One of the most iconic horror movies of the past decade is coming back to theaters withThe Babadook’s 10th anniversary re-release. The 2014 film served as the feature directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent, based on her 2005 short filmMonster. In the years since, Kent has steadily built a filmography of acclaimed projects, including the 2018 historical psychological thrillerThe Nightingaleandan episode ofGuillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which reunited her withBabadookstar Essie Davis.
The Babadookcenteredon Davis' Amelia Vanek and her son, Samuel, both of whom are still grieving the sudden death of her husband and his father, Oskar, in a car accident while driving Amelia to the hospital to give birth to Samuel. Amelia, already exhausted by the extra attention her son requires amid growing behavioral problems, finds her life thrown into turmoil after reading a mysterious pop-up book,Mister Babadook, which Samuel becomes convinced is real, as Amelia also becomes troubled by the disturbing material within. When they both start experiencing seeming hauntings, they must confront their past trauma as they determine how real the entity is.
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Alongside Davis, the ensembleBabadookcast includes Noah Wiseman as Samuel, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear. Though it initially failed to gain attention in its home country of Australia, the movie has since been seen as an international hit, having garnered widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike and still landing on many lists of the best horror movies of the 2010s.
In anticipation of the movie’s 10th anniversary re-release,Screen Rantinterviewed writer/director Jennifer Kent to reflect onThe Babadook’s legacy, the hurdles she faced when she first tried to make the film, her love of the titular entity becoming an LGBTQ+ icon over the years, her thoughts on a potential sequel to the movie, and the projects she has on the horizon.
Kent Has A “Strange Fondness” ForThe BabadookAfter 10 Years
She’s also incredibly thrilled about her American tour for the re-release.
Screen Rant: Jennifer, it is an honor to get to talk with you. I’ve loved all of your work, not justThe Babadook, but alsoThe NightingaleandyourCabinet of Curiositiesepisode. It’s amazing to think we’re already at the 10-year anniversary ofThe Babadook. How does it feel for you reflecting on this movie’s legacy?
Jennifer Kent: It’s crazy that it’s been 10 years. I remember being nervous just prior to Sundance, wondering how it was all going to go. So, yeah, I have a strange fondness for it. It’s like a child that’s grown up and gone to college or university or something. But yeah, I’m really excited to be coming to America. I’m going to New York and LA and also in Austin, on the jury of Fantastic Fest, so it’s an exciting trip coming up.
A question I like asking filmmakers such as yourself who have such a big breakout hit with their first film is that sometimes they want to break out apart from that, and show that they’re not just this one film, whether it be a radical genre change or even just a sidestep within the same genre. Have you ever felt at times that grapple with, “Yes, I madeThe Babadook, but I can do more than that”?
Jennifer Kent: Oh, definitely. I think people were surprised to see me make The Nightingale next. But, for me, filmmaking is very much about starting with an idea or a feeling or a thought that you have, and then it grows and grows, and then you want to make that next film. It’s not like I set out to be the queen of horror, but I also respect horror enormously, and I think it’s much wider than a lot of people realize. And the history of horror goes back to the beginning of cinema, so it’s not a new genre. For me, it’s just about writing the next thing and how to get it made. It’s still as hard to get things made as it was with Babadook, it was very, very hard to get that film up,
“The filmmaking culture was very snobbish towards horror”
So, what was one of the biggest selling points then that you had in trying to get producers and financiers on board for this film?
Jennifer Kent: I think the script. I mean, even with the script, there were four or five companies interested overseas. But initially, at the time in Australia, the filmmaking culture was very snobbish towards horror. It was seen as something sort of lowly and not a real film. So, it was quite difficult to get it financed here. But when we got this interest from overseas sales agents with the script, that’s when the money started to sort of fall into place. But I’d written many films before The Babadook that never got made, so I was at the end of a long line of trying with different stories to get them up.
And with this film, I deliberately sort of aimed to make a film that could be made for a lower budget, largely set in a house with two characters. These were pragmatic things that I knew I couldn’t go beyond that, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get it financed. But, yeah, not so much during production, but even in post, there was a lot of resistance to what people finally saw as the finished film, by the financiers and by people involved. It wasn’t a straight course to the finish line. I had to really protect it, and so did the producers, and they did.
“There’s nothing better”
This film explores so many important themes of grief and processing emotions. What has been one of your favorite things to hear from fans of the film, such as myself, who approach you with their takeaway from the film and its story?
Jennifer Kent: Yeah, I’ve had personal correspondence with people whose own lives [were reflected in the film]. I remember one person writing to me whose father died when he was a kid, and his mother raised three boys, and he said watching the film was better than 20 years of therapy [Laughs], and he was very moved by it through his first-hand experience. I had another person who just lost their partner, suddenly, tragically, their wife died, so things like that. You really only hope for that with a film, that people are moved, and that it speaks to them so directly, and that. I’m not thinking that film can necessarily change the world, but if it can move people and comfort them or offer them something, then that’s my job done. There’s nothing better.
Kent Doesn’t Know Why The Babadook Is An LGBTQ+ Icon (But Loves It)
“Maybe you can explain it to me”
One of the things I love, too, that this film has in its legacy is thatThe Babadook has become an LGBTQ+ icon. I know you’ve talked about how you find it funny and great at the same time, but I’m curious — because I am in that community — why you think it is we’ve embraced him as such?
Jennifer Kent: Maybe you may explain it to me [chuckles], but I think it started as a joke by being sort of miscategorized on Netflix, and then people just went with it. And I love it. I love hearing drag queens talking about The Babadook. It’s like, “I’ve made it!” I love that it’s still alive and being referenced in popular culture. There’s no greater compliment. He’s a bit theatrical, you know, who knows?
Kent Has Softened A Bit On ABabadookSequel (But Don’t Expect One Anytime Soon)
“Those ideas are taking over”
I did also want to ask, since you’ve mentioned this film staying alive with people. It’s also a rare one in the horror genre in that it doesn’t have any sequels. You’ve talked about in the past how you and one of your producers held on to the rights, and that you had no interest in doing so. But with 10 years gone, this is an entity who, like we’ve talked about, really does promote emotional growth and processing within characters who encounter it. Have you had any thoughts or a change of heart about producing a follow-up?
Jennifer Kent: No, I think I’m too involved in other films that I’m trying to get made. I mean, if there suddenly became some desperate urge to tell a story related to that, I would probably say, “Okay, all bets are off. I’m going to go and make the sequel.” But I just can’t see that happening. I feel that the idea has really been explored. There are other sort of scary films in the wings, one in particular that I’m really invested in happening, and also a horror series that I’ve been developing, which I’m really excited about as well. So those ideas are taking over.
Kent Is Teaming With A “Very Well-Known Horror Author” For A New Project
“It’s not Stephen King”
Before I let you go, can you tell me a little bit about any of these projects you’ve got coming up?
Jennifer Kent: I can tell you that I’m teaming up with a very well-known horror writer/author to try and make one of his books. And it’s not Stephen King. [Chuckles] So, that’s all I can say at this point. We’re hoping to release information about that in a couple of weeks. We’re in the middle of deal making, but if that goes ahead, I’m super excited about making that next year. I love Stephen King, of course, there’s nothing against him, but it’s not him.
AboutThe Babadook
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the iconic indie horror film THE BABADOOK, the modern classic will return to theaters featuring an exclusive Q&A with writer/director Jennifer Kent.
Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her out-of-control 6-year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called ‘The Babadook’ turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son’s behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.
The Babadook10th anniversary re-release hits theaters nationwide from IFC Films in partnership with Iconic Events on September 19, including an exclusive filmed Q&A with Kent.
The Babadook
Cast
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
