The Babadook Review
I feel what contributed to the effectiveness of this movie lies in what director Jennifer Kent stated about her choice of aesthetic: “I guess part of that is creating a world that wasn't particularly Australian ... I'm very happy, actually, that it doesn't feel particularly Australian”. And yet at the same time, despite being given an eponymous villain that could’ve fit snuggly amongst the likes of Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Jason Voorhees, or Chucky, it isn’t a slasher movie from the 80s either. If anything this feels more like a blurring between that genre and psychological horror in a way that has both ideas compliment each other. The elements of real life horror intermingled with fantasy like horror give it that unique quality that bring these characters to life. It’s certainly a different kind of horror movie that could’ve just worked as a psychological thriller yet happened to belong to the genre.