What saves this movie somewhat is that it can be seen as symbolical for the aftermath of a spouse getting killed, as well as friction between an overlooked child and a stressed out mother.
Sadly, there were also classical "boogeyman" elements, and the ending was quite obscure: it seemed the kid had adopted supernatural powers. So, was it real or not?
I think it was like you say, similar to the boogie man. It was a supernatural force. Too many scene's wouldnt add up if this was solely her mental illness. She needed help, that was clear...i think this attack and subsequent near death of her and her son helped her to finally accept things and open up completely to her son.
sharesymbolic on so many levels
shareI honestly think the metaphorical aspect of the film ruined it for me. People give this film way to much credit for using the tired old 'It's all in their head' cliche. I think the movie was at it's best when it played more as a supernatural horror film. It lost all steam for me when you realize the bish is just crazy. Plus I wanted the kid to die the whole time.
shareWell, I did not want the kid to die ever, I used to when I was 15 or less since I was abused by a narcissistic mother you should check that out with a therapist, I thought it was one of the coolest kids in a horror movie and the nicest, he made the story so sad and cute, he was a 100 per cent certain that his mother would overcome any monster in her way even if the monster possesed her, because the kid was sure that the love she felt for him was stronger than anything in the world, than any monster, and he was willing to fight for her, they were a team. The movie is a supernatural horror that talks about grief, it does not have to be one or the other, which is another thing I loved about the film, it never went the ¨its all in her head¨ way, it went all in, till the end, even after the credits rolled, it was a horror film, The Babadook may be a symbol of parents sickness that make them abuse their kids emotionally or physically, but in the universe of the film, it existed, and it was beaten by the love of a mother for her child, the kid had to fight his way there tho.
shareI'm sorry that happened to you but that was a film character he wasn't real. Don't make it seem like I wished death upon a real kid. I get what it was about and I'm not saying you guys shouldn't enjoy it. I'm just saying to me personally I didn't find anything new or groundbreaking about it. I personally find the It's a metaphor but it's also real angle very lazy. It's a straight up You can't have your cake and eat it too scenario. Just my opinion. If you think it works great. I'm just disappointed because I wanted to love it and I just didn't. I'm a horror movie buff and I am very lenient with them and give them the benefit of the doubt. We really don't get many good ones especially psychological ones. It just fell flat for me. I am glad you guys liked it though.
shareI get what you are saying, but it touched many people subconsciouslly and that is what makes it a very special film, and an incredible horror asset that had not been seen ever since Rosemary´s Baby, if you did not have any problems of this kind then good for you, but it touched a whole generation from the 1950´s and a couple decades after maybe ending around the 90´s and whoever has met a narc which is a lot of people. In the movie´s universe it was not a metaphor, the movie itself does not give that evidence and is only a metaphor due to interpretation from an audience, if you do not understand how special that is tho, then I cannot relate at all. As a horror movie ¨buff¨ you should know hell of a lot better, or just dont call yourself a ¨buff¨ more like a horror movie ¨liker¨ or something.
shareI've also had a similar experience as you and I found this movie to be rather flat and boring-- a complete waste of time, if you will. You don't get to tell someone they aren't a "horror buff" just because they disagree with your take. There's a reason this movie has received under 7 stars and that's because its just another run-of-the-mill horror film. Nothing made it stand out which is unfortunate since the metaphor runs very deep and the film could have easily been much better, IMO.
shareTell that to your therapist, I didnt finish reading, what a random sociopath.
shareI think there's another level to it. More than just being in her head (or rather, both their heads), it's their fears and troubles made real. They're not making it up, it's actually happening and we, the audience, are the ones who see the manifestation of those deep-rooted issues as the boogeyman.
shareWhen a film does the trope right it can be excellent. The true horror is in knowing that it's possible to become trapped inside the horror of your own mind, because it takes such a human emotion as grief - that anyone could experience - and shows just how real and monstrous those emotions, that control people, can be.
The real monster of the film is the mother succumbing to her grief, personified by "letting the monster in". There's allusions to this all over, especially with the several references to the Big Bad Wolf, who wore sheep's clothes to trick other sheep, as though she becomes a monster just wearing the skin of a mother. And her triple repetition of words in the vein of the Babadook's "dook, dook, dook."
It's not A Tale of Two Sisters, or Jacob's Ladder, but it was a cut above most slow-burn, psychological horrors.
I think the supernatural events were supposed to be actually happening, but this movie does what most horror movies do in that it combines supernatural fears with the fear of what human beings are actually capable of. In the story, the Babadook was either actually the ghost of her husband, or was using the fact that the mother already had thoughts of wishing that her husband lived instead of her son to manipulate her.
share