The Babadook surprised me on two counts.

First, as someone who doesn't often get the warm fuzzies at spooky films, this did. It's a well acted, believable account of a mum and child being haunted by a seemingly malevolent 'thing'. Effective jumps and creeping tension are handled well.

But I was surprised again by the end, as I came away seeing it as an allegory for deep grief and a way through it. I found it quite moving, the mum finding a place for that darkness, finally taking control of it.

Essie Davis is rather famous in her native Australia for starring in a wonderful television show "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries". In the show, Davis is very glamorous--with he lovely black hair and perfect makeup and clothes. So imagine my surprise when I saw Davis starring in "The Babadook"--with her natural strawberry blonde hair and absolutely no makeup whatsoever. In fact, instead of being a timeless beauty like she is in "Miss Fisher", Davis looks haggard and old in this film--perfect for the character but also a bit daring and very brave considering her sexy image as Miss Fisher.

In "The Babadook", Davis plays a harried and overwhelmed mother. Her husband was killed on the way to the hospital when she was going into labor and for the last six years, she's refused to deal with this loss. Additionally, her child is a holy terror--one that would drain even Mary Poppins! These serious problems combined with clinical depression and a lack of sleep make for an interesting combination. Soon, a frightful character from a sick children's book, "The Babadook", begins terrifying and tormenting her. Soon the audience begins to wonder just how real any of this is and just how close to losing her sanity this poor woman is.

This film is a very, very different sort of horror film. It lacks the usual cheap thrills and frights...and I appreciate that. Instead it shows the darkest recesses of the human mind and is enthralling. Much of it is due to Davis' amazing performance (she makes the film) and bizarre plot. This is much more of a thinking person's horror film-- one you won't soon forget.

THE BABADOOK is a pretty engaging slice of horror from Australia, very much low key for the most part and the more effective because of that. It's a familiar story about a single mother and her boy finding themselves subjected to a picture book creation called the Babadook. The film tends to work better as a story of mental illness and psychological instability than it does a supernatural slice of horror, but for the most part it walks the tightrope quite well. The only letdown is at the climax, when all of a sudden it veers into ridiculous INSIDIOUS territory and becomes very Hollywood, riffing on the likes of POLTERGEIST, GHOSTBUSTERS and THE EVIL DEAD in a matter of minutes. Still, a solid performance from Essie Davis as a rather unlikeable lead and a winning turn from an initially unpleasant child is enough to make this work, although it'd not quite the masterpiece you'd heard.