the babadook – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HORROR’S WARNING ABOUT IGNORING WOMEN – Essay by Stephanie Malone

April 11, 2025April 17, 2025 Guest Post CARRIE, guest post, hereditary, horror, promising young woman, rosemary;s baby, Stephanie Malone, the babadook, the female gaze, the lodge

A chillingly common thread in many iconic horror movies is the refusal to believe women when they voice their fears, their suspicions, or their trauma. This narrative mirrors a grim reality rooted in history: women have long struggled to have their experiences, especially those regarding mental health and abuse, taken seriously. The implications go beyond mere storytelling. Statistics from organizations like the National Network to End Domestic Violence reveal that over 70% of domestic violence cases are never reported, often because survivors fear that they will not be believed or that they will face retribution. Let’s dive into some unforgettable horror films where disbelief in a woman’s voice escalates the terror.

Reviews

THE BABADOOK – Review by Diane Carson

August 8, 2024August 11, 2024 Diane Carson australian films, Essie Davis, horror, jennifer kent, rerelease, the babadook

The best horror films translate nerve-jangling fears into frightening scenarios, tapping into conscious as well as suppressed anxieties: the malevolent stranger, the elusive intruder, or the evil doppelganger. The deliriously unnerving Australian film The Babadook capitalizes on those terrors, probing the dark, repressed unconscious of widow Amelia who struggles to care for and about her increasingly difficult son Samuel.

Interviews

Jennifer Kent on THE NIGHTINGALE and Witnessing Violence -Jessica Zack interviews

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 Jessica Zack 0 Comments female directors, jennifer kent, motw, Movie of the Week, the babadook, the nightingale

Sexual violence is excruciating to watch. So is any violence motivated by racism. And with her new film The Nightingale, an elemental, near-mythic 19th century revenge tale told from a woman’s perspective, Jennifer Kent wants to remind us that they absolutely should be.

Reviews

THE BABADOOK – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

October 23, 2014February 22, 2026 MaryAnn Johanson 0 Comments Babadook, the babadook

Genuinely horrific and deeply scary. There are momentary shocks here, and then there are the eerie shadows and the prickling-on-the-back-of-your neck ickies that worm their way into your head only to bubble back up when you least expect them. And they are terrible and awful and — because this is only a movie — wonderful and fun not because a random boogeyman created via a focus-grouping of the Top 10 Things That Creep People Out (dolls! clowns! hockey masks!) jumps out at you, but because they draw on the most primal of emotions that we all experience: Loneliness. Frustration (sexual and emotional). Loss. Grief.