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Reviews
The Babadook (2014)
Give the film a chance, and look for the deeper meaning.
Cast: They are worthy of note in Australian circles, although I was not familiar with them.
Acting: Superb acting by both leading actors. You would have to be really odd to not appreciate the fantastic acting of Noah Wiseman who could play a tantrum like the best.
Plot: It wasn't ultimately clear, however I think this has to be viewed as an allegory for mental illness. In that sense, we see the apparent behavioural problems of the boy disappear as the mother's take hold. Maybe he wasn't actually as bad as he was made out, or maybe it was folie a deux. Either way, grief and madness are two strong themes here, and you don't need to assume the Babadook is an entity at all. She was a children's book writer, she worked in a centre for those suffering from dementia, her neighbour had Parkinson's. There were many juxtapositions of mental health subtexts that clearly indicate what this film is really about.
Dialogue: By using the mental health interpretation, it is quite fitting to see the change in the boys language from 'I don't want you to die' to 'I don't want them to take you away'. There were many subtle phrases throughout the film, including references to the mother's former job as a children's book writer, that mean I will need to watch this film again to pick up all the subtexts.
Pace: The mental health issues of the boy kept the pace going from the start, and the pace was maintained throughout.
Setting: Standard house, nothing to really add to the horror aspects of the film, other than a cellar, which we don't really see much.
Impact: If you appreciate the mental health aspects of this film, then you will be left thinking about this for a while.
SFX: Nothing to wow here, and we don't really see the Babadook, but then that is not surprising.
Realism: The lack of interest of the police was grating, and the lack of care from the sister didn't really fit.
Contribution to the genre: A totally different use of horror, and a nod to the way we now see that those who are mentally ill are not possessed or under attack by demons.
Enjoyment: Yep, this was a good film. The more I think about the mental health and grief subtext, the more I get it.
The Ghosts of Borley Rectory (2021)
The scariest thing was the acting.
Cast: actually some interesting additions here, Toyah Wilcox and Julian Sands for starters.
Acting: The dialogue came across very rehearsed to the extent that one person did not really bounce of the others, so the tone of each piece of dialogue didn't really follow. If you want an example of this: compare the talk around the table about 20 minutes in when they talk about whether the house is haunted (the first discussion as a big group) where the acting is quite poor, in contrast with the séance involving Toyah Wilcox, where she responds to the other actors as a pro should. Unfortunately many of the actors were quite wooden. As for Louisa Warren, her solo scenes involved her walking around with wide open eyes and strange expressions, either smiling or a quizzical look, all of which were over the top. She was walking around like she was off her nut on drugs half the time.
Plot: standard haunted house story. Nothing out of the ordinary, so if you want something to blow your mind, this is not the film. But for a diversion, yeah why not.
Dialogue: Quite predictable. Not an amazing piece of screenwriting.
Pace: Nothing really happens. It doesn't really get going, and the atmosphere is not built up, so it just doesn't scare.
Setting: A lovely old house, reasonably atmospheric.
Impact: Will quickly forget this film.
SFX: given the budget, ok I suppose.
Realism: The events took a year, but it felt like it was a couple of night's vigil.
Contribution to the genre: Nothing new from this film. It doesn't scare, so as a horror film, it isn't really doing it's job. The scariest thing about this film, was the acting of the lady playing the part of Helen.
Enjoyment: not really for me, this one. Once I have started watching a film, I am normally committed to the end. Whilst I did persevere, I could easily have given up on it.
I have given it an extra point for the fact this had a low budget.