The Babadook

As the sun rises over the horizon, Amelia (Essie Davis) embarks on a journey to the hospital for the impending arrival of her child. But fate has other plans, and an unforeseen car crash claims the life of her partner, Oskar (Benjamin Windspear), leaving Amelia shaken but alive. As she stirs from the nightmare, she's left to grapple with the harsh reality of her new circumstances.

In the aftermath, Amelia navigates the complexities of single parenthood alongside her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). Sam's fascination with magic tricks and makeshift weapons sparks concern at school, prompting his mother to make the difficult decision to homeschool him. This drastic change in their routine forces Amelia to confront the challenges of raising a child alone.

As she struggles to cope with her new reality, Amelia finds solace in her job as an orderly at the hospital. Her only source of comfort is Robbie (Daniel Henshall), a kindred spirit who shows a genuine interest in her well-being. However, their budding connection is put on hold as Amelia focuses on providing for her son.

A trip to the park with her sister Claire (Hayley McElhinney) and her daughter Ruby (Chloe Hurn) serves as a poignant reminder of Amelia's past. Sam's playful antics quickly devolve into chaos, leaving Amelia on edge. As they leave the park, Amelia is struck by the memory of a previous birthday celebration, now tinged with sorrow due to Oskar's passing.

As night falls, Sam produces a mysterious storybook, "Mister Babadook", which he found. Entranced, Amelia reads the tale aloud to her son, only to discover that the seemingly innocuous creature gradually reveals its sinister nature. The illustrations depict a being with an unsettling grin and long claws, ominously warning his victims: "LET ME IN". Sam's terror is palpable as he clings to his mother in desperation, begging her to read something else to calm his fears.

As the shadows dance across his room, Sam's imagination runs wild, convincing himself that the elusive Babadook has taken up residence. Desperate to escape the malevolent presence, he convinces Amelia to take him to Claire's sanctuary, only to find the normally tranquil atmosphere soured by Ruby's tears and a frazzled Claire cradling her wounded daughter. The subsequent days are marked by an unsettling sense of unease, as strange noises echo through their home, doors creak open and shut, and the basement transforms into a dimly lit shrine to the Babadook.

As Amelia struggles to keep her eyes open, she finds herself torn between exhaustion and frustration at the inane chatter of Claire's friends. Meanwhile, outside, Claire confides in Amelia that she's avoided their home due to Sam's constant babbling about the Babadook, which she believes Amelia secretly loathes just as much. The tension boils over when Sam takes exception to Ruby's mocking of his fears and, in a fit of rage, pushes her from the treehouse, shattering her nose. As Claire storms off with her daughter, Amelia is left to face the fallout alone.

The crisis deepens when Sam succumbs to a violent seizure on their way home, prompting Amelia to frantically beg passersby for help as they rush him to the hospital. The doctor's diagnosis and prescription of medication serve only to underscore the gravity of their situation, prompting Amelia to take drastic measures by destroying the "Mister Babadook" book and tossing it into the trash. As she watches Sam slip away into a medicated haze, Amelia can't help but wonder if they'll ever be able to escape the dark forces that have taken hold of their lives.

As the eerie silence outside Amelia's door is shattered by a series of increasingly insistent knocks, she hesitantly answers, only to find herself standing alone in the fading light. The relentless pounding that follows leaves no doubt that the unseen visitor has returned, this time bearing an ominous tome with restored pages replete with haunting messages and images that are nothing short of apocalyptic. It becomes clear that Amelia's futile attempts to deny the malevolent presence known as The Babadook have only served to empower its dark influence. The book's gruesome visions then unfold before her eyes like a macabre prophecy, depicting her own hand wielding the instruments of her children's demise: Percy's neck snapping beneath her grasp, Sam's life slipping away from her icy fingers, and her throat cut asunder by her own hand.

As Amelia vainly tries to exorcise this evil by burning the book on her grill, a chilling phone call pierces the night air with a repetitive chant of "Ba-ba-ba Dook DOOK DOOOOOO!"; its cadence seems to mock her futile attempts at banishing The Babadook. Amelia's desperation reaches a fever pitch as she vainly reports a stalking incident to the authorities, only to be met with skepticism and a lack of concrete evidence.

As the dark forces close in on her, Amelia begins to unravel like a threadbare tapestry. In her kitchen, a sudden infestation of roaches seems to sprout from the very walls themselves, as if The Babadook's presence has awakened some ancient, malevolent force lurking within the fabric of her home. When two inspectors arrive to investigate her claims and assess Sam's condition, Amelia is torn between revealing the truth about her son's medication and the increasingly bizarre occurrences plaguing her family.

As night descends, Amelia finds herself tormented by an unsettling symphony of thumps and scratching sounds that seem to emanate from all directions. Percy, seemingly summoned by some unseen force, bursts into her home, only to vanish as mysteriously as he appeared. The cacophony continues, with the door creaking open by itself and The Babadook's presence manifesting in a fleeting, terrifying glimpse of its grotesque visage.

As Amelia desperately tries to shield Sam from the unfolding horror, she finds herself trapped in a living nightmare. TV screens flicker to life, displaying visions of unspeakable violence, while her own reflection seems to mock her with an eerie calm. The Babadook's dark influence seeps into every crevice of her reality, even invading her dreams and conjuring forth a blood-soaked vision of Sam's birthday celebration gone horribly awry.

As the effects of chronic sleep deprivation intensify, Amelia's psyche begins to unravel, causing her behavior towards Sam to teeter on the precipice of brutality. A seemingly innocuous comment about hunger is met with a caustic retort that reduces him to silence. The tension is palpable as she apologizes for her outburst and attempts to make amends over breakfast, but the fragile peace is short-lived. On the drive home, an ominous soundtrack of thumping and eerie crooning sets the tone for the chaos that is to come. Amelia's exhausted state culminates in a catastrophic collision, followed by a panicked retreat from the scene.

As The Babadook continues to haunt her waking moments, its malevolent presence manifests in unsettling visions that blur the lines between reality and delusion. In a desperate attempt to exorcise these demons, she dons a disguise and confronts her inner turmoil, only to be confronted by The Babadook's claw, which pierces her psyche like a razor-sharp talon.

Meanwhile, Sam's growing unease is met with resistance from Amelia, who frantically tries to silence him after he defies her wishes. Percy, their loyal canine companion, senses the turmoil and begins barking persistently, prompting Amelia to chase after him into the kitchen where she commits an unthinkable act of violence. The gravity of her actions hits her like a ton of bricks as she stands amidst the carnage, her eyes vacant of compassion.

As the darkness deepens, Amelia's demonic alter ego emerges, pounding on Sam's door with a primal ferocity that sends him fleeing in terror. Her ultimate goal is to claim the boy as her own, but it's Sam who seizes control, arming himself against the possessed woman he once loved. In a desperate bid for escape, he flees to the basement, where he has rigged a trap that awaits Amelia like a snare.

When she finally awakens, bound and helpless on the cold floor, Sam implores her to return to him, but it's too late. The monster she has become is already in control, its malevolent energy coursing through her veins like a dark elixir. As she wraps her hands around Sam's neck, a spark of sanity flickers within her, and she begins to fight back against the demon that has consumed her. With a Herculean effort, she frees herself from her bonds and vomits forth a noxious black bile onto the floor, finally exorcising the evil that had taken hold of her soul. As she cradles Sam in her arms, the horrors of their ordeal are tempered by the glimmer of hope that they might yet find a way to reclaim each other.

As they ascend the stairs, Sam reveals that the malevolent entity known as The Babadook cannot be fully vanquished. The creature seizes Sam, drawing him upstairs to a room where an unsettling phenomenon unfolds. There, Amelia beholds Oskar's ghostly apparition reciting the same eerie phrases he uttered just before his demise. As Oskar's head disintegrates above the neckline, The Babadook reasserts its hold on Sam, but Amelia intervenes, determined to protect her son from harm. The air grows thick with tension as The Babadook's dark form begins to manifest, its wings unfolding like a macabre shadow. Amelia clutches her son tightly, issuing a chilling warning: if The Babadook dares touch her child, she will exact retribution.

As the creature's presence wanes, it collapses onto the floor, leaving behind its discarded garments. Amelia approaches the lifeless form, only to see it stir back to life in a blinding flash of white light, accompanied by a blood-curdling scream. The Babadook retreats to the cellar, slamming shut the door as if seeking refuge from the horrors it has unleashed.

Days later, the inspectors return to find the household restored to its usual tranquility. Amelia's efforts to rekindle normalcy are evident in her decorations for Sam's birthday, a celebration she admits has been absent since her husband's passing. After the inspectors depart, Amelia and Sam enjoy a serene evening outside. However, as they sit together, Amelia makes her way to the cellar, bearing a bowl of dirt and worms. The Babadook, now powerless and no longer able to torment her, seizes the opportunity to drag the offering into its dark domain. With a sense of closure, Amelia returns above ground, cradling Sam in her loving arms as the darkness below is finally vanquished.