Motherhood and Grief: Domestic Horror in ‘The Babadook’

Amelia (Essie Davis) is a single mother traumatized by the loss of her husband in a car crash six years prior. Overworked, and overtired she struggles to care for her energetic and imaginative six-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). When a mysterious and disturbing “children’s” book about Mister Babadook, a claw-handed humanoid creature in a top hat, suddenly appears on their shelf, the frequency and violence of Samuel’s night terrors become unmanageable. Convinced that Mister Babadook is out to get them, Samuel’s erratic behavior spirals out of control; and unable to cope, Amelia’s mental faculties begin to deteriorate. With the line between imagination and reality beginning to blur, Amelia begins to question the veracity of her son’s assertion that the Babadook is real.

Hailing from Australia, the 2014 horror-drama The Babadook was not a big hit in its country of origin, but created a lot of buzz among horror fans upon travelling abroad. Jennifer Kent’s psychological-thriller proves a truly horrifying monster movie in the vein of old school gems. The effects are simple and achieved without help from the digital age. Terror arises from the unseen. Sound, suggestion, and the victim’s mental and physical deterioration impeccably build up the tension. In fact, had the Babadook never fully appeared, the films facility of fright may have been faultless. For while the creature is scary in and of itself, the truly unnerving element of Kent’s Babadook exists in the psychological realm.

Beneath the monstrous symbol of this horrific storybook creature, is a heartfelt examination of motherhood and grief.  In fact, the true plot of The Babadook is the startling effect of trauma on the mother-son relationship. As both Amelia’s and Samuel’s troubled psyches spiral out of control and the manifestation of their personal pain thrust them further into social isolation, the true nature of their symbolic tormentor is revealed. Samuel and Amelia are conflicted characters, teetering between the realms of love and hate. Sprouting from six years of bottled grief turned resentment, the Babadook is a reflection of the violent emotions threatening to tear this mother-son duo apart.

Kent’s portrayal of motherhood is eerily horrific in its commitment to realism. To be a mother, let alone a single mother is hard enough. Amelia’s burden, however, is compounded by a difficult child and the traumatic memory she cannot separate from his being. Though she tries her best to offer Samuel the love and nurture he requires, she cannot detach the event of his birth with the death of her husband. The very fact that he died while driving her to the hospital has made it impossible for Amelia to properly acknowledge and celebrate Samuel’s birthday. Thus, when the Babadook first takes form within their household, Amelia’sinstinct is to ignore the creature in very much the same way she avoids the memory of her deceased husband. Amelia refuses to hear or speak her husband’s name, keeping objects associated with him locked away in the (literal and metaphorical) basement. The Babadook however, refuses to be ignored. In fact, the harder she tries, the harder it gets. When the storybook reappears with images of Amelia harming her dog, her child, and even herself, the fear of what the Babadook will force her to do rises, and her ability to fight against him decreases. As her mental state worsens, her ability to reject the dark subconscious which the Babadook represents wanes and The Babadook becomes not only a monster story but a possession story as well.

For Samuel, Amelia’s refusal to share the memory of his father is a major source of his own resentment towards her. Her refusal to speak his father’s name has left a hole in his sense of identity. He constantly grasps towards the memory of father he never knew, but each time he gets close, his mother slaps his hand away. This refusal causes him to lash out against Amelia, either through violent tantrums—which push her further against him—or through the Babadook, which threatens both their lives. Nonetheless, Samuel loves his mother, and throughout the film, he makes a tremendous effort to protect her from the darkness invading their household—even as his own fear becomes unmanageable. The homemade weapons he crafts, however, only drive him further towards trouble, forcing his mother to pull him out of school.

Isolated in each others company, they can no longer escape the flurry of complex feelings tainting their relationship. While Amelia’s feelings towards Samuel pinball between love and resentment, Samuel not only simultaneously loves and resents his mother, but fears as her as well. Though a mere child, he is able to sense his mother’s forbidden—albeit fluctuating—wish that not his father, but instead he had died in the car accident that forever haunts the track of their lives. Samuel’s response is to separate this subconscious element of his mother’s grief into a separate entity—the Babadook. In fighting against it, he fights for the ability to feel his mother’s love without the taint of her resentment. Thus, the Babadook is a manifestation of both the mother’s and the son’s emotional turmoil.

If you’re looking for an intelligent and truly frightening film to stream this October, then I highly recommend you watch The Babadook. Kent’s film takes no-frills, atmospheric tension and meshes it with an engaging, emotional and believable plot. A true feat of domestic horror, The Babadook is definitely poised to reach cult status.

Let me know what you thought of this Australian gem or if you plan to watch it in the comments down below or via IG. If you’re looking for more films to watch this October, make sure to check out this year’s carefully crafted horror calendar. With only 31 days available in the month, The Babadook was unfortunate enough to not make the list, but if you have the time, it’s definitely worth a watch.