Welcome, creeps. Let’s talk about the greatest spookfest ever created. A perfect blend of childlike wonder and dread. A film that taunts you with its PG rating and leaves you wanting more
. “Coraline.”
Wikipedia describes the design style as “3D stop-motion dark fantasy horror,” which basically means it’s a mix of computer animation and claymation. But the fact that even Wikipedia acknowledges that this is a “dark fantasy horror” movie is awesome. It’s awesome because you can tell the production team knew they were taking a risk with the PG rating. There was a lot of backlash from parents about this movie being advertised as a children’s movie. Parents would become horrified (as would their children) as they observed children being locked in closets until they die, pained ghosts, the implication of eye gouging, bug eating, rat killing, parent kidnapping, and so much more. And the truth is, this isn’t a children’s movie. But it doesn’t necessarily feel like a real horror movie either. It feels like a dark dream. Not scary, but dark. Dark, magical, and strange.
Coraline’s sto
ry begins when she moves from Michigan to the Pink Palace with her mother (Teri Hatcher) and father (John Hodgeman), who don’t have a lot of time for Coraline (Dakota Fanning) between work and house improvements. She tries to spend time with her neighbors above and below her, Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French), the retired actresses, and Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), an athletic older man who claims to be training circus mice. She finds them incredibly strange, however, and gives up communication. Then she finds the door.
A small door with bricks boarding it up comes alive at night, taking Coraline to another world identical to her reality, but better. Her parents have all the time in the world for her, the neighbors put on elaborate shows for her, and she is showered with gifts and food and company. And a talking cat!
But when Coraline tries to go back to the normal world, things get complicated. The Other Mother kidnaps her parents, and Coraline must complete the Other Mother’s dangerous, dark game to find them and close the portal.
What makes this movie so captivating is its ability to go with the flow. The production crew must have realized this would be too scary for some children, but they decided to go with the spooky, dark PG-esque horror anyway. It gives off the perfect Halloween vibe.
Themes of family, trust, and what real love looks like are relevant throughout the film. Coraline has to realize that real love isn’t always coated in sugar with a cherry on top. It can be hard, you c
an get lonely, but if it’s real, you’ll get through it and come out with a stronger relationship.
The design is beautiful. Every movement has a purpose, ever camera angle is trying to show you something specific. There’s never a dull moment. You never know what’s coming. Everything is so laced with a sense of unease that you don’t know if things are okay or about to go to shit. And when things do go to shit, they really go to shit.
This movie is a troubled child’s fever dream. It’s amazing. Watch it. Or the Other Mother will kidnap your parents.
Mooney's Corner 