10 Horror Movies That Are Pro-Feminism

7. The Babadook

One of the most pervasive myths about lady folk is that motherhood is the most rewarding, fulfilling thing they can do with their loins and life. The mere suggestion that being a parent might possibly not be all it’s cracked up to be or, god forbid, might involve a modicum of regret or resentment is often met with all kinds of outrage.

Australian director Jennifer Kent’s feature debut The Babadook tackles the potential downsides of motherhood head on. In it, grieving widowed mother Amelia is raising her six-year-old son Samuel alone after the death of her husband in car accident on the way to the hospital to give birth, leaving her feeling somewhat resentful, however unwarranted that may be, towards her son. Samuel is a bit of a weird kid: demanding and obsessed with the idea a monster is after him, his behaviour grows increasingly erratic and violent after the mysterious arrival of an even more mysterious book about the titular monster. Meanwhile, Amelia becomes increasingly disturbed and desperate as she tries to cope. Once physically manifest, the Babadook stalks the pair, eventually possessing Amelia and compelling her to kill her kid.

Ultimately, the Babadook is a metaphor for Amelia’s suppressed grief and depression and while it kind of reverts to type towards the end in that her love for her son allows her to overcome the Babadook, the film’s depiction of a multi-faceted female character – a reluctant mother, a worker and a sexual being experiencing negative emotions not usually portrayed hand in hand with parenthood – is refreshing in itself.