Before you see The Babadook, check out the short film director Jennifer Kent helmed that paved the way for the feature film opening November 28th (October 30th on DirectTV only). The 10-minute black and white tale is called Monster and it’s a creepy, strong piece of work in its own right. Watch it via the player here.
Akin to The Babadook, the short’s synopsis reads:
A single mother battles her son’s fear of a monster in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.
Susan Prior and Luke Ikimis-Healey star as the mother and son, respectively, and you can absolutely see how this film’s look informed the feature film.
Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman star in The Babadook. In the film, Amelia struggles to discipline her out of control 6-year-old Samuel a son she finds difficult to love. Samuels dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill tem both. When a disturbing storybook called The Babadook turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babdook is the creature hes been dreaming about. And when Amelia begins to see glimpses of the creature herself, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may well be real.
Monster – Jennifer Kent from Jennifer Kent on Vimeo.
