“The Babadook” (2014) was a decent horror movie — maybe not quite as phenomenal as all the hype suggests, but still quite good.  I’d give it an 8 out of 10.

The acting was just great all around, the directing was good, and the movie benefits from a spooky, atmospheric buildup.  The tone-setting developments with the children’s book were creative, spooky and perfect.  The illustrator for that book deserves a lot of credit for making this film effective.

I did think the pacing was a bit slow, and the ultimate reveal of The Babadook itself was unimpressive.  I immediately thought the entity looked like a cross between Edward Scissorhands and Danny Devito’s The Penguin.  It’s ugly and annoying; I might rather punch it in the face than run from it — especially after it traumatized that poor, misunderstood kid.  (I feel the same way about clowns; I will never understand the common phobia.)

This film might also borrow a page or two from other horror outings.  I know I’ve seen that playground bit before.  And the first appearance of the entity closely parallels “The X- Files” episode “Folie a Deux.”  This monster-of-the-week episode is a classic, one of the show’s best.  “The Babadook’s” visual and even sound effects during the ceiling scene seemed almost identical to me.

Side note: does anyone else in the film or audience realize that this child is incredibly advanced if he is able to construct these weapons?  The character is six years old — the best that I could do at age nine when I played vikings with the kid next door was a broomstick and a garbage can lid as a shield.  I actually made a working crossbow when I was 11 or so, but it certainly didn’t work like this kid’s.  If Australia (where the film takes place) has an equivalent to DARPA, this kid needs to work there right after engineering school.