AND THINGS THAT GO BABADOOK IN THE NIGHT: Movie reviews of The Babadook and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night by Howard Casner

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Warning: SPOILERS

babadookTwo movies have opened lately that fall into the horror genre and have much in common. They both have female central characters and both have been directed by women. They are both first features, filmed on a low budget, show a formidable amount of talent and have more style than a Coco Chanel fashion shoot.

And though I’m not quite convinced that either really rise above what they are, they have so much going for them that I think both are more than worth the look.

In The Babadook from Australia, written and directed by Jennifer Kent (based on a short film of hers called Monster), a pregnant woman, Amelia, loses her husband in a car crash as he is taking her to the hospital to deliver their child. Six years later, Amelia is a single, working mom trying to raise her only son.

But something is wrong. Said son Samuel can’t sleep at night for fear of monsters under the bed and in the closet. This means Amelia is not getting any sleep and is having more and more trouble holding it all together. Read the rest of this entry »