2014

The Babadook

“If it’s in a word or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook!” Australian writer/ director Jennifer Kent’s chilling fantasy [starring Noah Wiseman and Essie Davis, above] serves as a powerful reminder that horror is a metaphorical genre, the perfect playground in which to explore down-to-earth traumas and emotions. “I’ve never seen a more terrifying movie than

The Babadook,” said William Friedkin – a ringing endorsement from the director of The Exorcist. Other treats of that year included Amma Assante’s long-awaited second feature Belle, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank – the last of which remains one of my favourite pop music dramas, and includes the impressive sight of Maggie Gyllenhaal playing the theremin for real!