Our take
While it’s sort of a cheesy idea for us adults, being yourself is good, but it’s not so easy, especially as a kid. This is usually the sort of message for a coming-of-age indie, but it’s a message that works well with stop-motion animated horror series Frankelda’s Book of Spooks. Instead of showing this message in day-to-day life, Frankelda instead weaves five spooky stories of kids wishing to be someone else, and gnomes, witches, sires, and the Coco monster granting their wish… but for a price. It’s the same price Frankelda herself paid as a ghostwriter, in both the literal and fantastical sense, which drives her anthology forward. Combining a Laika-esque style with Mexican folklore, and incredibly catchy tunes, Frankelda’s Book of Spooks is an underrated series for horror fans, especially those younger in age.
The story
Frankelda, a mysterious phantom writer, with the help of her grumpy enchanted book, tells terrifying stories in which girls and boys have encounters with monsters that will make them face their deepest fears.
Trapped in a sentient haunted house, literal ghostwriter Frankelda tells terrifying tales with the assistance of her grumpy enchanted book Herneval, allowing her stories about gnomes, witches, sires, and the Coco to find an audience in people’s dreams.
The animation, of course, immediately garnered attention in Latin America, but what helped make it work is how great the music is, with its polyphony adding emphasis to the animated characters.
My only complaint, really, is that there’s only five episodes. Can we have more, please?
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
