Babadook Movie Psychology

The Babadook is a psychological horror film about a widow and her son being terrorized by a monster from a children’s book in their dark suburban home. The film uses elements of the disturbed psychological states, of the mother and her son, as they experience emotional disturbances and hallucinations of the monster, to enhance the distressing setting. The mother refuses to believe her son when he blames the strange occurrences happening in their home on the Babadook. People should watch this film because of the powerful cinematic elements that contribute to the story. The film is able to make the audience feel as though they are experiencing the same emotions as Amelia and Samuel. For instance, the film uses dark and depressing colors, such

The film not only relies on jumpscares to scare the audience, but also establishing fear as the audience gets involved deeper into the story. For example, the knowing presence of the Babadook, but not knowing where he is or what his intentions are, evokes a feeling of uncertainty. The simple images of a coat and hat that look like a human figure also create a stronger sense of fear because the placement seems unnatural and something that could have been caused by the presence of the Babadook. Amelia does certain things as she becomes more fearful of the Babadook that the audience could relate to. For example, when she hears disturbing noises in the middle of the night as she’s laying in bed, Amelia covers her head with her blanket, instead of investigating the strange sounds, which most people watching the movie would not do in that situation. The audience could relate to this and find her actions more believable because it something that looks natural and most people would have most likely done in a situation like