Gay babadook
The Babadook is a same-sex attracted icon because of a Netflix clerical error
This analysis into how The Babadook became a gay star was originally published in 2017. It has been updated throughout and republished for Pride Month.
The 2014 horror movie The Babadook follows a monster, simply called the Babadook, as it terrorizes a solo mother and her son in their new dwelling. The movie brought writer-director Jennifer Kent a brand-new wave of success and acclaim, but it had another, odder effect on the culture, when an apparent clerical error turned its central monster into a defining figure in queer online culture.
Why is The Babadook a homosexual icon?
Like many fine memes, it all started with an innocent Tumblr post. Tumblr user Taco-bell-rey uploaded a screenshot exhibiting The Babadook listed as one of the films available in the LGBTQ section of Netflix. It was reblogged thousands of times. The caption on that post — a one-line sentence about what this could possibly imply — cemented the Babadook’s fate.
“So proud that Netflix recognizes the Babadook as gay representation.”
https://taco-bell-rey.tumblr.com/post/154301475490/so-proud-that-netflix-recognizes-the-babadook-as
The post rapidly g
How on Earth Did the Babadook Get a Gay Icon?
It could be argued that 2014's The Babadook is one of the most important horror films of this century. Not only did it bring Australia back into the conversation of fantastic horror cinema after its long post-Wolf Creek hiatus, but it helped to introduce the stylized and deeply sentimental method of storytelling we'd soon notice in the fledgling A24, or what some might notify "elevated horror." Essie Davis gives a fantastic lead recital, but the show's real star is the Babadook itself. The storybook monster comes to being as the manifestation of trauma and grief portrayed by Tim Purcell, and there are many reasons why it's one of the great modern show monsters. The identify is catchy, its design is straightforward yet striking, taking a lot of inspiration fromLon Chaney'sThe Man in the Beaver Hat in London After Midnight. Its vessel organism a Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-looking pop-up book was something that hadn't been seen before on screen, and gave us the modern "1, 2, Freddy's coming for you." On top of all that, he's also a contemporary queer icon.
That's right, Mr. Babadook truly became the mascot of the 2017 Pride season when w
Babashook: The Babadook, gay iconography and Internet cultures
Upon its 2014 release, Australian film The Babadook (Kent, 2014), gained critical acclaim worldwide. While the film gathered high praise, its domestic release was impeded by a lack of marketing support and ongoing debate about the quality of Australian horror films. By 2015, The Babadook was available to stream on Netflix in the United States, and one would imagine, to gradually fade from view. Yet a seemingly innocent categorization error on Netflix in 2016, which listed The Babadook as an LGBT interest film, resulted in a revival of the film's popularity as a cult film and the emergence of the Babadook as 'a frightening, fabulous new gay icon'
Why the “Gay Babadook” Meme Is So Bewitching
I know you thought you were done with the Babadook after we left him safely tied up and munching earthworms in a basement at the end of the eponymous 2014 Australian horror film—but, honey, you were wrong. You spot , it’s LGBTQ Self-acceptance season in much of the nature, and our top-hatted, long-nailed, pop-up book-crafting terror of a friend isn’t going to miss out on the festivities, oh no.
In proof, over the past week or so, a meme built around the notion that the Babadook is gay has captivated the (queer) internet, spawning a delightful rash of fan art, Twitter jokes, and apparel—the apotheosis of which might be this voguing Babadook speedo.
So how did a character who was pretty clearly a metaphor for a widowed mother’s grief and depression turn into, as he is now being touted, an LGBTQ icon? I first encountered the meme via deaconess of queer Twitter (and Outward contributor) John Paul Brammer back in February and hold been giggling adv to myself about it a several times a week ever since.
But others have traced it back to a cluster of events from the descend of 2016, when a Tumblr user uploaded an image of their Netflix interface seeming
The Babadook
About
The Babadook is a 2014 indie psychological horror film directed by Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut. The film was a gigantic critical success and made 2.5 times its budget. It has spawned a devoted fanbase, including an ironic gay fandom that has adopted the title monster as a lgbtq+ icon.
Plot
The Babadook centers around a mother and infant living in the aftermath of the father's death, which occurred when he was driving the mother to the hospital as she was in labor. The child, Samuel, is difficult, and the mother, Amelia, is exhausted with the behavior of her son. One night, they read a pop-up publication called The Babadook, which has mysteriously appeared in their house. The guide tells the story of Mister Babadook, a elevated man in black with a top hat who, once let in, cannot be eradicated until he kills the host. Amelia is disturbed by the graphic story and Samuel becomes convinced the monster is real. As the story unfolds, Amelia grows increasingly manic as she is unable to say what is real and what isn't, and is perhaps becoming infested with the Babadook.
Development
The film was Kent's first full-length movie and was produced on a budget of $2.