Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas Movie?

Is the Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas Movie?

By Summer Caldarella

Every October and December, the same debate rages in households across America. Is Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas Movie? The age old question that has been around since the movie’s release in 1993, that people have been debating for decades about. In this article, you will see the evidence for and against each side and be able to  see which holiday this movie truly belongs to. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas is about a Halloween town, and their leader Jack, attempting to take over and “improve” Christmas, resulting in major consequences. 

Some people think it is a Christmas movie because Jack’s obsession with Christmas drives the main theme of the film, along with the fact that the season for the majority of the production is in the winter. 

Others argue that it’s a Halloween movie because of the obvious character designs, being residents of Halloween Town, and even the Pumpkin King himself. They also say that the general atmosphere of the movie is spooky and creepy in the clay-mation animation style that Ted Burton, the writer, is known for, in addition to the fact that even though they are trying to take over Christmas, they are putting a- even though accidental-  spooky twist on the idea.

The director, Henry Selick, keeps changing his opinion; in a 2015 interview, when he called it a Halloween movie, but then in 2024 told The New York Post, “beneath its candy corn coating, skeletons and vampires… I know ‘Nightmare’ at its heart is a Christmas movie.” The producer, Danny Elfman, says that it is a Halloween movie because of the spooky and unsettling score. 

At the end of the day, there is no definite answer. There are dozens and dozens of videos, essays, and presentations online for both of the options, all with solid evidence. It’s up to you Bobcats: What holiday do you think this film truly belongs to?