You know something is up when an Australian horror movie comes out of nowhere to win several awards at the Gerardmer Fantastic Film Festival earlier this year. Truth be told, “The Babadook” doesn’t completely live up to its potential, but it does know how to creep you out. Amelia (Essie Davis) and her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) live alone in their house following the death of Amelia’s husband Oskar almost seven years ago. Samuel is no ordinary kid, and soon enough he starts developing an obsession with a monster that comes to life from a pop-up book: The Babadook. Yep that’s when things start to go bump in the night. Working from a tight budget, writer director Jennifer Kent has crafted an enjoyable haunted house flick that can fry nerves in high style. It’s far from great, but it serves as a reminder of the brilliance of last year’s “The Conjuring” and ultimately earns respect instead of causing irritation. And that’s more than can be said lately for most movies of the same genre.

Rating: 2.5/4