Tim Burton & Helena Bonham Carter
Corpse Lovers, Graveyard Humourists, Creative Collaborators
Attraction is a mysterious thing, and sometimes the darker and more mysterious, the better. Take Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter for example, the Prince and Princess of Darkness. If the celebrated filmmaker were to write his OK Cupid dating site bio, it would have to read something like this: “Me: I’m part persecuted monster, part mad genius, a glorious maniac and unfinished young man.” He would then add under “interests/hobbies,” “I’m into dead dogs, sad clowns, happy sheep, twisted trees, jack-o’-lanterns, scarecrows and strange butterflies.”
Just when we suspect that this guy might be a little too creepy and twisted, he would sign off: “Being alive is not a prerequisite, I’m seeking a Corpse Bride.” To put the final nail in the e-Dating coffin, he’d offer up a deathly love poem titled, “Stick boy and match girl in love.”
Stick Boy liked Match Girl,
He liked her a lot.
He liked her cute figure,
he thought she was hot.
But could a flame ever burn
for a match and a stick?
It did quite literally;
he burned up quick.
One strange girl, a girl with a curious mind and eccentric tastes, is struck by his poetry. Her name is Helena Bonham Carter, and she turns out to be his perfect “Match Girl.” Together they make a wonderfully dark and comic couple, living under the radar and underground. To keep their romance fresh and the poetry flowing, they live in separate houses, next door to each other, but connected by a tunnel.
Together, they make graveyard comedies and other life-affirming films, collaborating with the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd, The Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, and Frankenweenie. And they live happily ever after.
Text by Howard Collinge- The Unique Creatures
