As we discussed toward the end of last class, The Babadook pushes you to think about the relationship of the film to children’s stories and fairy tales. The mysterious pop-up book that appears in the house is the strongest push, but there are others. What is one point where you see the movie invoking the narrative dynamics or visual imagery or children’s stories or folk tales? Why does the instance you mention matter? It might help to read the very brief fairy tales linked to the syllabus for out last class.
6 thoughts on “Babadook 2”
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In Grimm’s fairy tales, the evil that each child suffers is utterly undeserved. If the child does have any hand in allowing the evil to fall upon themself, it is only because of their ignorance or powerlessness, as in the case of the girl in “Rumpelstiltskin”. Importantly, the initial impression the viewer gets of Samuel is very negative, such that we may think he is somehow deserving of or responsible for the presence of the Babadook. Even though we feel sorry for him, his anger issues, abnormality, and extreme disobedience make him the problem from the viewer’s perspective in the first half of the movie. From this perspective, the story is unlike a fairy tale, as Samuel appears deserving of punishment. However, as the perspective shifts to that of Samuel himself, who is being tormented by his insane mother, the viewer realizes that he deserves none of the blame for the grief in his family stemming from his father’s death. This is communicated in certain shots that show his expressions of fear and innocence as he watches his mother in her trance-like state in which it becomes apparent that he deserves none of the blame him for his father’s death and the grief in the family. This is the point when the story becomes like one of Grimm’s fairy tales, as the child becomes a victim.
The film employs a narrative structure that aligns with fairy tale conventions. It introduces a sense of normalcy disrupted by a malevolent force, much like the classic fairy tale setup where a character encounters challenges that disrupt their ordinary life. The journey of the mother and son also follows a pattern that echoes traditional storytelling. Furthermore, the ending to the film gives closure much like a fairy tale. The monster has been dealt with, and the mom and son live happily ever after. Example of fairy tales I believe have a similar story arc are Little “Red Riding Hood” and “Sleeping Beauty”.
The basement is another symbol that is connected to fairy tales. The basement in the film serves as a symbolic space that resonates with the concept of the unknown or forbidden in fairy tales. Children’s stories often feature mysterious places that protagonists are warned against exploring, such as in “Bluebeard”. In “The Babadook,” the basement becomes a source of fear and plays a crucial role in the unfolding narrative.
The film invokes the Big Bad Wolf several times throughout the film: read aloud to Samuel, cartoons on the television, and in the way the Babadook is depicted. This is clearly an important allusion for the film, and it presents the idea of a force upsetting your reality and infiltrating it. The wolf blows the houses down. He decimates them.The film equates the Big Bad Wolf to grief. Grief follows the family. It blows their house down. The film, ultimately, depicts the realities of Grimm fairy tales. There is no censorship, no safety. It can, and will, get dark and demented. I was startled to find the end of Rumpelstiltskin being Rumpelstiltskin tearing his body in half and killing himself. The Babadook is not a Disney fairy tale. It is a Grimm one.
I find it difficult to find a connection between the fairytales that we read and the Babadook, aside from the narrative where there always seems to be a appropriate/fitting ending where the characters learn from and overcomes the conflict that plagued them throughout the story. I found it difficult to overlook the lesson of grief in this movie, how the Babadook is a manifestation of the mothers grief. How she had to reign it in and control it at the end of the movie. The Babadook is strengthened the harder the mother tries to fight or deny it and the best way to deal with it was for her to assert control over it seen in the ending where she feeds it in the basement (alluding to how it will always be there). I also find it difficult to overlook the lesson of resentment towards her son who I found very irritating.
Aside from the Babadook Book, I thought there were two things that were very similar to children’s books and nursery rhymes- the fetishizing of children and the didactic feel of the plot. First, the fetishizing of children may be natural in children’s stories because, well, they’re about children. That said, I have always found it odd how singularly focused on children each antagonist is in their story. For example, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, or Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Like the Babadook, each book revolves around kids and is so focused on kids that is almost uncomfortable for readers. Secondly, the ‘teachiness’ of the Babadook was strikingly similar to children’s books. When you read Willy Wonka, and you see each kid die/disappear, it s for such an obvious reason, and the logical reader response is to realize that whatever behavior they died for is condemned by the author. Again, it is perfectly logical for a children’s story to try and teach children a lesson about behavior so it doesn’t even consciously register for most readers. That said, it feels weird coming from a horror movie. While I was watching the movie for the first time, it felt like there was some stray “stranger danger” messaging imbued into the Babadook character, but upon reflection, it feels like the movie is a lot more about dealing with mental illness and internal psychological trauma. At the conclusion of the movie, when she literally goes into the basement to feed her demons, it tips off the watcher that we aren’t supposed to kill our mental trauma but live with it and mend our relationships… it’s not wrong, it just felt teachy, and maybe I’m being close minded, but it just felt strange coming from a horror movie.
As I was watching the movie, I didn’t quite think about the relationship the film has to popular fairy tales, but after reading some of Grimms stories, there are some pretty noticeable parallels. To start, there is often a theme of the parents being the villains in fairy tales. Whether it is Snow White’s mother who is jealous of the beauty her daughter has, or the adopted mother of Rapunzel, Grimm emphasizes that it is the people closest to you who can turn out to be the ones you should be scared of. While the Babadook is the ultimate villain, it infects Samuel’s mother to the point that she is swearing at him and chasing him around the house with a knife. There is no scarier image for a child than your own mother wanting to hurt you. In addition, the Babadook often took the form of Samuels father, specifically when he is asking Samuel’s mother to give him “the boy.” The exchange of children as payment is another common theme in Grimm’s tales, and Kent leans into this.
These instances are important because they tie into the innate fear that many children have. While I’m 23, I’m not that far removed from a time when I would have nightmares that one of my parents was evil, a nightmare often inspired by children’s books that I read. This movie brings out that fear in the audience. There is nothing more terrifying than the most trustworthy person in your life chasing you with a knife, wanting you dead.