Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be clear: this is not a family movie night pick unless your family enjoys existential dread with dinner.

The Babadook is legitimately excellent—a smart, artfully crafted horror film that uses a creepy children's book and an even creepier monster to explore what happens when you can't process grief. It's scary in the way that gets under your skin and stays there, not the way that makes you jump and laugh it off.

But it's also relentlessly dark. A mother who can barely stand her own child. Violence, mental illness, pervasive dread. This is psychological horror that earns its 98% critic score by being genuinely disturbing. The gap between critic and audience scores (72%) tells you it's not everyone's cup of tea—this is arthouse, not AMC multiplex fare.

For older teens who are ready for more sophisticated horror and can handle heavy themes about trauma and motherhood, it's worth watching. For everyone else, there are about 10,000 better options. And for kids under 15? Hard pass.

Age Fit

This is for older teens (16-17+) and adults who can handle serious psychological horror. Common Sense says 15+, but that feels optimistic—this isn't Scary Movie, it's a deeply unsettling exploration of mental breakdown and violence toward children. Parents should probably watch first.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

25

This is a psychological horror film about grief, trauma, and a mother struggling with dark thoughts toward her child. The emotional tone is deliberately disturbing and oppressive—there's screaming, violence between mother and son, depictions of severe mental breakdown, and pervasive dread. Not emotionally healthy content for young viewers, though it's a serious artistic exploration of difficult themes for mature audiences.

Imaginative

82

Brilliantly original take on horror that uses a creepy pop-up book as its central metaphor. The Babadook itself is a genuinely inventive monster—part German Expressionist shadow, part manifestation of unprocessed grief. Director Jennifer Kent crafted something that feels fresh in a genre full of retreads, using atmosphere and psychological terror over jump scares. The visual design and storytelling approach are genuinely creative.

Safe

15

This is emphatically not safe for kids. Contains disturbing imagery throughout (the creature, hallucinations, body horror moments), a child in genuine peril, a mother who becomes physically violent toward her son, graphic depictions of mental illness, brief sexual content, strong language, and a dog being killed. Common Sense Media rates it 15+, but even that feels young. The psychological horror is relentless and designed to unsettle. Parents watching with teens need to know what they're getting into.

Enriching

78

For older teens and adults, this is a sophisticated meditation on grief, motherhood, and trauma that rewards thoughtful viewing. The Babadook works as metaphor—it's about what happens when you refuse to process loss and pain. The film has sparked meaningful conversations about mental health, the challenges of single parenthood, and how we deal with darkness in ourselves. Critics loved it (98% RT, 86 Metacritic) for good reason. But it's enriching only if you're old enough to engage with its themes.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

One of the most critically praised horror films of the 2010s—98% on Rotten Tomatoes for its intelligent, atmospheric approach
Works as both scary monster movie and serious metaphor about processing grief and trauma
Genuinely original creature design and storytelling that doesn't rely on cheap jump scares
Essie Davis delivers a powerhouse performance as a mother unraveling
For older teens ready for psychological horror, it's a great entry point into smarter, more artistic scary movies

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What to Watch For

This is intense psychological horror with a mother who becomes violent toward her child—not something to stumble into unprepared
Pervasively dark and disturbing throughout; the whole film is designed to make you deeply uncomfortable
Brief sexual content, strong language, a pet death, and hallucination sequences that are genuinely nightmare-inducing
The 72% audience score (vs 98% critic score) tells you something—this is arthouse horror, not popcorn entertainment
Even at 15-16, some teens will find this too much; know your kid's tolerance for psychological darkness

Conversation Starters

"What do you think the Babadook actually represents? Why can't they get rid of it completely?"
"How does the movie show what grief and trauma can do to a person? What did you think about how it ended?"
"The mom has some really dark thoughts about her son—why do you think the film shows that so honestly?"
"This got way better reviews from critics than regular audiences. What do you think makes a 'good' horror movie?"
"How is this different from typical scary movies you've seen? Did the psychological approach work better or worse for you?"

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