The Moogai (2024)
2024
86 Minutes
A young Aboriginal couple brings home their second baby. What should be a joyous time takes a sinister turn, as the baby's mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to tak...
User Review
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It’s inevitable that writer-director Jon Bell’s “The Moogai” will encourage comparisons to Jennifer Kent’s 2014 film “The Babadook” due to its similar subject matter and themes. It’s not a carbon copy, but this trauma horror tale doesn’t break any new ground in the genre. Using supernatural and fantasy elements along with Indigenous folklore to create an eerie atmosphere, the film doesn’t make much of an impact and is mostly forgettable.
When a couple bring home their second baby, exhausted mother Sarah (Shari Sebbens) starts seeing visions of a terrifying spirit. As her nightmarish delusions grow darker, she becomes convinced the monster is trying to steal her baby.
The flimsy story follows a by-the-book formula: woman has vividly realistic hallucinations, nobody believes her. It turns out that they’re (maybe) real, then she must fight the demon to find closure. You’ve seen this all before, trust me.
The most frustrating thing about the film is Bell’s insistence on blurring the lines between nightmares and visions, and it’s always so unclear what’s real and what is simply a figment of Sarah’s imagination. The fantasy elements are creepy, but predictable. It’s pretty cool that Bell uses the horror genre to tell a story that makes a statement about the dark history of Australia’s aboriginal population, but it’s not done in a very effective way.
“The Moogai” isn’t a bad film, it’s just too similar to ones that came before. This is another dime a dozen horror film.
By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS0 member like this review.
