What is the Babadook?

Despite its low budget and small fanfare release, the Babadook seems to have eked out his own corner of our minds along with other pop-culture monsters like Slender Man. Something about him sticks in people's minds. For this reason, it is worth investigating the role he plays, both in our culture and in our individual minds.

At first glance, the Babadook seems like a pretty average movie monster. He has many features in common with vampires, ghosts, and devils. Like a ghost, he is a creature that haunts a family, Emilia and Sam, and he seems mostly to haunt their house. His appearance is variable, but there are some more or less consistent features. Like many vampires, he tends to dress in black from head to foot often sporting a black had and coat. His face is often pale and his mouth and wild eyes are often accented by smears of black. His hands often appear long and disfigured or claw-like. Also reminiscent of vampires, the Babadook can appear and disappear at will, and in extreme circumstances, can take the form of a black, viscous liquid, or even an empty coat and hat. Finally, like devils, the Babadook has the ability to infect people's minds, tempting or compelling them to follow his monstrous will or give in to their own baser instincts.

So what is it about this creature that is so fascinating? Perhaps looking at what makes him different from other movie monsters will give us a clue.

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