7 Coraline Fan Theories That Make The Movie Even Creepier

This stop-motion film already has a fascinating yet creepy plot. With the Beldam trying to take Coraline hostage and the eerie well in the woods, fans love the creativity that goes into this lovable film. However, many questions are still left unanswered. Since the author or the people who worked on the film haven’t provided clarity, many fans have taken it upon themselves to fill in the plot holes. Here are 7 Coraline fan theories that make the movie even creepier.

7. The Well

At the beginning of the film, Coraline searches for and ultimately finds an old abandoned well in the woods. The lid to the well is surrounded by mushrooms, which could indicate that it is a fairy ring.

This piece of folklore is known for being portals to other dimensions. Though the other world has not been confirmed as a separate dimension, it isn’t an unreasonable assumption.

When Coraline’s neighbor, Wybie, describes the well, he says, “if you fell to the bottom and looked up, you’d see a sky of stars in the middle of the day.” Regardless of what time it is in the real world, the other world always has a sky full of stars.

6. Wybie’s Grandma Helped The Beldam

During the film, we learn that the Other Mother, also known as The Beldam, has taken more than one child as her victim. Coraline meets the ghost children — one of whom is the twin sister of Wybie’s grandma.

Wybie explains to Coraline that his grandma never rents the Pink Palace to people with children after her sister went missing. This begs the question: why did she rent it to Coraline’s family?

Some fans suggest that Wybie’s grandma knew about the other mother and offered a deal. She could not bear to lose Wybie, so instead, she offered Coraline in his place.

5. Mr. Bobinsky

While every character in Coraline has a typical skin color, the eccentric upstairs neighbor, Mr. Bobinsky, has blue skin. Fans cannot help but wonder why.

Many people believe he may have been a Chornobyl Liquidator. These individuals were tasked with reducing the damage of the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chornobyl in the Soviet Union. When taking a closer look at the medal he wears on his shirt, the details look eerily similar to the liquidator medal these people received for their hard work.

When the electrically charged protons and electrons move faster than the speed of light in a particular medium, they can appear to have a blue glow.

Fans believe that Mr. Bobinsky’s blue complexion is a result of radiation poisoning.

4. The Cat is Wybie’s Great-Grandfather

The black cat is a lovable character with a mysterious background. He is the only known creature who can freely travel between the worlds and who has a human-like understanding. He can even talk when he is in the other world. The question is, who is he, where did he come from, and why is he so attached to Wybie and Coraline?

Some fans suggest that the black cat is actually Wybie’s great-grandfather. Not only would this explain his attachment to Wybie, but also his attachment to Coraline. He lost his daughter to The Beldam and doesn’t want another young girl to fall victim to her tricks.

This would also explain the cat’s expansive knowledge of the other world. Near the end of the movie, the cat knew to tell Coraline to challenge the other mother to a game. He also warned Coraline that she doesn’t play fair. This suggests that he may have challenged her to a game and lost as a result of her cheating. As punishment, she turned him into a cat.

The cat and the other mother clearly have a history with each other, and a negative history at that. When Coraline competes against her in the game, she gets help from the ghost children and the other father. Their actions suggest that they may have seen this happen before and know exactly how to help Coraline.

3. Coraline’s Real Mom Was In On It. Until…

Some fans suggest that Coraline’s real mom was in on the charade until she had a change of heart halfway through the film.

In the beginning, Coraline’s mom knew exactly which key opened the little door to the other world. Although there was a drawer filled with miscellaneous keys, she seemed to be searching for the one with the button on the end. She even says, “Will you stop pestering me if I do this for you?” before opening the door, almost asking if opening the door to the other mother will entice Coraline to leave. This suggests that she knew what was behind the door and was using it as a way to get rid of Coraline.

When Coraline has her first run-in with Wybie, she tells her mom that she almost fell down a well and that she “could’ve died.” Her mom’s response is simply, “That’s nice.” While this could be written off as not paying attention, it could also mean that the mom wanted to get rid of her. This holds even more merit if the theory about well-being as a portal to the other world is true.

This could also explain why Wybie’s grandma rented to Coraline’s family in the first place. If Coraline’s mom lied about having a child in the house, knowing it was the only way to get rid of Coraline, the child-free policy would not have been an issue.

Coraline’s mom must have had a change of heart, however, when she locks the door and hides the key. If she really believed it led to a brick wall, what would be the purpose of locking it?

In addition, the other mother, realizing Coraline’s mom ruined her plan, which she was initially fine with, may have been the catalyst for The Beldam’s kidnapping of both of Coraline’s parents.

2. Miss Spink and Forcible Knew All Along

When Coraline goes to her downstairs neighbors, Miss Spink and Forcible, for help when her parents are missing, the two ladies seem unusually calm. Almost as if they have seen these events take place before.

It is also unusual that they knew exactly what to give her: the looking stone. Instead of calling the police, as most adults would, they knew law enforcement would be no help in this situation.

This would also explain the dates on each taffy jar. Each date corresponds to the year a child went missing. If you look at the clothes of each of the ghost children, their wardrobes align with the dates seen on the candy dishes.

Coraline’s jar, however, does not have a date. Hers would be added once she officially went missing. However, in this case, the day never came.

1. Coraline Never Really Escaped

The last theory is possibly the creepiest Coraline fan theory of all. After the brave fight against the Other Mother, Coraline finally escapes her clutches and leaves the Other World behind her…or does she?

Fans speculate that Coraline’s escape is just another trick by The Beldam. Throughout the film, Coraline returns to the real world by going to sleep and waking up in her own bed. Some people believe that she never really left.

When Coraline tries to leave the other world after The Other Mother tries to sew buttons in her eyes. To do so, she fell asleep in her bed. When she wakes up, however, she is still in the other world. If falling asleep were really the key to getting back home, it would have worked. Instead, the Other Mother simply recreates the real world to trick Coraline.

The ghost children even tell Coraline in the book that once they entered the door, they never saw their real mothers again. It is possible that they were also subject to the Other Mother’s tricks and didn’t realize it until it was too late.

Some parts of this theory extend even further. Some fans believe that the Other World is actually the belly of an ancient beast. Every time Coraline crawls through the tunnel, she goes further and further into the beast. She even mentions in the book that each trip through the tunnel feels longer than the last, suggesting that it might not be the same one every time.

If this theory is true, the suggestion is that The Other Mother is stuck in the world herself, instead of being the one to create it. Coraline escapes the Beldam but is still unknowingly stuck in the Other World. If this is true, Coraline would become the next Beldam, seeking children to feed off of and sustain her.