by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Truly disturbing horror films don't always have to involve gruesome killings like those in the Terrifier series, the gruesome images of a David Cronenberg film, or the horror scenes in horror films. Screaming; It can, in fact, be wonderfully animated and colourful, as with Coraline. It might be hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen the movie how disturbing it is, but that's part of what makes it so great and a great introduction to horror. The tale of a young girl stumbling into another world begins gently, but like a frog in a pot of boiling water, viewers realize too late what they are about to experience.
Gothic horror for kids
Coraline is a bored 11-year-old girl who discovers a strange corridor in her family's new home that leads her into a world exactly like her own, except here, her parents pay attention to her, smother her with love, and everyone has strange things. Buttons above their eyes. The “other world” is full of temptations to force her to stay, and her “other mother” makes this offer that, except to stay, buttons must be sewn over her eyes. It's honestly not a big show, and it's pretty clear that the “other mother” is not in favor, but that's not a mystery; It's gothic horror.
Gothic horror focuses on the horrific, unsettling feeling that something isn't quite right, and the change in animation, lighting, and color palette between the real world and the “other world” captures that feeling of unease before you see how everyone feels the doppelganger runs “off.” Coraline It eventually introduces ghosts, another staple of the genre, before it all comes together for a happy ending.
The really disturbing part of Coraline Not the images, but the temptation, the knowledge that the “other world” is wrong, but you can feel how the young girl weighs and thinks about her options. Beyond the supernatural and the horrific, gothic horror is about heightened emotion and emotion that overwhelms all common sense, and that's what's so unsettling about this story. We know it's dangerous, we know it's wrong, and Coraline knows the same thing, but there's still that little part that thinks, “But what if?”
Handmade horror dolls
Despite the unsettling setting and powerful story Coraline It's helped it develop a lifelong fanbase, and the visuals certainly help. Animated by Laika, the studio originally founded by the legendary animator Will FentonThe stop-motion images add to the sense of unreality that pervades the entire film. Despite the help of CGI, thousands of models were made for the film, with over a hundred physical sets designed to support the elaborate puppet movement at work behind not only the main characters but even background elements, from dancing flowers to eerie paintings.
Coraline It's an impressive display of practical special effects, but it's also supported by the voice cast, which includes Dakota Fanning as Coraline and Teri Hatcher as her mother, joined by judges John Hodgman, Keith David, and Ian McShane. But what's even more impressive is that the film has been re-released twice this year, once over the summer, and again over the summer HalloweenWhich grossed more than $53 million. Set in 2024, 15 years after its original release in 2009.
Between the vivid, stunning and gorgeous images and the well-crafted story, Coraline It has transcended being a cult classic to become the most successful animated film of all time and a true classic of cinema. If you want to introduce someone to horror, there's no better movie than this. Even if you're a fan of your favorite Michael Myers movie, it's still an enjoyable film, and at 100 minutes long, it's an easy watch that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
Coraline Streaming now for free It's Toby.
