The Babadook
Babadook written by Australian writer, Jennifer Kent is about Amelia struggling with her husband’s death in a car crash while her troubled son Samuel was born. The two are preyed upon by a figurative and literal monster called Babadook. After Amelia read the book, there is no escape from the Babadook Monster. Kent used many film techniques to create a suspenseful movie, engaging her audience so they can take in the depth meaning behind Babadook.
The audience is directed to anyone from teenagers and older. It not suitable for small kids as it can be horrifying. It is a good movie for anyone older. Because it is a film about grieving, a theme easily related to. After Amelia lost her husband she is left with a son to raise by herself and a state of mind that needs healing. Everybody at one point in life must go through a difficult phase and the film emphasises the process of grieving.
The movie depicts a difficult relationship between a mother and son and explores the factors of Amelia break down turning herself into a monster.
Kent produced the idea of Babadook from a story of her friend, her son believed he was stalked by the boggy man so the mother had to pretend to talk to the bogey man so the son was not scared. Kent mixed her love of 20s horror movies and applied the concept of “grief” to her friend's story and there is Babadook. When she created Babadook she envisioned a monster from the 20s horror that scared her. The Babadook was never seen in the movie but the symbol of Babadook presence was the coat and the hat hanging on the wall. The Movie was made without the thought of scaring people but “telling a story about facing up to dark things in your life because, if you don’t, there are ramifications. We all know what it’s like to suppress difficult feelings and experiences. It’s something that fascinates me and it spurred on the writing and making of this film, which also taps into the fear of going mad” the consequences of Amelia never dealing with her husband’s death is reflected through her son. Kent used foreshadowing to express the worst-case scenario, Amelia hallucinated, herself on the news killing her son in the basement and getting shot by police. Kent wants people to understand the repercussions when not dealing with grief head on.
Babadook gives the first impression that is a purely a horror movie. If you read the Babadook book it will haunt until you will “want to be dead”. But as you dig deeper in the story line it is a much more psychological
thriller. Exploring in depth about grief.
The emotional impact comes from the confusing love between the mother and son. The meaning is lost and the movie is about Amelia finding that love for her son again. Just because Samuel is her son, does she have to unconditionally love him despite her husband is dead and her friends have abandoned Amelia because of her son. The son understands and says, “I’ll protect you mummy even though you don't love me, but I...
