Matilda

Do you remember this smarty-pants with supernatural powers? Matilda was one of my favourite childhood movies, that’s for sure.

You may wonder how the heck this children’s movie is related to gothic. It turns out that this movie contains many gothic motifs. Here are a just a few of them:

1. Ancestral curse

Right from the start, we are introduced to Matilda as a newborn. We see how she is unwanted from birth. As I watched Matilda grow, I became fond of her and felt sympathy for the way her family treated her. Her father is a car salesman, a dishonest one, who sells broken cars at unfair prices. Her mother is not educated and is very superficial. She’s a “professional” bingo player, what a dream job. Her brother is just a mean fat dummy that bullies Matilda. Overall, they are lazy and uncultivated. They spend their time watching TV and eating junk food (not far from my reality). Meanwhile, Matilda is very smart and loves to learn. By the time she was 4, she had read every magazine in the house and after that, she pretty much educated herself by reading tons of books at the library. The poor girl is cursed to live in a family that does not resemble her.

2. Fear

I know, I know, school can be scary, with all the workload they wrap in a present with a bow and hand you with a great smile, it’s just like a jack-in-the-box that pops right in your face when you least expect it. Unlike your parents or mine who firmly believed we have to attend school, Matilda had to beg her parents to enroll her in an academic institution. Obviously, her parents had to continue making her life miserable. Just to give you an idea, they signed her up for a school where the principal has as motto “use the rod, beat the child”. Sounds lovely. Miss Trunchbull exerts her power in order to frighten the children. I guess she became a principal, not because she loves children, in fact, she hates them, but simply because she enjoys frightening them. Now that’s following one’s passion! Children scream at the sight of the principal. She carries a riding crop and whips it in her hands in order to frighten the poor, defenceless, innocent kids. They fear her. In her presence, they keep their head downs, they don’t dare to look at her in the eyes.

3. Excess

Not only does Miss Trunchbull excessively punish the students by giving them detention for no reason, but she does it in an excessive way. Excess is commonly used in gothic.

Oh, remember this kid? Miss Trunchbull took her by her hair, spun her around, and threw her out in the air simply because she didn’t like her ponytails.

She even punished a kid with cake. How is that possible? Miss. Trunchbull accused Bruce of stealing her cake and eating it. As a punishment, she makes him eat an excessively gigantic chocolate cake in front of the whole school.

4. Gothic setting

Miss Trunchbull wisely chose her school building. It is very dark and gloomy. The architecture of the building creates an atmosphere of mystery.

The choky. The worst nightmare of any kid attending this horrific school. It’s a tall, narrow hole in the wall behind a door with nails sticking out of it. She locks kids in there as a punishment. Glad I just had detentions!

5. Sharp contrast

To this atmosphere of terror that reigns, a sharp contrast also exists. The children are joyful and happy whenever the principal is not in sight. Mrs. Honey is also the total opposite of the monstrous principal. She is kind, sweet, and nice with every child. By the breath of her soft voice, she teaches her students the moral principles of friendship, love, and intellectual curiosity. She is an avid reader just like Matilda. They soon start to share a special bond that will change their lives forever.  

So long gothic gigglers!

All pictures taken from the movie Matilda on Netflix : https://www.netflix.com/watch/70033005?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Caae56222-126b-4e43-a99b-d5308faf77e3-125291324%2C%2C

• Time at which pictures were taken :
• (1) 32:49
• (2) 19:46
• (3) 26:35
• (4) 27:06
• (5) 40:34
• (6) 25:34
• (7) 25:31
• (8) 29:38