For those of us who have intense anxiety attacks during actual horror movies, Halloween can be a stressful time. Thankfully, there are an array of children’s movies that serve as alternates for every Halloween movie night occasion. One of these, The Nightmare Before Christmas, has led to a black/blue dress vs white/gold dress style controversy. A debate as high stakes as “Is water wet?” The question is, is this film a Halloween or Christmas movie?
In my opinion (based on cold hard facts) this is such a Halloween movie. Other than the obvious evidence that both Danny Elfman, the film’s composer, and Henry Selick, the film’s director, both stated that it is a Halloween movie, I have three other main points to back my argument.
- characters and setting
-
Jack Skellington, Sally, the Oogie Boogie, the Mayor and the Doctor. What does every character have in common except Santa Claus? They live in Halloween Town! What is the setting for the majority of the movie? Halloween Town! If this were a Christmas movie, the characters and setting would be centered around Christmas. Instead, viewers are stuck in the gloomy and dark world of Halloween for the majority of the movie, and even when the movie shifts to Christmas Town, it is a disheveled shell of the cheery Christmas settings commonly shown in Christmas movies.
- soundtrack
-
Christmas music is a genre of its own, much of which comes straight from Christmas movies. However, if I were ever opening presents on Christmas morning to “Making Christmas,” I would confiscate aux from whoever chose to put it on. The whole soundtrack of this movie, although sometimes relating to specific Christmas lyrics, is characterized by constant creepy instrumentals and disturbing takes on Christmas related items.
- mood and message
-
Jack Skellington says it perfectly in the “Town Meeting Song,” there’s “that special kind of feeling in Christmas land.” The movie is characterized by its dark tone, landscape and characters. Even when Santa does make an appearance, he is portrayed as a creepier, not toddler friendly version of Santa Claus. In classic Christmas movies like A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Carol, viewers are left with a kind of spirited and uplifted mood at the end of the films despite a few frequently darker aspects of the movies. These feelings can only be brought about by the holidays. At the end of The Nightmare Before Christmas, viewers are left a little disturbed, a sentiment only brought about by horror movies. We are not cheerful; we are spooked.
Therefore, despite countless FaceTime arguments with my best friend about this topic, I declare “The Nightmare Before Christmas” OFFICIALLY a Halloween movie. What do you think? Have I convinced you too, or do you have your own hot take?