Coraline Page #13

TALL OTHER MOTHER

You may come out when you've learned to

be a loving daughter!

She PULLS HER HEAD OUT and leaves Coraline in DARKNESS.

Coraline pounds on the mirror-door, kicks it with her

blue boots. A SOB wells up in her throat.

And then we hear a SOFT GHOSTLY MOAN.

She turns. She can just make out a sagging iron bed. When

the voice speaks, there is a faint glow from beneath its

stained cover.

CORALINE:

(frightened)

Who’s there?

TALL GIRL GHOST (O.S.)

(whispers)

Hush! And shush! For the Beldam might be

listening!

Coraline steps towards the bed, the faint glow from under

the covers in sync with the words she hears.

CORALINE:

(whispers)

You ... you mean the Other Mother? ...

She gently pulls back the sheets.

The DIMLY GLOWING GHOSTS of THREE CHILDREN, BUTTON EYES,

SIT UP:
a SWEET GIRL GHOST, Coraline’s size; a TALL GIRL

GHOST, emotional; a young BOY GHOST, very sad.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Who are you?

BOY GHOST:

(wistful)

Don’t remember our names... But I ‘member

my true mommy...

The boy, dressed like Huck Finn, CONJURES up ghost

flowers.

The strange-looking flowers wither and fade. He’s so sad

that Coraline takes his cold hand and squeezes it.

CORALINE:

Why are you all here?

ALL GHOSTS:

The Beldam!

The ghosts move about in a dance macabre, like ghostly

fish in water.

SWEET GIRL GHOST

She spied on our lives,

through the little doll's eyes,

BOY GHOST:

And saw that we weren't happy.

TALL GIRL GHOST:

So she lured us away,

TALL GIRL GHOST (CONT’D)

with treasures and treats,

SWEET GIRL GHOST

and games to play!

BOY GHOST:

Gave all that we asked

SWEET GIRL GHOST

yet we still wanted more

TALL GIRL GHOST:

So we let her sew the buttons.

BOY GHOST:

She said that she loved us,

TALL GIRL GHOST:

But she locked us here

ALL GHOSTS:

And ate up our lives.

The ghosts fall back into their bed and sink down.

Coraline is stunned. She thinks a little and then speaks,

trying to steady her voice.

CORALINE:

Well, she can’t keep me in the dark

forever; not if she wants to win my life.

Beating her is my only chance.

A beat. Then the Sweet Girl asks in her sing-song way:

SWEET GIRL GHOST

Perhaps, if you do win your escape, you

could find our eyes?

CORALINE:

Has she taken those, too?

SWEET GIRL GHOST

Yes, miss. And hidden them.

BOY GHOST:

Find our eyes, mistress, and our souls

will be freed.

CORALINE:

I ... I’ll try.

The ghosts PULSE with hope. Coraline sits down against

the mirror door, bounces her head against it. She’s not

hopeless.

Suddenly, HANDS REACH THROUGH THE MIRROR and PULL HER

OUT!

INT. OTHER HALLWAY - NIGHT

C.U. of Coraline’s FACE, eyes wild, as she TEARS at the

hands that hold her. She GRABS one and, FLIPS her MASKED

ATTACKER onto the ground. She pulls off his mask: it’s

the OTHER WYBIE, his mouth stitched into a PAINFUL, EAR

TO EAR SMILE.

CORALINE:

(panting)

WYBIE?..

Coraline sits him up.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Did she do this to you?

She unstitches his painfully-huge grin.

CORALINE (CONT’D)

I hope that feels bet-

OTHER WYBIE:

Shhh.

He stops her with a finger to her lips, and points to the

Other Living Room, its door UNLOCKED AND OPEN. He grabs

her hand and PULLS her there.

INT. OTHER LIVING ROOM – CONTINUOUS

It's dark, the bug furniture asleep. They run to the big

armoire bug that guards the little door and SHOVE IT out

of the way. It CRASHES to the floor. And from upstairs, a

voice calls out.

TALL OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

Coraline? Is that you!

CORALINE:

Let’s go!

She opens the little door. A COLD WIND blows from the

dark passageway, now filled with SPIDER WEBS and the

SHOES, COATS, AND HATS of other kids who tried to escape.

TALL OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

Coraline...

The tunnel MOVES at the sound of her voice. Coraline

takes Other Wybie's arm.

CORALINE:

Come on. She’ll hurt you again!

He shakes his head no, then pulls off his glove to reveal

a HAND MADE OF SAWDUST. He blows his fingers away.

HIGH HEELS CLICK from the stairs; she’s ALMOST THERE!

TALL OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

Coraline? How dare you disobey your

mother!!

Other Wybie shoves Coraline into the tunnel and shuts the

door.

INT. PASSAGEWAY – CONTINUOUS

Hunched down, she moves as quickly as she can, tearing

through the sticky cobwebs.

TALL OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

(calling after her)

Coraline!

Strands of web brush her face, stick to her hair; she

closes her eyes, hands out until she finally gets to the

little door at the other end. She DIVES, TUCKS, -

INT. REAL LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS TIME, BUT DAY HERE

-- AND ROLLS OUT onto the REAL LIVING ROOM FLOOR.

Coraline SLAMS the door shut and turns the sharp little

key – still in the keyhole – to LOCK IT.

She stands, covered in dust and cobwebs, and calls out

with joy and relief.

CORALINE:

I’M HOME!

INT. HALLWAY, STAIRWAY, DAD'S STUDY - SAME

She goes quickly through the apartment, happily calling:

CORALINE:

Anybody here? Hello, hello, hello! Real

Dad ... Real Mom!

INT. KITCHEN - SAME

CORALINE:

Oh, Mom’s groceries!

There are bags of groceries on the table, as if her

mother had just gotten in. She pulls open a bag to peek

and FRUIT FLIES shoot out. The food is spoiled.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

(puzzled)

Uhhh. That’s disgusting.

Door bell rings.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

She runs excitedly to the door and flings it open.

CORALINE:

I missed you guys so much-- You'll never-

INT./EXT. FRONT DOOR - CONTINUOUS, RAIN

But it’s just Wybie, the real boy.

CORALINE:

Oh... the Wybie that talks...

He’s waves, face down, awkward.

WYBIE:

Huh? Ha ha ha....yeah... Um, so you know

tha-that old doll I gave you?

Coraline tenses, sharp breath.

WYBIE (CONT'D)

Um... my Gramma's real mad, says it was

her sister’s - the one that...

disappeared?

She reads him like a book.

CORALINE:

(realization)

You stole that doll, didn’t you?

Wybie answers quickly, guilty as heck.

WYBIE.

Well, i-it looked just like you. And I

figured-

Coraline, rushing the words, tells him the truth.

CORALINE:

It used to look like this pioneer girl;

then Huck Finn junior; then it was this

Little Rascals chick with all these

ribbons, and braids, and....

Her voice trails off. Coraline studies Wybie, then, snaps

her fingers.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Grandma's missing sister!

He nods, one brow raising up.

CORALINE (CONT’D)

I think I just met her. C’mon!

She pulls him inside and-

INT HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

--drags him down the hall.

WYBIE:

Uh, listen, I-I-I’m really not supposed

to-

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Coraline WALKS HIM to the LITTLE DOOR in the corner wall

and points. Wybie looks around anxiously, fearful and

curious to be in his grandmother’s old house.

CORALINE:

She’s in there.

Reluctantly, he bends down and reaches for the key in the

lock.

WYBIE:

C-can you – can you unlock it?

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