Movie Review: PARANORMAN

I wonder what it is about a certain kind of stop motion that seems to lend itself to somewhat morbid subject matter. Tim Burton’s influence, of course, skews the stats with NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE CORPSE BRIDE, and the upcoming FRANKENWEENIE, and Laika’s previous outing CORALINE was directed by NIGHTMARE’s Henry Selick.

Their latest, PARANORMAN, continues along that vein, with the tale of a young boy who can speak to the dead, and the hardship he endures at the hands of the living for the crime of being different. But when the restless dead rise physically from their graves, he’s the only one with the power to save his town.

It’s a risky prospect, trying to make what amounts to a family-friendly horror film. Fail to thread the needle and you could easily wind up with a movie too disturbing for kids but too tepid for anyone else. While PARANORMAN errs on the side of kid-friendly, it’s also got plenty of clever humor for the older audience to appreciate. Blissfully, the film eschews any SIXTH SENSE winks about Norman’s seeing dead people, but genre fans will recognize Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD in one zombie’s particular gait, and John Carpenter’s legacy in the way the score reduces to a pounding heartbeat of a single note in moments of creeping terror.

The characters are strongly drawn, occasionally toeing the line of cliche — but then again this is meant to be in part an homage to (and subversion of) the cheesy, cliche-laden no-budget horror flicks of which Norman himself is a fan. Within the framework, Norman is a strong, complex character who carries the film on his narrow shoulders. He’s not big, strong, or overburdened with confidence, but he keeps on going because he’s the only one who can — a hero in the truest sense. The supporting characters are equally enjoyable and memorable, although I could have done with his older sister being a little less awful. (I’m sure that was the point, and it made her character change stronger, but man, she is awful.) My favorite character was Neil — although the meathead Mitch lands a joke that took me completely off guard.

I don’t want to say much more about it, because to describe much more of it would be to spoil the fun. It’s a solid movie, with surprising emotional depth and a good moral to the story, and I love stop motion films and would like to see them continue being made, so everyone go see this one so they will be encouraged to do so.