The Babadook is the haunting tale of a mother and son plagued by loss. Set in southern Australia the story follows widow Amelia Vanek as she struggles to care for her hyperactive six-year-old son, Samuel. Seven years prior to the events in the film, Amelia’s husband, Oskar, died in a violent car accident while driving her to the hospital to give birth to Samuel. The film opens with Amelia’s memory of the car crash and transitions to the present with Samuel waking her up in the morning. Oskar’s death and Samuel’s birth occurred almost simultaneously, and it is important for the context of the film that audiences understand that. Amelia lost her husband and became a mother at the same time, making Samuel a constant reminder of her husband’s death. Having been thrust into motherhood, Amelia was never able to truly grieve or come to terms with her trauma and as a result, her relationship with Samuel is tumultuous. She keeps Oskar’s belongings tucked away in the basement and says little about him to Samuel. The Babadook takes place almost seven years after Oskar’s death and depicts a relational boiling point between Amelia and Samuel. Kent discussed her motivation for the film in an interview with The Guardian, saying “[w]e’re all, as women, educated and conditioned to think that motherhood is an easy thing that just happens. But it’s not always the case. I wanted to show a real woman who was drowning in that environment” (MacInnes). Kent does this by creating an exhausting and terrifying environment through dead space, a sense of dread, and Amelia’s lack of sleep. Early on in the film she shows that Amelia is overwhelmed by Samuel and her role as a mother. Samuel’s hyperactivity and disruptive behavior force Amelia to pull him out of school. Between his fits, nightmares, and mentions of Oskar, it all becomes too much for Amelia to handle.  

The supernatural horrors begin when Samuel asks Amelia to read him a mysterious pop-up book. The story is called “The Babadook” and Amelia does not know where he got it. Despite this, she begins to read to Samuel but soon realizes that what seems like a harmless children’s story is actually something much darker. “The Babadook” is about a sinister monster of the same name in a long black coat and a top hat. Samuel becomes terrified of the story and Amelia destroys the book. However, it soon reappears on the family’s doorstep. That night, Amelia is possessed by the Babadook. She starts to see the monster everywhere and slowly loses control of her actions, leaving it up to Samuel to free his mother from the monster’s hold. At the climax of the film, Samuel forces the Babadook out of his mother and the two stand up to him together. They confront the monster and banish him to the basement. The Babadook ends with Amelia and Samuel celebrating his 7th birthday, and the last scene of the film shows the monster still in the basement but now under Amelia’s control.