Some kid’s movies can be spooky, even for adults. And Coraline is definitely scary for many. The 2009 animated dark fantasy film not only has a creepy storyline, but the stop-motion animation design can heighten the darkness even more.
Based on the 2002 novella sharing the same name by Neil Gaiman, the movie follows the story of a character discovering and idealizing an alternate universe behind a secret door in her home, unaware that it contains something far darker and sinister than she could imagine. If you enjoy darker movies, then check out there movies like Coraline.
5. ParaNorman, Prime Video (2012)
ParaNorman is a 2012 animated horror comedy that features an ensemble of voices including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, and many more. It’s one of the best movies like Coraline, especially when it comes to their process, as they also use stop-motion. This one, however, uses a 3D color printer to create the character faces.
The movie follows Norman in the town of Blithe Hollow who can speak to the dead. However, no one besides his friend, Neil, believes his power. One day, Norman’s eccentric uncle tells him of an important annual ritual that protects the town from a curse cast by a witch that happened centuries ago, and Norman has to be the one to do it.
While reluctant, Norman agrees, but of course, things don’t go according to plan, and Norman not only struggles to save his town but discovers the truth of the curse.
4. Monster House, Netflix (2006)
If you’re looking for more movies like Coraline that highlight the haunted house theme, then look to Monster House. The supernatural horror comedy was released in 2006 and stars voices from Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Jason Lee, and more. The process used motion-capture animation for the characters, which was previously used in The Polar Express (2004).
The film follows a 13-year-old DJ who has a neighbor who destroys items that end up in his yard by the neighborhood children. When Halloween comes around and DJ is left home alone with a mean babysitter, he asks his friend to play, which leads them to the neighbor’s yard.
Soon, though, they find that it’s not just the neighbor who is terrifying, but the house itself, as it’s completely alive. DJ and friends must band together to take down the house before it wreaks havoc on the neighborhood.
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3. Beetlejuice, Max (1988)
Taking a step back from animation, we have the next option for the best movies like Coraline. This has a lot more humor, perfect for the ones who might not want to try out horror animations. The 1988 dark fantasy comedy was directed by Tim Burton and stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton.
With the second Beetlejuice coming out in 2024, it’s the perfect time to jump into the first movie, which follows a deceased couple. The ghosts still haunt their home, and they enjoy spending time decorating and doing mundane activities. But all of that is disrupted when a family movies, rather loudly as well. While they do their best to scare the new residents away, they just can’t do it, so they call upon the spirit of Beetlejuice to help them out.
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2. Corpse Bride, Disney Plus (2005)
Another amazing film by Tim Burton is Corpse Bride, one of the best movies like Coraline. The 2005 movie is an animated comedy musical fantasy film starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. The movie is yet another stop-motion movie that received critical praise for its humor, themes, animation, and songs. It won several awards, making it one of the best-animated movies of all time.
The story is set in the late 1800s in a Victorian village where a man and woman, named Victor and Victoria, are betrothed. The betrothment is not out of love, but of necessity as Victoria’s family is in need of money and Victor’s family wants to move up in society. But before the wedding starts, Victor goes into the woods to practice his vows, unaware he’s vowing marriage to a corpse bride named Emily.
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1. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Paramount (2004)
One of the best movies like Coraline is the 2004 black comedy adventure film. The movie is based on three novels by Lemony Snicket and has since received its own television show later. The movie was directed by Brad Silberling and starred Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara and Shelby Hoffman, and many more.
The movie follows three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are left orphaned when their house burns down with their parents still inside. The burning happened under mysterious circumstances but left the children with a distant relative, Count Olaf, played by Carrey. It’s soon found out that the Count only really cares about the children because of their large inheritance