I’ve already gotten to talk about so many things I’ve enjoyed this week that I’ve decided to share something that I had been trying to find for a little bit: Jennifer Kent’s 2005 short film Monster, which was the basis for The Babadook. I’m linking to TheBlood-Shed.com, a cool horror site that showcases indie horror – comics, movies, music, video games. Bop on over and give it a whirl; you’ll find some treasures, I promise. So, bearing that in mind, I’m linking to Josh Millican’s article on Jennifer Kent, where you can find Monster embedded:

Click here to go to TheBlood-Shed.com and watch Monster.

First thought: damn, you can tell right off the bat that Kent worked with Lars von Trier. As I have a love-hate relationship with Lars (beautiful shots, but damn does he get long-winded and up his own jock), that made me uneasy; however, the black and white of this piece works in Kent’s favor, as does her sense of pacing. It’s nice to see where the DNA from The Babadook originated, as well as how she grew in between the short film and the feature presentation. Watching the visual effects and tension of this one, you can see that there’s something special brewing. Kent kicks ass without having to get graphic in her presentation. That to me shows a brain, which is oh-so-attractive. If this was the first draft of a film that was both deep and scary as all hell, I can’t wait to see what else she cooks up.