Who thinks monsters are scary? Do people ever consider why or what about monsters are scary? There is so much more interpretation when it comes to monsters than just “it is weird looking” or “it is large and intimidating” or even “it is not real.” For starters, they are frightening. But what about them is frightening? One way is that monsters scare us because they “perform” something called categorical contamination. Categorical contamination is where a monster could be classified into two different opposing groups such as living and dead. This mental ambiguity not only confuses people, but also scares them because they cannot comprehend the notion of two drastically contrasting groups in one being. Another idea of why monstrosity is
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Not only does the monster well represent the idea of horror and monstrosity, but the film also portrays horror and monstrosity. The film does this not just through the actual creature, but through the societal role it plays on both parents and children. It scares the children because children’s sensitivity towards fear is quite high, and it scares the adults with that small touch of reality that exists between Amelia and Samuel. The commentary is frightening in the sense that is so real, it is scary. The taboo subjects that it plays off of are very prevalent in modern day interactions, and are rather unnerving when they are portrayed as such. Fear can stem from discomfort and that what these subjects tend to cause. Having them portrayed at one’s expense is very uncomfortable. The film also made good use of other things aside from the actual creature. The taboo subjects being discussed, the radically violent behavior of Samuel, Amelia’s plight throughout Samuel’s life, and the others’ disapproval of Amelia’s parental skills based on Samuel’s behavior. These are all used as smaller aspects to make the creature seem even more terrifying by comparison. Although many different ideas of horror exist and everybody has their own idea of horror, The Babadook seems to have some kind of terror for everybody. Think twice about the horror genre and also think about how The Babadook breaks those expectations. Also think about that monster under the bed. Is it scary anymore, or more than
Not only does the monster well represent the idea of horror and monstrosity, but the film also portrays horror and monstrosity. The film does this not just through the actual creature, but through the societal role it plays on both parents and children. It scares the children because children’s sensitivity towards fear is quite high, and it scares the adults with that small touch of reality that exists between Amelia and Samuel. The commentary is frightening in the sense that is so real, it is scary. The taboo subjects that it plays off of are very prevalent in modern day interactions, and are rather unnerving when they are portrayed as such. Fear can stem from discomfort and that what these subjects tend to cause. Having them portrayed at one’s expense is very uncomfortable. The film also made good use of other things aside from the actual creature. The taboo subjects being discussed, the radically violent behavior of Samuel, Amelia’s plight throughout Samuel’s life, and the others’ disapproval of Amelia’s parental skills based on Samuel’s behavior. These are all used as smaller aspects to make the creature seem even more terrifying by comparison. Although many different ideas of horror exist and everybody has their own idea of horror, The Babadook seems to have some kind of terror for everybody. Think twice about the horror genre and also think about how The Babadook breaks those expectations. Also think about that monster under the bed. Is it scary anymore, or more than