The Babadook perfectly explores the true horror of grief and all of its ugliness. From the very beginning, the audience is placed in the routine of a mother plagued by the loss of her husband and the needs of a troubled child. The film clashes the issues of Amelia's need to feel loved and how grief does not only effect one person. Samuel feels like an outcast from not having a father, and tries to compensate for the attention by acting out and demand for attention that it pushes the viewer and Amelia off the edge. This interaction of misplaced emotion is the hidden grief personified as the Babadook. Sam is tormented by the Babadook and tries to fight it as Amelia tries to pretend that it does not exist, as most adults do to put on a happy face. The Babadook constantly references underneath because that is where it is festering, to grow and grow until you snap. The snapping point is when you let the anger in, and you become the monster that has cultivated in your head. The mother is literally invaded by the Babadook as she cannot ignore it any longer. Amelia is only able to expel the monster because of Samuel's offering of support and care to let Amelia finally address her own inner demons. But it does not get rid of the Babadook. That is because grief will never go away. You will always know the pain and have these demons in the back of your head, and it is up to you if you let them control you. Amelia takes control and sends the Babadook back underneath where it belongs, but with a cost. Demons require to be feed to stay subdued and calm.
Review of The Babadook
