Why a low-budget Australian horror film became an unlikely, enduring queer icon
In short: Jennifer Kent’s 2014 debut, The Babadook, transformed from a modest Australian release into a global cult classic. While critics praised its psychological depth, the internet ironically adopted its top-hatted monster as a queer icon. Kent embraces this strange afterlife, noting that the Babadook simply refuses to die.
The Babadook began as a modest project, with director Jennifer Kent securing roughly A$2.5 million in government funding and a small Kickstarter boost of $30,071 to build her vision. Filmed in Adelaide, the production relied on a handmade, lo-fi aesthetic, intentionally avoiding digital polish to create a claustrophobic, theatrical atmosphere. Kent, who considers her time as a production assistant on Lars von Trier’s Dogville her true film school, focused on a story about the taboo struggles of motherhood and the crushing weight of grief.
The film follows Amelia, a widow raising her son, Sam, as they are haunted by a sinister pop-up book character. Critics and scholars have widely interpreted the monster as a physical manifestation of suppressed trauma. Rather than a traditional villain, the Babadook represents the inescapable nature of loss, suggesting that the only way to survive is to acknowledge and live alongside one's darkness rather than attempting to bury it entirely.
Despite a lukewarm reception in Australia, the film found immense success internationally, grossing $10.7 million worldwide. Its legacy took a surreal turn in 2016 when social media users began ironically framing the Babadook as a queer icon. This 'Babadiscourse' exploded during Pride Month in 2017, with fans celebrating the character’s dramatic persona and chaotic defiance. Kent has expressed delight at the meme, viewing it as a testament to the character’s persistent, almost sentient refusal to fade into obscurity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Babadook
- Also: Wikidata — The Babadook · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — The Babadook · CC0
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