The Babadook (soundtrack)

Did You Know?

• The record sleeve featured a recreation of the pop-up book from the film.
• The vinyl was described as 'black with red haze'.
• The album was released in LP records on 7 May 2017.

Development

Jed Kurzel composed the film score, noting that the film aligned mostly with Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Who Saw Her Die? (1972). He stated that director Jennifer Kent had a strong vision, being deeply involved in sound design and how music and sound interact to create a creepy horror element. Kurzel worked closely with Kent to achieve the intended tone and sound. He expressed a dislike for the common horror trope of loud notes and monster reveals, which he felt served theatrical moments, preferring a more subliminal and creepy approach. They avoided such regular tropes, experimenting with sound and music so that audiences would not be aware of how those elements stood out or intertwined. Kurzel experimented with his four-year-old daughter's voice by cutting, looping, and delaying it, creating unnerving pieces representing voices trapped within the mother Amelia's head. This led to more structured musical pieces, and they worked on the mix to convey the sense of hearing things as Amelia does.

Reception

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the unsettling sound design is sharp, making sparing use of Jed Kurzel's music until panic takes hold. Betsy Sharkey of Los Angeles Times wrote that Kurzel adds the right level of eerie. Don Kaye of Den of Geek wrote that Kurzel takes simple themes and imbues them with a sense of menace and fear. Heather Phares of AllMusic denoted the score as equally thrilling. Michael Gingold of Fangoria wrote that Kurzel and sound designer Frank Lipson conjure up an aural atmosphere, highlighted by the eerie whispers of the Babadook as it hovers over Amelia's body and mind. Diane Carson of KDHX noted the music and sound design being well utilized. Frank Hatherley of Screen International and Scott Foundas of Variety described the score as scary and terrifying. Richie Correlli of Horror DNA wrote that the magnificence of the album is how expertly Kurzel stays to his themes, maintaining a steady sound and mood by keeping to a limited timbre and tempo palette without sounding stale or repetitive, and noted that the record is under 30 minutes long, with listeners having to flip the disc before reaching the 15-minute mark, but that a shorter album with no filler is arguably better than a long album that drags. Sarah Ward of Screen Hub wrote that the atmospheric score is both delightfully dulcet in teasing refrains and hauntingly dark in the most frightening segments.