Halloween, Hocus Pocus, Friday the 13th, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: What about a movie makes it considered a Halloween movie? Is it the thrills and chills brought to the audience during viewing? Is it the mentions of pumpkins or candy or costumes? Or is it just the fact that the plot takes place around October 31st? Well, whatever the reason may be, there are always those staple movies that are seen on CONSTANT replay during the spooky season and help bring forth the spirit of the holiday. Yet, with this in mind, there are some that still bring about an eyebrow raise and have people questioning its true identity, one especially in particular.
The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Nightmare vs. Christmas. Holiday vs. Holiday. Is it truly a Halloween movie? Or just a Christmas movie in disguise?
5 REASONS WHY I BELIEVE THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IS A HALLOWEEN MOVIE
1. Jack Skellington
I think it is obvious to anyone and everyone that the main character of the film is indeed a skeleton. The “Pumpkin King” of Halloween. Jack Skellington. Standing extremely tall with a striped suit as black as the night, Jack is the main focal point of the movie. If this was in fact a Christmas movie, why would the directors select a skeleton as their leading “man?” Why wouldn’t they choose a dancing elf or prancing reindeer or even a talking snowman? Anyway, it isn’t just him who is your staple Halloween character, but there is also Oogie Boogie (The boogeyman), Dr. Finkelstein, his rag doll daughter Sally, a two-faced mayor, witches, a clown, and even Zero (Jack’s GHOST puppy). Every character living in Halloween Town has their own creepy personality. And yes, I’ll say it again. Halloween Town.🎃
2. Halloween is Taking Over Christmas
Following the plot of the film, Jack Skellington is the one who finds the doors to every holiday randomly in the forest (A concept I still find funny). He is the one who rushes and tells the town about Christmas Village. He is the one who starts the revolt to take over that holiday. And then Jack is also the one who decides in the end that Halloween is where is heart is at. If it was a Christmas movie, wouldn’t Santa and other Christmas characters be trying to stop Halloween from taking over? Wouldn’t Christmas not be “under attack” in the first place? Plus, maybe we should add Easter into this conversation since the Easter Bunny makes a guest appearance at one moment too. While though Christmas is a big idea in the film itself, I don’t believe it to be the holiday it fully represents.🎄👻
3. Kidnapping Sandy Claws
Santa Clause is the face of Christmas. The Jolly fat man. Kris Kringle. He is an icon to children during the festive season and embodies what Christmas is all about. But lets not let the fact slide that the character in this film is actually referred to as Sandy Claws. That’s a very creative, yet not so joyful sounding name. Plus, he doesn’t have his usual jolly persona in this film. One of my favorite songs in this movie is when the children are planning on kidnapping this Christmas character. Yes. Kidnapping. And they sing a long list of not so happy ways to get him to to Halloween town using a very catchy tune. I wouldn’t say that matches the spirit of what Christmas is all about. Even with this in mind, though, he is still a key character to the film. I just wouldn’t call him the most important character.🎅
4. It is a Tim Burton Movie
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride: If you known Tim Burton you know he is not the most bright and colorful movie maker (but I still have to say his movies are so, so good). Tim Burton is known for his creepy and fantasy like movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas included. Its ominous vibe and dark hue to the screen help enhance that spooky vibe. Every time the viewers are taken to Halloween town, the colors are limited to grays and browns and blacks, and even those brighter colors are dimmed to a muddy version. The most color saw in the film is when Jack visits Christmas town, but even still that wasn’t the main setting of the film. 📽️🎬
5. I Don’t Watch it During Christmas
Like Halloween has its staple movies, Christmas has them too. From The Little Drummer Boy, The Grinch, A Year Without a Santa Clause, etc., Christmas has a long list of movies families enjoy watching throughout the entire month of December. Personally, The Nightmare Before Christmas is not one of the movies included on my list at this time of the year. It could be for some people, because some can debate that in the progression of the movie we are time lined closer to this festive holiday; however, while others can be jamming out to the plethora of songs on that soundtrack, you’ll instead be seeing me listen to the Snow Miser/Heat Miser song on replay.❄️🍿🔥
Regardless of it’s true identity, it is a movie seen play all through October to December, and even other months beyond those “boundaries.” Whatever debates that may arise from this film, you can’t deny it is a pretty good watch.
With Halloween time coming around, I knew this was an article I wanted to write to get everyone into that spooky spirit (Plus it gave me a reason to watch the movie again).
Just as you’ll see me jamming out to Band Aid’s Do They Know Its Christmas ALL YEAR ROUND, The Nightmare Before Christmas truly has no limits.
:) Christine