Fieldston, it’s that time of year again.
From October till December comes the holiday season, where we can finally break out the costumes, hang up those festive decorations from the back of our closets and sit back with our friends and family to watch our favorite holiday movies.
Years after its release, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is revered today as an iconic film receiving massive praise yet also sparking lively debate. The question still remains: Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?
Based in the land of Halloween Town, the story follows the adventures of the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington. The Pumpkin King grows bored with the frightful festivities in his town. Eventually, in his search for something new, he stumbles upon Christmas Town. Believing that he can improve the town and holiday, he sets off to spread new holiday fear! The movie follows Jack as his misguided efforts begin to spiral out of control.
Tim Burton, known for his “Burtonesque” style, directed the film, giving it an almost eerie and gothic vibe, completely different from what you think of Christmas. It was released on October 29, 1993, just before Halloween, and all of the main characters reside in Halloween town, and they are who we see for the majority of the movie.
Those involved with making the film actually believe the movie has more ties to Halloween than Christmas. In a 2019 interview with USA Today, composer Danny Elfman sided with Team Halloween, saying “It’s obviously about Christmas, but for me, it’s a Halloween movie.” When director Henry Selick was asked this question during a Q&A at the 2015 Colorado Telluride Horror Show film festival, he answered simply: “It’s a Halloween movie.”
Not to mention the soundtrack of this film. The opening song, “This is Halloween” is practically the holiday anthem; we can’t think of anyone that doesn’t know the lyrics to it. When you think of it like that, it all points to it being a Halloween movie, right? In reality, it may not be so straightforward.
Those on Team Christmas will tell you that the holiday spirit is just as, if not more, apparent than the elements of Halloween. What fuels Jack Skellington is his obsession and admiration for Christmas Town. He wants to get into the Christmas spirit, which is what starts his mission to replicate and intertwine it with Halloween. “What’s This?” perfectly captures Jack’s fascination, describing Christmas the way a festive loving child would. It shows some of the most important things about Christmas: joy, warmth and togetherness.
When the movie is associated with Christmas, it is more often during the holiday season as a counter to more common Christmas themes. Similar to how you fall in love with Halloween, the movie clearly wants you to love Christmas too. Jack Skellington’s journey to self-discovery ends up mirroring many themes of redemption that are seen in popular Christmas movies. Christmas is also about giving which can be seen in Jack attempting to bring Halloween to his town; despite the action being misguided he intended to share his joy and happiness with others. His initial misinterpretation of the Christmas holiday still demonstrated goodwill and generosity which is what Christmas is all about!
On the opposing side, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has become a staple in many Halloween celebrations. Spooky characters don’t necessarily fit into the cheery Christmas vibe, and the colorful Christmas background contrasted against the Halloween characters further reinforces the film’s Halloween roots. The movie starts and ends with Halloween’s darker themes carrying the spirit even in a different holiday. When the movie is associated with Christmas, it is more often during the holiday season as a counter to more common Christmas themes, making it a little less traditional. Though it may be played to celebrate both Halloween and Christmas, the heart of the movie lies in Halloween. Through its exploration of Jack’s identity, haunting music and aesthetics, the film captures the essence of the spooky season. This movie at its core is a celebration of the unusual and supernatural which embodies the Halloween spirit.
So, in conclusion, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a Halloween movie, a Christmas movie or both? Truth be told, it might just depend on who you ask. For some, it’s a celebration of Halloween, and for others, it’s a joyful Christmas film.
Honestly, it’s up to personal interpretation, especially because of the themes and aesthetics intertwined in both holidays. From the way it explores identity, to the contrasting visuals — there is no universally correct answer.
But to us, the obvious answer is that it is a Halloween movie because we would never watch this movie during Christmas!
This movie, Die Hard, Batman Returns are all interesting ones to look at to reflect on this question. A helpful tool is Rick Altman’s essay “A Semantic and Syntactic Analysis of Film” where they separate semantics (outward signifiers such as types of shots, lighting, locations, stock characters, etc) and the syntax (the themes and ideas explored). Semantic qualities alone can be a bit shallow when determining genre (for example, Alien takes place in space and the future, which would make people think Sci Fi, when the syntax and other semantic qualities are those of the Slasher Horror film).
When thinking of Christmas movies, it’s important to consider the syntax of it, which I believe is centered around the idea of “a Christmas miracle” — something that happens because of the “magic” of the holiday.