The Babadook (2014)
85%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 56 wins & 64 nominations
The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares — and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot
The Babadook is a horror movie that will make you want to sleep with the lights on. It’s a story about a single mother and her son who are haunted by a monster from a children’s book. The movie is a perfect blend of horror and drama, and it’s not just about the scares. The Babadook is a movie that will make you think about the struggles of being a single parent and the impact it has on the child. The performances are top-notch, and the direction is brilliant. If you’re a horror fan, you don’t want to miss this one. Just make sure you have a nightlight handy.
Production Company(ies)
Mass Distraction Media, Radical Media, Vulcan Productions,
Distributor
IFC Films
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:Canada, Australia
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 28, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2015
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, Cathy Adamek, directed by Jennifer Kent, written by Jennifer Kent, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Noel Murray, Sara Michelle Fetters, Antonia Quirke, Alison Willmore, David Reddish, Dann Gire, Rob Aldam, Jason Adams, Dan Brightmore, Tom Meek, MPAA rating, producer Kristina Ceyton, Kristian Moliere, single parent, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, children’s book, monster, Australian, Dolby Digital, Essie Davis as Amelia, Daniel Henshall as Robbie, Noah Wiseman as Samuel, Hayley McElhinney as Claire, Barbara West as Mrs Roach, Cathy Adamek as Prue
Worldwide gross: $10,507,563
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,131,798
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,877
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,432,039
US/Canada gross: $964,413
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,205,272
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,144
US/Canada opening weekend: $30,007
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $37,501
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,291
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,499,494
Production budget ranking: 2,007
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,345,978
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,286,325
ROI to date (est.): 241%
ROI ranking: 546
Daniel Henshall – Robbie
Noah Wiseman – Samuel
Hayley McElhinney – Claire
Barbara West – Mrs. Roach
Cathy Adamek – Prue
Jennifer Kent – Director/Writer
Kristina Ceyton – Producer
Kristian Moliere – Producer
Director(s)
Jennifer Kent
Writer(s)
Jennifer Kent
Producer(s)
Kristina Ceyton, Kristian Moliere
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
56 wins & 64 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (243) | Top Critics (66) | Fresh (238) | Rotten (5)
Nestled deep within this teeny Australian thriller packs a simple yet profound message about what it often feels like to be a single parent, and even what it feels like to be the child of that parent.
September 1, 2017 | Rating: B+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
The Babadook’s villains and victims are still running amok in my brain. I think they might be there for some time.
October 5, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
What’s most terrifying about The Babadook is that Kent grounds a bizarre supernatural premise in very real feelings of anxiety and depression.
October 5, 2016
Noel Murray
Nashville Scene
TOP CRITIC
Davis gives one of the best performances you will see this, or in any other, year.
October 5, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
The style of the film is not teasing exactly — it’s too sad and lonely — but there is certainly a hair-pulling mixture of glum laughter and vast apprehension. Is the demon real? Does it matter?
October 5, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Antonia Quirke
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
A deftly inventive and psychologically charged horror story that trades on the ways in which the prospect of maternal failure can be just as fearsome a boogeyman as any monster under the bed.
October 5, 2016
Alison Willmore
BuzzFeed News
TOP CRITIC
Watch the film as an ironic coming-out story, or as an atmospheric creeper playing with themes of depression and mental illness. Either way, we have a feeling well be seeing The Babadook at Halloween partiesand pride celebrationsfor years to come.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
David Reddish
Queerty
A supremely original concept starring the Mr. Hyde version of a Dr. Seuss character.
November 2, 2021
Dann Gire
Chicago Daily Herald
Captures the twin pressures of loss and single parenting, kneading them into a hauntingly tense and anxiety-inducing horror.
July 23, 2021
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
From early on there’s something gorgeously wrong in its rhythms – a nasty arrhythmic pulse like a hiccup inside our chest or a bubble of air in our bloodstream, weaving towards our heart. It squeezes and it squeezes and oh, what a marvelous rush.
July 2, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
A haunting Aussie chiller destined to become a horror classic
May 26, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Dan Brightmore
NME
Jennifer Kent is maestro of moody ambiance and emotional turmoil…
November 10, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day…
Plot
Amelia, who lost her husband in a car crash on the way to give birth to Samuel, their only child, struggles to cope with her fate as a single mom. Samuel’s constant fear of monsters and violent reaction to overcome the fear doesn’t help her cause either, which makes her friends become distant. When things can not get any worse, they read a strange book in their house about the ‘Babadook’ monster that hides in the dark areas of their house. Even Amelia seems to feel the effect of Babadook and desperately tries in vain to destroy the book. The nightmarish experiences the two encounter form the rest of the story.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film on Fresh Kernels.
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