Compelling Arguments That Support Coraline As A Horror Story Instead Of A Wholesome Children's Story
The Coraline fandom is about to argue.
Some stories blur the line between childhood nostalgia and straight-up nightmare fuel, and Coraline is one of the best examples. Released in 2009 and based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, the stop-motion film looks playful at first glance, but its eerie details have kept viewers debating what kind of movie it really is.
For some fans, especially adults revisiting it, Coraline feels less like a wholesome kids’ movie and more like a full horror story in disguise. At the same time, plenty of children have loved it for years, which only makes the debate more interesting.
Either way, the movie keeps finding new ways to feel unsettling, and the arguments for calling it horror are hard to ignore.
Whether you're on team "kids' movie" or team "explicitly scary stuff," you'll have to consider these compelling arguments in favor of Coraline being a horror film.
Focus FeaturesThe opening alone sets the tone.
1. The movie's entire opening is creepy as heck
Between the needle hands and the creepy doll body, honestly, it gives me shivers and nightmares.
Focus Features2. Wybie, the doll, and Coraline
Wybie is the grandson of the Jones family's landlord, and he finds this doll somewhere in his grandmother's house that is probably older than his grandma. He realizes it looks exactly like his new neighbor, Coraline Jones. What does he do? He puts the creepy thing on her doorstep for her to find. What the heck?
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3. The doll moves... on its own.
Have none of you seen Poltergeist? Annabelle? The doll moves on its own, y'all.
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4. In a totally classic "horror movie" trope, Coraline is forbidden from crawling through the mysterious door she's found.
What does a kid do when you tell them no? They do the thing even more. This is also a classic horror movie trope.
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5. Upon entering the world through the hidey-hole door, Coraline discovers that there are two of everyone.
The Other Mother, another Wybie, neighbors, dad, etc. That's terrifying, and then the Other Mother lets Coraline know that everyone has an other.
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That is where things start getting really strange.
6. Other Mother's world seems amazing! Then she tells Coraline she can stay forever... for a price.
All she has to do is sew these buttons onto her eyeballs. That's totally child-friendly, right? ...Right?
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7. At one point, Coraline realizes the Other Mother has been spying on her the entire time.
That makes kids feel good! I mean, Santa isn't traumatizing; why should the Other Mother be?
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8. Let's just take a moment to highlight this tidbit.
The Other Mother wants Coraline to live forever in her world and replace her first mother entirely. Y'all, that is what nightmares are made of. Also, this whole body doubles and replacement thing is eerily similar to the horror story Us.
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9. Parallels with a literal horror movie? Yep!
If you haven't heard of Ouija, it's a literal horror movie. It's impossible not to notice the parallels between scenes in Coraline, a "children's movie," and Ouija. For example, when Coraline uses the planchette (sort of, unofficially, but it's impossible not to see it as an occult item, honestly) to see creepy things.
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10. In perhaps one of the creepiest moments of the entire film...
The Other Mother stitched Wybie's face into a permanent smile because Coraline said he was too talkative. If that's not the creepiest...
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It only gets more unsettling from there.
Like the AITA fight over refusing a cousin’s stay during a family housing crisis, Coraline’s comfort comes with major backlash.
11. The more wholesome scenes included the musical numbers... which were still honestly horrifying.
These images are permanently imprinted in my brain.
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12. Other Wybie helped Coraline... and the Other Mother found out.
Other Wybie did what comes naturally in a horror film. He, uh, dusted himself. Gone. Bye-bye.
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13. Imagine your parents disappear.
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And you realize not only are they missing, but there's a creepy, CREEPY doll in their place.
Burn the doll. It's a horror movie, after all.
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14. Naturally, on top of the whole doll fiasco, now imagine your parents crying for help from inside a mirror.
HELP US!
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15. Or why not just imagine being trapped in a mirror dungeon yourself.
Don't worry, you have some companions! They're the ghosts of dead children, though. Coraline discovers the ghost children were killed by... the Other Mother!
EXCUSE THE HECK OUT OF ME, but that's terrifying. Disney would never.
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16. What did Coraline have to do to free the ghost children?
Naturally, she had to find their eyeballs.
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17. Obviously, we also have to mention that the Other Mother transforms into some horrifying spider thing.
That is literally a nightmare. It's a traumatic scene that stays with you.
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18. Just when you breathe a sigh of relief...
You learn that the Other Mother's HAND escaped and tries to drag Coraline, a child, down to drown in a well.
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That ending does not exactly scream bedtime story.
Relatable footage of all of us, right now, pondering the whole "kids' movie" thing about Coraline.
Maybe just slap on Disney+ today for the kids instead.
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Still shocked by Coraline’s creepy doll fallout? See why this AITA mom banned sisters’ tarantula from dinner: “AITA for Banning Sisters Tarantula from Family Dinner?”
