Starting in a small town, we see the families of a young man and woman getting ready for their arrange marriage, it’s clear that neither of them are pleased about the wedding.
Art by Snowny Ng
I loved the way Victoria father struggled so much to smile at his future son in law and his parents! Victoria seems entranced by Victors playing a I can’t say I blame her! During the wedding rehearsal things don’t go very well and it seems to be an omen of how well their live together will go!
With Victor banished from the rehearsal, he is practising his vows in the woods when he places his brides wedding ring on a branch which looks mysteriously like a hand, and a corpse bride appears from the earth saying she wants to marry him - I would also run a mile at this point! The ‘happy couple’ kiss and Victor is transported to this colourful party being held in their honour. Any excuse for a song in a film and I’m in and this one did not disappoint!
Back in the land of the living, the mysterious Lord Barkis arrives with the town cryer to deliver bad news - I love the town crier and the fact that he is unable to speak in a normal tone while giving news! There seems to be quite a few people looking for poor Victor!
Victor and Emily have a little heart to heart where Victor reveals that his mum is never happy with things he does. Emily decides she wants to meet his family and so they travel to the living world where Emily gets sick of her conscious so knocks him out of her ear!
Victor goes to visit Victoria to tell her he is sorry, but Emily crashes the party and is devastated when Victor tells him she is the other woman and he would never marry her.
Victoria tries to tell her parents of Victors predicament but obviously they don’t believe her and tell her she is to marry Lord Barkis - I assume so that they don’t waste the wedding!
Poor old Mayhew dies while driving the carriage and ends up in the underworld where he stumbles upon Victor and tells him of Victoria’s new groom. Victor is upset by the news and agrees to marry Emily which means drinking poison so he dies and his vows will be sacred.
The Underworld community travel to the land of the living for the ceremony, much to the horror of this still living and a panic ensues - that is until people start recognising their loved ones among the dead. Barkis reveals he motive behind marrying Victoria (as if we hadn’t already twigged) and is furious to find out he won’t get a penny from marrying Victoria.
Victor and Emily’s wedding day is going well until Emily spots Victoria in the shadows and realises she can’t marry Victor. Just when we think there will be a happy ending Barkis arrives and reminds everyone Victoria is actually his! As he raises a toast to Emily having died before she married, he drinks the poison meant for Victor and dies, meaning the dead who had been stopped by Elder Gutknecht from interfering are free to punish him for leaving Emily to die!
Barkis’ death frees Emily who in turn returns the ring to Victor telling him to marry Victoria, before fading into butterflies and flying away.
I do enjoy this film and it’s very Tim Burton-esq but I prefer some of the other films on the list!
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