Supernatural Studies: The Babadook and the Monstrousness of Motherhood

With the month newly October, many horror fans are revisiting some of their favorite genre movies. Prominent among these is Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2014), a film that has gained well-earned footing among the LGBTQIA+ community, due to the titular monster gaining popularity for asserting his existence as a form of defiance. In the second installment of our collaboration with Supernatural Studies, I spoke with Bowling Green State University adjunct instructor and author Olivia Taylor Zolciak about her research into the monstrousness of motherhood in the context of The Babadook. 

The Babadook, 2014

The call for submissions for the summer edition Supernatural Studies journal, an endeavor that is largely self-funded and self-staffed, highlighted a focus on “representations of the supernatural in any form of text or artifact, such as literature (including speculative fiction), film, television, video games, social media, or music.” Topics spanned everything from The Babadook (2014) to The Lighthouse (2019).

In “The Babadook: Exposing the Realities of Monstrous Motherhood through Psychoanalytic Relationships,” Zolciak explores the culturally unpopular reality that motherhood may not be everything it’s cracked up to be—that some aspects are terrible to behold. Using both Freudian and Kleinian psychoanalysis, Zolciak dives into the unspoken realities of motherhood and how issues cannot necessarily be resolved with love. 

What inspired your interest in examining The Babadook through a psychoanalytic lens? 

My research interests include feminism and anxiety within the supernatural and horror genres, so psychology is a dominant theme in my writing. When I first watched the film back in 2015, I was enthralled by the physical representation of Amelia’s inner monster and the obvious anxiety she experiences daily with her son. I also found Amelia and Samuel's relationship fascinating in that they don’t take on the “traditional” roles in Freud’s Oedipus Complex. Recognizing this “atypical” relationship and analyzing the dichotomy of Fruedian and Kleinian theories helps to reveal how Amelia and Samuel’s relationship functions, while also providing validity to these sometimes “monstrous” feelings about motherhood.

Since the movie concludes with the metaphorical acceptance of the beast, and as you note in your abstract, this translates to eliminating these difficult feelings through love in the film. What would have been a more emotionally honest conclusion, even if only in theme? 

The book states, “You can’t get rid of the Babadook.” You can, however, live with it. These feelings are never truly eliminated, and Amelia finally comes to terms with this at the end of the film. The concluding scenes show a much calmer Amelia, but it’s because she caters to her anxiety, grief, and resentment when she pays a visit to the Babadook in the basement, offering it a bowl of dirt and worms. Ultimately, I think the ending is pretty emotionally honest. Amelia feeds her inner monster, and she even tells Samuel he’ll get to see the Babadook when he’s older, indicating that Samuel might have emotions of his own to cater to when he’s old enough to process the feelings of losing his father.  

Is The Babadook itself coding for the monstrous moments of motherhood? 

Absolutely! I also think The Babadook is coding for repressed feelings, and for Amelia, it's her ambivalence towards motherhood—the feelings that aren’t supposed to be discussed (but should be). That’s why it’s so hard for Amelia to process her feelings or ask for help throughout the film—her thoughts are socially taboo, and asking for help puts her at risk of being exposed as the literal monster.

You can join the Supernatural Studies Group & Check out the online journal to read more here:

---

Article by Laura Kemmerer

Laura tuned into horror with an interest in what these movies and books can tell us about ourselves and what societies fear. She is most interested in horror focused around the supernatural, folklore, the occult, Gothic themes, haunted media, landscape as a character, and hauntology (focusing on lost or broken futures).