Everyone knows that Babadook is perfect for horror story lovers, but few know the reasons that made it an icon of the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2014, Jennifer Kent brought to the screen what has been classified as one of the most outstanding horror films of this century, in fact, it has the support of a reference in the genre, as it has been praised by William Friedkin, the director of The Exorcist (1973). TO Babadook It is credited not only with bringing back Australian cinema, but also with introducing a much deeper and more stylised method of storytelling, from an emotional point of view. Without underestimating the impeccable performance of Essie Davis, the real protagonist is the monster itself, which ended up becoming a modern queer icon.
For those who haven't been lucky enough to see one of the productions that perfectly combines creepy atmosphere with horrifying Jump Scares, the Babadook is a fairy tale creature brought to life by the trauma and pain of a child. While the eye-catching name and simplicity of its design draws attention, there are other reasons why, In 2017, he became the mascot of the Pride season..
Babadook became a cultural phenomenon
The film managed to capture the hearts of the LGBTQ+ community
In a matter of time, and against all odds, Babadopk managed to generate a transcendental impact on culture. But that's not all, the correct use of the techniques that horror films use to scare gave it the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best productions of the genre and regain prominence after captivating the hearts of the LGBTQ+ community.
However, An Internet meme led to the birth of the Gay BabadookAs you might expect, given that the platform has been responsible for some huge moments in online culture, the microblogging website Tumblr.com is where the idea originated.
The details regarding the emergence of this icon are shrouded in mystery. According to various sources, in 2016, An Internet user came across the name of Babadork in the Netflix genre categorywhich placed it as an LGBT production.
Beyond the possibility of being a photomontage, or a confusion of the platform's algorithm, The company accepted it through an official statement on his Twitter account.
The controversial debate surrounding the character's homosexuality
This wasn't the first time Mr. Babadook has been embroiled in discussions about his innate sexual inclination. Previously, a Tumblr user brought up the topic with his post: “Whenever someone says the Babadook isn't openly gay it's like, did you even see the movie?”.
From that moment on, countless comments were generated that not only concluded that the character was gay, but that They turned him into the ultimate divaeasily comparable to great queer icons, including Patti LuPone and Elton John himself.
From the Internet to the real world
The film remains a great example of a horror film.
It didn't take long for the idea of the Gay Babadook to gain traction on social media, so She quickly left the online world to become the face of Pride 2017giving rise to a true revolution.
In this way, we were able to appreciate from the launch of products with his face, to drag queens dressed like himWithout complications, this creature from nightmares ended up carrying the rainbow flag.
In this sense, unlike what many might think, The reaction of the writer and director of the film was favorable. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Jennifer Kent said she was surprised by the recent and peculiar popularity achieved by her character. However, she also said that she welcomed the meme with open arms, because she always enjoys a good story, and what happened only served to increase the relevance of Mr. Babadook.
Definitely, although Gay Babadook was born, lived and died like any other meme, it had enough impact to mark a milestone, after all, its appearance and the context of the film fit very well with the elements that define the queer icon.
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