The Babadook

Director: Jennifer Kent
Year Released: 2014
Rating: 0.5

A sexually repressed nursing home worker (Essie Davis), living alone with her son (Noah Wiseman) since her husband passed away tragically, has to deal with strange dreams and her son's creepy delusions (and screeching) relating to a supposed boogeyman with knives for hands named the Babadook. If The Amityville Horror and The Omen not to mention the recent rash of haunted house movies (Paranormal Activity, Insidious) never existed maybe this textually weak effort (waah, my hubby is dead, waah, my child is annoying) would be more than a yawn - it drags haggard-looking Davis around looking bewildered while Wiseman screams or says "Nooo!" non-stop. Here's the deal: I hated listening to this irritated mother/son tandem and was waiting for the Freddy Krueger-meets-Murnau creation to put them out of their misery: sadly, he's miraculously subdued (with worms!) and their relationship appears preposterously patched up: just no.