Among my favorite horror movies are those that use horror to reveal a particular mundane but brutal reality of human existence. Horror is named so for a reason: it deals with the macabre, with the things that hurt, threaten, or scare us--do any horror movies not deal with a brutal reality of human existence, in that sense?
But my favorite movies, horror or otherwise, offer nuanced storytelling through the use of metaphor, the fantastical, and amplification through allegory to highlight the mundane horrors of life itself. These stories are not necessarily what they appear to be on their face: a story about a woman whose elderly mother seems to be haunted is an allegory for dealing with dementia (Relic, 2020). A movie about a therapist who wants to help a boy overcome his fears of seeing dead people turns out to be struggling to accept his own death (The Sixth Sense, 1999).
These films deal not simply with supernatural fears of ghosts, monsters, and zombies or unlikely extremes of serial killers and insane-asylum escapees on a rampage, but the four existential horsemen: death and loss (anything born will someday die, including our loved ones and ourselves), freedom (responsibility for our choices and living with their consequences), isolation (we are all ultimately alone despite our relationships), and meaninglessness (there is no universal truth or ultimate meaning, only what you make).
This kind of storytelling doesn't necessarily belong to one genre or even one horror subgenre. It can be found in comedy (Groundhog Day, 1993), drama (Melancholia, 2011), science fiction (Annihilation, 2018), and more. Existential-themed horror is not about the shape of the monsters but about the dread and hopelessness that always lurks under the surface of our consciousness. Pop the popcorn and let's get emotionally wrecked!
Coraline (2009) may seem only a shallow and whimsical dip into the horror genre and some may doubt it belongs there at all (although they are free to be wrong), but besides the ghosts and the demon/spider mother and the alternate dimension where everyone's eyes have been removed, it also confronts an existential paradox (if less brutally than some other films). Coraline shows us that while it is frustrating and even painful to not get what we want, getting what we want can be even worse.
“Coraline sighed. 'You really don't understand do you?' she said. 'I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted, just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then?”
If we got everything we wanted, the joy of having our longing fulfilled could not exist (you can't know the light without the dark, you have to feel pain to feel relief from it--you know this story).
But let's be real, it's not just confronting the deep and painful that draws us to Coraline, it's the concoction of one part cute, one part creepy, and one part downright odd that plays out in a glorious stop-motion romp through the underworld--or should I say, the otherworld.
The world of the Other Mother promises Coraline everything she ever wanted: attentive parents who give her everything, constant entertainment, her favorite meals, the perfect bedroom. At first, the Other Mother looks and sounds just like Coraline's real mother but a more lively, patient, and joyful version (nevermind that her eyes have been replaced by buttons).
The other mother's façade starts to decompose and we see just how sinister she really is as the story progresses. She has trapped children and stolen their lives and she plans to do the same with Coraline. Coraline's real parents may be busy, impatient, and not always so fun, but it could be worse!
And it almost is. Coraline escapes from the trap only to find that her parents have become trapped themselves by the Other Mother, forcing Coraline to go back through the little door to the other world once more to rescue them.
Coraline is a brilliant movie based on a brilliant book by Neil Gaiman and I heartily recommend both. But let's get to the knit!
The movie takes place just before spring, so most everyone is wearing sweaters and long sleeves. Knit clothing is sprinkled everywhere, even worn by Coraline's friends who come to life inside a photo frame in Coraline's other bedroom.
Coraline's mom works on editing a garden catalog sitting at the kitchen table on a dreary, cold day outside, so she's staying warm in an off-white knit pullover.
At initial glance, mom's sweater looks to have a turtleneck or cowl neckline but that's only because the pullover blends into the neck brace that she wears throughout the movie (even the mom-dad doll has a tiny-upon-tiny neck brace!). Her pullover also extends down over her hips which makes it perfect for wearing with leggings, the official mom pants of the 21st century (hashtagNotSponsored).
One subtle detail that might be easily missed is the diamond stitch pattern on the body of the sweater. A stitch pattern like this can sometimes be done using cables (where stitches cross over each other) such as in a diamond lattice pattern or by using twisted stitches to give the appearance of cables without having to actually use the cable technique.
Knit or crochet the look:
L to R: Jesper / photo & pattern credit: Julie Hoover (cabled, knit); Diamond Bliss / photo & pattern credit: Drops Design (cabled, knit, free); The Librarian / photo & pattern credit: Skeindeer Knits (no cables, knit); bottom: Diamond Bobble Sweater / photo & pattern credit: Carrie M. Chambers (no cables, crochet, free)
The thing that makes Coraline so special when it comes to knitwear is that some of the pieces were actually hand-knit in miniature. Althea Crome is the master miniature knitter who worked on some of Coraline's wardrobe. According to her website, her gauge can be upwards of 80 stitches per inch (even just thinking about working that small gives me hives). Ironically, she actually had to scale way up to 28 stitches per inch because the pieces weren't reading as 'knit' on screen--the fabric appeared too fine and looked just like regular fabric. In the end, she says she knit 14 star sweaters and 6 pairs of gloves for the film.
The knitwear star of this film is Coraline's star-covered blue pullover. The body of the actual hand-knit piece is only just over an inch wide.
The stars are not knitted into the fabric but appear to have been attached after the fact as an appliqué, perhaps either with glue, sewing, or needle-felting.
To create a life-sized star sweater, you could also use an appliqué technique but this may be less practical or sturdy since you'll want to be able to wear and wash the garment repeatedly over its lifespan. Instead, the intarsia or stranded colorwork methods may be preferred in order to embed the stars within your knitting rather than sitting on top of it. For this sweater, both methods have their benefits and hassles.
Intarsia is a method of colorwork that uses bobbins wound with a particular color (in this case, white) to isolate a portion of that color in a certain location of the fabric like a patch, rather than carrying the strands of color along with you as you knit the main piece. When there are only a few isolated patches of color, this method is best, but there are many stars on Coraline's sweater. You would need a lot of bobbins (or butterflies) if you wanted as many stars as Coraline's sweater has, which could be a hassle. However, this method would prevent you from having to carry the white yarn along behind every single row and catch your floats constantly on rows where white wasn't needed.
On the other hand, stranded colorwork would omit needing to struggle with multiple bobbins hanging off your piece at any given time for the duration of the knit. If you struggle with tension issues (especially when catching long floats) or only want a few stars on your sweater, this method might not be preferable.
To knit or crochet an intarsia version, you'll want a sweater pattern that is created in flat pieces (worked back and forth) and then seamed together for the best results (intarsia in the round can be difficult). To knit or crochet a stranded colorwork version, a sweater pattern meant to be worked in the round, either top down or bottom up, will prove easiest (knitting on the wrong side with floats can be an additional challenge).
Knit or crochet the look!
L to R: Sloppy Joe Star Sweater / pattern & photo credit: Crucci Magic (intarsia, knit); Bright Above Me / pattern & photo credit: Dieuwke Schack-Mulligen (stranded, knit); All-Star Sweater / pattern & photo credit: Stephanie Erin (tapestry crochet); #21 Star Sweater / pattern credit: Sandi Prosser, photo: Soho Publishing (intarsia, knit)
Don't see one you like? You can adapt your favorite sweater pattern by adding your own stars with the use of a repeatable charted star pattern such as this one:
Next is, of course, the gloves.
Coraline's got style, and needs to express her individuality! She begs her mom for orange and green striped gloves she sees while shopping for "boring, grey clothing" that the whole school is going to wear.
These gloves were also hand-knit in tiny scale by Althea, and she has generously shared a diagram of the color and stitch pattern she used to create them for free at her website!
The pattern calls for 8/0 needles (that's .5mm), which she sells on her website and thread.
But if you need your gloves just a skosh bigger than XXXS, you can knit or crochet the look by using one of these patterns along with the right colors of yarn to make your very own Coraline gloves.
L to R: Evil Genius gloves / photo & pattern credit: Yarmando (knit, free); Fitted Gloves / photo & pattern credit: Aardvark Crochet (crochet, free); Autumn Stripes / photo & pattern credit: Drops Designs (knit, free)
Although it could easily be meant to be a simple long-sleeved tee, a close up of Coraline's orange-striped sweater looks just like knit. Any sweatshirt or other top can including ribbing on the cuffs and sleeves, but the tell-tale stockinette stitch columns seem to go all the way up her sleeve, not just at the cuff.
My personal love of Coraline has inspired me to knit and crochet several pieces, including this striped top. I used the Pixelated Pullover pattern by Jennifer Beaumont but chose to substitute a striped orange pattern to mimic Coraline's top as closely as I could.
Although it appears to be a woven fabric in the film and not crochet or knit, I chose to crochet Coraline's bag, using this free pattern by Lena Skvagerson and omitting the embroidery. I also sewed a lining for it in nearly the same color. The pin and patch were happy finds from none other than Hot Topic.
I've also had some fun with Coraline amigurumi. I used this free pattern for Wybie by Sharon Ojala and have yet to try this free pattern by the same maker for the cat. It's not knit or crochet, but I even made a squid monster toy out of felt. It would be even more fun to knit a version and felt it in the washing machine. The Coraline doll and felt monster have no pattern except the tattered remnants of memory in my brain. Patons Metallic Yarn in the colorway Blue Steel was a near perfect match for the look of Coraline's hair.
Until next time, remember...
…"do not go through little door."
Geek Out:
Althea, Coraline, and Tiny Gloves and Sweaters / interview in The Oregonian
