The Horror of Childhood: The Babadook (15)

Building on film seasons from the past 3 years, the University of Leicester’s School of Criminology, Sociology, and Social Policy is once again partnering with Phoenix Cinema to bring you a brilliant film paired with discussion of how this represents childhood and children.

This year we are leaning into the Halloween season and showing The Babadook (15), a 2014 horror film about how a mother and child respond to change, grief, and the monsters that we share our lives with.

Before the film, there will be a talk about how and why children are presented as objects of fear in media, discussing what this means for our overall perception of both our own childhoods, and the experiences of children today. After the film there will be an audience Q&A with the opportunity to understand more about horror, hauntings, and childhood. Additionally, all attendees will receive a copy of It’s Spooked! A ‘zine created especially for this event

Building on criminological research looking at representations of youth justice in fictional film, this event will show the audience how and why media influences public opinion of youth justice, and thus why the depiction of children as scary is impactful in reality. Combining this with sociological work on childhood memory, attendees will be encouraged to engage with their own experiences, contextualising this in relation to horror, and how we idealise our own experiences, whilst othering alternatives.

This event is led by Dr Jessica Urwin, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Leicester, and Laurie Parsons, Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leicester. Jessica’s research focuses on youth justice, and representations of youth justice on film. Laurie’s work focuses on experiences of childhood memories and uncanniness. Both are horror fans and the creators of the ‘zine It’s Spooked!

All over the age of 15 are welcome to attend.

This event is for horror fans, those who want to delve a bit deeper into the media they engage with, and anyone with an interest in criminology, sociology, or media studies.