Character Analysis: The Babadook

The Babadook: Child 's Play Gone Wrong

Is the monster in the closet or under the bed? Or is the monster really in the head? Finding a good horror movie can be challenging, due to the fact that most horror movies these days seem rather cliché or just don 't have an antagonist worth being scared over. Horror movies have lost their charm over the years as many horror movies seem too predicable or their script is badly written. The result of horror movies losing their charm is that people don’t find horror movies scary anymore. Although many people don 't find horror movies scary anymore, The Babadook is the perfect example of a quality horror movie that contains an original storyline, an element of surprise, and a terrifying antagonist.

The Babadook has a storyline unlike any other horror movie out there. The Babadook is about a struggling single mother with a young son who begins acting out in school and at home. In an attempt to calm her son down, the mother agrees to read a storybook to him. As the mother reads …show more content…
Generally, horror movies contain overused implications of the perfect monster or creature to scare the viewers. However, The Babadook is the exact opposite of an overused antagonist. The Babadook is a storybook character who attacks his victims through his book. The children who read the book are more likely to believe in the Babadook and the parents are under the assumption that he is make-believe. On the other hand, the Babadook strives on parents not believing in him because the longer they don’t believe he exists, the more powerful he becomes. The thought of a creepy storybook character coming to life and taking over a household alone is enough to give someone nightmares. The antagonist 's unique tactics and horrifying demeanor are ideal in a character that is meant to be portrayed as