What is the name of the monster in the 2014 horror film The Babadook?

The monster in the 2014 horror film The Babadook is called the Babadook.

Written and directed by Jennifer Kent, the Australian film follows Amelia, a grieving widow, and her young son Samuel. Their lives become increasingly disturbed after Samuel discovers a mysterious pop-up book titled Mister Babadook. The book introduces the creature through the repeated phrase “If it’s in a word or it’s in a look,” making the monster’s name central to the story.

The Babadook is presented as a tall, shadowy figure wearing a top hat and formal coat. Its design draws on expressionist and theatrical imagery, while the film’s story connects supernatural terror with grief, exhaustion, and unresolved trauma.

The creature is sometimes casually described as a boogeyman, but that is a generic category rather than its specific name. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and became one of the best-known Australian horror movies of the 2010s.