The Babadook ending explained remains one of the most discussed conclusions in modern horror cinema, sparking debates about metaphor, mental illness, and the nature of grief since the film’s release in 2014. Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut subverted genre expectations by delivering a finale that confused some viewers expecting a conventional monster defeat while deeply resonating with others who recognized its psychological depth. The Australian horror film’s conclusion refuses easy answers, instead offering a resolution that feels both unsettling and strangely hopeful.
Understanding the ending of The Babadook requires grappling with questions that the film poses throughout its runtime: What do we do with feelings we cannot destroy? How do mothers navigate the complex emotions surrounding difficult children? Can grief ever truly be conquered, or must it simply be managed? These questions make the film essential viewing not just for horror fans but for anyone interested in how cinema can explore psychological trauma through genre conventions. By the end of this analysis, readers will understand the symbolic meaning behind Amelia feeding the Babadook in the basement, why the monster cannot be killed, and how the film’s conclusion represents a mature understanding of living with trauma and depression. The ending transforms what initially appears to be a straightforward creature feature into something far more profound””a meditation on motherhood, loss, and the monsters we carry within ourselves.
Table of Contents
- What Does the Ending of The Babadook Actually Mean?
- The Babadook as a Metaphor for Grief and Depression
- Why the Babadook Cannot Be Killed: Living With Trauma
- How Amelia’s Relationship With Samuel Changes After the Ending
- The Significance of the Pop-Up Book in The Babadook’s Narrative
- Director Jennifer Kent’s Vision and Thematic Intentions
- How to Prepare
- How to Apply This
- Expert Tips
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Does the Ending of The Babadook Actually Mean?
The final scenes of The Babadook show Amelia, having survived her possession-like state, now living peacefully with her son Samuel. The twist comes when she gathers worms from the garden and descends into the basement to feed something””the Babadook itself, still alive and living beneath their home. This sequence confuses viewers expecting the monster’s destruction but makes perfect sense within the film’s symbolic framework.
The Babadook represents Amelia’s suppressed grief over her husband Oskar’s death, which occurred in a car accident while driving her to the hospital to give birth to Samuel. For nearly seven years, Amelia has refused to process this trauma, storing Oskar’s belongings in the basement and forbidding any mention of him. The monster manifests when this repressed pain can no longer be contained, literally emerging from a mysterious pop-up book that externalizes her internal state.
- The basement symbolizes the unconscious mind where painful memories are stored
- Feeding the creature represents acknowledging and tending to grief rather than ignoring it
- The Babadook’s continued existence reflects the reality that trauma cannot be simply eliminated
- Samuel’s exclusion from the basement indicates that children should be protected from adult grief while parents still process it privately
The Babadook as a Metaphor for Grief and Depression
Jennifer Kent has confirmed in numerous interviews that The Babadook functions as an extended metaphor for grief, depression, and the darker aspects of motherhood that society often refuses to acknowledge. The monster’s behavior mirrors how unprocessed trauma operates””it grows stronger when ignored, demands attention through increasingly destructive means, and cannot be reasoned with or wished away.
The progression of the Babadook’s power throughout the film directly correlates with Amelia’s deteriorating mental state. As she loses sleep, becomes isolated, and fails to address her unresolved feelings about Oskar’s death, the creature gains strength. Her eventual willingness to face the monster head-on””screaming at it, asserting her authority, and protecting Samuel””represents the turning point where she finally confronts what she has been avoiding.
- Depression often worsens when sufferers attempt to suppress or ignore it
- The monster cannot enter any room unless “let in,” mirroring how we must acknowledge difficult emotions before processing them
- Amelia’s violence toward Samuel while possessed reflects the disturbing reality that grief can make us harm those we love most
- The creature’s weakness when confronted demonstrates that facing trauma diminishes its power, even if it cannot eliminate it entirely
Why the Babadook Cannot Be Killed: Living With Trauma
One of the most mature aspects of The Babadook’s conclusion is its acknowledgment that certain experiences leave permanent marks. The film rejects the comforting but unrealistic notion that trauma can be fully overcome or destroyed. Instead, it proposes that healing means learning to coexist with pain, managing it rather than expecting its complete disappearance.
This approach distinguishes The Babadook from most horror films, where defeating the monster provides cathartic closure. Kent’s film suggests that real psychological healing is less dramatic but more sustainable. Amelia does not exorcise her grief; she domesticates it. The Babadook becomes a manageable presence, confined to a specific space and requiring regular attention but no longer controlling her life or threatening her relationship with Samuel.
- Trauma survivors often describe learning to “live with” rather than “get over” their experiences
- The daily ritual of feeding the monster represents ongoing maintenance that mental health requires
- Containment rather than destruction reflects therapeutic approaches to managing depression and grief
- The quieter, smaller Babadook in the final scene suggests that acknowledged pain loses its overwhelming power
How Amelia’s Relationship With Samuel Changes After the Ending
The transformation in Amelia and Samuel’s relationship provides the emotional core of the film’s resolution. Throughout most of the narrative, Amelia struggles to connect with her son, viewing him through the lens of her husband’s death. Samuel’s birthday coincides with the anniversary of Oskar’s fatal accident, creating an association between celebration and tragedy that poisons their bond.
By the film’s end, Amelia has separated her grief from her son. She can finally celebrate Samuel’s birthday on its actual date, something she has avoided for seven years. The garden scene where she watches Samuel perform magic tricks radiates warmth absent from earlier scenes, suggesting genuine maternal affection freed from resentment and guilt.
- Samuel’s behavioral problems largely disappear once his mother’s mental state stabilizes
- The birthday celebration represents Amelia finally seeing Samuel as a separate person rather than a reminder of loss
- Their physical affection in the final scenes contrasts sharply with Amelia’s earlier revulsion
- Samuel helping gather worms shows him participating in family life without being burdened by adult trauma
The Significance of the Pop-Up Book in The Babadook’s Narrative
The mysterious pop-up book that introduces the Babadook serves multiple narrative and symbolic functions. Its origin remains deliberately ambiguous””Amelia does not remember acquiring it, and no explanation for its appearance is ever provided. This ambiguity reinforces the film’s psychological interpretation, suggesting the book manifests from Amelia’s own unconscious rather than arriving from an external supernatural source.
When Amelia destroys the book, it reappears on her doorstep, reassembled and now containing images predicting her murder of Samuel and suicide. This escalation demonstrates a crucial point: suppressing or destroying representations of trauma does not eliminate the underlying pain. The trauma simply returns in more threatening forms, demanding acknowledgment.
- The book’s children’s story format suggests how childhood experiences shape adult psychology
- Amelia’s possible authorship (she writes children’s books) implies the monster is her own creation
- The rhyming text parodies nursery rhymes, connecting innocence with horror
- The book’s final appearance in the basement, carefully preserved, shows Amelia now maintaining rather than destroying the record of her experience
Director Jennifer Kent’s Vision and Thematic Intentions
Jennifer Kent developed The Babadook over several years, basing it on her 2005 short film Monster. Her personal experiences with grief and her observations of friends struggling with motherhood informed the narrative. Kent has been explicit that she wanted to explore the taboo emotions mothers sometimes feel toward their children””the frustration, resentment, and occasional violent urges that society insists women never experience.
Kent’s directorial choices reinforce the psychological reading of the film. The Babadook’s design””a shadowy figure in a top hat with elongated fingers””resembles both silent film villains and children’s book illustrations, connecting it to imagination and representation rather than corporeal reality. The creature is never fully shown in clear light, maintaining its status as something between hallucination and manifestation.
- The film’s color palette shifts from gray and muted to warmer tones after the climax
- Sound design emphasizes Amelia’s subjective experience, blurring the line between reality and perception
- Kent avoided CGI for the Babadook, using practical effects that feel more like theatrical illusion than realistic monster
- The director has stated she sees the ending as hopeful rather than tragic
How to Prepare
- **Note Amelia’s avoidance patterns throughout the film.** She refuses to discuss Oskar, keeps his belongings locked away, and celebrates Samuel’s birthday days before the actual date. These details establish her unprocessed grief before the Babadook explicitly represents it.
- **Pay attention to Samuel’s behavioral issues.** His violence, screaming, and weapon-building initially seem like the primary problem, but these behaviors stem from his mother’s emotional unavailability and his own anxiety about her mental state.
- **Track the Babadook’s increasing power.** Each appearance corresponds to moments when Amelia fails to address her underlying issues””after she destroys the book, when she isolates herself further, and when she stops sleeping entirely.
- **Observe the basement’s role in the narrative.** Before the climax, the basement stores Oskar’s belongings and remains off-limits. Its transformation into the Babadook’s domain reconfigures rather than eliminates this function.
- **Consider the film’s recurring motif of watching.** Television plays constantly, showing old movies and news reports about mothers harming children. These external narratives mirror and foreshadow Amelia’s internal struggle.
How to Apply This
- **Recognize metaphorical monsters in other horror films.** Many acclaimed horror works use creatures to represent internal states””anxiety, addiction, generational trauma. The Babadook provides a template for this interpretive approach.
- **Apply the “what does the monster want?” question.** The Babadook wants acknowledgment and entry””it demands to be “let in.” Identifying what a horror monster seeks often reveals its symbolic meaning.
- **Look for endings that complicate rather than resolve.** The most psychologically sophisticated horror films resist tidy conclusions. Healing is ongoing, and the best genre works reflect this reality.
- **Consider the protagonist’s arc separate from the monster’s fate.** In The Babadook, Amelia’s character development matters more than whether the creature “wins.” Her growth provides the real resolution.
Expert Tips
- **Watch the film twice with different focus points.** The first viewing tends to emphasize horror elements while subsequent viewings reveal psychological depth and character detail that enriches the ending’s meaning.
- **Read about the “good enough mother” concept from psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott.** This theory, which suggests that perfect mothering is impossible and unnecessary, directly informs Kent’s portrayal of Amelia and the film’s ultimate acceptance of complicated maternal feelings.
- **Pay attention to what the Babadook says versus what it does.** The monster threatens to harm Samuel, but in the possession sequence, it is Amelia who becomes dangerous. The creature enables rather than commits violence, reflecting how trauma operates.
- **Notice the film’s treatment of outside help.** Social workers, doctors, and Amelia’s sister all fail to provide meaningful assistance, reflecting how mental health struggles often remain invisible to external observers.
- **Consider the worms as a symbolic choice.** Amelia feeds the Babadook earthworms””creatures associated with death, decay, and the underground. This sustenance connects grief to mortality while suggesting that even dark emotions have a natural place in life’s cycle.
Conclusion
The Babadook’s ending offers a mature, psychologically sophisticated resolution that rejects both simple triumph and nihilistic defeat. By showing Amelia feeding the creature rather than destroying it, the film acknowledges that grief, trauma, and the darker aspects of human experience cannot be eliminated but can be managed. This conclusion resonates because it reflects lived experience””most people cannot destroy their painful memories or complicated feelings, but they can learn to contain and tend to them.
The film’s continued relevance stems from its honest portrayal of motherhood, depression, and loss. Rather than offering false comfort or easy answers, The Babadook suggests that healing means accepting what cannot be changed while still fighting for connection and love. Amelia ends the film as an imperfect but loving mother, someone who has confronted her demons without fully vanquishing them. For viewers struggling with their own metaphorical Babadooks, this ending provides something more valuable than fictional victory: a model for sustainable survival.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it typically take to see results?
Results vary depending on individual circumstances, but most people begin to see meaningful progress within 4-8 weeks of consistent effort.
Is this approach suitable for beginners?
Yes, this approach works well for beginners when implemented gradually. Starting with the fundamentals leads to better long-term results.
What are the most common mistakes to avoid?
The most common mistakes include rushing the process, skipping foundational steps, and failing to track progress.
How can I measure my progress effectively?
Set specific, measurable goals at the outset and track relevant metrics regularly. Keep a journal to document your journey.
