What’s this? What’s this? Why it’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

It was a bit of a coin toss as to whether I included this in the countdown. Is it a Christmas film about Halloween or a Halloween film about Christmas? Tricky one, but I decided it qualifies as a Christmas film as it’s ultimately about Jack Skellington discovering ‘the true meaning of Christmas’ in “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

Way back in 1993, when Tim Burton’s trademark aesthetic still felt fresh and different, not tired and utterly played out, he crafted this little tale which he had been tinkering with for over ten years. Starting as a poem inspired by, amongst other things, ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’, Burton’s fable is an unashamedly creepy visual treat, overflowing with lovingly crafted details both in the production design and the storytelling. Unlike yesterday’s movie, “The Grinch”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” shows just how to balance bright and cheery with dark and spooky without compromising either.

When Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, grows disillusioned with Halloween, he stumbles across Christmas Town. Enchanted by the style and feel spirit of Christmas, Jack makes plans to usurp Santa Claus, believing that he can deliver Christmas as successfully as he deliver Halloween. When Jack’s plans go awry, he decides to try to put things back as they were but, Oogie Boogie the bogeyman has plans of his own.

The character design is exquisite, both in terms of Halloween and Christmas and the finale where Santa shows there are no hard feelings is a lovely, feel-good moment. Despite the grim, surreal Burton-esque design everything – even the vampires and werewolves – ends up being adorable.

It may not be everyone’s cup of mulled wine, but there’s a deceptively festive spirit behind the cobwebs and tombstones and the Jack Skellington song ‘What’s This?’ may be one of the most perfect encapsulations of a child’s reaction to Christmas ever created.

the nightmare before christmas review
score 7/10


Hi there! If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to get new posts sent straight to your inbox?

Sign up to receive a weekly digest of The Craggus' latest posts.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

logo

Related posts

Disney’s Descendants 3 (2019) Review

Disney's Descendants 3 (2019) Review

Third time's the charm for this twee tweenage franchise Disney’s Descendants movies are big deals in the Craggus household, at least in the under-10 demographic where this latest instalment has been awaited with an eagerness that was only surpassed by me in relation to “Avengers...

2-Headed Shark Attack (2012) Review

2-Headed Shark Attack (2012) Review

Tails, you win. Two heads, we lose! Spending a semester at sea conducting research sounds like a dream come true, right? Not when your expedition finds itself under attack from a mutated 2-headed shark! Thankfully the boat is stranded near an abandoned atoll but when the atoll...

Loki Episode 6

Loki Episode 6

For All Time. Always. Tricky to the end, FOR ALL TIME. ALWAYS. sees LOKI end its debut season not only subverting the usual Marvel formula for finale fireworks but double down by pulling out a few more surprises before things end in the most unexpected and intriguing fashion...

Odd Thomas (2013) Review

Odd Thomas (2013) Review

I see Odd Thomas but then, by god, I write a review about it! Adapted from a novel by Dean Koontz, “Odd Thomas” is a breezy action horror movie that plays out like the kid from “The Sixth Sense” grew up and grew a spine. As the film’s tagline goes: ‘I see dead people, but then, by God, I...

Doctor Who: Paradise Towers

Doctor Who: Paradise Towers

Paradise Towers sees the new era of Doctor Who misfiring on all cylinders. Having opened the new era and series of DOCTOR WHO with the reassuringly familiar presence of a quarry, PARADISE TOWERS provides a similar comfort factor of that time-honoured Whovian trope of endless...

Eternals (2021) Review

Eternals (2021) Review

Chloé Zhao brings epic visuals and humanism to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Eternals You could be forgiven for thinking that Kevin Feige has taken the undeserved criticism of the formulaic nature of the MCU personally, using the 2021 slate of releases to subvert and refute the...

Disney’s Descendants: The Rise Of Red (2024) Review

Disney's Descendants: The Rise Of Red (2024) Review

The Rise Of Red falls flat Proving that for IP-driven corporate thinking, there’s always life after death, The Descendants saga returns, albeit without most of its principal cast, ironically except for the principals of Auradon prep itself. Descendants: The Rise of Red, directed by...

Pearl (2023) Review

Pearl (2023) Review

Pearl is a technicolour nightmare In Pearl, Ti West takes us back to a time when the world teetered on the edge of sanity, much like its protagonist. The film, a prequel to X, is a Technicolor fever dream set in 1918, a period drenched in the dual dread of World War I and the...