The Babadook: parents' guide
Best for ages 15 and up. Not formally rated.
A slow-building psychological horror film for older teens who are ready for heavy themes. A widowed mother, worn down by grief and her difficult young son, comes to believe a monster from a storybook has entered their home. The most upsetting material is the mother turning on her own child: she threatens him, strangles him and kills the family dog. Expect gory nightmare images, a couple of f-words and a brief scene of a woman masturbating under the covers. It was released in the US without a rating; we suggest 15 for the sustained dread and the child in danger.
What's in it
Violence
StrongThe possessed mother snaps the family dog's neck, strangles her son and threatens to kill him, and he stabs her leg with a knife. Earlier he pushes his cousin out of a treehouse, breaking her nose. Nightmares show a split-open head and a bloodied boy.
Language
ModerateMovieguide counted two f-words among about half a dozen obscenities. Also "s--t," "bitch," "bloody," "crap" and "damn," with much of the harsh talk coming from the mother in moments of rage.
Sex and nudity
ModerateA woman uses a vibrator under her blankets, moaning, until her son interrupts her. A married couple kisses. No nudity.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
MildNo drinking or smoking. The mother takes prescription sleeping medication and asks a doctor for sedatives to help her son sleep.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongRelentless dread: a shadowy figure in a top hat crawls across the ceiling, a pop-up book foretells killings, and the mother's slide into madness puts a small boy in danger again and again. Seizures and black vomit add to it.
Sensitive topics
- Child abuse
- Animal death
- Death of a parent
Worth talking about
The monster can be read as grief that was never faced. Ask your teen what the ending suggests about living with loss rather than defeating it.
On our lists
Similar picks around 15+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, movieguide.org, Wikipedia, the MPA. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.