The Babadook: Not Just Another Monster Under the Bed

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2017)

Jennifer Kent aims to explore the psyche of the anxious in this one of a kind film. While this movie lacks the originality of the "monster under the bed" idea, the innovation comes alive when we as an audience realize the monster is created from our minds. The American horror genre traditionally will keep one, and only one, living creature safe: the children. However, the Babadook pushes that norm to its limits. While Sam does not ever actually ever become a victim, the bloody corpse of Sam from Amelia's vivid imagination is real enough. Of course, it is the imagination of the mother, the monstrous feminine, which is the true monster. While the Babadook can put on a funny hat, smile, and pretend everything is normal, the suppression of anxiety can lead to a horrifying creature when the cap is lifted. This is similar to how Jack Nicholson becomes the monster in The Shining (1980). The Babadook can also creep up on us, getting closer and closer if we do not slow down and look around. By the way, the monster can also be created through the lack of sleep as most of us can relate to. This film also throws into question the validity of rationality in regard to the thoughts of the mentally ill. Do we disregard the warnings of the mentally handicapped because of their condition? Or do we consider them to be geniuses because they have such a nontraditional thought process? Most might gravitate towards the former, but Kent might suggest the latter may true as Sam warns his mother many times of the monster Amelia is turning into. I appreciated Kent's suggestion to slow down and take a break from our anxious lives periodically. After all, the best way to get someone to listen is to scare them into doing it.