Coraline Review

Based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name, the film Coraline is a dark gem among its contemporaries in the juvenile horror genre. A masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, Coraline is a film that reflects how powerful an intentional crew of filmmakers can be. Directed by the same man who worked on films like James and the Giant Peach, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline matches its director, Henry Selick’s, previous works in precision and tone. Costumed in Selick’s signature stop-motion animation style, the visuals of Coraline aid in building a strong atmospheric setting that establishes the film’s dark tone. The almost delayed movements of the characters, just stiff enough to cause a bit of unease, creates a universally unnerving quality totally separate from the plot. Despite its PG rating, Coraline still manages to invoke a sense of true fear in both the children of its intended audience, and the adults who come across it. Exploring the themes of isolation, facing your fears, and appreciating all that you have.

The film follows its namesake and protagonist Coraline, a curious, and largely unattended, girl who stumbles upon a pocket universe that seems like paradise. As a door reveals itself to Coraline in the dead of night, she is lured by a white mouse to the other world, paralleling that of Alice in Wonderland. There, Coraline is not ignored by her busy parents and forced to deal with her isolation. Instead, she is greeted by her other mother and other father, button-eyed and ready to fulfill her lonely heart’s every desire. Coraline’s complex character dynamics with her parents and the ominous villain are the movie’s first great strengths. The grip of the film’s central villain can be felt prior to Coraline even entering the other world. By playing into Coraline’s grand sense of self sufficiency, the antagonist sets in motion the sequence of events that lead her into the clutches of the other world.

Coraline’s biggest strength as a horror film lies in its ability to invoke a sense of dread in the viewer. Going into the movie, the audience is aware of the premise and the fact that Coraline is in danger, but she is not. The fear of the unknown is widespread and used excessively in the horror genre, but Coraline flips that on its head by placing the fear in what the viewer knows and what the protagonist does not. The blend of the visuals and soundtrack foreshadow many of what is to come, while simultaneously being used to draw Coraline in. The hectic instrumentation as Coraline follows the mouse into the other world, sets off alarm bells in the viewer. The uneasy violin that hums softly in the background when Coraline meets the other mother, tells them that she has entered a trap, but the song the other father dedicates to Coraline when she first arrives feels to her like a welcome home. The vividly colored other world juxtaposes greatly with the gray toned reality Coraline lives in, but is also riddled with meticulously placed clues to reveal the sinister undertones to the audience as they watch her navigate her supposed dream-world, which they know to be a spider’s web.

The ending sequence of Coraline takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride as the foreshadowing finally culminates in a large burst of action. It assures that even the most skittish of viewers will be glued to their seat as their nerves rest while the credits roll, but it doesn’t do much to aid in being child friendly. Henry Selick referred to Coraline’s target audience as being, ‘brave children at any age,’ and although masterfully done the film is nightmare fuel sure to scar many kids who watch it initially. Similar to Dateline it’s best to not watch Coraline alone, or with kids unless they have parents who enjoy tormenting them. Otherwise it’s a great movie for fans of Tim Burton, or those who enjoy atmospheric films of any kind.