Coraline Page #18

I’m heading inside. I still have to find

my parents.

CUT TO:

ANGLE ON MOON. The stalled eclipse STARTS AGAIN, and in

one beat, the last sliver of green moon is FULLY BLACKED

OUT. The EDGES of the button shadow start to FLAKE AWAY.

ON CORALINE WITH CAT. A strange insect thrumming has

begun. What appear to be grey paint chips or bits of

paper are falling. Confused, she looks up to see:.

The huge button shadow is EATEN TO NOTHING and then the

SKY around it IS EATEN AS WELL, revealing dirty white

light. The destruction TRAVELS from sky to the distant

hills, the sound of a million, invisible locusts growing

louder.

UP ANGLE ON CAT AND CORALINE. The cat hisses. Deeply

alarmed, they look from one direction to another.

POV out front yard. The destruction TRAVELS up the

driveway, PULLS APART the poplars, and then UNRAVELS the

topiary elephant and bird.

DOWN ANGLE ON Coraline and cat, his TAIL TWITCHING. WE

PULL BACK to find they are at the center of a RAPIDLY

SHRINKING ISLAND!

NEW ANGLE on Coraline and cat as ground beneath their

feet STARTS CRACKING, white light coming through. Cat

makes a fearful sound, afraid for the first time in the

movie!

Coraline holds out her arms to the trembling animal, her

guardian angel.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Come on, quickly!

The cat LEAPS and she catches him, then CARRIES HIM up

the DISINTEGRATING porch steps to the front door. She

gets through just in time, and SLAMS it shut!

INT. OTHER HOUSE HALLWAY - SAME

It's dark and stable in here, with just some creaks and

intermittent vibrations. A poisonous green light spills

from the other living room.

Coraline goes there, carrying the cat over her shoulder,

past wallpaper that PEELS UP as she passes, to the room

where she last heard the sound of her mother's finger on

glass.

INT. OTHER LIVING ROOM - SAME

A poisonous GREEN FIRE - LIKE SLEEPY SEA SNAKES - BURNS

in the fireplace. The bug furniture looks grey now, their

lights flickering as if short-circuited; legs and wings

twitching uncontrollably.

Coraline scans the walls, the ceiling, looking for a sign

of her parents.

ANGLE ON CORALINE in foreground. She senses the Other

Mother behind her, a creature who is no sort of Mother at

all but a witch, a Beldam. She turns.

The Beldam is hunched on the sofa - her face hidden.

BELDAM:

So, you’re back....

Her voice sounds dry and tired. She turns her face

towards Coraline. It is a WHITE DEATH MASK, cracked and

peeling - her true face.

BELDAM (CONT'D)

And you brought vermin with you.

Coraline shudders and steps back. The cat makes a fearful

sound and digs his claws into her shoulder.

CORALINE:

No, I ... I brought a friend.

The Beldam rises up 12 FEET TALL. She is WITHERED to the

bone; with plate-like shoulders and hips; her bustle now

an arachnid's tail section. Her true form.

She reaches her long, sharp FINGERS MADE OF NEEDLES to

Coraline's face.

BELDAM:

(flatly)

You know I love you.

Coraline works hard to not show how freaked out she is.

CORALINE:

You, you have a very funny way of showing

it.

The Beldam smiles, turns away, then back, her hand

outstretched.

BELDAM:

So? Where are they - the ghost eyes?

Coraline pulls out the three spheres from her bag and

starts to hand them over. But she catches herself.

CORALINE:

Hold on.

And pulls back.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

We aren't finished yet, are we?

The Beldam looks daggers, then smiles sweetly.

BELDAM:

No, I suppose not. After all, you still

need to find your old parents, don't you?

Too bad you won’t have this.

She produces the TRIANGLE CANDY that Coraline lost and

FLINGS it into the green fire. The Beldam laughs while

the MAGIC BURNS out of the candy with sparks and pops.

ON CORALINE. The third ghost eye PULSES WITH AMBER LIGHT

in her hand. Coraline turns away, so the witch won't see.

SWEET GIRL GHOST (O.S.)

Be clever, miss; even if you win she’ll

never let you go!

Coraline looks towards the locked little door behind the

armoire bug and understands: she’s got to get the Beldam

to unlock it! She furrows her brow as an idea comes to

her then nods.

She turns to the witch and in the most confident tone she

can muster, says:

CORALINE:

I already know where you’ve hidden them.

The Beldam turns from the fire, both concerned and

sceptical.

BELDAM:

Well... produce them.

Coraline points to the little door.

CORALINE:

They’re behind that door.

The Beldam leans close, knowing Coraline is wrong, and

speaks very quietly.

BELDAM:

Oh, they are, are they?

A smile creeps onto her terrible face. And she STARTS

TOWARDS THE LITTLE DOOR, moving in an odd, laboring way,

as if she had four legs instead of two. She signals the

armoire bug to stand aside, her back to Coraline.

Coraline hears the soft chirp of her mother's finger on

wet glass! Looks around, desperate - where is it coming

from?!

The cat’s ears twitch and focus, and then he SEES

SOMETHING on the mantel!. He whispers to Coraline -

CAT:

There!

-- and JUMPS to land beside the DETROIT ZOO SNOW-GLOBE -

OPAQUE WITH FROST.

C.U. ON SNOW-GLOBE. With a SOFT-CHIRP, a section of glass

is WIPED CLEAR from inside by a TINY FOREARM - and we see

the tiny, cold figures that are CORALINE'S TRAPPED

PARENTS! Coraline's heart races. She purposely stays back

from them.

CORALINE:

(whispering)

Mom. Dad!

ON BELDAM, by little door. Oblivious to Coraline's

discovery, she COUGHS up the KEY into her hand. She turns

to Coraline, expectantly.

CORALINE (CONT’D)

Go on. Open it. They’ll be there, all

right.

The Beldam stoops to push the key into the lock, turns

it, leaves the key in place.

She grins at Coraline and speaks in a low, sing-song

voice.

BELDAM:

You're wrong, Coraline!

She opens the little door, revealing the empty, spiderweb

tunnel.

ON CORALINE, who glances from the open door to the cat -

obscured on the mantel - and back to the Beldam. She's

thinking very hard.

BELDAM (CONT'D)

(pitying)

They aren't there.

She opens her hands: one holds box with Coraline's BLACK

BUTTON EYES, the other a THREADED NEEDLE. Triumphant, the

Beldam softly gloats:

BELDAM (CONT'D)

Now you’re going to stay here forever.

Coraline strikes a warrior's pose, and, summons all the

fury she can.

CORALINE:

No ... I’m ...

She GRABS THE CAT off the mantel and RAISES HIM OVER HER

HEAD.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

NOT!

And she HURLS THE CAT at the Beldam. The YOWLING ANIMAL -

face shocked with surprise - SAILS through the air and

lands RIGHT ON THE ASTONISHED WITCH'S HEAD.

FREAKED-OUT, the cat DIGS in his CLAWS AND BITES the

shrieking Beldam, who STAGGERS to one side of the little

door.

Coraline GRABS the SNOW GLOBE with her parents inside,

stows it in her bag, and moves out to approach the door

from the other side.

The Beldam FLAILS WILDLY at the cat. The cat HOWLS LIKE A

BANSHEE, RAISES HIS CLAWS, and - quick as you can - TWO

SHINY BLACK BUTTONS HIT THE FLOOR -THE BELDAM'S EYES!

Rate this script:3.6 / 9 votes