“Corpse Bride,” directed by Tim Burton, is a dark and seductive animated drama about love, life, and death set in a whimsical and gothic environment.
The film is set in a Victorian-era village and follows Victor, a young man who accidentally marries a corpse named Emily while practicing his wedding vows in the woods.
Emily brings Victor to the Land of the Dead, where he recognizes his true feelings for his living fiancee, Victoria.
The voice cast for the film includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emily Watson. The soundtrack, animation, and voice acting of the film received critical acclaim.
The Corpse Bride is based on a 17th-century Jewish folktale that Ranft brought to Burton when he was working on The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The film's production began in November 2003, while Burton was finishing up Big Fish (2003).
In this article, we will delve into the haunting tale of Emily's death and her role in this macabre love story.
How Did Emily Die in Corpse Bride?
While it's unknown how Emily dies (Corpse Bride would have to go very explicit to reveal that), it's evident that she didn't die naturally.
Essentially, we find that when Emily was alive, she fell in love with a mystery man titled Lord Barkis. Despite her family's disapproval after Emily told them about him,
Lord Barkis persuaded Emily to elope, and she fled into the night with a portion of her family riches, her mother's jewels, and her mother's bridal gown.
Lord Barkis, on the other hand, had ulterior intentions. He only desired Emily's family's riches, and he was able to make a life for himself by murdering her and taking her fortune.
He was able to parlay that fortune into enough to fool Victoria's family into thinking he's a good affluent man, just like any excellent financier and scam artist. Victoria, on the other hand, wants to marry Victor, who accidentally awakens Emily from the land of the dead.
We know Lord Barkis murdered Emily, but we know very little else about what happened that terrible night.
However, his murder of her was so heinous that she chose to remain in the land of the dead rather than ascend to “heaven,” owing to some unfinished business.
Emily was able to safeguard Victoria and give Lord Barkis the same fate he dealt Emily with Victor's assistance and her love for Victor.
Theories on Emily's Death in Corpse Bride
There are numerous ideas about how Emily died and who she is in ‘Corpse Bride.'
We always have speculations when we don't have facts! Lord Barkis could have killed Emily in a variety of ways.
She may have tripped and broken a bone, but Lord Barkis simply left her for dead. Lord Barkis is also a good swordsman, therefore another legend holds that he killed Emily with a sword by fatally stabbing her.
However, one of our favorite theories, published on DeviantArt by MavisRead, is that he smothered her with a handkerchief.
“There are no marks of harm on her corpse, and her dead skin is blue,” the theorist claims. So I'm presuming he cut off her oxygen supply by covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief while keeping her from struggling.
She dies due to a lack of oxygen, thus there are no suspicious signs on her body.” It's a good theory… assuming her corpse reflects how she died.
There are also speculations that Emily is linked to Victoria, potentially as a sister or aunt. Essentially, Victoria's family, the Everglots, are thought to be wealthy but are running dangerously low on funds.
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It seems to reason that after Emily stole her mother's diamonds and vanished abruptly, her family suffered financially.
Could that be the Everglots, who are attempting to marry their daughter to the same man they rejected for Emily?
