A deeper look into a Halloween classic, “Coraline”

The movie “Coraline” is one of halloween’s classic cinematic masterpieces. For those of you that have not watched this production, not only is this a must see, but this movie will remain in your thoughts for the rest of your life, and will make you want to watch over and over again. Coraline is a young girl that recently moves into a new home with her two parents, neighboring an apartment filled with many other residents. Curious and bored out of her mind, she explores the new house, and finds a secret door that can only be opened with one button shaped key. An alternate world filled with mirrored aspects of her own life is discovered, peeking her interest as it is in many ways better than her real life; but little does she know, it is all a plot for her Other Mother to hold her captive and ultimately take her soul.

From the very beginning, there is a short clip of metal hands making a doll that accurately depicts Coraline, but instead with button eyes. This doll is used throughout the rest of the movie, sent from the Other Mother to Coraline. Button eyes are a prominent recurrence in this movie, and is used in a relatively evil sense, contrasting its original harmless intentions. The Other Mother utilizes these buttons on the doll to see into Coraline’s life, finding out what parts of it make her unhappy, in an attempt to lure her into the world she has created specifically for Coraline. The buttons are also a clear indicator of how to know if we are in the alternate world, contributing to the control and power the Other Mother craves to hold over everyone. This constant need for control over not only Coraline, but the other children from the past that she already took the souls from, as well as every other character she recreated in the world is what keeps her authoritative mindset going. The want for Coraline, however, can be seen through a more empathetic lense, as some may think that what all the Other Mother really craves is something to love, and for something to genuinely love her back as a motherifgure.

The key, the top being shaped as a black button, is also an important symbol throughout the movie. Keys usually depict a sense of unlocking something, and finding desirable or intriguing items inside. This holds true in the movie, as Coraline finds herself in a seemingly blessed environment, enticed with delicious looking and tasting food, parents that pay attention to Coraline (the biggest factor in what Coraline craves), as well as more “freedom” to Coraline to do what pleases her. The other meaning a key can have, however, is locking you into a space or mindset, which too is portrayed in the film. There is only one key that makes it possible for the characters to get from Coraline’s real world, and the altered one the Other Mother created- making it an item both the Other Mother and Coraline want to have control over. The feeling of being trapped is something nobody wants to feel, even and especially the Other Mother, which is why as towards the end of the movie, the key must be destroyed to get rid of that feeling for Coraline forever.

At one point, Coraline gets trapped in a mirror after she angers the Other Mother by trying to run away from her, making her an “unappreciative disgraceful child”. Mirrors act as an object that lets one see a copied image of real life, but manages to look slightly different, which mirrors (pun intended) the setting of the real world vs the altered one that was created. This also ties into how Coraline initially feels about entering the parallel universe, as it seems very familiar, yet there is the underlying notion that something is wrong. As the Other Mother created the warped world as a reflection to Coraline’s real life, this also forces Coraline to truly reflect upon her current relations with her parents and new life at the home, and how maybe she is not giving both her parents and the location a fair shot at redemption and vindication.

“Coraline” is condensely filled with symbols and overarching themes of control and deception, making the production so cinematically perfect. This movie is my all time favorite, no questions asked, and it has stuck with me in its number one spot since I first saw it in 2009. I would recommend this film to anyone and everyone, despite the creepiness that it depicts that sometimes serve as the tip to dislikeness that some people feel about this movie.