Delayed Reaction: The Babadook

The Pitch: A children's book character comes to life and terrorizes a woman and her awful, awful child.

How I Came Into It: This couldn't've been more hyped. It's a horror movie that's the third highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes for the year it was released. That doesn't happen. Despite the hype, it's still an indie horror movie, so I knew what to expect.

Why I Saw It: This is scary and uncomfortable and claustrophobic and dark and I really enjoyed it. The lo-fi aesthetic is effectively creepy. I fully bought both Essie Davis' fatigue and Noah Wiseman's mania as the young son. The story doesn't get too caught up in explaining things, which I prefer in a horror movie.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: You never kill the dog! Never! That alone prevents this from getting five stars. I know that's not logical, but it's how I roll. I thought the ending was abrupt in a "My god, this has built to such a high point that there's no way to comfortably come out of it" way. It's still a pretty good ending. It's just an abrupt let down (of the story, not my opinion of it).

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend