ba-Ba ba Dook! Dook! Dook!

If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.

"I've never seen a more terrifying film than the Babadook, it will scare the hell out of you". Not my words, they're those of William Friedkin, the director of The Exorcist (1973) - a film that is certain to give you a case of urinary incontinence. The Babadook is a special film, indeed. The psychological thriller is directed by Jennifer Kent - a once apprentice of the interesting insular insane infamous Lars von Trier. The film follows Amelia and her six year old son, Sam. His obsession with monsters and increasingly disruptive behaviour both at home and at school forces her to withdraw him, at least until she can deal with the cause of his issues. As she tucks him in one night, he asks his mother to read him a book. The eerie pop-up is a tale about, you guessed it, the Babadook. This rake-thin, Papa Lazarou-like figure is the worst type of monster to be told a story about. He's what you imagine lurking in the darkest corner of your room at night. He's the reason you have those nightmares in which you can't move a single inch of your body. He's everything you fear, and yet he's so much more than that. He's also who Tim Burton hired for his kid's birthday party. As you can imagine, this doesn't do her boy any good. Sam becomes convinced not only of the Babadook's existence, but of his presence in their home - repeatedly shouting "Don't let it in!" The Babadook himself is an embodiment of the fears that children have, and we see how, and to what end, a mother tries to control not only her son's state of mind, but also her own. That's the distinguishing element. That's what makes it different to clichéd, nightcrawlers such as the Boogeyman, where a thing surfaces in the middle of the night and picks them off one by one for no true purpose. What's most appealing about the Babadook is its focus on the relationship between a mother and her child. Her concern for his welfare is what drives her to the edge of insanity, and what makes you wish for her to drive back. Amelia's journey is a long and arduous one; her initial concern slowly becomes frustration, and then manifests into pure, cold, chilling fear. The additional grief and depression and insomnia is what she must endure to ultimately save her son from his trauma. That is the essence of the film.  It is not dependent on moments that give you that brief cardiac arrest sensation, for there actually exists a message within the plot. The viewer is allowed to envisage whatever his/her imagination conjures. Whatever it is that you think, it will leave you aghast, of that there's no doubt. Ultimately, what you take from and understand of Amelia and Sam's experiences is what will really scare you. There are clues in the film's conclusion that suggest the ending you see isn't necessarily the one you should accept. It comes naturally that this interpretation is far less relieving and far more sinister than its alternative.  

A Waste of 91 Minutes.

I spent the final stages of this evening watching a film called The Resident. A few minutes before midnight, BBC One implored me - and all other poor souls watching at that time - to stay with them to watch a thriller featuring Christopher Lee and Hilary Swank.  I should state right off the bat that Christopher Lee has around 2 minutes of screen-time throughout the entire film, and in no way significant either. So that was a touch deceiving. Nevertheless, I was unaware at the time and foolishly decided against switching channels.

We start off with Juliet Devereau, a recently divorced surgeon looking for a new apartment. She goes to view a place which turns out not only having a magnificent view of what I assume is Brooklyn Bridge, but also incredibly cheap rent for a place of that size.

"It's thirty-eight"
"Thousand?"
"Hundred"

That's the voice of the landlord, Max. He has that middle-aged, single, nice-guy look about him, but appears slightly reserved from the outset. After a few seconds I thought to myself 'wow, Javier Bardem has really cracked that authentic American sound, I can't remember him being this good'. I was so taken aback that I quickly popped IMDB open on my iPhone and realised, much to my dismay, that the role of Max was in fact played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Easy mistake to make.

He informs her of the lack of telephone reception and gives her the key, before even checking any references or whatever it is that a prudent landlord is supposed to do.

We fleetingly see Christopher Lee's character (Max's grandfather) in the next few scenes and immediately realise his purpose in the story. He's the creepy old-guy down the hall. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Juliet spends her first few nights in the apartment and we're shown a stalking figure lurking in the shadows on each occasion.

Who could it possibly be?

It doesn't take an astute film-critic to acknowledge that there are only two suspects, and bearing in mind what I said about Christopher Lee 1 minute ago you can perhaps figure out who it is.

We switch back and forth between Juliet at work and Juliet at home. Then we mix it up with Juliet at a social event. It's there that Max 'bumps' into her, and having known him for the best part of 5 minutes, she asks him to walk her home. Cue the guy-walks-girl-back-to-her-apartment scene which culminates, surprisingly, in Max rejecting her advances.

It's around this time that we see Max spying through what seems like a million and one different peep holes scattered creatively around the apartment. Unbeknownst to Juliet, Max is watching her every move.

There's another moment when the two are about to become intimate, and, this time, do. Until, that is, she stops because he's not Jack (her ex) and it feels 'awkward'. He goes into meltdown mode and ends up killing his grandfather for absolutely no reason.

From there, we see Max following Juliet and Jack everywhere they go. His perfect storm of jealousy and rejection cause him to ambush Jack and take his voyeuristic tendencies to the next level.

Max spikes the wine she has each night before sleeping and waits for the effects. He then does the typical creepy-guy thing of smelling her, playing with her hair, and watching her sleep. She wakes up the next morning feeling like someone who has had their wine spiked. Eventually, she becomes suspicious of the late-night creaks coming from the other room and takes steps to install a hidden camera in her bedroom.

The next night, Max enters her bedroom once again but this time with the intention of taking things further. By this stage, Max has the look of a man who's escaped a mental hospital, but returns a couple of hours later because he was always told to 'be home before it gets dark'. He pulls her limp torso up and hugs her, but, as he does, she briefly regains consciousness and catches a blurred glimpse of his face. He panics and injects a needle in the end of her toe before making a quick escape.

Juliet once again wakes up feeling terrible and hurries to get dressed for work. She notices a needle cap on the floor by her bed and takes it into work for analysis. Meanwhile, a battered and broken Jack sends her a text telling her that he'll be ready with a cooked meal when she gets back from work.

Juliet returns from work but Jack isn't there. His shopping is there. His jacket is there. But he's not. She had left him a message as soon as she had found out that there was something seriously suspicious going on in that apartment.

• An apartment with only one neighbour. 
• An apartment which has surprisingly cheap rent considering the location/view.
• An apartment which makes strange noises at night, every night. 
• An apartment which dramatically increases her body's level of Demerol. 

But who was to know?

She checks her computer to see the new recordings and is left in shock upon witnessing what was being done to her as she slept. Max conveniently enters and cracks open a bottle of wine. She doesn't immediately let on that she knows about him sexually abusing her, but Max - being the professional pervert that he is - already knows that she knows.

The final 15 minutes of the film consist entirely of a cat and mouse game wherein Juliet stabs Max, Max stabs Juliet, Juliet shoots Max with a nail gun, Max punches Juliet, Juliet sneaks up on Max and shoots him a whole lot more with that nail gun. Max pretends to be dead but does that final jump up, clichéd 'aaghhhh' scream before Juliet shoots him once more in the head.

Max dies.

Juliet leaves.

That's it.