear answers, but it promises plenty of classic horror film scares.
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Jennifer Kent wrote and directed “The Babadook,” which was produced by Kristina Ceyton, Jan Chapman, Jeff Harrison, Kristian Moliere, Jonathan Page, and Michael Tear. It co-stars Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West and Ben Winspear. It will be released by IFC Midnight to theaters in the U.S. on November 28, though U.K. audiences will get an even earlier scare, as the film opens on October 24 there.