there's a good deal of similarities between under the shadow and the babadook, and while the latter might have a more... iconic(?) antagonist(?), i found under the shadow to be a great deal more engrossing. it balances jump scares with a constant and palpable feeling of dread. it helps that the backdrop for the movie is frickin war. everything is already tense, fearful, and violent. air sirens punctuate scenes with terror throughout the movie, and explosions often dot the skyline of the city with pillars of smoke. the movie delivers some authentic scares, stunning imagery, and all the actors are on point. narges rashidi delivers a fantastic performance as shideh. a mom who's in the unique position of having to tell her daughter that monsters aren't real, while she's not even sure she believes that herself. avin manshadi plays her young daughter, dorsa. the two have an authentic mother/daughter dynamic, which made the movie all that much more tense. often times young actors can make or break a story like this, taking me right out of the movie. avin is a fantastic young actress, and i hope that she continues to get good roles. i loved this movie. the setting, the political backdrop, the visuals, the cultural history behind it, all of it. it's a movie that gives the term "spooky" a shot in the arm. under the shadow is very spooky. a supernatural/psychological horror-thriller that every genre fan should check out.