Christmas or Halloween Movie: Students Discuss “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

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Rolling Stone recently ranked Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas as the eighth greatest animated film of all time. The film was recently re-released in theaters on October 11 to the delight of fans around the world.

Amid all this excitement, one classic question has been the subject of much internet debate: Is the film a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie?

“There is a lot of debate about whether [The Nightmare Before Christmas] is a Halloween or Christmas movie because the movie is about stealing Christmas and replacing it with another Halloween,” said Miles Sheppard, a University of Iowa student.

It’s a legitimate question – just looking at the poster can be confusing. The film shows skeletons and pumpkins, but also lots of snow and presents. Is this another Die Hard mystery? For most fans in Iowa City, the answer is a simple no.

“In my humble opinion, The Nightmare Before Christmas is the third best movie of all time and should be seen all year round. Other than that, it’s more of a Halloween movie than a Christmas movie,” Bryn Meyers, a UI student, said passionately.

For some people like Meyers, The Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t just a classic seasonal watch that keeps you busy doing things like picking pumpkins or searching for costumes more diligently than doing homework. It’s a year-round affair.

“I think it’s a Halloween movie. I think the animation alone is more reminiscent of Halloween than Christmas,” said UI student Rhya Cowden.

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As Cowden noted, the film’s overall animation proves to be an important factor in most fans’ decisions.

“I think it’s a Halloween movie. It was released a week before Halloween, so was obviously made for Halloween. And the main characters are Halloween characters,” UI student Lindsey Roethler said.

The film centers around a skeleton named Jack Skellington, the “Pumpkin King” of Halloweentown. After Skellington becomes bored with the annual practice of scaring people in the “real world,” he stumbles upon Christmastown, a land full of joy and warmth.

After reevaluating everything he thought he knew, Skellington plans to kidnap Santa Claus and follow in his footsteps. Despite the numerous references to Halloween and Halloween paraphernalia, viewers have taken to the internet to debate how there are also many references to Christmas, as Skellington’s main mission in the film revolves around Christmas.

Although there is heated debate online, people on campus seem to agree: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie.

“I think it’s a Halloween movie,” said Randy Jackson-Alvarenga, a graduate student and teaching assistant at the UI. “It’s about a Halloween character who wants to try something different, and that’s why it’s deeply rooted in Halloween.”