The Eternal Haunt: Cult Obsessions with The Conjuring, The Babadook, and It Follows

Three shadows from the 2010s that refuse to dissipate, binding fans in rituals of dread and devotion long after the credits roll.

Over a decade since their releases, The Conjuring (2013), The Babadook (2014), and It Follows (2014) continue to exert a magnetic pull on horror enthusiasts. These films, born from the post-recession indie boom and mainstream supernatural revival, have evolved from theatrical curiosities into cornerstones of cult worship. Their enduring appeal lies not just in scares, but in the communal experiences they foster online and offline, where fans dissect symbolism, share fan art, and host marathon screenings.

  • Tracing the improbable journeys of these films from modest releases to fervent fanbases thriving on streaming platforms and social media.
  • Exploring shared motifs of inescapable trauma that resonate deeply in contemporary culture, fuelling endless reinterpretations.
  • Spotlighting the visionary directors and performers whose craft solidified these works as timeless touchstones of terror.

Genesis of Grip: From Screens to Shrines

The trajectory of these films into cult territory begins with their premiere contexts. The Conjuring, directed by James Wan, arrived amid a glut of found-footage fatigue, yet its polished period-piece hauntings in 1970s Rhode Island revitalised the haunted-house subgenre. Based loosely on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the film grossed over $319 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, but its true alchemy unfolded later. Fans latched onto Wan’s meticulous jump-scare architecture, where every creak builds unbearable tension, turning living rooms into participatory seances.

The Babadook, Jennifer Kent’s feature debut, premiered at Venice and Toronto festivals, earning immediate acclaim for its psychological depth. Centred on a widowed mother, Amelia (Essie Davis), and her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) tormented by a pop-up book monster embodying grief, it rejected spectacle for suffocating intimacy. Initial box-office struggles in Australia gave way to midnight cult screenings, with audiences chanting the creature’s rhyme. Its Netflix availability in 2015 supercharged discourse, positioning it as a metaphor for mental health struggles.

It Follows, David Robert Mitchell’s slow-burn nightmare, debuted at Cannes, confounding critics with its ambiguous sexually transmitted curse pursued by a relentless entity. Shot in Detroit’s derelict suburbs, the film’s synth score and wide-angle dread evoked 1980s nostalgia while tackling millennial anxieties. Limited release yielded $23 million globally, but Blu-ray cults and festival revivals cemented its status. Today, Reddit threads and TikTok edits perpetuate its mythology, with fans mapping “rules” for evasion.

What unites their ascent is timing: the early 2010s horror renaissance, spurred by VOD platforms, allowed niche visions to find audiences. Unlike franchise fodder, these films invited personal projection, spawning podcasts like “The Conjuring Files” and Babadook cosplay at conventions. Their cult status manifests in merchandise—from Babadook plushies to It Follows arcade cabinets—transforming passive viewing into active veneration.

Conjuring Covenants: Franchise Faith

The Conjuring‘s cult thrives on its universe expansion, yet purists revere the original for Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson’s grounded portrayals of the Warrens. The film’s bravura opening, with the Annabelle doll’s malevolence, sets a template for domestic invasion horror. Fans pore over Perron family accounts, debating authenticity in forums, while Wan’s dollhouse-like framing amplifies vulnerability. This ritualistic rewatching peaks during Halloween, with projection mappings recreating the Perron farmhouse.

Beyond scares, the film’s Catholic iconography—holy water, crucifixes—sparks theological debates among devotees. Online covens analyse Lorraine’s clairvoyance as feminist empowerment amid patriarchal hauntings. Its influence permeates The Nun spin-offs, but core fans guard the 2013 entry as sacred text, hosting ” Conjuring Nights” with period attire and ouija boards. Streaming metrics on Max reveal sustained views, underscoring its grip.

Babadook’s Burrow: Grief’s Lasting Echo

The Babadook‘s iconography—a top-hatted silhouette from a children’s book—has permeated pop culture, from memes to Pride flags after its ambiguous queer reading. Essie Davis’s raw breakdown in the kitchen scene, smashing dishes in hysterical fury, captures maternal collapse with unflinching realism. Fans empathise through personal stories of loss, forming support groups disguised as film clubs. Kent’s black-and-white flashbacks and shadow play elevate it to arthouse horror, rewarding multiple viewings.

Its cult amplified via social media: Tumblr GIFs of the wormy feast scene went viral, while Letterboxd logs reveal annual “grief watches.” Australian festivals now feature live readings of the book, with actors embodying the creature. The film’s restraint—no gore, just escalating mania—contrasts splatter peers, drawing literary horror aficionados who liken it to The Exorcist‘s possession but rooted in Freudian repression.

Followed Forever: The Endless Stalk

It Follows mesmerises with its premise: a shape-shifting pursuer walking at pedestrian pace, transferable only through sex. Maika Monroe’s Jay, post-curse, flees through abandoned pools and beaches, her terror palpable in long takes. Mitchell’s 4:3 aspect ratio evokes trapped childhood, while Rich Vreeland’s pulsing synths mimic heartbeat dread. Cultists debate the entity’s forms—grandmother, tall man—as projections of guilt, with fan theories linking to urban legends like Bloody Mary.

Its legacy pulses in A24’s prestige-horror wave, inspiring Hereditary and Midsommar. Detroit fan events feature “walkathons” mimicking the entity, while Discord servers simulate survival games. The film’s STD allegory, once controversial, now prompts mature discussions on consent and consequence, with university courses dissecting its formalism.

Threads of Dread: Shared Nightmares

These films converge on inescapable pursuit: demonic possession, grief manifestation, supernatural STD. Each weaponises the mundane—clap games, pop-up books, beach walks—into vectors of horror. This domesticates terror, making viewers complicit, a tactic amplifying cult bonds as fans share “it got me” testimonies.

Class underpinnings surface too: working-class Perrons, single-mum Amelia, aimless youths. They critique American Dream fragility, resonating post-2008. Gender flips traditional final girls; women confront, not flee, origins of pain. Sound design unifies: Wan’s stings, Kent’s whispers, Mitchell’s drones create somatic recall, key to obsessive rewatches.

Phantom Effects: Craft of Cult

Practical effects ground their authenticity. The Conjuring‘s levitating beds and rotting meat used pneumatics and prosthetics, avoiding CGI sheen. The Babadook‘s creature suit by Kaboom! Effects blended claymation eeriness with Davis’s physicality. It Follows shunned gore for implication, tall man’s silhouette achieved via stilts and forced perspective.

These choices foster tangibility, vital for cosplay and props. Fan recreations on YouTube dissect techniques, from Annabelle’s glassy eyes to Babadook’s jerky gait, preserving pre-digital charm amid Marvel excess. Cinematography—Wan’s Steadicam prowls, Kent’s claustrophobic frames, Mitchell’s symmetrical dread—invites frame analysis, deepening devotion.

Digital Possessions: Modern Cult Rituals

Today’s followings thrive digitally. TikTok duets sync scares to trends; Reddit’s r/horror spotlights theories. Merch booms: Funko Pops, enamel pins. Conventions like Fantastic Fest host panels with casts, while podcasts (Post Mortem) unpack Easter eggs. Streaming revivals on Shudder spike during pandemics, mirroring isolation themes.

Influence endures: The Conjuring birthed Blumhouse; Babadook normalised trauma horror; It Follows refined elevated terror. Remakes loom, but originals’ imperfections endear, like Wiseman’s unhinged screams or It Follows‘ divisive ending. Fans resist sanitisation, preserving raw edges.

Global reach expands: Japanese dubs spark kaiju comparisons; Latin American viewings tie to folktales. This transnational cult underscores horror’s universality, binding disparate souls in shared shudders.

Director in the Spotlight

James Wan, born 26 January 1978 in Kuching, Malaysia, to Chinese parents, emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, at age seven. Fascinated by horror from Jaws and The Exorcist, he studied film at RMIT University, co-founding Atomic Monster Productions. His 2004 short Saw exploded into a franchise-defining debut feature, blending traps with moral quandaries, grossing $103 million on $1.2 million. Wan directed Dead Silence (2007), a ventriloquist chiller, and Insidious (2010), pioneering astral projection scares.

The Conjuring (2013) marked his mainstream breakthrough, launching the universe including Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Annabelle (2014), and The Conjuring 2 (2016). Transitioning to blockbusters, he helmed Furious 7 (2015), honouring Paul Walker, then Aquaman (2018), the highest-grossing DC film at $1.15 billion. Malignant (2021) revived gonzo horror, while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) closed chapters. Producing Paranormal Activity, Upgrade, and M3GAN, Wan’s oeuvre spans microbudget ingenuity to spectacle, influencing jump-scare precision worldwide. Upcoming: The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025).

Filmography highlights: Saw (2004: trapmaster origin); Dead Silence (2007: puppet possession); Insidious (2010: dream hauntings); The Conjuring (2013: family exorcism); Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013: lipstick entity); Furious 7 (2015: action spectacle); The Conjuring 2 (2016: Enfield poltergeist); Aquaman (2018: underwater epic); Malignant (2021: body horror twist); Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023: sibling rivalry).

Actor in the Spotlight

Essie Davis, born 23 December 1970 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, grew up on a farm, developing resilience from rural isolation. Trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), she debuted in TV’s Police Rescue (1994) and theatre with Sydney Theatre Company, earning critical acclaim in Richard III. Film breakthrough came with The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions (2003) as Lady Persephone, showcasing icy poise.

Davis shone in period dramas: Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), The Navigator (2004), and Marie Antoinette (2006). The Babadook (2014) catapulted her to horror icon, her visceral grief earning AACTA and Fangoria awards. Subsequent roles included The Revenant (2015) as Myra, Assassin’s Creed (2016), and Lion (2016), netting Oscar buzz. TV triumphs: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015) as glamorous sleuth, Golden Globe-nominated; Marco Polo (2014-2016). Recent: Azor (2021), True Spirit (2023), voicing in Ernest & Celestine: Have a Nice Trip! (2024). Versatile across genres, Davis embodies emotional ferocity.

Filmography highlights: The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions (2003: underworld boss); Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003: Catholic maid); The Babadook (2014: tormented mother); The Revenant (2015: frontierswoman); Lion (2016: adoptive mother); Assassin’s Creed (2016: Templar leader); The Justice of Bunny King (2021: wronged aunt); True Spirit (2023: mentor sailor); Nitram (2021: troubled parent).

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Bibliography

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Hudson, D. (2015) It Follows: A Retrospective. Sight & Sound, 25(4), pp. 34-37. Available at: https://www.bfi.org.uk (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Kent, J. (2014) Interview: Grief and Monsters. IndieWire. Available at: https://www.indiewire.com (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Mitchell, D.R. (2015) The Pursuit: On It Follows. Filmmaker Magazine, 23(2). Available at: https://filmmakermagazine.com (Accessed 15 October 2024).

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West, R. (2018) Elevated Horror: From It Follows to Hereditary. Collider. Available at: https://collider.com (Accessed 15 October 2024).