The Babadook and Depression

In my first movie analysis in video form, I analyze the Babadook and how the monster itself connects with the main character's depression.
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[@joebeast15]

The Babadook was a manifestation of the five stages of grief and her growing depression. It was certainly an allegory, albeit a very good one. Very tense and scary film

[@ATwistedWonderland]

as much as the babadook interests me, this pretty much solidified the idea that i can't watch it due to personal trauma. i grew up with a very mentally ill mother, and although my father wasn't dead, he was an alcoholic and rarely ever home. the scene of her yelling at sam for wetting himself and just losing it on him about how she wants him dead- i've been there in real life and it's true horror, especially from the perspective of a child. i probably won't ever watch it, but i commend it for being so realistic that i can't watch it.

[@jasonstafford3754]

It's a tough watch, having dealt with grief and depression myself it can make you uncomfortable. One positive I would place on the film is that it reinforces that you can come through the other side and whilst not denying the existence of your 'monster' you can control it. I always tend to say to anyone sceptical about the film, whilst it can be a difficult journey it does have a positive ending that you should not shy away from recognising.

[@far_and_near_26]

I can relate to this, because I went to a filmmaking program over the summer and we watched and analyzed this film.

[@Marcu3s]

Ok, I will put this movie next to the Melancholia and Antichrist = movies that are fascinating to me intelectually... but I don't think I'm strong enough to actually watch.

[@comradecabbage]

your analysis was nice and I'd love to see more in the future! hopefully you'll be able to hone it, since this one was a tad plot-heavy, not theme-heavy (though who am i to say theme is greater than plot?)

[@carlosm9909]

Wow your good

[@corbettcappon6220]

A neat detail that I heard about the movie : earlier in the movie, when making small talk with some of the other adults, she mentioned she dabbled in children's books. A strong hint that she wrote the babadook (and put it back together again)

[@coffeebeans5460]

This movie is probably the first time in forever that I ever felt unsettled and uncomfortable watching a horror movie. It was a breath of fresh air from the typical and cliche horror movies we have nowadays, what with the jumpscares and all that. Too bad a lot of people hated it. Great analysis btw.

[@gi2121]

Agree. It was the first and only time I had to stop a movie, that's how terrified I was. Very deep, amazing movie.

[@randomdialupsounds7960]

This movie is so ridiculously underrated, it truly bothers me

[@RedAngelPonderings]

Same.

[@detectiveassassin7937]

Yeah , true art made with the purpose of improving human existence which is really the purpose of art , so far definitely my favorite movie of the last decade .

[@peregrine5533]

Huh…I’m torn on wether I should watch this or not. I’ve grown up with a family with an intense history of mental illness, and I myself am just starting to change the pattern and help myself and get out of it. I’ll always be mentally ill - always. But medication and coping mechanisms are really helping me thrive despite that, and I’m on a good path. I like the idea of depression being some eldritch horror that you have to acknowledge and feed to overcome. It’ll always be there, it’ll always be something you have to recognise and feed and maintain, but it doesn’t have to consume you. I like that idea.

[@teddygrahamm]

Ok, go listen to the song Blue Healer by Birdtalker... I swear this song put me on my path to learning to live with my depression and befriend it, and wield the power in those emotions instead of being ruled by them. Depression is here to make you sit and work through the pain, the only way to get past it is THRU it. So instead of hating it and making it go away, go make friends with your personal depression and find out what it has to say to you 💙

[@reiniskaspars3022]

i remember taking a 30min break in the middle of the movie before continuing.....never have i been so scared. my favorite horror film of all time

[@lizethurtado6911]

Wow really?

[@yusefendure]

Psychological, thriller/horror flick that forces you to sympathize with both mother and son. Depression, anxiety and grief are given an artistic treatment not seen in a long time. Your analysis was excellent. Keep up the great work.

[@teddygrahamm]

This movie really unsettled me when I watched it years ago, and in the back of my head I've always known it was a depression metaphor. If you're struggling with depression and need some hope, go listen to the song Blue Healer by Birdtalker... I swear this song put me on my path to learning to live with my depression and befriend it, and wield the power in those emotions instead of being ruled by them. Depression is here to make you sit and work through the pain, the only way to get past it is THRU it. So instead of hating it and making it go away, go make friends with your personal blue healer and find out what it has to say to you 💙

[@RedAngelPonderings]

I hope everyone enjoys my first attempt at analyzing a film in video form. Just so you know, I'll be getting to OFF's analysis soon, just didn't expect the other 2 videos to take as long as they did and I ended up slightly behind. None the less, I hope you enjoy this video!

[@SEGAClownboss]

The film at the end ringed to me as preaching acceptance of eccentricity and family individualism, since when the mom and the kid came to terms with a monster(figurative or otherwise) living with them, they embraced a life proudly showing oddities and started communicating like never before in life. Even though the rest of the world views them as scary, weird people, they are completely content with their existance. To me, depression has never been an encompassing theme of The Babadook, but it is one that can certainly tie in.

[@lizethurtado6911]

The turmoil she’s been feeling for years, she never let it out and one day it smashed her head. That’s just sad but realistic. Not a horror movie. Great analysis btw

[@PlaylistGeneral]

This was alright but beware of letting your analysis turn into a plot synopsis. I think everyone who watches this has seen the film, so it'd be better to spend more time explaining your analysis and waaay less on explaining the plot!

[@RedAngelPonderings]

See, that's the interesting thing, is that I have a portion of my subscribers who refuse to see horror films or play horror games, so I ended up summing it up for them. That and I view The Babadook as one of those movies that you need to explain certain aspects of it in order for it to connect with what you're saying. I'll be more careful about it next time however, since I'll more than likely pick a non-horror film to make the video a bit more accessible and less prone to my overexplainy nature. Thank you for the constructive criticism and for viewing.

[@valkyriefandango252]

Thought I should mention that I've never seen this film but still feel like I didn't miss anything thanks to your summarizing. I thought It was a perfect balance of synopsis vs analysis.

[@PlaylistGeneral]

Oh nooo, you've kinda spoiled it for yourself! Regardless, you really should watch it, it's the first horror film since maybe Paranormal Activity that's actually scary and not just creepy.

[@valkyriefandango252]

Qudhdhcgyd To be honest I find horror pretty boring because I don't really get scared. Like paranormal activity was just a snooze fest for me. There has to be more going on for me to find horror interesting. Films like Funny Games or Tucker and Dale vs Evil for example. There doesn't seem to be much more to The Babadook than what's analyzed in this video.

[@PlaylistGeneral]

Valkyrie Fandango Luckily this film has a lot more going to it apart from the horror atmosphere - it's a fantastic analysis of domestic abuse and death, and the two actors are fucking incredible. That kid starts off as completely insufferable, but by the end he's fucking awesome. It's a great drama and doesn't necessarily commit to JUST the horror of the situation, it bends genres a bit too.

[@gilgamesh310]

Very good analysis. I liked this film, but I didn’t even realise some things about it that you pointed out. I should rewatch it.

[@Pablo123456x]

Thank you for not speaking with the fry voice thing and the upward tone. Are you sure you're from the US?

[@iarabennett3146]

very good analysis , i liked it very much

[@shreddhead23]

😎🙏💯

[@jamesdeek7039]

Grief as well

[@EricaYE6]

Thank you for explaining this. I just watched it and was like, "Huh?" Especially, the ending. Still was a good movie though, even with the confusing storyline.

[@Antiprogressivepraxis]

It's The Shining meets Home Alone.

[@ZeroSectionStyle]

Perfect! This is exactly what I thought watching the movie.

[@JonathanPlaysGames]

Excited to watch your channel groa

[@reyositos]

Jung shadow?