A Children's Book Becomes a Real-Life Nightmare in New Trailer for 'The Babadook'

You’ll find no “found footage” or hacked-off body parts in this terrifying trailer for The Babadook. The Australian horror film finds its scares in the pages of a children’s pop-up book, whose mythical monster, “the babadook,” terrorizes a mother and her young son. Not only is it notable for its lack of splatter and shaky cam, but The Babadook has two rare distinctions in the world of horror: It comes from Australia —and it’s written and directed by a woman. First-time director Jennifer Kent has shied away from using the word “horror” to describe her movie, preferring “scary drama” to signify its lack of gore. Nevertheless, the indie-movie is thrilling genre fans, winning Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Noah Wiseman) and Best Actress (Essie Davis) at last week’s Fantastic Fest in Austin.

The Babadook has its origins in a short film, Monster, which is currently streaming for free on Vimeo. In the nine-minute movie, also written and directed by Kent, a stressed-out mother becomes terrified of a child’s toy. Buzz for Monster helped Kent get backing for The Babadook, part of which came from a 2012 Kickstarter campaign.

The film opens in theaters and will be viewable via VOD on November 28th.