The Babadook most generally appears as a towering, shadowy bogeyman wearing a black coat and hat, with long, claw-like hands and a pale, frightening face. The Babadook haunts whomever reads its poem and hides inside a pop-up book that mysteriously appears in random homes. As its prey becomes more frightened, the Babadook becomes more monstrous. When single mother Amelia reads the book to Samuel, both she and her son become increasingly paranoid.