Issue Details: First known date: 2019... 2019 Babashook : The Babadook, Gay Iconography and Internet Cultures
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'Upon its 2014 release, Australian film The Babadook (Kent, 2014), gained critical acclaim worldwide. While the film gathered high praise, its domestic release was impeded by a lack of marketing support and ongoing debate about the quality of Australian horror films. By 2015, The Babadook was available to stream on Netflix in the United States, and one would imagine, to gradually fade from view. Yet a seemingly innocent categorization error on Netflix in 2016, which listed The Babadook as an LGBT interest film, resulted in a revival of the film’s popularity as a cult film and the emergence of the Babadook as ‘a frightening, fabulous new gay icon’. This article will trace the production history of The Babadook from its theatrical release through to its Netflix premiere and the evolution of the Babadook as a gay icon. Using Jenkins et al.’s work on spreadable media, the influence and spread of Internet content will be highlighted against the backdrop of contemporary political movements. In turn I will propose a number of categories essential to gay iconography, and explore how Internet cultures continually refine and expand these categories for widespread dissemination. The case study of the Babadook’s representation at American Pride Month in June 2017 will be used to illustrate the ability of Internet cultures to appropriate popular culture for political impact in marginalized communities.'  (Publication abstract)

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  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture vol. 8 no. 1 2019 16393203 2019 periodical issue

    'The global screen industries are rapidly changing. Digital disruption has altered the way content is produced, distributed and consumed, and 'screen' no longer refers to just film and television. Audiences increasingly favour convenient access to content over remaining loyal to established providers of watching on particular devices/platforms (Neilson 2016). Despite this ongoing state of change, screen - and we consider that term broadly - remains an integral part of how we consume and create popular culture. Access to popular culture is increasingly pervasive and all-consuming for audiences, signalling what Jenkins et al. (2013) identify as 'spreadable media' in which circulation (or participatory sharing of content) is becoming more meaningful than distribution of content. This shift has led to greater demand for new content, niche content and the revival of many nostalgic forms of popular culture. This issue of the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture examines the theme of 'Screening Popular Culture'.  (Elizabeth Ellison and Tess Van Hemert: Editorial introduction)

    2019
    pg. 7-26
Last amended 31 Jan 2022 10:27:52
7-26 Babashook : The Babadook, Gay Iconography and Internet Culturessmall AustLit logo The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture
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