What Makes Coraline So Scary | Traven Talks

I was obsessed with horror when I was a kid.

I did everything I could to get my hands on it. I’d borrow books from that section of the library, I watched many a classic slasher in 10 to 15 minute chunks on Youtube, I spent hours wading through the wide world of creepypastas and “found footage” web series online, and thanks to my inattentive older brothers, got a healthy dose of Japanese horror. Of course, it often came at the expense of a good night’s sleep. There’s just something about the morbid nature of it all that peaked my curiosity, even if it was to my own detriment. But amongst all the gore and nightmares, there was always one film that stood out in my mind. It found a delicate balance between the intense dread that makes horror so exhilarating while still maintaining a childlike whimsy that makes it almost magical. It’s a dark fantasy that blends uncanny animation with a macabre story to create a uniquely twisted world I still can’t help but get lost in, and during this most spooky of time of the year, I want to talk about what I think makes it so horrifyingly special.

Based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a stop motion horror film directed by Henry Selick, animated by LAIKA about, well, Coraline, a curious young girl in a mundane world who's just moved into a new apartment with her busy parents as, in the midst of her frustrated boredom, she discovers a small locked door that leads to a fantastical version of her world, unaware of the trap she’s wandering into until it's too late.

It’s one of a few adaptations of Gaiman’s novella, alongside a graphic novel, a musical, an opera, and even a video game tie-in. It’s also become one of the highest grossing stop-motion features of all time. Yet, despite this success, it initially struggled to make it off the ground. It’s success was not always a guarantee, but I think it’s in those risks that it found its appeal, by bucking the trends expected of animated works at the time, something that can most obviously be seen in its . . .

LINKZ!
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♣| Come Fly With Me! |♣

♣| MUSIC USED |♣
- Dark Toys - SYBS

- Ending Credits - Bruno Coulais
Part of Coraline (Film - 2019)'s soundtrack

- Gagool - Kevin MacLeod

- Waltz To Death - Sir Cubworth

- Window Demons - roljui

- Righteous - Silent Partner

- Epilog Ghostpocalypse - Kevin MacLeod

- Gaia In Fog - Dan Bodan

- She Died Up There You Know - Dan Bodan

♣| FOOTAGE / MEDIA USED |♣
- Coraline (Film - 2009)
- A Nightmare On Elm Street (Film - 1984)
- Marble Hornets (Web Series - 2009)
- Ju-On: The Grudge (Film - 2002)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (Film - 1994)
- James and The Giant Peach (Film - 1996)
- What Makes Stop Motion So Creepy? | Traven Talks
- Coraline - Behind The Scenes

♣| OTHER MEDIA REFERENCED |♣
- Lord Loss, by Darren Shan (Book - 2005)
- IT, by Stephen King (Book - 1986)
- Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (Book - 2002)
- Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (Graphic Novel - 2008)
- Coraline (Musical - 2009)
- Coraline (Opera - 2018)
- Coraline (Game - 2009)
- Chicken Run (Film - 2000)
- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit (Film - 2005)

♣| SOURCES / FURTHER READING / ETC |♣
Articles on Coraline’s Production:

Q&A w/ Travis Knight & Neil Gaiman:

Interviews:
w/ Henry Selick

w/ Tadahiro Uesugi

w/ Deborah Cook

Box Office Data (from BoxOfficeMojo):

#halloween #coraline #laika #stopmotion #stopmotionanimation
#traventalks #videoessay

[TravenTalks]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


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[SuperGene]

I remember watching this when I was younger and it scared the ever living shit out of me

[jhhl]

There was a 3d DVD of Coraline that works with red/blue glasses! Selick was adamant to make the 3d of the fantasy worl more vivid and the "real world" more bland. The climactic spider-web is super scary in 3d!

[kobzarivna]

Awesome video! You've done great editing and fundamental research. Also loved thoughts about the story and symbolic meaning of Coraline.
I really enjoyed your video. You deserve much more views!

[whomcares]

To be honest, it’s one of my fav movies since kid.

[ratsinatrenchcoat]

I had the 3d version on DVD and it was duel sided disk. The 3d in my opinion was amazing in the film a lot of the scenes worked really well with it and it compliments the erie and spooky vibes of it

[NZPIEFACE.]

Your videos about Land of the Lustrous and stop motion, in general, makes me wonder if there are any 3DCGI stop motion animations. I really enjoy how you're playing around with your avatar in your videos. It gives the videos more personality than a disembodied voice would.

[Luxurious_count_levi]

I've just found your videos and I love them!

[chip]

I actually have a 3D dvd version of the movie from when it first came out. I loved it since the beginning. I actually feel like the movie is 3D with out the 3D lol

[monty_best]

Man miss Spink and miss forcible gave me the creeps plus when the popped out of their cucoon I was like shit ahh get away from me ugly rats