June is widely known as "Pride Month" for the LGBT community, and it is a time in which important movies like Milk, Boys Don't Cry, and Carol become even more prominent than usual. LGBT cinema has evolved into a genre unto itself, and Netflix has handily accommodated the desire for such content by directly including an LGBT category on its user interface. However, Netflix made the seemingly minor mistake of putting Australian horror film The Babadook in its "LGBT" category of movies, and now the Internet cannot get enough of the idea as we head into Pride Month. Check it out
For those of you who have not seen the movie, The Babadook is an Australian horror flick about a woman and her son who find themselves haunted by a monster from a children's book known as Mr. Babadook. Many movie fans think The Babadook is one of the best horror movies of the last few years, and its heavy emphasis on themes like grief and loss make it considerably more profound than the average horror romp. That said, the film has no real connection (thematic or otherwise) to the LGBT community, so its recent inclusion in the category was clearly a mistake on the part of someone at Netflix.
Rather than lambaste Netflix for the error, the Internet has wholeheartedly latched onto the idea of Mr. Babadook as an LGBT icon and turned it into one of this week's most delightfully silly memes. Moreover, numerous people have co-opted the title of the Australian horror flick and adopted "Babashook" as a rallying cry for Pride Month.
Some have even taken the time to include the monster in photos of landmark historical events for the gay community -- such as the Stonewall riots. Check out an example of such Photoshop mastery below.
Other social media posts even created a hilarious mythology behind the terrifying monster, offering a sense of pride and appreciation for his "journey" to self-acceptance.
If there is one core takeaway from this minor mistake, it is that we should learn to embrace it for its inherent humor. Whether through coincidence, accident, or happenstance, the inclusion of The Babadook in Netflix's LGBT category was likely never intentional, but the mistake has taken on a life of its own in a way that's both hilarious and oddly heartwarming. As of right now, there is no way of knowing whether or not Mr. Babadook will remain a permanent fixture in the LGBT community, but for Pride Month 2017, it seems that we have a great symbol on our hands.
If you haven't seen it, The Babadook is currently available to stream on Netflix. Beyond that, check out our 2017 movie premiere guide for more information related to 2017's most highly anticipated theatrical releases.
