For the month of October, Nerds and Beyond is recommending some of our favorite Halloween movies. Each day, we will be bringing a movie we love in hopes of getting everyone in the spooky spirit.
What is better than a spooky Halloween movie? A movie you can watch on both Halloween and Christmas! The Nightmare Before Christmas is exactly that movie.
This stop-motion masterpiece brings Halloween to life through catchy songs and lovable characters. We follow Jack Skellington’s story, a skeleton in a snazzy pinstripe suit, as he becomes weary of the same old, same old. Likewise, Sally, a ragdoll who can not seem to escape her creator, feels the same way.
When Jack and his ghost dog, Zero, aimlessly wander through the woods, he finds a curious circle of trees with doors. The one that catches his eye has a door in the shape of a Christmas tree. And when he is swept through, a plan is formed that threatens Halloween as everyone knows it. Christmas is in danger, too, when a part of the plan is to kidnap “Sandy Claws.”
Of course, everything goes terribly wrong. Christmas gets a taste of horror, while Halloween gets a bit magical. Through Jack’s journey, he discovers that he never needed another world or another holiday. Jack just needed a little change; something new all along. And maybe, just maybe, Jack needed Sally.
My absolute favorite part is when Jack officially takes over as Sandy Claws. He’s delivering Halloweentown’s version of toys to the children of the world. The first kid is handed a box, and when the parents come downstairs and ask him what he got, he pulls out a head. It is a complete disaster, but absolutely hilarious. Police get calls about toys attacking them. Not exactly the Christmas you would expect.
Another gold moment is when Santa Claus is saved by Jack and Sally. Redemption is served when he says everyone should listen to Sally, because she is the only one with sense in Halloweentown. She was the only one who saw that Jack’s idea would probably be horrible.
Honestly, I love everything about The Nightmare Before Christmas. When October starts, I am so excited, because it is finally time to watch one of my favorite Halloween movies. And I fangirl straight through December.
If you also love the music throughout the movies as much as I do, and find yourself singing “This Is Halloween” throughout October and “What’s This?” throughout December, you might want to check out the special edition soundtrack. There are amazing renditions brought to you by Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy, respectively.
Maybe you are looking for something that isn’t scary. Maybe you are looking for a little less Freddy and Jason. Maybe you want a creepy Disney movie you can watch with your family. I personally do not have the guts for horror, so The Nightmare Before Christmas is perfect for that. You get all the creepiness without the scares. It is absolutely worth the watch this Halloween season!