The Babadook: how the horror movie monster beme a gay in | The Babadook | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE BABADOOK: HOW THE HORROR MOVIE MONSTER BEME A GAY IN
• HOW THE BABADOOK BEME A GAY IN
• THE BABADOOK IS A FRIGHTENG, FABULO NEW GAY IN
• THE BABADOOK IS A GAY IN BEE OF A NETFLIX CLERIL ERROR
• WHY BABADOOK IS THE PERFECT SYMBOL FOR GAY PRI
• ‘THE BABADOOK’ CEMENTS STAT AS QUEER CLASSIC WH LIMED EDN GAY PRI RELEASE
• HOW THE BABADOOK BEME A SURPRISE GAY PRI IN
• THE SECRET GAY HISTORY OF THE BABADOOK
• THE BABADOOK IS NOW A GAY IN BEE THE PEOPLE WILLED TO BE SO
• GAY IN THE BABADOOK WAS THE UNOFFICIAL MAST OF LA PRI, AND IT WAS GLOR
• WHY THE “GAY BABADOOK” MEME IS SO BEWCHG
• 'THE BABADOOK' REACH NEW GAY IN STAT WH PRI-THEMED BLU-RAY
• IS BABADOOK'S SUDN GAY-IN STAT SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE? OR KDA PROBLEMATIC?
• ‘THE BABADOOK’ DIRECTOR JENNIFER KENT SAYS HER FILM’S GAY IN STAT IS ‘CHARMG’
• IT’S OFFICIAL: THE GAY BABADOOK HAS NETFLIX BABASHOOKTAKE A BABALOOK.BY LRA BRADLEYJUNE 9, 2017FROM ATLASPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBY NOW, SEEMS SAFE TO ASSUME THAT EVERYONE REGNIZ THE BABADOOK’S STAT AS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S GREATT GAY INS—RIGHT UP THERE WH RUPL, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MIRANDA PRITLY’S PURSED LIPS THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.FOR THOSE WHO DON’T? THE BABADISURSE ABOUT THE 2014 ATRALIAN HORROR MOVIE’S CENTRAL VILLA STARTED—WHERE ELSE?—ON TUMBLR, WHERE VAR ERS BAND TOGETHER LAST FALL TO SIST, NAY, MAND THAT EVERYONE REGNIZE THE HORROR VILLA AS THE PLEX GAY CHARACTER HE IS. (AS ONE ER FACETLY PUT , “IT MAY BE ‘JT A MOVIE’ TO YOU BUT TO THE L.G.B.T. MUNY THE BABADOOK IS A SYMBOL OF OUR JOURNEY.”) THE GHOUL’S OUT-AND-PROUD STAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE INTER’S MOST FUN -JOK FOR SEVERAL MONTHS—BUT WASN’T UNTIL PRI MONTH 2017 H THAT THIS NON-NONIL BUT LIGHTFUL VERSN OF THE CHARACTER MA BIG.NEED PROOF? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN NETFLIX’S TWTER ACUNT, WHICH ON FRIDAY SEEMED TO VALIDATE WHAT THE L.G.B.T. MUNY HAS KNOWN ALL ALONG: THE BABADOOK IS ONE OF .TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.THE TWEET ME WH NO FANFARE OR CUTY TEXT, BUT S TIMG—DURG THE FIRST WEEK OF PRI MONTH—MAK THE MSAGE OBV. AMGLY ENOUGH, NETFLIX BEME PART OF THE MEME EARLIER, WHEN A TUMBLR ER UPLOAD A SCREENSHOT DISPLAYG THE BABADOOK THE STREAMG SERVICE’S L.G.B.T. FILMS MENU. (THAT WAS LIKELY A DOCTORED SCREENSHOT, BUT HOPE SPRGS ETERNAL.) NOW, THOUGH, NETFLIX IS TAKG PART THE MEME SELF—I MEAN, REGNIZG THE TTH ABOUT THE BABADOOK’S GAY INTY. VANY FAIR HAS ALSO REACHED OUT TO DIRECTOR JENNIFER KENT FOR HER THOUGHTS ON THE MONSTER’S INTY.OF URSE, THE TWEET ALSO RAIS A HARROWG QUTN: IS THIS A SIGN OF RPORATE APPROPRIATN G TO YET ANOTHER BELOVED MEME? COULD GAY BABADOOK, LIKE SO MANY OTHER JOK, BEE JT ANOTHER G THE PALIST MACHE? (BEFORE YOU LE OUT THAT POSSIBILY, REMEMBER THAT WENDY’S MA A MERCIAL EARLIER THIS YEAR REFERENCG THE THEN-RECENTLY VIRAL BEE MOVIE. AND ALSO NEVER FET THIS.)SO FAR, SEEMS NETFLIX IS RPECTG THE BABADOOK’S STAT AS AN INIC ENTY UNTO HIMSELF, CREATED AND ENURAGED BY THE INTER. THE STREAMG GIANT’S TWEET IS UNRSTATED AND EE OM GIMMICKS. BUT KEEP YOUR EY PEELED, BABADOOK FANS—BEE CLEARLY, RPORATE AMERI HAS TAKEN NOTICE OF YOUR HERO. ONCE SOMEONE CIS THEY WANT TO DO A MERCIAL G THE KR, GENTLER BABADOOK AS VIRAL FODR, THERE’S A CHANCE THEY ULD MAKE SO—BY BABAHOOK OR BABACROOK.MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDHIGHBROW HORROR1 / 15CHEVRONCHEVRONCOL FIRTH APARTMENT ZEROBEFORE KG GEE VI, MR. DARCY, AND MARK DARCY, COL FIRTH PLAYED A SLIGHTLY LS SWEET CHARACTER *APARTMENT ZERO. *LRA BRADLEY
• THE BABADOOK DIRECTOR CELEBRAT MONSTER'S GAY IN STAT: 'HE'S TRYG TO STAY RELEVANT'

THE BABADOOK: HOW THE HORROR MOVIE MONSTER BEME A GAY IN

One of the earlit, most popular queer readgs of The Babadook surfaced October 2016, when Tumblr er Ianstagram posted a thought plat: “Whenever someone says the Babadook isn’t openly gay ’s like??

” He add on December 13, “Carol (2015), unlike The Babadook, was not a gay movie and was about a sry monster botherg a blon, strsed-out mom. But Ianstagram fend his readg: “A movie about a gay man who jt wants to live his life a small Atralian suburb? After the Babadook’s outg was disvered on Tumblr, people began meme-g the character’s homosexualy and queerns to realy.

HOW THE BABADOOK BEME A GAY IN

— Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) June 7, 2017.

The Babadook’s queer legacy and our fatuatn wh borrows on all the ias: the sire to go wh and improve upon the joke, the creasg earntns around that joke, and the rultg amplifitn of the absurdy of a homosexual Babadook livg a life of queer fiance by terrorizg a whe, Atralian fay. openly gay and wh an affy for hats and drama, the Babadook was the first time I saw myself reprented a film— JuanPa (@brammer) April 19, 2017. Further, uld also functn as an acerbic joke about the nature of “gay ins, ” and how quickly and arbrarily some gay ins (see: Nick Jonas) are anoted.

THE BABADOOK IS A FRIGHTENG, FABULO NEW GAY IN

As a homosexual nnected to the LGBTQ matrix, I n feel s life force wang. 76 ln followers that he is totally the gay Babadook:.

Meanwhile, gay Twter and Tumblr advanced a much more elegant theory of the Babadook, which is that he’s a gay man. The Babadook wears a long, androgyno at that a certa type of fashn gay might lt over at Comme s Garns.

How the Babadook Beme a Gay In. “Fierce, ” perhaps the greatt pliment that Twter’s gay nglomerate uld ever nfer, is as apt an adjective as any for the Inter’s unlikely new queer in.

THE BABADOOK IS A GAY IN BEE OF A NETFLIX CLERIL ERROR

Photoshopped the Babadook to scen om gay culture: a scrapbookg.

WHY BABADOOK IS THE PERFECT SYMBOL FOR GAY PRI

cisn, earlier this month, to ncel the gay-iendly science-fictn. revelatn, 2007, that Alb Dumbledore was gay, spe the arth. of homosexual referenc the Harry Potter seri.

Babadook om a tradnal fay un rell homophobic mpaigns like. The gay muny, wns.

This vtigatn to how The Babadook beme a gay in was origally published 2017.

‘THE BABADOOK’ CEMENTS STAT AS QUEER CLASSIC WH LIMED EDN GAY PRI RELEASE

Why is The Babadook a gay in?

HOW THE BABADOOK BEME A SURPRISE GAY PRI IN

“So proud that Netflix regniz the Babadook as gay reprentatn. Through his post, the Babadook bate took off, wh wrers suggtg the Babadook is gay bee the movie als wh them of isolatn, prsn, and an abily to be onelf. Cematic masterpiece AND gay in.

Weird that most of Comey's ttimony is about how the Babadook beme a gay in— Adam Goldman (@theadamgoldman) June 7, 2017.

now he's fallg asleepand she's llg a band the babadook's gayand they're both really glad— alexis nedd (@alexisthenedd) June 7, 2017. When Ta-bell-rey posted the photo, the rult was an ongog bate about whether or not the Babadook actually was gay. While the origal Tumblr post was tend to be funny, many wrers and profsors have poted out that The Babadook’s unrlyg them uld be seen as ronatg wh the gay muny.

THE SECRET GAY HISTORY OF THE BABADOOK

Dean Eastwood, founr of the men’s gay liftyle magaze HISKIND, wrote about the siari between the Babadook’s troublg history and what many men go through when they’re alg wh g to terms wh their own sexualy, eventually g out.

THE BABADOOK IS NOW A GAY IN BEE THE PEOPLE WILLED TO BE SO

In an age where g out is still tough and the notn of supprsed inti and mental health issu are still strife wh the muny, the brief skeleton of the Babadook story — like many a ‘tortured soul’ storyle — may be nsired a ltle too close to home for a muny where more than half of LGBT pupils have experienced direct bullyg and where gay men are three tim more likely than heterosexual men to suffer om prsn.

GAY IN THE BABADOOK WAS THE UNOFFICIAL MAST OF LA PRI, AND IT WAS GLOR

Michael Varrati, the anizer of San Diego Comic Con’s queer horror panel, told Mic that by the morn fn of the term, the Babadook is a perfect example of a gay in. By ter culture standards, 's a gay hero, ” Varrati said.

The Babadook isn’t the first “monster” to be nsired a gay in, eher. All pi sold out but you n fd some Kent-signed on on eBay, gog for as much as $ started at the end of 2016, when a Tumblr er started a jokey thread about how he thought the Babadook was gay. “It started pickg up steam wh a few weeks, ” Ian, the Tumblr er, told New York Magaze, “bee dividuals who I prume are heterosexual kd of eaked out over the assertn that a horror movie villa would intify as queer—which I thk was the actual humor of the post, as opposed to jt the outright statement that the Babadook is gay.

” In June, the Babadook beme a symbol for Gay Pri month. Imag of the character appeared everywhere at this year's Gay Pri Para Los, who owns the rights to The Babadook, told IGN that, spe the origal film's populary, she's not planng on makg any sequels. Horror thriv on unnervg the viewer by preyg on the herent fear of the unknown, and homosexualy – really, anythg or anyone that fi typil genr norms – has been historilly misunrstood and maligned as a boogeyman.

WHY THE “GAY BABADOOK” MEME IS SO BEWCHG

Siarly, schools the Stat have been reportedly prohibg stunts om accsg LGBTQ lerature or searchg for rourc on the Inter, as if simply viewg material will njure the threat of homosexualy to realy when already exists. openly gay and wh an affy for hats and drama, the Babadook was the first time I saw myself reprented a film. Like the loomg threat of homosexualy, the Babadook terroriz an already actured fay, one that is d as otherwise nocent and ordary.

But for this year’s Pri – a time when queer muni are once aga facg stctive homophobic and transphobic phback after a perd of relative stabily – the Babadook has bee a symbol of rilience for a group often phed asi and disrd.

'THE BABADOOK' REACH NEW GAY IN STAT WH PRI-THEMED BLU-RAY

It all started when the eponymo boogeyman started poppg up at gay pri events 2017.

The ter turned imag of the Babadook at pri events to a full blown meme, and the rt was history (there’s also a lot of gay subtext Kent’s movie, which you n read about here).

IFC has announced is partnerg wh Shout Factory for a gay pri limed edn Blu-ray release of “The Babadook. ” The special release is butg this June celebratn of gay pri month and a portn of all proceeds will be donated to the Los Angel LGBT Center.

IS BABADOOK'S SUDN GAY-IN STAT SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE? OR KDA PROBLEMATIC?

The Babadook beme a cult horror villa followg his appearance the 2014 movie, but here's how he evolved to a gay pri in. The Babadook beme an stant horror in back 2014, but how did he evolve to an unlikely gay pri in too? Some readgs also suggt the movie is about Amelia g to terms wh her son's homosexualy.

‘THE BABADOOK’ DIRECTOR JENNIFER KENT SAYS HER FILM’S GAY IN STAT IS ‘CHARMG’

The Babadook was elevated to a gay pri in 2017, cludg the arrival of the hilar "Babashook" meme, and other fan artwork lettg him display his more fabulo si. His elevatn to gay pri legend ntu, wh Shout!

Jennifer Kent is also tensely amed at the way the character has found a send life, and even if she didn't tend that readg, 's safe to say Mister Babadook's gay pri stat has been cemented.

Next: Avengers: Endgame Has The MCU's First Openly-Gay Character (But Did It Work? The epicenter of Gay Babadookdom is a thread on Tumblr that was started late October of last year by a Tumblr er named Ian, who clared matter-of-factly that the Babadook is gay.

IT’S OFFICIAL: THE GAY BABADOOK HAS NETFLIX BABASHOOKTAKE A BABALOOK.BY LRA BRADLEYJUNE 9, 2017FROM ATLASPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBY NOW, SEEMS SAFE TO ASSUME THAT EVERYONE REGNIZ THE BABADOOK’S STAT AS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S GREATT GAY INS—RIGHT UP THERE WH RUPL, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MIRANDA PRITLY’S PURSED LIPS THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.FOR THOSE WHO DON’T? THE BABADISURSE ABOUT THE 2014 ATRALIAN HORROR MOVIE’S CENTRAL VILLA STARTED—WHERE ELSE?—ON TUMBLR, WHERE VAR ERS BAND TOGETHER LAST FALL TO SIST, NAY, MAND THAT EVERYONE REGNIZE THE HORROR VILLA AS THE PLEX GAY CHARACTER HE IS. (AS ONE ER FACETLY PUT , “IT MAY BE ‘JT A MOVIE’ TO YOU BUT TO THE L.G.B.T. MUNY THE BABADOOK IS A SYMBOL OF OUR JOURNEY.”) THE GHOUL’S OUT-AND-PROUD STAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE INTER’S MOST FUN -JOK FOR SEVERAL MONTHS—BUT WASN’T UNTIL PRI MONTH 2017 H THAT THIS NON-NONIL BUT LIGHTFUL VERSN OF THE CHARACTER MA BIG.NEED PROOF? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN NETFLIX’S TWTER ACUNT, WHICH ON FRIDAY SEEMED TO VALIDATE WHAT THE L.G.B.T. MUNY HAS KNOWN ALL ALONG: THE BABADOOK IS ONE OF .TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.THE TWEET ME WH NO FANFARE OR CUTY TEXT, BUT S TIMG—DURG THE FIRST WEEK OF PRI MONTH—MAK THE MSAGE OBV. AMGLY ENOUGH, NETFLIX BEME PART OF THE MEME EARLIER, WHEN A TUMBLR ER UPLOAD A SCREENSHOT DISPLAYG THE BABADOOK THE STREAMG SERVICE’S L.G.B.T. FILMS MENU. (THAT WAS LIKELY A DOCTORED SCREENSHOT, BUT HOPE SPRGS ETERNAL.) NOW, THOUGH, NETFLIX IS TAKG PART THE MEME SELF—I MEAN, REGNIZG THE TTH ABOUT THE BABADOOK’S GAY INTY. VANY FAIR HAS ALSO REACHED OUT TO DIRECTOR JENNIFER KENT FOR HER THOUGHTS ON THE MONSTER’S INTY.OF URSE, THE TWEET ALSO RAIS A HARROWG QUTN: IS THIS A SIGN OF RPORATE APPROPRIATN G TO YET ANOTHER BELOVED MEME? COULD GAY BABADOOK, LIKE SO MANY OTHER JOK, BEE JT ANOTHER G THE PALIST MACHE? (BEFORE YOU LE OUT THAT POSSIBILY, REMEMBER THAT WENDY’S MA A MERCIAL EARLIER THIS YEAR REFERENCG THE THEN-RECENTLY VIRAL BEE MOVIE. AND ALSO NEVER FET THIS.)SO FAR, SEEMS NETFLIX IS RPECTG THE BABADOOK’S STAT AS AN INIC ENTY UNTO HIMSELF, CREATED AND ENURAGED BY THE INTER. THE STREAMG GIANT’S TWEET IS UNRSTATED AND EE OM GIMMICKS. BUT KEEP YOUR EY PEELED, BABADOOK FANS—BEE CLEARLY, RPORATE AMERI HAS TAKEN NOTICE OF YOUR HERO. ONCE SOMEONE CIS THEY WANT TO DO A MERCIAL G THE KR, GENTLER BABADOOK AS VIRAL FODR, THERE’S A CHANCE THEY ULD MAKE SO—BY BABAHOOK OR BABACROOK.MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDHIGHBROW HORROR1 / 15CHEVRONCHEVRONCOL FIRTH APARTMENT ZEROBEFORE KG GEE VI, MR. DARCY, AND MARK DARCY, COL FIRTH PLAYED A SLIGHTLY LS SWEET CHARACTER *APARTMENT ZERO. *LRA BRADLEY

Tumblr ers talked about the Babadook as though everyone the world regnized him as a boundary-breakg gay hero; they ma fan art of an out-and-proud Babadook, his menacg gr rentextualized.

THE BABADOOK DIRECTOR CELEBRAT MONSTER'S GAY IN STAT: 'HE'S TRYG TO STAY RELEVANT'

From Tumblr, gay Babadook expand to Twter. “It started pickg up steam wh a few weeks, ” Ian believ, “bee dividuals who I prume are heterosexual kd of eaked out over the assertn that a horror-movie villa would intify as queer — which I thk was the actual humor of the post, as opposed to jt the outright statement that the Babadook is gay.