Merry Halloween and Happy Christmas to you! It’s that confusing time of year again when the spooky season blends into the time of holiday cheer as the year ends. What better way to dive into this often-confusing tradition then to watch the beloved “The Nightmare Before Christmas?” However, the question remains: what holiday/season does the film really belong to? Is it primarily a Halloween nightmare? Or a bad dream right before Christmas? Let’s see how the Life section stands.
Noa Climor, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a divisive movie, but not for the reasons you think. It took me a long time to answer this question, and after consulting some of my friends, I ended up even more confused, so I rewatched it. My friend Fran made a good point: it is called “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” not after. Therefore, it should count as a Halloween movie (also, the vibes are spooky, and Jack Skellington is a Halloween icon). My friend Colleen also stated that it starts with Halloween, but then the plot is more about Christmas … so, Christmas?
My sister Hila was no help at all and said that the movie is both since Jack explores Christmas but exists in a Halloween town. Now, personally, I see it as a Halloween movie. After rewatching it, I see how the main characters truly embody Halloween (count how many times I say Halloween in this and get back to me), and the main song that you typically hear is “This Is Halloween.”
So … Halloween (with the spirit of Christmas).
Sarah Barker, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
After watching this movie for the first time this week, I wasn’t sure which way I would lean, but it’s definitely a Halloween movie. Its theme song is literally “This Is Halloween.” Jack is just having an identity crisis but almost the entire movie takes place in Halloweentown. They kidnap Santa Claus and scare the children of Christmas Town, ruining their Christmas and then Jack gets shot from the sky after trying to “be Santa.” By the end of the movie, Jack is back to his Pumpkin King self and getting with Sally. It’s like being Santa was a side quest for him during the downtime after Halloween.
Bonnibel Lilith Rampertab, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
I’m sick and tired of this rhetoric that this movie has to be appropriate for one specific holiday alone. Why can’t it be both? The character designs and the general feel of the movie is great for a kid-friendly Halloween, but if you like something more unique and not “Hallmark-y” for Christmas, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a great pick. I support both arguments, but we need to see the bigger picture these holidays coexist with each other in a calendar year.
Abby Krim, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
This is one of my favorite movies of all time and this argument is brought up without fail every time I tell someone. It follows me around like the “Is math red or blue” debate (the answer is blue by the way). My answer is that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is an amazing Christmas movie. I watch it year-round, don’t get me wrong, but it is most definitely a Christmas movie. The whole plot revolves around the Christmas holiday and saving Christmas, not Halloween.
Mikayla Murphy, Campus Correspondent (she/her/hers)
Christmas. Argue with a wall. And don’t listen to Abby; math is undoubtedly red.
Benjamin Lassy, Life Editor (he/him/his)
It’s not called “The Nightmare Before Halloween.” That’s a pretty direct piece of evidence to support my stance on the brilliant movie. But if you’re still a skeptic, you don’t have to take my word for it. Take director Henry Selick’s words from a New York Post interview, “thirty years after I directed the film, beneath its candy corn coating, skeletons and vampires, corpse child and witches, I know ‘Nightmare’ at its heart is a Christmas movie.” I rest my case.