The Babadook 2 (2025): You Can't Bury What Lives in the Shadows

Grief made him. Fear fed him. Now memory brings him back. 

The Babadook 2 (2025) marks the long-awaited return of the nightmarish creature that became an instant horror icon in Jennifer Kent’s 2014 debut. A decade later, the sequel doesn’t just revive the Babadook—it redefines it, digging deeper into the trauma, grief, and fear that gave the monster its strength in the first place.

The story picks up years after Amelia and her son Samuel survived the terror of the original film. Now in his twenties and studying psychology, Samuel is determined to confront his past by helping others with childhood trauma. But when a young girl named Isla moves into the old house on their street and begins hearing scratching noises at night, the past starts to claw its way back—literally.

As strange events escalate, Samuel begins to suspect the Babadook never truly left. Worse still, it has evolved, feeding on new fears and taking a stronger, more manipulative form. This time, it’s not just about fear of loss—it’s about the fear of inheritance, of becoming the very darkness you once survived.

With Jennifer Kent returning as writer-director, The Babadook 2 maintains the original’s haunting psychological depth while expanding the mythos. Atmospheric visuals, an eerie soundscape, and stunning performances craft a story that’s as emotionally devastating as it is terrifying. It’s a reminder that monsters aren’t always defeated—they’re managed, contained... until they're not.