Questions for IT:
1) Why does Pennywise pick on members of the Loser’s Club?
2) What is the original form of Pennywise? Where does the demon come from?
3) What does the demon Pennywise want from the residents of Derry?
4) What is Americana, and how does it relate to the film?
5) Why does Pennywise kill Georgie? What happens to his body?
6) Why does the gang pick on the Loser’s Club? Why is there so much hatred in the community of Derry, and how does that invert expectations of small town America?
7) Why doesn’t Pennywise kill the adults of Derry?
8) How does the storyline of the film IT relate to the Industrial Revolution and the history of Derry?
9) How does the film IT portray adults?
10) Does the film IT represent an accurate portrayal of American small town life?
11) Why does Pennywise live in the sewer? Could you read that from a Freudian angle and talk about the anal stage? How many references to “poo” or “grey water” does the film make? Would that support the Freudian read?
Questions for The Babadook:
1) Why can’t Amelia resolve her grief regarding the death of her husband in the car crash? Might she actually blame Sam for his death? If so, what are the consequences for their relationship?
2) Amelia’s sister is a rotten sibling, why doesn’t she want to help? Why is her daughter such a rotten kid? How come there are so many rotten kids in this picture? Is it because the narrative is written from the perspective of Samuel? After all, he does make the direct statement: “Everybody hates me!” If that’s true, why does everyone hate him?
3) Who puts the broken glass in the soup? Does that have anything to do with pain Amelia experiences in her back molar? Is it real or imaginary pain?
4) Who writes the book The Babadook? What are the consequences to Samuel. In the book, the Babadook appears to want to kill Samuel, is that the unconscious desire of Amelia? How could a Mother ever want to kill a child?
5) How does Freud’s notion of the Oedipal Complex play out in the narrative of the film The Babadook? Would you still be able to understand the film even if you have never read any of Freud’s ideas? How so?
6) Why does Amelia kill the little dog, and then bury it in the back yard? Do the worms come from the decay of the carcass? Has the dog been sacrificed to the Babadook rather than Sam to appease it?
Questions for Paranormal Activity:
1) In P1, what exactly does the demon want from Katie? Does it ultimately get what it wants?
2) Why is Micah such a big jerk in Paranormal Activity? Why doesn’t Katie just leave him for a better choice in boyfriends?
3) Why does Katie allow Micah to film her in the bathroom when it’s clear that the demon lives in the attic? Why doesn’t Micah put the cameral in the attic after discovering that’s where the demon lives?
4) Why don’t Katie and Micah just leave their home after the demon starts bothering them? I know the psychic said that it wouldn’t do any good, but he also states that he’s not an expert on demons. Shouldn’t they at least check out into a hotel and see if it confuses the demon?
5) What does the demon communicate through the Ouija board? Is fire itself a form of communication?
6) Who edits the many hours of video footage that Micah shoots, and then puts it back together to form the film itself?
7) For crying out loud, why don’t they call the police? Or the FBI or CIA? I assume that either one of those agencies would love to investigate the presence of a demon on U.S. soil!