The Babadook’s Creator Gets Why He’s Become a Gay Icon…Sort of

As we all know, the B in LGBTQ+ stands for Babadook*, but why? The character's creator thinks she has an idea.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, journalist Nick Romano asked Jennifer Kent, the writer and director of the 2014 modern horror movie classic, why she thinks the film's titular monster has become a queer icon over the past couple years -- you know, aside from the viral Tumblr post that led to the memes that led to the thinkpieces that led to the signs at Pride marches and so on.

"I'm still trying to work that one out... It's quite perplexing," she said. "I feel it's really quite beautiful, but I still have no idea why."

After thinking about it for a second, though, Kent changed her mind.

"I guess he's an outsider of sorts," she told Romano. "It's funny. It's charming, I think, that the gay community has latched onto it. It's really sweet. He's trying to prolong his life, he's trying to stay relevant."

As announced earlier this month, home video distributors Shout! Factory has released a commemorative rainbow-striped edition of The Babadook on Blu-Ray in honor of Pride month.

"I got one in the mail," Kent said, when asked if she'd gotten her copy yet. "It's got pride of place on my bookshelf."

* This is a joke. I'm not actually erasing bisexuals. Please don't cancel me. I beg you. Think of my dog who lives with my ex that I never really see that much.

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