The Babadook was released onto a largely unsuspecting planet in 2014 and has had continued success from various angles ever since. Now, Second Sight Films has released a Limited Edition version that sees the movie in 4K for the first time alongside a Blu-ray edition.
They’ve also included a quality selection of new interviews, in addition to already released special features and other bonus material, that make this well worth another look.
Let’s cover the story briefly for those at the back who may be hitting this for the first time. The Babadook is a low-budget horror film that explores themes of parenthood, grief, mental health, and moving on with life. It was written and directed by Jennifer Kent and is somewhat based on her 2005 short film Monster, which acted as proof of concept for The Babadook.
It centres around Amelia (Essie Davis), a single working mother, and her six-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Amelia’s husband died whilst driving her to the hospital to give birth to Samuel, a fact of which Samuel is very aware and pervades both of their lives. Sam’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and more challenging for Amelia to cope with.
He creates weapons to battle imaginary monsters, which causes more tension between mother and son, eventually leading to Amelia removing Sam from school. This puts even more pressure on her to juggle home and work life. Then one night, Sam asks Amelia to read him a pop-up book at bedtime that she doesn’t seem to recognise. It’s about a certain monster called the Babadook who is about to have a much bigger influence on their lives.
The Babadook is a film that I didn’t warm to when I first saw it, but now I can appreciate the subtleties and complexities much more, alongside the outright horror aspects. From the overt creepiness and dread of the monster to the clearly degrading psyche of Amelia and the acting up, overprotection, and “child-as-hero” role of Samuel.
The environment also plays its part. Their house appears vast and open whilst also being dark, dilapidated, and oppressive, one could even say it echoes the traumatised psychological state of Amelia. Even in the most open locations, the camera work can still be tight and claustrophobic. You’ll be constantly wondering how much of what is going on might be in Amelia’s head and how much is actually happening in reality, as many of the horrific elements echo the late-night movies Amelia seems addicted to in her growing insomnia.
She even briefly admits to having written “…children’s stuff…” in the past at one point. Is the Babadook entirely her own creation? That’s a discussion for another piece.
Let’s go on to the specifics of this Second Sight Films release. As is standard with review screeners, the slipcase, 150-page hardback book, and art cards were not included, just the disc. But, wow, Second Sight is giving us a lot. There are a healthy bunch of new interviews undertaken just for this release that are very in-depth. I feel they would be a great resource to anyone with even a passing interest in the process and practicalities of filmmaking.
Lead actress Essie Davis discusses her history and relationship with director Jennifer Kent and the material, going into detail on the process of bringing the script to life, the challenges of working with a 6-year-old on a film with this complexity of themes, the energy involved and what it meant to audiences, from her perspective.
Producers Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere discuss the role and approach of the producer to film development, the practical aspects that affected the development of the film, and the challenges they overcame. Editor Simon Njod expands on that and discusses his career journey and approach to film editing and how he came to be involved with The Babadook.
Production designer Alex Holmes covers the visual aspects of the film, the challenges of expressionism over reality, and trying to create a psychological space visually on a tight budget and retain a consistent tone throughout, along with the influence of German expressionist cinema on the film. Alexander Juhasz then discusses his role as the illustrator of the pop-up book seen in the film. This massively important device also influenced more physical aspects of the movie.
Composer Jed Kurzel rounds off the interviews by talking about how he approached writing the score for the film, reacting to what he saw on screen instinctually whilst also being influenced by Giallo horror films, as well as his own home life and children.
The previously mentioned short film Monster is also included here, and viewing it is an experience in its own right. It’s The Babadook condensed down to 10 minutes, both familiar and not with its own approach to the material and themes to fit the reduced screen time and budget.
Overall, Second Sight Films have put together a fantastic package. It appears to be limited to the UK for the time being, but worth keeping an eye on should the material become available further afield. Highly recommended.
