Review of ParaNorman (2012) by Melvin W — 08 Jun 2013

Grandma: There's nothing wrong with being scared Norman, so long as you don't let it change who you are.

"It's all fun and games until someone raises the dead.".

ParaNorman is a fantastic film filled with great animation. There's some great homages being paid here as well throughout. From Halloween to Night of the Dead, a number of great horror films have their hands all over this. The film is extremely fun, but also I would have a hard time showing it to my kids, if I had some. These children movies these days are getting more and more real world. Some of the things said in this movie truly shocked me when I think about the target audience. Still, for me as a childless adult; I loved it. .

Norman is a odd young boy. While most kids are running around with their friends, Norman's only friends seem to be... well, um... dead. Nobody believes that Norman can actually speak to the dead and most of the kids at school just pick on him and call him names. Even his family has had enough of him. One day his uncle(who can see ghosts too) dies, and his spirit comes to Norman telling him that he must read a book to the witches grave to stop the curse from happening. Well, he doesn't get there in time and now the dead are the living dead.

The setting for the film is in a Massachusetts town that is supposed to resemble that of Salem, Massachusetts. The town is built on the history of a witch that was killed many years ago, and now wakes up once a year to fulfill her curse, if not read to from the book. The setting works really well and the movie does have a lot of great, mild horror elements at work, that makes it a very rewarding movie for horror buffs. It's a lot like Frankenweenie in those regards.

ParaNorman is definitely a worthwhile film and one of the better "scary" family movies to come out in recent memory. Although, if you plan on watching it with the kids, I suggest watching it before you do because there may be some material that you wouldn't want your kids watching or listening to. I would also consider this a must watch for horror buffs along with Frankenweenie because seeing all these horror elements and homages done in a more mild way is just a lot of fun.