Took me a few minutes to process wtf I just watched once it ended, but the monster metaphor came together. It was a physical manifestation of their grief from the death of the father...the more they tried to suppress it and not talk about it, the stronger the monster's presence became, until she faces it at the end and finally "owns" it by keeping it in the basement. I still don't know wtf that magic trick at the end was about though, lol.

The creepiest moments were when the mother first started getting possessed...the look in her eyes, the shit she was watching on TV, pulling the tooth out, etc. Creepy visuals. I definitely think the mother should get some kind of recognition for her performance, the kid was mostly comic relief.