Something to Sink Your Teeth Into

Author W. J. Howard

 

Wendy Howard writes dark stories mixed with comedy. Her main focus is creating fast-paced, action-packed stories that keep the interest of young and new adults, although readers of all ages enjoy her work. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two boisterous beagles, and wine is an important part of her diet.

For today’s Women in Horror Month Blog post on women we admire, I’m sharing my thoughts about the very talented Jennifer Kent who wrote and directed The Babadook, a very very creepy movie. Here’s what IMDB says about it:

“Amelia, who lost her husband in a car crash on the way to give birth to Samuel, their only child, struggles to cope with her fate as a single mom. Samuel’s constant fear of monsters and violent reaction to overcome the fear doesn’t help her cause either, which makes her friends become distant. When things cannot get any worse, they read a strange book in their house about the ‘Babadook’ monster that hides in the dark areas of their house. Even Amelia seems to feel the effect of Babadook and desperately tries in vain to destroy the book. The nightmarish experiences the two encounter form the rest of the story.”

Kent directed Babe: Pig in the City back in 1998, but The Babadook is much a different movie. This is psychological horror and quite well done at that. The suspense starts at the beginning and intensifies as you watch.

I loved this movie and was actually scared at many points. The main characters are equally creepy to the monster they’re battling, adding to its horrific charm. Noah Wiseman, who plays the little boy, is an excellent actor for his young age, and a convincing little shit. I truly felt for Essie Davis as the mother, another excellent performance.

While this is meant for adult viewing, I’d let older kids watch it because it’s something I would have loved preteen. Then again, watch it yourself first and judge from there.

I read that this was originally a film short and later turned into a movie. So, of course, I had to go and find it. It’s called Monster and you can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/39042148.

Bravo to Kent for originality in this film. Watch the short and watch The Babadook. She’s a director I’ll be keeping an eye on for sure.

WENDY’S DRAWING: Comment on any of my blog posts this week or like her Facebook page, and you are entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

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