In preparation for the month of everything scary, I’ve recently re-watched one of my favorite movies growing up. “Coraline” is the story of a young girl who upon moving from her home in Michigan and into her new home of Oregon with her parents, gets prayed upon by the “Other-Mother” and has to not only find her parents but find her way back home.
This movie is very special to me because it is also a favorite of my older sister. She loves this movie and we would often watch it together. But this movie, other than the fact that it is so important to me, is also very good. I personally love how at the start of the movie, we get to see the actual process of what is presumably the Other Mothers doll making, and her way to entrap the children she needs to consume to placate her hunger.
Dealing with neglectful parents, Coraline is forced into finding other things to do around the house, which leads her to finding a small door in another room that leads to the ‘Other World’. To me, the Other Mothers’ creepiness really adds to the overall eerie mood of the film. Throughout the entire movie, you can sense the tension in the other house, specifically when Coraline refuses to allow the Other Mother to sew buttons into her eyes, and also when the Other father tries to subtly help Coraline out. The film did a great job of enhancing the slow unraveling of the Other World the longer the Other Mother goes without consuming Coraline, and really emphasizes the Other Mothers’ desperation and the fakeness of it all.
I also am fond of the black cat in this movie, who with his unique ability to speak, is able to float between both worlds. He really gave the movie a more mysterious vibe to me, which really made my enjoyment of it skyrocket. I also love the standout side characters throughout this movie, from Bobinski, to Mrs. Forcible and Mrs. Spink. They really bring the world to life, and as a viewer, I really felt as though this quaint place was real, like there could be people who act just like this somewhere. The differences between Coraline’s real parents and her fake parents was interesting to me as well. While Coraline’s real parents were neglectful and did not notice her much, her other parents were doting and did everything she asked.
The climax of the movie, where Coraline has to fight the Other Mother to save her kidnapped parents and go home, was honestly my favorite part. Coraline being such a fierce girl really made me root for her, and the Other Mothers terrifying transformation into her true form still gives me chills to this day. When she finally got home to her parents, they finally seemed to notice her and finally started to garden, tying back to Coraline’s first wish at the very start of the film.
Overall, this movie will probably be in my heart forever, and I may even reference it in a future Halloween costume. I will continue to love it and rewatch it each time it nears Halloween.
